Katy & Karen Koren - Videos And Transcript
In this weekly roundup, there’s The Koren’s caption video, links to Chesney’s video on The Koren’s chosen song, and one of the roughest transcripts you’ll ever read. 🤪
And if you missed Katy and Karen’s podcast episode click here.
The Koren’s Quote: ‘’What's for you, won't go by you.”
The Koren’s Song: Return To Sender
Caption Video:
And here’s a sneaky early look at Chesney creating his version of Return To Sender. Any comments on his Elvis impersonation will be cheered. 🍻
A Very Rough Transcript:
Lynn: Well, hello people. Good morning or good afternoon. Or I, when I say hello people, what I really mean is hello listener. How are you? hope you're keeping well, we've come to the last episode of this series. Wow.
Chesney: Can't believe it.
Lynn: Yeah. Woo. So for this episode, I'd like to say, good morning. Good day. Good evening.
Good afternoon. Listener. Welcome to Ferguson. Harrington Hawkes. I'm Ferguson.
Neil: I'm Harrington
Chesney: and I'm Hawkes. Good morning. Good afternoon, evening.
Lynn: Adorable. Hey, can you believe that we've managed to get to the end of the series? Can you believe it
Chesney: amazing.
Oh, and Neil really can't believe it. He's his face. He's like, have we really made it this far?
Lynn: sorry. No, it's been a bit of a journey.
Chesney: Neil has to work with us. Kennell
Neil: yeah, that's my penance. It's been wonderful. Hasn't it? Right. It's been a test as always.
Chesney: We certainly learned a lot.
Lynn: I'm liking the new branding. Are you liking the new branding? I
Chesney: love it because you know, we've really gone all out with our new, um, you know, design stuff.
Haven't we, it's a Fiona, uh, who's been my design girl for like 25 years and, and I love her dearly. Um, and she's done all my albums and my websites and all that kind of stuff. So I brought Fiona into the fold. Didn't I? And didn't she just do a wonderful job. And we've got all sorts of new people in the team.
We've got the lovely Bethan who's doing our socials. Amazing.
Lynn: And Mark and Mark,
Mark periodically. No, ,
Neil: doesn't it feel good to have a team? We have a team. You said the word Ches right? It's magic.
Chesney: Isn't it? Delegation is what we need. I
Lynn: feel like with the new, eh, graphics and all that, it's a bit like when you get yourself a new haircut
Chesney: it is like that.
Lynn: Yeah. Yeah. When you go, oh, look at me with my new haircut,
Chesney: right. It just looks all very professional. Doesn't it? It's like, oh, it's actually real. It's a real thing. It's not just the three of us getting together over a cup of coffee and, uh, having a chat. It's actually a thing thing,
Lynn: except it. It is
Chesney: it, it is that as well.
Neil: It is that. And all pass off as being professional. Right? Brilliant. Look, I'm gonna steer this cuz I'm looking at the clock, right. And we've had a few technically
Chesney: love of your clock watching.
Neil: So we are gonna get onto our quote as we've got some guests rocking up very, very soon. So the quote from today's guests is Scottish as they themselves are Scottish.
Lynn: I'm slightly worried about this
Neil: now, before we recorded, I practiced my Scottish accent. Oh's been a mob, it's been a murder. I then proceeded to completely insult and bastardize the whole country in culture. Oh. So I've decided I'm not even gonna attempt it now that we are recording. Um, but in English it said as what's for you, won't go by you.
So I'm just gonna hand this one over to you, Lynn, to make it more authentic.
Lynn: Shall, shall I try?
Neil: Yes, please do it properly. And spare us all my attempts. Scottish
it's what's for you, won't go by you. Which means, um, what you're destined to have, you will have. It's the thing about fate, you know, whenever stuff, um, goes wrong or whatever, or you're waiting for, um, the result of a test or an interview.
And my mom and dad would always say, well, what's for you. Won't go by. Which means if, if you're meant to have it, you'll have,
Chesney: does it work the other way around as well? Like what's, what's not for, you will not come to you that type, you know, it's like, it can be the other way round as well. Right? So
Lynn: that's the English version.
Chesney: right.
Neil: You look at the chat section of the platform here. I've just typed the Scottish spelling of it for you. If you just click on the chat in the record.
Chesney: See, I see I'm not gonna attempt that either.
Neil: It's fair yield. No goodbye yield. Oh,
Lynn: my God's getting frightened.
Neil: I'll tell you what I could give you the street talk translation.
Lynn: Okay, good
Neil: It's your bread bin. If shit's gonna happen, shit's gonna happen.
Lynn: Yeah. Yeah. If shit's gonna happen, shit, it's gonna happen. And the Surbiton version is, and what's not for you. Will of course go by you. Anyone for tea?
Neil: Is that Surbiton-ese?
Is that your finest surbiton-ese?
Lynn: That's not a Surbiton accent. I'm not doing the accents this morning.
I think we've murdered enough.
Done. There's been a murder.
Chesney: There's been a murder. There really was a murder.
Neil: Yeah. Yeah. So why is, why is fate so important to a lot of people then? What do you reckon say?
Lynn: Do you know what I think though is like, there's, if I look at my life, there's been times where I've been, uh, really upset that something didn't go my way. Right.
Where I'd be like, oh my God, I can't believe that's happened. And then when I look back in it, I'm like, oh my god,
Chesney: I'm so glad that didn't happen.
Lynn: Thank God that didn't happen. Right. Yeah.
Chesney: Because something else often comes along, doesn't it? You know, that, that you don't expect, you least expect, you know, so because you didn't do that thing.
Yeah. Something else came along that was even better
Lynn: or that you were being taken care of. The one that certainly springs to my mind is. Was it before the pandemic? Uh, all those years ago, mm-hmm before the pandemic
Chesney: was there pre pandemic.
Lynn: I was up for a really, I know there was a pre pandemic I was up for a really, um, impressive TV job here, right?
Like a kind fortune changer, TV job, where, you know, change your life. And it was down to me and one other person and, and they actually even penciled me for those shoot dates and everything. It was all that stuff. But if I'd gotten the job, I wouldn't have been able to go back to Scotland for my nephew's wedding and, uh, see the family.
Right, right. I'd have to have been here shooting and, uh, just, uh, came down to the wire and then they went with the other person. Mm. And so then I went to Scotland and I had a great time in my family. and I saw my friend Ashley, and we hung out. We hadn't hung out properly for years. We went out for dinner and we had like a really cool time.
