Obscure Japanese musical troupe ‘Frank Chickens’ are on target to be crowned Edinburgh’s Comedy God!
After Stewart Lee’s epic email rant at the festival organisers last month, votes for the group who he cited in his tirade have surged putting them in the unlikely position that they might actually win the title of the best comedy act of the past 30 years.
Lee himself admitted that his email was an accident: ‘Well, that was a complete accident in that I sent this e-mail at 12:15 at night having had three pints. If I’d had two I wouldn’t have been bold enough to send it and if I’d had four I would’ve been asleep.’
But the power of the Internet proved its might once again as votes for the group were actively encouraged by comedians like Richard Herring and Robin Ince.
The group apparently received a quarter of the 80,000 votes cast in the first fortnight of voting and are now ahead of comedy heavyweights Michael McIntyre and Peter Kay.
Kazuko Hohki a founding member of the Frank Chickens told The Guardian:
‘I had a phone call telling me I was ahead of Michael McIntyre, and I said, ‘Who?!’ I don't know anything about stand-up comedy.’ Bless.
She added: ‘It’s very funny. I respect the British people’s sense of humour. But it just proves that Stewart Lee is a very popular, powerful person.’
‘It’s like someone talking about who won the Derby. I don’t care. I am not a comedian.’
Copyright : Comedy Central UK