Jasper Carrott.qxp_Layout 1 21/02/2022 10:37 Page 2
FRIENDS Bev's music career had really taken off by that point. Leaving Denny Laine And The Diplomats to form The Move in 1966, he went on to play in ELO with Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood in 1970.
“I was always going to be a drummer,” says Bev, “and I think I could’ve made a living as a drummer too, but luckily I got into The Move, ELO and Black Sabbath - and to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is pretty special.” Jasper's career took off a considerable time after Bev’s, in 1975, with charttopping comedy record Funky Moped. Numerous TV shows followed, including the BAFTA-winning Carrott's Lib and BBC comedy series The Detectives with Robert Powell. When he brought his 24 Carrott Gold live show to Birmingham National Indoor Arena in 2004, he broke box office records, attracting a staggering 72,000 people across several performances. “I have to keep pinching myself really,” says Jasper. “I haven't done TV for about 10 years, and it's great because I don't get the hassle of being recognised. I've got the best of both worlds in the fact that I can still draw a crowd and yet I can be fairly anonymous. “One of my greatest pleasures was when my grandchildren came to see me and were really knocked out. For weeks they were doing the routines.” The pandemic prevented the two old pals from working together, but with the tour now once again on the road, Jasper and Bev are thoroughly enjoying getting back to doing what they do best. “There was a bit of trepidation at first,” reveals Jasper, “not having worked for that long, but the minute we were on stage it disappeared. “We were playing to sold-out houses
from the moment the tour began, and it’s been fantastic to see audiences coming back to the theatre, having a great laugh, rocking the house and just remembering what life’s all about.”
Bev agrees: “Rehearsals are just a means to an end, but as soon as you get on a stage and get that crowd reaction, it's fantastic - it's a real buzz. There's nothing to replace it.” Alongside larger theatres, Stand Up & Rock is also visiting smaller venues so is that more enjoyable for the performers? “I generally love a small theatre, where you can actually see the audience and they can see you.” says Bev. Jasper agrees: “Doing the 500, 600 seaters is going back in a way to those folk club days. For me personally one of the joys is getting back to the basic roots of stand-up comedy, eyeball to eyeball with the audience.” So what does the future hold? “Staying alive is probably one of our main ambitions,” jokes Jasper. “We'll just take it tour by tour. Ken Dodd was 90 and still getting up on stage. I don't know how long I can continue, but I will do so until I know I can't do it as well as I should be doing it. But hopefully that's a way off. “And I can always become a drummer!”
Stand Up & Rock stops off at The Albany Theatre, Coventry, from 24 to 26 March; Victoria Hall, Stokeon-Trent, 14 April; Lichfield Garrick, 27 to 30 April & 4 to 7 May; and Palace Theatre, Redditch, 18 to 21 May.
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