And then, um, later on, obviously the pandemic happened. Hadn't seen my family for years. Right. But I spent that time with him and also then my friend Ashley died.
Chesney: Oh, that's right.
Lynn: So if I had, yeah, so if I'd had the job, sure. It would've changed my life in financially and I'd be all part of the mucky muck, but I would much,
Chesney: would you still be here with us though? Lynn yeah.
Lynn: Well, part of the mucky-mucks is
Chesney: we are part of the mucky-mucks.
Neil: That's right. Doesn't get much muckier than this sister.
Lynn: So I think that's what I mean. I mean, I actually wouldn't, uh, swap that time with my family or with Ashley, who is my family for anything. Yeah,
Chesney: so invaluable. Yeah. And we've all been in those situations. Haven't we like my, my youngest son is who has been in a situation this last week where he's got amazing opportunity to do, uh, what he really wants to do on stage. And it's like a really cool thing, but he's also been accepted to his absolute ideal school. Oh. And, uh, you, he can't do both. You can't do both.
So he's had this like torturous kind of, uh, well, or I think that me and Chrisy were probably more tortured by it than he was. Cuz he just went, well, I'm gonna do the school aren't I. So like yeah. You know, so yeah. You know, he knew his, his destiny and uh, and chose it pretty quick and easy, you know? Yeah.
But you know, that, that other thing may have led to who knows what it would've led to, or perhaps it wasn't gonna be right for him, you know? So
Lynn: you can only really go with your gut in the end. But sometimes even when that doesn't work out, you just have to go. Right. Okay. Let it go. I think it's a really good statement to stop you fighting things that you can't really, you have no control over anyway.
Chesney: Yeah, right? Yeah, of course. And, and it's that power of no as well, isn't it it's like, Nope. I'm not doing that. And, and just making, it's like making that decision and suddenly all the torture's gone. Because you've made the decision and that's the way you're going. And it all lifts. Doesn't it.
Lynn: There's a thing in stoicism.
Oh, look, stoicism go. Right girl. That episode of
Neil: there's just not enough stoicism,
Lynn: hang on listener. There's a bit of stoic going on. Right. Neil had a fair amount of Stoics coming out. I, in the last episode, but that's an entire,
Chesney: not very, not very many today.
Lynn: no, right? No, there's a thing in STOs. Um, where they say it's not the wind, it's the inflammation around the wound, right?
Mm-hmm yeah. You mention that it's not the actual damage. It's the, the resistance to the damage. And I, I think what's for you, won't go by, really helps with that where you're just like, okay, that was ouchy that was a bit sore but you know what? It's probably worked out fine.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Chesney: Yeah. Wonderful.
Lynn: Good. Well, I'm looking forward to these guests. I think a big area. Exciting.
We've got two.
Chesney: We have two, we have double guests. Yeah,
let's great. Let's do it.
Lynn: You know, normally Neil gets to do the exciting introduction thing, but this time I was like, no, you're not getting to do it because it's my pals. It's my pals. And so you're not getting to do your introduction because that would be weird. It would be weird. This is a, like, this is the last episode of this series and I'm very, very excited to bring on my pals and two very important women who are also related. Now, if you've ever like, that's an achievement. Yeah. Related
Katy Koren: it's an achievement for me. Have to say,
Lynn: I know you can't say any, you're not introduced yet.
Katy Koren: Sorry.
Chesney: You're not here yet. Darn it.
Lynn: And also you can't interrupt because it's your mom's job to do the interrupting. That's what she's here for the whole interrupting thing.
Look at her being O quiet and just have like butter with me. She's just, anyway, if you've ever, ever gone to don't you interrupt me? Sorry. Like , if you've ever gone to the Edinburgh festival or you've ever even heard of Edinburgh, or in fact Scotland, you will have heard of the Gilded Balloon, which has easily been one of the most influential, uh, venues, uh, businesses in terms of comedy, um, in the last.
Do you know, I'd say the last century actually, cuz if it hadn't been for the gilded balloon, there be loads of people who just wouldn't exist. I mean, they would exist. I haven't given they would exist. Right. And that they would be there of molecules, but we would never have heard of them. Yeah. Um, so I bring, we bring to this last episode, the two women who are entirely responsible for the Gilded Balloon, Karen Koren and Katy Koren
woo.
Katy Koren: Hello? Hello. Thank you for having us
Karen Koren: now. Just so you know, Lynn. Yeah. Uh, Katy was in a huge rush to be born. She couldn't wait to leave my body. I tell you she was out there like a bloody short
Katy Koren: what you're opening with. Good.
Karen Koren: my opening line. the one thing I'd like you to talk, talk loads about is Boss Women.
Lynn: Boss Women.
Karen Koren: That's correct or
Chesney: not just generally
Karen Koren: Katy and I just, no. Well, we can talk about everything, but I'll just put Boss Women out there at the beginning, but
eh, well, we would talk about it except you know how like you're my pals and you are on this podcast. Oh yes. Don't believe I've been asked to be on your podcast!
No, you will be there this year. You might be.
Neil: I don't wanna rub salt in the wound but they are on series 4!
Chesney: Ladies. They are one ahead of
us. They one ahead
Karen Koren: of, no, we had to, we had to wait till we were on her on her podcast.
Lynn: Oh, really? Yeah. Do you know? I feel it's a weird and big achievement actually getting us all together. Cuz normally
Chesney: it's been a long time coming.
Lynn: Yeah. well getting you guys to sit down right now is, uh, complicated because you've got the fringe coming up in August.
Karen Koren: Yeah. And we haven't done it for nearly three years. Yeah.
Lynn: Right. Yeah. How's it going? Is it crazy busy?
Katy Koren: Yeah. Things are hectic. And uh, the team are working away in the background behind us, uh, just now, but they're yeah, we've got amazing people, um, on board, but it is a brand new team and yeah, it's been pretty tricky after two year break to kind of rally everyone together and kind of do it all again.
So yeah, it's pretty hectic at the moment. These are the kind of the busiest months of the year for us.
Karen Koren: We lost nearly all our staff except two. Oh fulltime or three, we had three full-time for a while. We had people on furlough and then they all, when that was over, they all went. So there was ended up to me and Katy and one part-time money guy who obviously was fiddling his thumbs, cuz there wasn't any money
Lynn: So do you think that you are, uh, slogan the proverb, because you know, like what's happened, I'm just reminding you of this listener. Yeah. That in this series, uh, Chesney decided that we needed to be a lot smarter, right? Because that's part of Chesney's appeal. Is it not just his handsome plays, guitar and music and all adorability but also he's very clever.
