Frank Sidebottom - what’s he all about then?

Maybe he’s a Marmite comedian and there’s certainly plenty of people who love him fanatically but I’m not one of them.

I just don’t get Frank Sidebottom. I’ve never understood the joke. Why the papier mache head? Why Little Frank? Why the keyboard and songs? No, I don’t get it.

I know that this declaration might lead to people trying to tell me how great he is in the comments but, please, don’t bother. Trying to explain why you think a comedian is funny to someone who doesn’t think they’re funny is a bit like trying to explain to a friend why you fancy their Mum. They might understand but they’re never going to agree.

Frank Sidebottom is undeniably Northern though with his broad Manchester accent and a songbook full of tributes to Timperley. Which is probably why he fits in so well to the Safestyle UK adverts - a company that too is very true to it’s Northern roots.

Previous *stars* of their adverts have included Ken Morley from Northern soap opera Coronation Street, that Northern bloke who shouts “Buy One Get One Free” and Northern 80’s comedy legends Cannon and Ball:

And to be fair to Safestyle UK they’re probably making the best of a bad job. Double-glazing salesmen still have to battle with the reputation for being failed vacuum cleaner salesmen and having so few morals that they’d make the average paedophile “tut” loudly and disapprovingly shake their head. So why try too hard when you are always fighting a losing battle?

Which is possibly why the Safestyle ads always seem to be low-budget, slightly tawdry affairs (their enthusiastic use of the cringe-worthy “BOGOF” abbreviation is a case in point) but combining it with, the now very has-been, Frank Sidebottom has really sunk the adverts to a new low.

I mean, Frank Sidebottom. What’s he all about then?

Anyways, as I was saying, what I really like about your mother is the playful glint in her eyes, the tenderness of her touch and her absolutely, staggeringly, massive breasts….

(PS: I can’t find an online version of the Frank advert yet but as soon as I do, I’ll post a link to it)