Ray Presto dies at 74

[News Bot]

Stalwart of the London open mic scene

[Paul R]

Saddened to hear of the demise of Ray Presto whom I first met in 2004 at a gig where we were among only three people who turned up to watch Russell Brand. It's ironic to note the different career trajectories of these two acts since then. Ray was at the start of his stand-up career and as I was thinking about doing the same, he performed his act to me in the bar after the gig was pulled. He finished his set with a trick where he paid me '£5 of my own money', imagine my surprise when he produced a ‘note’ from ‘The Bank of Presto’ with his own face printed on it. 'You can keep that,' he said, and I did.
Ray then invited me to watch one of his early performances at the Comedy Store Gong Show. My partner, Verity, started chanting his name 'Presto, Presto!' as soon as he ambled onstage to his intro music 'Happy Days Are Here Again' and a Gong Show ritual was born. Throughout the time I knew Ray, he was very secretive about his past and I'm grateful for Harry Deansway for filling in some of the gaps. His furtive nature could be seen in his publicity photos which he handed out at gigs. Not only was the photo taken some time ago but the top corner where Ray's real name was originally printed was cut out. He even asked me how he could open a bank account under his stage name so he could avoid paying tax on his comedy earnings.
All I really knew about Ray was that he had an eye for the ladies, he was ambitious to do well in stand-up and he was financially secure enough to spend every winter in Thailand.
My favourite memory of Ray is when we booked him for an Up The Arts Comedy night in London Bridge. I was MC and put him on first, the audience enthusiastically clapped along to his intro music. But before he could start his first joke, I walked back onstage and grabbed the mike from him. "Get off!" I shouted at him, "I've changed my mind, I don't want you on, old man!" Oh how the audience booed as I kicked him off the stage. They booed even more when I did the same at the start of the second section. "Look," I told them, "you haven't seen his act." At the end of the night I asked the audience if they really wanted to see Ray? They were screaming for him to be brought on. "Ok," I said "on your heads be it..." And Ray went on and hit them with his languid almost somnolent comedy stylings - after 4 minutes he'd told two jokes - the Stewart Lee of the one-liner ‘Christmas Cracker’ joke merchants. He did an unforgettable 15 minutes that night and afterwards he was so elated that he demanded payment from me. How could I resist? So I gave him £5 'of his own money'.
Ray Presto - rest in peace.
_________________
"weird and wonderful... should be given his own TV show" THE STAGE
"material is smart as well as funny" THE SCOTSMAN
http://www.paulrickettscomedian.com

[Anthony Miller]

I remember when Ray first started coming down to Pear Shaped him asking me in all seriousness "what his chances of "making it" and headlining the Store were"? I tried to explain delicately that perhaps the big agents and promoters might not think of someone in their late 60s as a good long term investment (because they might fall off the perch) but he could probably get a decent amount of work round the clubs... or try the Fringe or something....

Well, Ray didn't just do the gong at the Store once or twice he actually talked himself into a regular spot there and got several 10 spots at the weekend off the back of it ...and became so successful they had to ban him from the gong as he was undermining the object of the Gong Show - to be cold, intimidating and unwelcoming. He told me he didn't understand why they stopped him doing the gong and seemed a bit put out by it and so I suggested to him that probably someone like him making it "human" was undermining it a bit and that he shouldn't let that undermine any relationship he had built up with them if they still gave him gigs. To which he replied "that is very deep".

The review says "stalwart of the London open mic circuit". This is true, but Ray Presto also got many paid gigs too - more than many younger acts who have been round the circuit more often than a positive feedback loop. He was regularly booked to close at the Theatre Royal Stratford East - a notoriously difficult gig where he regularly ripped the room up. He was particularly proud of this: "Top of the Bill!" he would intone and "£60 ...not £40 ... but £60!". Neither were all his gags old (although some of Hughie Green's ad-libs may have been resurected) ....there were the old chestnuts, yes, but he always had several gags that that I hadn't heard before.

His persistant nature could also be infuriating (I several times had to tell him off for pestering Brian for bookings when he was already booked in several times over "How many clubs do you think we have, Ray?") but the great thing about Ray was his enthusiasm. He didn't dwell on his disadvantages (age) but just got on with it.

And actually, yes, I think he did alright. People used to regularly ask me "why do you book Ray Presto?". Well, he was quality. "And that's a fact boys and girls".

Even dying he seemed to take quite well ... his biggest concern seeming to be what would happen to his props when he was gone.
_________________
I have an unsatisfactory penis but it is the least of my problems.
http://www.pearshapedcomedy.com/Document2.htm

[HazelHumph]

Bugger. Sad news. Never met Ray personally but saw his act a few times. RIP Funny man.
_________________
"Apparently genuine" - Chortle

[Lukaswild]

I saw this man at the Comedy Store when I had my first go at stand up. I had died after 38 seconds and was feeling pretty down and willing to kill myself, having realised I wasn't as funny as I thought.

Ray came on at the end of the night and did his magic act. He barely spoke a word. The compere was gently ribbing with some commentary. At one point the compere said "why are you laughing? There aren't even jokes?"

At which point Ray took the mic and said his one line of the night: "It's all in the performance". He brought the house down with that one line and cheered me right up in the process.

RIP Ray Presto. Hell of a guy.
_________________
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko7u6QamDYI

"Lukas went on and got everybody listening straight away, and was funny in doing so. He's a great act, and I'm sure he'll go far. Book him." Tom Young- Comedy Lab