Chesney: His brain's behind this blonde hair.
Neil: He's secret brains.
Lynn: brains behind that. Adorability right.
Karen Koren: And it's not even dyed
Chesney: no, exactly. Well, that's what I'm saying.
Lynn: so he had decided that each episode should have a theme and we should ask her our guests, what quote or proverb they choose to live by. And yours was.
Karen Koren: oh, am I to say it.
Chesney: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. That's your call. Yeah. That's your cue. Yeah,
Karen Koren: cue. Um,
Katy Koren: what's for you. Won't go by you.
Karen Koren: Scottish proverb. What's for you. Won't go by you. And in my life, I have been pretty positive about the future. I would say, I would say Katy's not as positive as me but she's learning to be,
Lynn: oh my God, God,
Katy Koren: I didn't know this was gonna be a critique.
Neil: It's gonna be a assassination where it's from the starting
Karen Koren: right's right. To have my opinion.
Chesney: It's like an intervention we've talked to you.
Neil: Yeah. Just to let you know, written in Scottish. It's whit, fir yoo.
Lynn: Oh my gosh.
Neil: Bringing you up to speed there.
Karen Koren: Scottish accent is really, really bad.
Chesney: Yeah, no shit Sherlock. Yeah. We know,
Lynn: you know that thing where, uh, people do the Scottish accent by going there's been a murder. Well, there has been a murder on this podcast, which has been Neil murdering the Scottish accent It's been intense.
Chesney: I would never attempt it, certainly in this circle.
Karen Koren: Could you repeat it?
Neil: No, because I was expecting just a little bit more kindness actually. Yeah. To be honest,
Lynn: you're in the wrong. Thank you very
much. No, that's not that didn't I, no.
So do you think that that statement, that proverb, helped you deal with the challenges is over the past? Uh, well, certainly over the past five years, cuz the past, how have you kept a business going? Yeah. Through,
Karen Koren: well, actually that's what we, I would say to Katy to keep her
Chesney: positive,
Katy Koren: said it to me.
Yeah. Mom said it to me since I was. A teenager, since I became grumpy, I was the happiest, uh, child in the world. And then something happened when I turned 13,
Chesney: it's called puberty
Katy Koren: and the world. Yeah. The world is ending. You've no idea. Uh, and so said that to me when, uh, yeah.
Chesney: We can go into that later.
I want to hear all of that.
I wanna hear it all.
Katy Koren: Oh God. Um, yeah. And I think it's so true. Like, I think it's so important to, you know, go through life and understand there there's ups and downs, but that what's for you. Won't won't pass you by and it's yeah. It's helped me a lot, particularly in the past two years. right.
Lynn: Yeah. Well also, because this year you're getting married as well.
So evidently who's for you won't go by you too.
Karen Koren: Before you go into all that happy stuff. I would like to tell a story about Lynn Ferguson taking Katy and I. To, um,
Lynn: it's gonna be that story
Karen Koren: Millport is not your right. It's that story?
We went, sorry. I am actually surprised that Lynn Ferguson has two children. Yeah, because she did not like having Katy along.
Katy had her 27, uh, Barbie dolls with her and Lynn was going, oh, for God's sake. What she is,
That's
Chesney: why she's got boys. That's why she's happy with boys.
Lynn: Yeah. I've got boys.
Karen Koren: Yeah. You were so impatient with her. And I was saying, what's wrong with her? She's lovely. You're going, oh, for God sake.
Lynn: She is lovely and was lovely, but I think I was 27 and hungover.
Do you know what I mean?
Katy Koren: Like
Chesney: you weren't interested in Barbies in that particular moment?
Lynn: No, not at all. Unless it was big hunky Australians having them. Do you know what I mean?
I think you're such an interesting combination though, because, uh, both of you are really doers, you know, mm-hmm, like you Karen oh, you are you're somebody
Chesney: That face! I wish you could see her face.
Karen Koren: I thought you mention doer as in, not doer, do I'm explaining, doer in Scottish, just so you know, means star grumpy and dull
Chesney: we said differently didn't mean that
Karen Koren: like, so she's insulted us.
Lynn: Well, you know, in Millport you were a bit doer I have to say
Karen Koren: right? And so were you, you did write a series about Millport and I was listening the other day and it's really funny. It was really good.
Lynn: Ah, I should have put you in it though. Shouldn't I? Yeah. should have put you in it.
Katy Koren: Not me though.
Lynn: Not you, there there'd be no children with Barbie dolls in there. No. Six year olds. I think you were about six at the time. And I have to tell you when both my kids were six. They were complete douche bags. like, there's something about kids when they're six where they're just like, I want this get me that.
Right.
So it not just, I mean,
Katy Koren: ask a lot of questions I imagine. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Lynn: You know, I Don don't mind that.
Karen Koren: Why quite like that. why. Oh yeah. Why? Because I do.
Chesney: That's the biggest question, isn't it? Yeah.
Neil: Maybe there's a flip thing going on. Karen has the patience. Therefore, Katy just, you know, it's the opposite of that.
Karen Koren: That's the nicest thing you've ever said. Neil. Nobody would say that me
Neil: I've seen you smile. I have seen you smile, laugh and be kind. So there's hope. Yeah.
Lynn: No, I think the thing you've both got in common really is that you get shit done. You just really do get stuff done. Even when, like, whether it's, uh, setting up a venue or whether it's dealing with a tour or even if it's just organizing like a family party,
Katy Koren: a birthday party.
Lynn: Yeah. The Korens get stuff done.
Karen Koren: But I think, I think what it is is we don't give up. We don't just go. Oh, we can't do it. We can do it. And we do.
Chesney: Where do you think that comes from? And did you pass that on to Katy?
Karen Koren: I, I think so. I hope so. I think it came from Norway. I think it's Scandi my whole, um, blood is Norwegian,
Katy Koren: but your brothers aren't like that?
Karen Koren: No, my brothers you're very right.
Katy Koren: I try, always find shocking.
Karen Koren: I think it's the female side of the family and there was only me. And I had four brothers who didn't do anything
Chesney: that probably was something to do with it. You probably had to look after your four brothers, right? I mean, that's gonna, that's gonna make you sure that you get stuff done.
