Speakers corner The Argus

Crowd tunes in to Whistler

Passers-by were urged to pour their hearts
out at the inaugural session of a new speaker's
corner. Public speeches will take place at The Level,
Brighton, on the last Saturday of every month.
The meetings were launched at the weekend by
Radio West Pier, an internet comedy show that
claims to be recorded under Brighton's West Pier.
Standing on a metal box, he said he found in a squat
on the seafront, radio presenter Matt Whistler declared
a "People's Independent Comedy Republic" in which
there were no taxes on humour. The
34-year-old of Goldstone Road in Hove
said he had ordered 1,000 flippers so
members of the public could swim to visit
the radio shack.

Dressed in a brown velvet hat and Seventies
embroidered jacket, he encouraged others
to get up and shout through the megaphone
woman complained about the police presence
at the event, which was being monitored by
several officers at the other side of The Level.
Another advertised breast-feeding awareness.
Mr Whistler said: "We did it for an hour.
In that time, we had about ten people.
I was very pleased."
The next is on Saturday, February 24
from 1pm. Radio West Pier is presented
by Mr Whistler and Rico Mortis. Hear it at www.myspace.com/radiowestpier.

Is this pier lunacy?
Comdedians are to declare independence
for Brighton's West Pier.Matt Whistler, who
earlier this year announced his intention to
smash all Evel Knievel's world records,
wants the pier made its own state.Mr Whistler
and his sidekick Eric Mahoganeigh, who
run comedy show Radio West Pier on the
MySpace website, are planning the stunt
to launch the Brighton Whinge Festival -
a version of London's Speakers' Corner.
The duo will set up a platform at The Level
in Brighton at 1pm on Saturday and invite
people to stand on it and whinge about
anything they want. The best whinge will
be filmed and posted on their MySpace site.
Tune in to Radio West Pier at myspace.com/radiowestpier.