JOE RIDING |
(Member of The Inner Magic Circle Gold Star) |
PRESENTS |
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His new and outstanding after dinner speech |
“THANKS FOR THE MEMORY” |
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The speech begins with Joe Riding humorously describing how he started in show business by buying a book called “How To Develop a Super Power Memory”. |
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He then explains how he got so good, that some time later on Television on a Chris Tarrant show, Joe broke the worlds record for memorizing a shuffled deck of cards inside two minutes. |
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Joe goes on to relate an hilarious story about a magic shop owner (who sold Joe the memory book), and former escapologist whose greatest escape was from the Gestapo in 1939. |
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Joe talks about other characters Joe has written comedy for such as Jimmy Cricket, Roy Walker, Jack Dee, and Tommy Cooper, and describes the last trick Tommy Cooper did the night he died. Tommy bought this comedy effect from Joe, and Joe tells how Tommy Cooper almost, but not quite got it wrong. |
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Then Joe explains how in order to perform a comedy spot in cabaret in Blackpool, Joe in one day memorized over one hundred jokes and went out and did a successful comedy spot the same night. |
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Joe recalls how once again during a summer season show he had to improvise a stand up comedy routine for a special Sunday show, for some handicapped people. What Joe did not know was all the handicapped people had severely impaired hearing, and could not hear a thing Joe said. |
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Another incident when Joe was doing the clubs and called himself a Visualist, and how one agent got it wrong and booked Joe out as an Hypnotist. Hear from Joe the hilarious way he managed to make the evening work, so he actually got out alive, and the most important got paid. |
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On another occasion, Joe was booked to support a leading pop group who had not turned up. Joe went on and died the death. But at ten thirty pm as the group had still had not arrived, Joe had to go and face the audience again. This time in desperation he tried something different. It went so well he finished to a standing ovation. This led to a change in direction for Joe. |
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Finally a fantastic memory feat, where all the audience can take part without leaving their seats. This is a world record as done by Joe on the Les Dawson show but with a twist finish, this finish always ensures Joe gets a standing ovation. The new idea is as follows. Joe has ten decks of playing cards. He explains that not only has he memorized the ten decks, but that he he has also memorized five hundred and twenty different gags. Each card is numbered on the back from one to five hundred and twenty. There is also a word written on every card. |
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Someone comes from the audience selects any one of the decks. These are shuffled again by that person and handed back to Joe, who then scales out all the cards over the heads of the audience, who pick up the cards as they flutter down. |
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Joe stands with a fistful of fivers (Not dollars) and the audience is asked to call out the number on the back of the card they picked up and Joe has to name the card, then the word that is written on the card, then tell the gag that contains that word. For instance the word on the card may be lady driver. Then Joe tells the gag about the lady driver who died and went to heaven, drove through the pearly gates……..and took one with her. |
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If he fails he immediately give them five pounds of his own money. But if he names the correct card, the word and tells the gag, (Remember there are five hundred and twenty different cards and gags to start with.) they put five pounds in the fund raising pot.. |
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Once the first person has called out a number, and Joe replies, you always get several people calling out their number almost at once. It’s human nature they cannot resist the challenge. |
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Joe uses this to raise a considerable amount of money when doing fund raisers. The latest show he used this finish was a testimonial dinner at Preston North End in February 2001 when Joe raised one hundred and eighty pounds in the twelve minutes or so it took to do this outstanding memory feat. Joe finishes with the line, “Thanks for the memory”, to end a memorable evening. |