Yeah,
Karen Koren: yeah, absolutely. Yeah. It was having four brothers was a lot of noise in the house and , I was quite bad tempered. I was quite bad tempered right up until I met Lynn Lynn thought seen a lot of my bad temper. I'm sure.
Lynn: I used have a thing where when Karen would yell at me, I'd go. I don't speak Norwegian.
I don't don't speak Norwegian.
Katy Koren: She's really mellowed since then.
Karen Koren: Yeah. I have mellowed lots of things.
Chesney: I have a lot of love for Norway, Karen, cuz I, I made my, uh, my last album in Norway and I've got so many great friends over there. I spent a lot of time.
Karen Koren: Oh, didn't you in norway.
You probably have a bit. Scandi in you.
Chesney: Oh, I think I do. Yeah.
Lynn: Several times obviously been scandi several times.
Chesney: little - I'm. Sure. Yeah.
Karen Koren: Have you, have you ever done that whole. You know, blood thing that you send away in....
Chesney: Yeah, I did. I looked, it was quite funny cuz my, my wife came back as like, she was literally from everywhere.
She's like even part Bantu, you know, she was from all over the planet and uh, and I was 98% British
Katy Koren: wow.
Karen Koren: Anglosaxon
Chesney: I'm an Anglo Saxon basically. Yeah.
Lynn: Sorry. 98%. Surrey. Probably.
Chesney: Yes, exactly.
Karen Koren: So was the 2% Viking.
Chesney: Oh yeah. That's exactly where it was. Yeah, it was. A Scandi-who-vian as I like to say.
Karen Koren: what about you Neil? Yeah. What, what
Neil: I have no clue as I'm adopted aren't I, so I've obviously got a touch of the top, but you,
Karen Koren: yeah, but you can of blood thing.
Neil: Yeah. Ah, no. It's obvious from looking at me that my real father runs a kebab shop somewhere in North London. and uh, you know, that's the fortune I'm gonna inherit. So I don't need to know any more than that really do I .
Lynn: Yeah. Hey, you know what happened to my neighbor across the road? Right? Her and her sisters did, after their parents died, they wanted to, I don't know that some Testament to their parents.
Right. They wanted to, uh, find out about their genealogy and whatever. And they did, we might have to cut this out in case the listener is somebody that's my neighbor or close back . But they discovered that they didn't have the same father.
Chesney: Oh yeah.
Lynn: But they all thought that they were exactly the same father.
And then
Neil: what age in life were they when they discovered this then
Lynn: 60 ish. They're all
Chesney: Amazing.
Karen Koren: Well, I just watched on Netflix. This is probably an advert. I shouldn't be, uh, Our Father, uh, And, and that was a gynecologist who, oh, God made 96 children.
Chesney: Yes. I saw the documentary on that. That was unbelievable.
Karen Koren: It's called Our Father. Oh, my horrific. Unbelievable.
Oh, absolutely horrific. I mean, it's compulsive viewing
Chesney: these genealogy companies that are, are doing all these tests. It's causing all sorts of family issues. Mm. Like we've had it in our family. My wife's father, uh, it turns out that, uh, there was another, uh, sibling just out of nowhere, like a cousin that was, he, he found out that he was part of the family and nobody knew that he even existed.
So like it's opened up this whole thing for all sorts of different people around the world, you know, finding out about people, you know, finding out if you have kids or, you know, different, as you said, Lynn, you know, different, different fathers and yeah. It's, uh, it's pretty amazing. It sounds like a TV show to me,
Neil: but then the flip side of that, isn't it?
That it's a good thing because in the past, before we had all those things accessible to us, I'm sure there was a lot of shit created with people making it up. Right.
Katy Koren: Yeah.
Karen Koren: But it really depends how much you want to know about yourself, whether you, whether you look into it or not, you know, I'm, I'm pretty convinced that I know my whole background, as Lynn has mentioned before, when you did that, tell me the story of your name and you went, oh my God, your ancestors are all over you.
Lynn: well, actually, I'm very glad that you did it because I'm going to do this is another thing that Chesney. He can be. Even though he looks adorable. he can be quite bossy.
Can't he Neil?
Katy Koren: Is that right?
Chesney: Oh my God. He's on with it, Lynn, get on with it quite boss.
Lynn: Right? Okay. I'll get on with it.
Karen Koren: He doesn't shout like me though.
Chesney: No, I just do it, uh, understated.
Karen Koren: Yeah. Quietly
Lynn: hundred percent. Surrey.
Chesney: Right. Yeah, exactly.
Whereas Neil's a hundred percent Kebab.
Neil: Spot on.
Lynn: Right. So what I'm gonna do, you've done this before, you know this score, right? Oh, which is interesting listener. Cuz if you find yourself at a loose end, I am in fact doing a show called Storyland where I do stories at the Giled balloon during
Chesney: I see what you did.
Karen Koren: Good Advertisement. Very excited to have
Neil: fabulous with those segues. I'll tell you. Yeah.
Karen Koren: And we're going to have some lovely performers and stars coming to be storylanded.
Lynn: I know, I wonder why people will, uh, will deal with it. It's interesting cuz in this podcast we've discussed all the time about how to introduce it and then sometimes, um, it's been difficult to introduce because already it goes a little, it opens up a story more than a guest. Maybe once the story to be opened up.
Neil: Yeah.
Chesney: You definitely see a little bit of guardedness don't you with them when you start to say what it is, what, what do you mean a story? Um, are you gonna help me with it or uh, I'm not sure about this.
Lynn: Ask Karen first and then Katy and I'm not going, I'm going do a, just a generic easy one. Karen I want you two minutes. Tell me about diamonds. Ready go.
Karen Koren: Diamonds. Diamonds are a girl's best friend. uh, that's the first thing that comes to mind. Diamonds are shiny. This isn't just a minute. Is it? If I speak for two minutes, two minutes,
Neil: two minutes worse than
Karen Koren: that?
No, that's a radio show anyway. Um, I think diamonds are fabulous, but I can't afford them and it's not something I would search out. I wouldn't go. I must have a diamond. I'm not one of these people that likes to look in a, in a, a shop window and look at the diamond rings and everything I've got and I've got no, so diamonds are gorgeous to look at and everything, but it's not, it's not part of my life actually at, at all.
