Back in the UK

In 1997, Greg Proops was far more recognizable in Britain than in his native United States, thanks to a lengthy run on the original UK broadcast of Whose Line Is It Anyway?. He capitalized on that transatlantic footing with a stand-up double album recorded over shows at The Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh and Sheffield City Hall. The set leans heavily into his persona as a verbose, suited American eager to pull apart European and American culture with equal disdain. The crowd work centers on berating stragglers, while the prepared material attacks satisfying targets like the Channel Tunnel, the vanity of supermodels, and the heavily publicized romance between David Copperfield and Claudia Schiffer.

Originally released as a two-cassette tape by Laughing Stock Productions, the recording captures Proops at a pivot point in his career, right before his primary television gig would migrate to American networks. He operates with total confidence, directing his hostility toward the logistics of smoking in Los Angeles, the reality of visiting Hadrian’s Wall, and the overall concept of Disneyworld.