Edinburgh's original open mic night

John Hunt

In his own words

Describe your first OOTB.

i think it was the third or fourth night, it was a long time ago, i recall that Moses was the m.c. that night.

Which OOTB performers really rock your boat?

william d. and Hanna O.

Who is the funniest person you ever met?

Tommy Cooper.

What's the worst, nails-down-a-blackboard musical experience you've had?

1986, i was mistakenly booked for a tory party shin dig.

What's your favourite song of yours?

the one i'm just about to wright.

What's the best piece of songwriting advice you've ever been given?

Tommy Cooper,"just like that!"

How would your best review sum you up?

outragously irreverent.

How would your worst critic sum you up?

outragously irreverent.

at OOTB

(March 2004)
John Hunt took the stage next, and the people who left early really missed out on something here. At times sounding like a stand up comedian, and at others like a televangelist preacher, he played us 3 of his satirical yet really insightful songs. The first was dedicated to "that bastard Robert Mugabe - he owes me a tenner!", possibly a first for OOTB, and went along the lines of "If you've never lived with nothing, then baby you ain't never lived!", the second line being swapped for "then you must be Robert Mugabe!" at the end. "Women are from Mars and men are from Venus" was the basis for the second, and this time dedicated to people who write self-help books. It draws a parody between the way men and women date and the way spiders catch flies, I think men being the spiders and women the flies, although that's another debate entirely! The lyrics were thought provoking and plain jaw-dropping at times, "spiders and flies, sitting round in bars" is going to come to mind whenever I'm in the pub at that time of night I think. The question "Is the pope here tonight?" was our introduction to the third, which led on to someone asking what would happen if he had won the mystery prize, and in turn to a debate about ducks for some reason. It was that time of night! "Once I shot a hippy in Goa, just to watch him die" sang John, most definitely taking the piss out of organized religion, or just religion in general perhaps. "I'm a Christian, and I hope that you are too, because if you aren't then I may have to shoot you" went the verse, or something along those lines. The small crowd [Ed's note: about 15 - 20 people] was still able to generate a loud applause at the end, which brought the night to a close.

(June 2003)
The consummate performer and all-round artiste John Hunt gave what I thought was his best OOTB set ever tonight. "Broughton Street Blues", which he played accompanied only by a mouth organ at Ed Rush, was a debauched look at the pub-rich Edinburgh street. Almost vaudeville in style at times, the lyric was vividly picturesque and the guitar playing breathtaking. How do you follow that? With "Wonderbra Blues" of course. This was a song written on stage at the aforementioned Ed Rush night and was analogised with our culture which is obsessed with superficiality. This was also a bit of a love song, with the line 'true love overcomes size and gravity' featuring surprisingly. The amazing "If You Believe In A God That Makes Mistakes" was dedicated to all religious leaders. The line immediately following the title was 'you're goddamn right, 'cos god made you' and this new one was brilliantly written. I can't wait for the live John Hunt CD which is in the pipeline.