Um, I think diamonds cut, cut glass quite well. I believe , um, And yeah, that's terrible. I'm running out of steam because I've got nothing much to say about diamonds. I mean, I loved, uh, Marilyn Monroe. Singing diamonds are a girl's best friend, the best song and most wonderful woman in the world. And I think it's really sad that she died very young.
Uh, but that's as much as I can see about diamonds and her , uh, and I've still got a minute left, I think. Um, what else can I say about diamonds? Oh, I think the screen Karen well, oh, oh yes. Sorry. Katy has a wonderful ring. That was my mother's. And she now has it as her wedding ring. And there is diamonds in that and yes, I did wear it for a while, but it was because it was my mother.
It's not because it was diamonds. Um, and I'm very, very pleased to say that Katy does have that diamond ring now. And it is, it acts as her, her engagement ring. Excellent. And she's getting married. . Woo. And stop talking over me, Katy. Sorry, sorry. and am I anywhere near two minutes? Isn't that terrible? That I don't like diamonds.
I'm not interested in diamonds. Um, but I do love my mother's old ring and I'm really, really pleased that Katy's wearing it.
Neil: Well done there. Well done.
Karen Koren: I dunno why you're clapping. It's not a very good story.
Chesney: It was perfect. Lynn will have extracted the gold from that and made, made diamonds out of it.
Neil: She will.
Lynn: I've got what I need, right? You ready? Katy Koren? No, you totally are ready. Go
Katy Koren: on. Oh, on diamonds as well. Okay. Yeah, I thought I was gonna get a new subject. Yeah. Um, diamonds are beautiful. Obviously diamonds. Remind me of my grandmother's ring that my mom gave to me, uh, when I was 20 or 21. Um, I always remember mom wearing it for.
Ever since I can remember. Uh, and she actually got it stuck on her finger uh, and she had to get it cut off for my, uh, 21st birthday. Um, and yeah, diamonds also reminded me of Frederick, my, uh, fiance , uh, who I asked to marry me in November last year. Um, and he didn't have to buy me a diamond ring. I wasn't interested in a diamond ring, uh, because I already have one.
Uh, so we popped that on the other finger and that was a deal done, which was nice. Um, yeah, the ring is beautiful. Diamonds are incredibly, uh, rare and beautiful to look at and, uh, Uh, there's a really horrible backstory from a lot of, uh, diamonds, but we won't, uh, think about that cuz , cause that's not very nice to think about that.
Um, yeah, I would always want to have a vintage, uh, ring or any kind of diamond on me because I think extracting natural resources from the world is a terrible, terrible thing. And I just did a sustainability course last week about how much mining companies make from, uh, these kind of natural stones, which is horrific.
Um, what else can I say about diamonds? Uh, yeah, I would like some more uh, like some more vintage diamonds. That would be beautiful. Um, yeah, and one of my friends just got a diamond ring, uh, as an engagement ring and it is huge and looks much, uh, newer than mine. So I'm a bit suspicious of where she got that from um, uh, yeah, I.
Oh, yeah. And I would probably think about diamonds, uh, in the sense of diamonds are across best friend, as Karen said, uh, Marilyn Monroe, um, Hollywood glamor. Um, yeah. They're what else can I say, Karen? Oh,
Chesney: you don't need to.
Lynn: There you go.
Chesney: You're good.
Katy Koren: Surely everyone runs out steam don't they? My God, I'm sweating.
Now. I have to take my top off
Lynn: they don't
though. Do they guys it's quite interesting. They don't, you,
Karen Koren: I'm not really interested in diamonds. Otherwise I would go on about it, but,
Lynn: well, I tell you what it means. Do you wanna know
Karen Koren: sake of course, score
Lynn: diamonds are value where you find value, what you value mm-hmm right.
So for Karen it's, uh, friendship, friendship, and particularly women friendship out there, the first thing is diamonds are a girls best friend. Uh, they're fabulous. And, and the way that you look at friendship, um, That, uh, you don't friendship happens to you. You don't seek it out. You don't go, oh, look, they look like a good person to be a friend.
You're just like, oh, I'm friends with them. and, uh, the thing of gorgeous to look at, but they're not part of my life is that there are people that you do look at and you go, God, it would be, they probably would be lovely friends to someone. Not me obviously, but someone else. Right. But your friends are like your friends.
That's what you find value in friendship, particularly female friendship. Does that sound about right?
Karen Koren: Yeah. That's great.
Lynn: Katy
Katy Koren: family. Yeah. I kind of got that.
Lynn: That's yours? Yours is family. All family. The mother's ring. Yeah. Um, that, where it came from and all and, and Frederick, right?
Chesney: Yeah. She literally mentioned Frederick.
Lynn: Yeah. And you got this lovely diamond and you're looking forward to having some more or you are. I bet you are!
Katy Koren: Think mom's looking forward to that more than I am.
Lynn: just keep them away from me when they're six. Right. When they're six years old. They're Douch bags, outta wood bag out with them.
Katy Koren: Yeah, that's fair.
Lynn: Yes. It's all about family. And, uh, the people that you have a past relationship with. You know, like, it's not that you don't like, you know, new people and everything mm-hmm , but your, uh, your value is people that you've known for a while, or you have some history with, yeah. It's not that you don't like people, you do like people, but you don't just pick up people and go, oh, you're my best friend now.
That's not how it works. It is like, I've got to know year, while, and then I'll decide whether you're my best. Yeah. Do you agree?
Katy Koren: Yes. That absolutely. That resonates with me. Yes,
Lynn: for sure. It's interesting. Cuz your FA their sound is very similar but different mm-hmm right?
Katy Koren: Yeah.
Lynn: You're very, uh, behind women. Mm-hmm, , you've always been about giving women, uh, rights and chances and yes, absolutely. And it's one of the things that, uh, there's many things that I love about you, both. But the, the thing that I love about the Giled Balloon is that when you get, it's a terrible confession, right?
But they, sometimes when you get groups of women together, they can be bitchy about one another. I don't really understand what that is, but there is a thing where if you get groups of women together, then. Yeah. Don't necessarily raise the other women up. Whereas in the Gilded Balloon, that's just not tolerated it is not tolerated.
You can't do that. There people will be like, pull your head off for that kind of behavior.
Karen Koren: I mean, Katy has changed the Gilded Balloon in that, you know, in the old days, it was a bit, a lot of bad behavior. I'm not talking about the women I'm talking about in general, bad behavior, drinking drugs and all that.
