ABOUT THIS SITE
This is a website all about Gary Le Strange, a comedy pop star character created by the
actor, writer, comedian and composer Waen Shepherd, as a means of being able to practise
the disciplines of acting, writing, music and comedy all at once. Waen (that’s me) has written
and created it all by himself (that’s myself).
So what’s this site all about?
Basically he’s a pop star in the mould of the early 1980s New Romantics, though he has
been known to diversify into other genres. I started performing under that name in March
2002, building up to a one-man show at the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2003, which won
me the Perrier Award for Best Newcomer. That then led to two more Edinburgh shows,
regular appearances on various radio shows like Out To Lunch and The Day The Music Died,
several albums (all of which I produced myself) and the occasional video. Not to mention
countless live sets. It was a full-time job for about five years, before I had to start doing
other things instead, after which appearances became sporadic and the act gradually
dwindled to a crumpled nothingness.
OK then - tell me about Gary Le Strange
You mean the dwindling to nothing? Yes, I suppose it’s pretty sad. I had all kinds of dreams
and hopes for the act, but after half a decade of pretending to be a person who wasn’t
actually me, I felt I needed to try to remember who I used to be before I lost all sense of
reality. Besides, it cost me more than I ever earned from it and I couldn’t generally get it to
work outside the rarified atmosphere of London character comedy clubs and the occasional
Fringe show. So it was destined to die. But its death did leave behind a lingering sense of
unfinished business - a sense that I hadn’t quite achieved what I set out to achieve. It also
left behind a messy picture, a rags-to-rags story with a clear beginning and end but not
much clarity in the middle. Which has led me here, I suppose, thinking back to the days
when I was Gary Le Strange and wondering what the hell it was all about. Hence this
website, on which I hope I might be able to make sense of it all.
That sounds terrible…
Oh. Well in that case, this website isn’t for you. Unless you want to spend some time
studying how rubbish it all is, which might be a good idea if you want to avoid the same
fate.
No, I meant the act. It sounds rubbish
Not really. Except that it’s a work in progress, so don’t expect the whole story to emerge all
at once. I’m basically approaching it on a song by song basis, writing about each song until
they’re all more or less written about. And I wrote a lot of songs, so it’s going to take me a
while.
OK. Anything else I need to know?
He’s a comedy pop star! Of course there are songs. Generally very silly ones.
There are songs?
Great! If that sounds like your cup of tea, might I suggest you start here? Just two songs for
now, but more will magically appear as the months roll by…
That sounds more like it!
ABOUT THIS SITE
This is a website all about Gary Le Strange, a
comedy pop star character created by the actor,
writer, comedian and composer Waen Shepherd, as
a means of being able to practise the disciplines of
acting, writing, music and comedy all at once. Waen
(that’s me) has written and created it all by himself
(that’s myself).
So what’s this site all about?
Basically he’s a pop star in the mould of the early
1980s New Romantics, though he has been known
to diversify into other genres. I started performing
under that name in March 2002, building up to a
one-man show at the Edinburgh Fringe in August
2003, which won me the Perrier Award for Best
Newcomer. That then led to two more Edinburgh
shows, regular appearances on various radio shows
like Out To Lunch and The Day The Music Died,
several albums (all of which I produced myself) and
the occasional video. Not to mention countless live
sets. It was a full-time job for about five years,
before I had to start doing other things instead,
after which appearances became sporadic and the
act gradually dwindled to a crumpled nothingness.
OK then - tell me about Gary Le Strange
You mean the dwindling to nothing? Yes, I suppose
it’s pretty sad. I had all kinds of dreams and hopes
for the act, but after half a decade of pretending to
be a person who wasn’t actually me, I felt I needed
to try to remember who I used to be before I lost all
sense of reality. Besides, it cost me more than I ever
earned from it and I couldn’t generally get it to work
outside the rarified atmosphere of London
character comedy clubs and the occasional Fringe
show. So it was destined to die. But its death did
leave behind a lingering sense of unfinished
business - a sense that I hadn’t quite achieved what I
set out to achieve. It also left behind a messy
picture, a rags-to-rags story with a clear beginning
and end but not much clarity in the middle. Which
has led me here, I suppose, thinking back to the
days when I was Gary Le Strange and wondering
what the hell it was all about. Hence this website, on
which I hope I might be able to make sense of it all.
That sounds terrible…
Oh. Well in that case, this website isn’t for you.
Unless you want to spend some time studying how
rubbish it all is, which might be a good idea if you
want to avoid the same fate.
No, I meant the act. It sounds rubbish
Not really. Except that it’s a work in progress, so
don’t expect the whole story to emerge all at once.
I’m basically approaching it on a song by song basis,
writing about each song until they’re all more or less
written about. And I wrote a lot of songs, so it’s
going to take me a while.
OK. Anything else I need to know?
He’s a comedy pop star! Of course there are songs.
Generally very silly ones.
There are songs?
Great! If that sounds like your cup of tea, might I
suggest you start here? Just one song for now, but
more will magically appear as the months roll by…
That sounds more like it!
