CAROLINE DUTTON spoke to Burnley-born
comedian, actor and performer Matt Whistler.
YESTERDAY daredevil comedian Matt Whistler
smashed motorcyclist Evel Knievel's world record
for jumping over 13 parked trucks. But trickster
Matt gave the challenge a cheeky twist.
He leapt on a push-powered scooter and
the 14 lorries he used for his attempt were
Matchbox toys. "I was very nervous about the
challenge. I had to constantly wipe the sweat from
my brow. It was quite a feat,"
said Brierfield-born Matt, 34, who is one half of
internet comedy show duo Radio West Pier.
"i got the timing just right if id have tried to do
it earlier in the week think id have been blown
to France - I could've brought some duty free
back!" The stunt was the latest in a long line
of zany antics that Matt and partner
Eric Mahoganeigh (and their alter-egos
Jah Scooterman and Rico Mortis) have pulled
off in the name of comedy. The pair, who
are both based in Brighton, launched
internet comedy show Radio West Pier in
September. The shows, based on the
fictional lives of two men living in the
wreckage underneath the seaside town's
famous landmark, West Pier.Matt and
Eric made a pilot episode of the show
for a new sitcom on a budget of £20,
and are hoping it will be picked up by
a television company. At present they
broadcast monthly audio versions of the show
on their website. "It's a zany, upbeat comedy
which has been likened toThe Mighty Boosh,
" said Matt. "We ..filmed the pilot through
TV Brighton, the city's community television
channel. It is part animation and part live action.
We begged, borrowed and stole equipment
and a number of very talented local people
donated their skills and expertise for free.
"Our ultimate ambition is for it to run as a
sitcom, but we're also looking at taking a
show to all the comedy festivals next year." Matt already holds two scooter world
records. The first for scooting from Lands
End to John O'Groats and the second for
the most miles travelled on a scooter in
24 hours - 161. "At the time of the first world
record my mum owned a fairly well-known
cake shop called Sophisticakes in Brierfield
so I stopped off for a cup of tea and a slice
of cake on my way down from John O'Groats."
And some of Matt's crazy stunts have given
him national publicity, including when in 2004
he organised the world's first naked speed
dating event in Brighton.
"A lot of people turned up wearing fig leaves
and because the theme was the Garden of
Eden," said Matt. "Although in the end it
turned out to be a load of hippies dancing
around in the knacker to be honest. But
some people met new friends and one
person resolved a homeless problem
so some good did come of it." So how
did a born-and-bred Brierfield lad end
up creating a spoof radio show in Brighton -
the UK's capital of cool? "I was born and
bred in Brierfield, although I tell people
down here it's Burnley because that's
the place they recognise," said Matt.
"I left home to do a radio course at
Liverpool University and when I graduated
I moved to London. After that I gravitated
towards Brighton." He met comedy partner
Eric during a chance meeting on Brighton
seafront. "He stopped me in my tracks and
asked if he could have a go of my self-propelled
scooter. He said he'd never seen anything
like it before," explained Matt.""I let him have
a go on it and he immediately fell off. At that
point I decided our destiny was in the making.
" But despite stardom beckoning Matt still
finds time to visit his home town often."I spend
quite a lot of time in Brierfield visiting family,
" said Matt, "although I don't know whether
I'll ever move back into the area. "I still miss
the Lancashire people, they're definitely
friendlier, which I notice when I come home.
And I miss the rolling hills of Pendle."
Visit Matt and Eric's website www.myspace.com/ radiowestpier
comedian, actor and performer Matt Whistler.
YESTERDAY daredevil comedian Matt Whistler
smashed motorcyclist Evel Knievel's world record
for jumping over 13 parked trucks. But trickster
Matt gave the challenge a cheeky twist.
He leapt on a push-powered scooter and
the 14 lorries he used for his attempt were
Matchbox toys. "I was very nervous about the
challenge. I had to constantly wipe the sweat from
my brow. It was quite a feat,"
said Brierfield-born Matt, 34, who is one half of
internet comedy show duo Radio West Pier.
"i got the timing just right if id have tried to do
it earlier in the week think id have been blown
to France - I could've brought some duty free
back!" The stunt was the latest in a long line
of zany antics that Matt and partner
Eric Mahoganeigh (and their alter-egos
Jah Scooterman and Rico Mortis) have pulled
off in the name of comedy. The pair, who
are both based in Brighton, launched
internet comedy show Radio West Pier in
September. The shows, based on the
fictional lives of two men living in the
wreckage underneath the seaside town's
famous landmark, West Pier.Matt and
Eric made a pilot episode of the show
for a new sitcom on a budget of £20,
and are hoping it will be picked up by
a television company. At present they
broadcast monthly audio versions of the show
on their website. "It's a zany, upbeat comedy
which has been likened toThe Mighty Boosh,
" said Matt. "We ..filmed the pilot through
TV Brighton, the city's community television
channel. It is part animation and part live action.
We begged, borrowed and stole equipment
and a number of very talented local people
donated their skills and expertise for free.
"Our ultimate ambition is for it to run as a
sitcom, but we're also looking at taking a
show to all the comedy festivals next year." Matt already holds two scooter world
records. The first for scooting from Lands
End to John O'Groats and the second for
the most miles travelled on a scooter in
24 hours - 161. "At the time of the first world
record my mum owned a fairly well-known
cake shop called Sophisticakes in Brierfield
so I stopped off for a cup of tea and a slice
of cake on my way down from John O'Groats."
And some of Matt's crazy stunts have given
him national publicity, including when in 2004
he organised the world's first naked speed
dating event in Brighton.
"A lot of people turned up wearing fig leaves
and because the theme was the Garden of
Eden," said Matt. "Although in the end it
turned out to be a load of hippies dancing
around in the knacker to be honest. But
some people met new friends and one
person resolved a homeless problem
so some good did come of it." So how
did a born-and-bred Brierfield lad end
up creating a spoof radio show in Brighton -
the UK's capital of cool? "I was born and
bred in Brierfield, although I tell people
down here it's Burnley because that's
the place they recognise," said Matt.
"I left home to do a radio course at
Liverpool University and when I graduated
I moved to London. After that I gravitated
towards Brighton." He met comedy partner
Eric during a chance meeting on Brighton
seafront. "He stopped me in my tracks and
asked if he could have a go of my self-propelled
scooter. He said he'd never seen anything
like it before," explained Matt.""I let him have
a go on it and he immediately fell off. At that
point I decided our destiny was in the making.
" But despite stardom beckoning Matt still
finds time to visit his home town often."I spend
quite a lot of time in Brierfield visiting family,
" said Matt, "although I don't know whether
I'll ever move back into the area. "I still miss
the Lancashire people, they're definitely
friendlier, which I notice when I come home.
And I miss the rolling hills of Pendle."
Visit Matt and Eric's website www.myspace.com/ radiowestpier
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