And of course, all this has changed now. And Katy has brought in the well, the wellbeing of all the staff and people that are there, you know, I mean, she does meetings with them, one to ones and all these kind of things, I would just say, oh, for God's sake, get on with it, you know, and they would accept that.
Yeah. I don't know how I got so many people that, um, were loyal to me, but, um, they were, but Katy's done a lot of, you know, if there's men that behave badly, you know, we've had to, um, get rid of them. Yeah.
Katy Koren: There's a lot of things that we have to do now about, um, keeping women safe in the venue. That's artist's, uh, audience and staff alike.
So yeah, there's a lot of policies that we're putting in place to look after women as much as possible, but also Karen's elevated women from the. They, you started the go to balloon in terms of, you know, promoting somebody to general manager that might not have had the experience to that, but you believed in them and that kind of spirit of believing in, uh, and elevating people when they deserve it is, uh, absolutely something that I learned from Karen.
Lynn: It's true. Actually, if you look at the entertainment industry, um, cuz Fergus, my son is gonna work front of house, the Gilded Ballon.
Karen Koren: So exciting.
Chesney: He's so excited about that.
Lynn: His first Edinburgh Fringe ever, not as excited as he is by the way, like,
Karen Koren: oh, that's great.
Chesney: No, I'm sure.
Lynn: Oh my God. It's like, oh, um, but that's great.
I said to him, you know, if you look at, uh, anywhere around the world really, and look at the comedy industry, if there's a woman there she'll have come through the Giled balloon. Right. At some point.
Yeah. Like it seems to be that that's where people do their schooling. It's very interesting. Yeah. What do you see for the Gilded Balloon?
What do you. What do you want for it?
Karen Koren: Um, I see it, um, lasting. That's what I want more than anything. I want it to keep going. I mean, these last few years were so scary and, you know, I mean, we've had a bit of that in the Gilded Balloon anyway, cuz it's burnt down in 2002, uh, in the Cowgate and uh, we had to start again more or less.
Chesney: That must have been devastating or
Karen Koren: it was awful. And that's when I was running it alone. I, and running it alone for all these years was, I mean, I actually don't know how I did it to be perfectly on it, looking back on it now, you know, because, and, and Katy certainly was not interested. I mean, she was interested enough to do her time there and, you know, work behind the bar or work at front house, which she hated, like did um, yeah, but you know, do all the things she did when she was younger a teenager, but then she went off to uni.
and she was away for eight years and it, and in London when I thought, oh, she's living the, you know, that very good life in London and, you know, meeting lots of people and doing lots of great things and then she phoned up and said, oh, I've had enough of London and, you know, dunno what I'm doing. And, and that was the last thing I thought was gonna happen, that she was gonna come and join the Gilded Balloon.
And to be perfectly honest, the first few years, because we do get on really well. And we get on really well, despite myself, you know,
because I can say things to her or she can see things to me or she can be so grumpy. I'm like, Ugh, inside at the end of my tether. But we actually get on mm-hmm and it's amazing. And, um, it's been the best part of my best part of the Gilded Balloon for me to Katy there. the best. Oh,
Chesney: that's wonderful.
Neil: that's lovely. Speech, Katy
Katy Koren: speech no, absolutely.
I think the past two years, we've had quite a lot of time to reflect on what we both want out of the Gilded Balloon and what we want to do with the Gilded Balloon. Um, and what our kind of purpose is. And yeah, I think, uh, my aim for the Gilded Balloon is to be Scotland's leading entertainment and live comedy producer.
Um, that is, I want to be recognized in Scotland as Scotland's kind of go-to place for, if people want a comedian or they want entertainment at an event and they come to us and then also be recognized globally. Um, Scotland's leading entertainment producer. I think the kind of founding principles of Gilded Balloon was about finding new talent and supporting new talent and then nurturing that new talent to the next stage of their career.
And we did that through programs that Karen set up like, So You Think You're Funny. Um, and I want to continue. That is the best part of my job is seeing new comedians and discovering new comedians and supporting them at a really kind of early crucial time in their career. Um, and yeah, also as a, aside to all of those kind of lofty ambitions is have fun and not, uh, you know, work in comedy and enjoy life and enjoy comedying enjoy. culture and entertainment and experience. So, and make sure that our audiences do that as well. So yeah. Continue to do whatever, everything that Karen's done for the past 35 years or more,
Chesney: would you mention a few of the, the comedians that you have nurtured and, and brought into our consciousness
Katy Koren: going Karen?
Karen Koren: You know, I forget from when so many fill in, well, Craig Ferguson was around for a while at the beginning. Yeah. Um, and, uh, oh God, there's been so many
Lynn: Tim Minchin. Definitely.
Karen Koren: Yeah, but that was in the 2000. We have to go back.
Chesney: She's doing it in chronological order Lynn.
Karen Koren: Yeah. Sean Hughes, who knows very sadly as dead, but Sean was one of my, um, I, I helped him a lot in his early years and we worked together for a long time.
Uh, not the best ad advert for. you know, his behavior towards women. I have to see, uh,
Katy Koren: Karen, just list the names, list the names. Sorry,
Neil: I'll cut that bit out. If you want.
Katy Koren: don't go into the backstory. We can't time for that.
Especially bad ones.
Neil: I love your cool,
Karen Koren: uh, Jo Brand, Moran, Dylan Moran
Katy Koren: uh, sort raking through our papers to try and find her names.
I know, I know . There you go.
Chesney: And go.
Karen Koren: Many years ago, Jenny Eclair and Maria McErlane did a play at the Gilded Balloon. Oh my God. That was, that was in the, the, the eighties. That was so good. Wow. Donna McPhail Rhona Cameron and Caroline Aherne, Hannah Gadsby, uh, Ashling Bee Maisie Adam. These are the women.
Unfortunately, there wasn't as many women around in the early days, but. I have to say in the nineties, they just started coming into their own, you know? Mm. Yeah. So, um, Bill Bailey was very much, um, with us and his, when he first started, he was in a double act and he started his first solo show with us.
Simon Peg did his last ever stand up show with us? Uh, Dylan Moran Sean Lock, Tommy Tiernan and Eddie Izzard,. Tim Minchin, Steve Coogan, John Thomson Adam Hills, Rich Hall, Dara O Briain, Ross Noble, Johnny Vagas Russel Brand, Russel Howard, Ed Byrne, Frankie Boyle Barry Cryer. Barry Cryer was with us for 20 years. Every year he would come and he just died this year.
