PRESS RELEASE

RBM presents

ELVIS McGONAGALL (“one man and his doggerel”)
FRINGE FESTIVAL 2009
GILDED BALLOON – TURRET ROOM
5.45pm (Ends 6.45pm)
5th – 30th AUGUST 2009 (not 17th)

Scottish stand up poet and armchair revolutionary, Elvis McGonagall will make his long awaited Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut this year.

The 2006 World Slam Champion, Elvis McGonagall's One Man and his Doggerel will be an hour of razor sharp, highly charged all original stand up poetry covering all aspects of society and daily life including politics, art, literature and king size whiskey wispas sprinkled with one or two swearie words. Nothing is spared Elvis's sharp tongue in this fast moving hour of intelligent, clever, very funny stuff.

Elvis McGonagall is the sole resident of The Graceland Caravan Park somewhere in the middle of nowhere where he scribbles verse whilst drinking malt whisky, listening to Johnny Cash and throwing heavy objects at his portable telly.

In June 2006 Elvis won the World Slam championship at the Poetry International festival in Rotterdam after previously winning the 2006 Spokefest UK Slam Championship at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East in London and the 2004 UK Allcomers' Slam championship at the Cheltenham Literary Festival. In 2005 he was part of the UK team that performed at the 4 Nations' Slam at Hammer & Tongue in Oxford and, along with the magnificently hirsute Henry Bowers from Sweden; he represented Europe in the Hammer & Tongue 4 Continents' Slam Tour of the UK in 2006.

Elvis currently appears as one of the poets in residence on BBC Radio 4's Saturday Live and has also appeared regularly on Radio 4's Today Programme and BBC 1's the One Show . He has performed at venues and festivals up and down the UK including Cheltenham Literary Festival, Oxford Literary Festival, Glastonbury, Leicester Comedy Festival, Latitude, The Stanza Poetry Festival, The Big Chill as well as The Bonnie Prince Charlie Karaoke Klub in Kirkcaldy and Mr Bing's Cantonese Cocktail Lounge in Cowdenbeath.

Elvis is the compere of the notorious Blue Suede Sporran Club.

“if poetry is the new rock ‘n roll then Elvis….is Elvis” Steve Larkin, Hammer & Tongue

“very brilliant….political ….but side-splittingly funny” The Reading Rant

“comic poetry with a stand-up charge coupled with intelligent leaps of the poetic imagination” Shortfuse

“flamboyant….razor-sharp text….intense energy….reminds me of Adrian Mitchell, John Cooper Clarke and Linton Kwesi Johnson….all the right people” Simon Vinkenoog

LISTINGS INFORMATION – ELVIS McGONAGALL

GILDED BALLOON TEVIOT, Turret Room, Bristo Square, Edinburgh
Box Office: 0131 668 1633
Venue press office: Duncan Fraser, press@gildedballoon.co.uk 0131 668 9483
Edinburgh Fringe Box Office: 0131 226 0000
Dates: 5th – 30th August at 5.45pm (ends 6.45pm).
Previews 5th – 7th Aug. No show 17th
Tickets: 5th – 7th Aug (previews): £5.00
Weekdays £9.00 (£8.00 concs)
Weekends £10.00 (£9.00 concs)