Edinburgh Fringe: The Unfamous Doc Brown
Doc Brown is the stage name of Ben Smith, retired rapper and brother to best-selling novelist Zadie Smith.
Doc Brown.
- By Jack McKeown
- Published in the Courier : 09.08.10
- Published online : 11.08.10 @ 06.38pm
His autobiographical show is an agreeable mix of rap, stand-up, a muse upon his brush with fame, and a brief tribute to the success of his sister that manages to be touching, funny and delivered without a trace of jealousy.
Born to a white, working class London father and a Jamaican mother, Ben grew up in London and watched his sister fulfil her childhood dream of becoming a writer in stellar fashion with her multi-award winning novel White Teeth.
The 32-year-old came within swinging distance of becoming a household name himself. A talented lyricist, he worked with mega-producer Mark Ronson and performed with Mos Def and Kanye West. Just a few years ago he performed in front of a crowd of 44,000 at Glastonbury.
In spite of this, Smith never quite broke through into becoming a household name in the way that some of his contemporaries did (he worked with Amy Winehouse when she was young, and witnessed her sad diminishment through alcohol and drugs), but when he gave it up to start again as a comedian, he was doing well and making a good living at it.
He certainly deserves to be successful in the less lucrative world of stand-up comedy. Fresh-faced, articulate and quick witted, he intersperses humorous but endearingly honest tales from his own life with rap sections.
Here is where you get a sense of the powerful hip hop performer he once was. These days he takes a self-deprecating approach to rap, however, shedding the bling he arrives in and translating some hip hop phrases into the Queen's English to very humorous effect.
His stage name, Doc Brown, is a reference to Emmett Brown, the crazy inventor from Back to the Future, who is usually referred to in the films as Doc.
There's not a DeLorean in sight, and I wouldn't say he's the future of comedy either, but Doc Brown is an endearing and amusing presence, and the use of hip hop sets him apart from the crowd. Even if you're an old fuddy duddy, pay him a visit — he'll make you crack a smile.
Doc Brown: Unfamous is at the Pleasance Courtyard at 7pm until August 29 (not 16th).
www.pleasance.co.uk/edinburgh
Add a comment