Yeah's a lovely man,
Chesney: no big names then. No,
Lynn: no, no big
Katy Koren: a couple them.
Chesney: Yeah. There's, that's amazing.
Absolutely amazing.
Karen Koren: And Still Game started with us, which not many people in the world will know, but people in Scotland would know. I toured, um, Still Game and I understand, uh, rumor has it, that I came up with the name.
I can't remember that, but anyway, we took it over to Toronto. Would you believe, and this is all before and now it, I mean, it's, it's a fabulous Scottish, you know,
Lynn: institution.
Karen Koren: Yeah, indeed.
Lynn: It is an institution.
Chesney: We have this section, uh, here on our lovely podcast where we ask our fabulous guests, that's you two, um, to, to give us a song that means something to them, that have an emotional connection to now.
I, you know, we've never had two guests on at once, so I don't know which of you, uh, chose this song or if it was a family song, but you guys chose an Elvis Presley song called Return To Sender. Yeah. Tell me a little bit about that.
Katy Koren: Yeah, well, I know it as mom's favorite Elvis song,
Karen Koren: but when I was 14, it was, it was out, it was a hit.
I was 14. And, uh, I remember going to a girl from school's party and we were in a, she owned a hotel and we, we were given the ballroom in the hotel, the new Lister Arms Hotel in Kirk Lister and we, and we, uh, all the girls were dancing to Return To Sender.
Always reminds me of that. And I had my, um, Pearlized shoes.
My first high heel. Very fantastic.
Chesney: Fantastic.
Katy Koren: And for me, this song means the world, cuz it reminds me of mom.
Chesney: Oh see
Lynn: friendship, family.
Karen Koren: We. Didn't we go, didn't we go to Memphis?
Katy Koren: Yes. We went to Memphis to Graceland. We did Graceland part. Yeah. It was amazing. We're huge Elvis fans and I'm very excited about the Baz Luhrmann Elvis movie. That's coming out.
Chesney: Well count me in too? Me too. Tom Hanks. I'm so excited about that too. My father is massive, massive Elvis fan and so much so that like when, when I was a kid, I mean he was in the Tremelloes. I dunno if you know that, uh, guy
Karen Koren: Chip
Chesney: he yes, Chip indeed.
Karen Koren: So did you call him Chip.
Chesney: No. I called him dad. He was Dad Hawkes to me.
Karen Koren: yeah, but his real name wasn't Chip. Surely it must have been Charlie or something.
Chesney: No, no. His real name is Len, Leonard Donald Stanley Hawkes. He has a very comedic name, Leonard Donald Stanley Hawkes. The reason that people called him Chip is because he's actually a trained carpenter.
Karen Koren: Ah, he was a chippy.
Chesney: He was a chippy.
Katy Koren: Very nice. Yes, exactly.
Well, a very good looking man. I loved the Searchers(!) That was my era.
Lynn: Tremeloes.
Chesney: Did you Treameloes as well?
Lynn: I love the Searchers, not your dad. I like the different ones
Chesney: oh, God
Lynn: Make me laugh.
Chesney: It's funny. Luckily, I grew up with the Searchers as well, cuz they were friends with my dad. So, you know, so I I'll tell them.
Karen Koren: Yes, they knew each other. I knew that. I knew that they knew each other.
Chesney: So I used to go backstage, stay sometimes and watch him play even as early as I eight, nine years old. And he always did an Elvis impression. It was normally, um, oh, you lonesome tonight. Did that one, did the whole thing with his leg going on like that, you know, and, uh, So I grew up with Elvis because my dad's such a massive fan.
So when, when this song, uh, came through to me, I was like, yes, yes, I haven't done an Elvis song yet. So, so I've great. I recreate these songs, um, you know, for, for our guests, uh, here in my studio and I try to get like cut it down right to its uh, the soul of the song, you know? So it's very acoustic and intimate.
And this is my version for you girls,
Neil: just for you. Karen and Katy here is Chesney performing Elvis Presley Return To Sender.
Chesney: Thank you, very much.
[Singing]
[Singing]
[Singing]
[Singing]
Neil: just for you. Karen and Katy, that was Chesney Hawkes performing Return To Sender.
Katy Koren: To what a song, a song
Neil: Ches
Chesney: amazing song
Katy Koren: that was beautifully.
Chesney: Oh, thank you girls. Yeah, I enjoyed doing that.
Karen Koren: Beautiful.
Chesney: I really did enjoy that cuz uh, it's always nice when I get songs that mean something to me as well. you know, so I don't have to discover them, you know,
Karen Koren: I'm glad you didn't try and impersonate Elvis.
Chesney: No, no, I couldn't do that. No, I agree. No, I don't do that. I try to make it my own. In some ways
Karen Koren: I remember an Elvis song that reminds me of Lynn was The Wonder Of You. Oh, I'm sure I put The Wonder Of You in as well, but I'm not sure if we did, but we were at your wedding and it was the day before your wedding.
And uh, you know, we had the dinner and everything and then we went and uh, played
Lynn: karaoke,
Karen Koren: karaoke. And you sang it to your mom. Oh my God. It was so love. It really was. And then anytime Lynn and I get drunk, we get up and Late And Live and sing the watch.
Lynn: I have a feeling that's gonna happen this year. And Katy Koren you have to join in cause we're
right.
Katy Koren: Absolutely. Yeah.
Lynn: Well, you know the thing I remember about the karaoke the night before my wedding is that Mark. Sang and well, I used the word sang, uh, loosely , he's not a singer, but he sang To All The Girls I Had Loved Before. And it was really [unintelligible but I think she said wonderful]
Karen Koren: was that Charles Aznavour or something?
Lynn: I can't remember.
Karen Koren: It is Charles
Lynn: to all the girls. I,
Neil: and how was it? Did Mark carry it off. I mean, was it a good thing or not?
Lynn: Oh, well, you know, I don't know whether people were, people were astounded by the audacity.
Neil: Oh, well, there you go.
Lynn: Not the, the title of the song, the audacity that somebody who sang that badly [!!!] would. Right that was the audacity.
Neil: What you're saying is people did actually marvel at his performance.
So, you know, it's all positive.
Chesney: Yeah. Yeah. It was Julio and G Gladius wasn't it? They the original, oh, was it written by Albert Hammond? The girls?
