“Mr Burns is a fucking genius”
-- Jane Borden, Time Out New York
That’s all we have to say. For two decades now the adopted Australian has been Britain’s most outspoken and number one cult comic. Since taking away the long-awaited Oscar of live Stand up comedy: the if.comeddie award for best live comedy show in 2007, Burns has been one of the most prolific and busiest men in show business both here and across the pond.
In late 2008 Burns recorded not one but two live DVDs for Universal, and aired a special on Comedy Central over the Spring of 2009. Time Out London gave the special five stars and wrote, “He’s an Enigma wrapped in a riddle, multiplied by a puzzle is Brendon Burns. That and a squawking, foul mouthed pricker of pomposity, whom it’s nonetheless hard to love… the most jaw-droppingly awkward, painful, yet ultimately rewarding piece of stand up we’ve ever seen. He might be irritating but he’s very good”
Also in the fall of 2009 Burns made his US TV debut on Paul Provenza’s Green Rooms on Showtime as a regular contributer and panellist. Appearing alongside such greats as Eddie Izzard, Andy Kindler, Andy Dick, Roseanne Barr, Larry Miller, Dana Gould and Johnathon Winters. From there Burns recorded his first US album for Stand Up Records in Chicago and tore New York a New one to boot.
Back in the UK Burns put the finishing touches on his seventh album, The Thinking Man’s Idiot on the Laughing Stock label, available on i-tunes and the Laughing Stock website.
Over the winter Burns has finished his first semi-autobiographical novel, “Fear of Hat Loss in Las Vegas” with trans-world publishing available in August.
Already his writing skills have garnered critical recognition.
** CRITICS CHOICE **
"Wisecracks are fine for a few minutes but they soon grate. The stand-ups who can hold your attention for an hour or more are those brave enough to tell you what they really feel, and the modern master of this autobiographical genre is Australian comic Brendon Burns. More like a beat generation writer - Charles Bukowski or William Burroughs, perhaps - Burns' tales of his sexual exploits, certainly bear comparison, and he trumped Burroughs by handing out magic mushrooms to punters at Glastonbury. No other stand-up has matched the scope of his confessional trilogy, which traced his descent into madness: you'd need to look to writers rather than comedians to find monologues of such ambition. He understands the first rule of good writing: that the honest truth is often funny and never dull. And that's exactly what you get with Burns."
-- William Cook, The Guardian
“One of the break out stars of the Festival”
-- Bill Brownstein, Montreal Gazette
“It is a tremendous thrill to see a comedian who has been excelling at his craft for years reach a new peak. Brendon Burns has achieved this with a truly remarkable show in which he tests, pushes and attempts to redefine the boundaries of taste in racism, sexism and homophobia.”
-- Chris Wilson, The Stage
“..this show is huge, it is absolutely the smartest thing I have ever seen in the comedy section and yes, it is funny.
…you are still a couple of brilliant elements away from the genius of this breathtaking, ruthless, perfectly judged show.
… You have only ever really toked on pure socio-political comedy. Which is not without its effect. With Brendon you are mainlining. And the hit is a feeling I will never, ever forget. Last night I had to accept that I am part of the problem… respect, sir. And not a little awe.
-- Kate Copstick, The Scotsman
“Brendon Burns was absolutely fantastic but nothing he said can be repeated in this paper”
-- Montreal Gazette
“He’ll guarantee the ride of your life. Why did we ever let him go?”
-- Beat Australia
“He has been compared to the legends…Burns has it in spades”
-- William Cook, The Guardian
“. He remains as hardcore and as disturbingly funny as ever. The high octane Aussie comic discomforts, disarms and disables you in equal measure”
-- Veronica Lee, The Sunday Telegraph
“One of the most exciting comics working in the UK”
-- Time Out
“Just occasionally a comedy show is so good it is like falling in love. You run out punching the air, feeling full to the brim with lust for life and joy. I ran out of mobile phone juice calling my friends and telling them to buy tickets… loud, brash, rude, in your face and fantastically laugh out loud funny. This is really something special, a show that makes you howl with laughter, which takes you right up to the emotional edges and which draws its strength from something very deep and pure. Long Live Brendon Burns”
-- The Scotsman
“Remains undiminished at his blasphemous best”
-- The Herald
“An exceptionally funny performer… and ode to the healing power of the human spirit… One of the circuits most intelligent artists”
-- Evening News
“A fascinating show, extremely funny and very moving”
-- The Stage
“…You have to hail a comic who exposes his life so willingly, who takes his audience on such an emotional ride without resorting to course manipulation, who has the courage to flirt with conventions of bad taste, who has the power of delivery to overwhelm resistance, revulsion and downright hostility, and, most of all, who makes it all damn funny.
Brendon, have that fifth star you've never before received from Chortle. God knows, you've been through enough to earn it.”
-- Steve Bennet, Chortle
BRENDON BURNS webSITE
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