EVENT REVIEW: FTN reviews Hollywood Babble-On at Vicar St, Dublin

Hollywood Babble-on
Starring: Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman
At: Vicar St, Dublin
When: June 28th, 2014
For further dates and infomation go here 

For those who don’t know – and I’d imagine there’s not too many on here – Hollywood Babble-on is a podcast from nerdy film-maker/actor/podcast king Kevin Smith and his friend Ralph Garman, actor, radio show host and Family Guy voice actor. It’s basically a 90 minute news entertainment podcast where they go through all the latest stories in a funny and very, very crude fashion.

With an ocean of stings throughout the show to alert the audience to upcoming segments, including Garman singing songs in the stylings of Arnold Schwarzenegger, famous movie line read by Lou Ferigno and jokes about the, ahem, size of a particular part of Liam Neeson’s anatomy, this is certainly not a family show.

What it is however, is a face-paced, funny, crude and in parts rather vile look at the weird world of Hollywood and beyond, from the point of view of two guys, with mics, a desk and a few drinks. It’s exactly what you’d imagine a podcast to be. In front of many, many people.

Vicar Street was sold out on Saturday night and the crowd was electric, waiting for Smith and Garman. Vicar Street is an intimate little venue, down a side street in Dublin, Ireland that plays host to some of the biggest names around – it’s just perfect for a gig like this, and it did not disappoint with the two on the stage, with minimal (no) set-dressing and armed with a few bottles of water and a host of drinks supplied by by-passing audience members, supplying plenty of giggles and even belly laughs throughout.

However, and it will be known to fans of the podcast, this is not a Kevin Smith show. Yes, he’s there and bringing his usual brand of dick and fart jokes and a selection of rude gestures, but it’s Ralph Garman that steals the show. Completely.

His matter-of-fact delivery is spot-on, his impressions are hilarious and even when they don’t quite hit the mark, his humour carries it through. Smith is Robin to his Batman here, no shame in that. At all. I just wonder how many people in the audience were aware of this before going in?

But it’s a minor point. The audience were totally along for the ride and the laughs and booze was coming thick and fast (steady, now) and at the end of the day everyone left smiling and content… it’s just a pity it didn’t run a little longer as the 90 minutes came (stop it) and went so fast.

I have to wonder though, is it time Smith revised the same gags (seriously?!) and gestures and maybe grew up just a little? No? Maybe it’s just me feeling a little jaded after having been along for the ride ever since Clerks.

If you know the deal however, you will not be disappointed… it does exactly what it says on the tin.

4 out of 5 Nerds