Karen Koren: I, oh, you see,
Chesney: that's only cuz I've written with Albert as well. So that's how I know these.
Lynn: I can't believe we're in the last episode of this series, you know, it's a big achievement. There's been quite a journey,
Katy Koren: very honored to be your last guest.
Lynn: Well, you know why you're our last guest, because we thought it was a really good segue into the next time that we do the podcast we'll be live at the Gilded Balloon.
So we are like, it makes sense that we would have you for our last episode of this series. So listener, if you're not doing anything in August, it would be really brilliant. If you could come and introduce yourself at the Gilded Balloon,
Karen Koren: the only thing is this got to come to Edinburgh. And if this is being listened to mainly in the US come to Edinburgh, we've got a lot of Americans coming by the way.
Loads of Americans. Yeah, we do more Americans coming. Then, uh, Australians and normally it would've been more Australian.
Lynn: Really?
Karen Koren: Yeah.
Lynn: Well, we've only got one listener, so we're no entirely sure where our listener is
Chesney: and that's my mum.
Lynn: That's your mum. So she could go on the train.
Chesney: She's coming. She's gonna come.
Lynn: Normally, uh, this point in the podcast, we would say like, what advice would you give to someone. Like you a younger version of you mm-hmm but I don't know that there is a younger version of you guys. Like they're quite,
Chesney: they're very unique. Yeah,
Karen Koren: it's true. But all women are unique wouldn't you say? So all women
Lynn: I'd say all people
Karen Koren: obviously I hate men.
No, I don't. I really like you.
Lynn: You really don't I know that's another podcast all in a
Neil: yes. Am I cutting that bit out or not
Chesney: No leave it in I think I, Neil, you and I need to get our coats.
Neil: Yeah.
Jackson for Hawkes and harrington.
Karen Koren: Right. What I would see is to your younger version of myself is don't give up. You know, dust yourself off and get up and start all over again.
It's the only way to do it. And I've had to do that many times in my life. Mm. And sometimes you you're allowed to be down. You're allowed to be down for a wee while you're allowed to be a bit sad and sorry for yourself, but get out of it and get out. There is a fabulous world out there. And, and anything you put, put your mind to.
Bill Bailey won Strictly Come Dancing. Come on.
Katy Koren: No, anything's possible.
Chesney: Yeah. If that can happen, anything is possible. That is true.
Karen Koren: You know? I mean, amazing. Yeah.
Katy Koren: He was amazing.
Lynn: What about you, Katy?
Katy Koren: I think I have to come back to our quote or whatever it was that we did at the start. I mean, what if it's for you?
It won't go by you. And, uh, Karen's always said that to me. And I think it's similar to, uh, what, sorry. I always flip between calling her Karen and mom, because they're
job.
Lynn: She's bored.
Katy Koren: yeah,
Chesney: she is. She is both of those things.
Katy Koren: Yeah. she is, but we're in the office. So I'd call her Karen in the office. And then she shout at me when I call her Karen at home um, but yeah, mom always, uh, said it to me and it is the same kind of, um, the same kind of message is stay positive and some things aren't meant to be, and.
If it's not for you, then just don't worry about it and forget about it. Move on and focus on the positive and focus on the next thing. And yeah, exactly.
Chesney: That's good advice. Really good advice.
Karen Koren: I always remember. Because I had a child, my gorgeous son, Christian at 19, and I divorced or separated after only a year of marriage.
Isn't that terrible?
Lynn: No, as far you won't go by exactly.
Karen Koren: The fact is that I always wondered what I was good at. I didn't know. You know how, you're not sure when you're young. Yeah. You're not sure. You know, what will I do? I dunno what to do. And I knew I wanted to do something and it took a long time, but you know, you do find out,
you find your,
Chesney: find your way,
Karen Koren: you find your way.
Yeah. Mm-hmm I mean, yours has been music
Chesney: it has. Yeah. But my dad always says I came out singing, so I've never had any other actual job apart from a paperboy
and yeah.
Karen Koren: And, and Katy came out determined.
Katy Koren: I came out in a hurry, apparently
Chesney: in a rush, like a Canonball.
Neil: I'm gonna come out when I'm 60. That's what I'm coming out.
Karen Koren: but you,
Lynn: I still don't know what I want to do. You know me? I'm like, think six months ahead. I'm like, well, I want to do is I want to get to the Gilded Balloon and have my show sorted and uh, hang out with you guys. And then beyond that, I'm like,
Katy Koren: yeah, I want to see you on stage again, Lynn, I'm very excited about it.
Karen Koren: Are you? And you are a wonderful storyteller Lynn wonder
and a
Katy Koren: wonderful performer.
Lynn: Thank you.
Karen Koren: Katy has not asked you. But I want you to do Late n Live because we are got women. All women comperes this year. Host it.
Lynn: It's a deal done.
Katy Koren: Fabulous.
Lynn: Yeah, we're done. We're good.
I'll do it. Not every night
though, right?
Karen Koren: No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Lynn: Yeah. No, every night that would be too much, right? Yeah. No, I love it. Once or twice. I love the rambunctious of Late n Live.. Yeah. And, uh, I, uh, I like that. I like with Late n live.
Neil: Good word.
Lynn: Where rambunctiousness
Neil: easy for you to say,
Lynn: I know
Karen Koren: good word
Lynn: with a lot of standup gigs, you turn up and you've got your set and that's what you do.
And everybody, you do gaps in your sentences and people laugh in the gaps and your sentences and that's how it works. Right? Right. Yeah. But with Late n Live, Late n Live won't have that. They don't tolerate it. They're like bring your set here and bring something else. And if you don't have something else leave, we want you to leave.
We want your set. And something
Katy Koren: make us laugh. Yeah.
Lynn: Yeah. , I'm very much looking forward to it. Good. Um, oh, and you know, who else has got, Jeena's going, isn't she? Jeena Bloom.
Chesney: Jeena Bloom wonder really?
Lynn: Jeena Bloom..
Chesney: She be there two weeks.
It's gonna get, be like getting the band back together. All of our past guests.
Lynn: Totally will be
Chesney: love it.
Look forward. Zoe Lyons, Jeena Bloom. Oh,
Karen Koren: we've got 180 shows every day. for 27 days.
Chesney: You said to, me's unbelievable.
Neil: That's one hell of a run shape. Isn't it?
Chesney: How do you do that? How do you coordinate that many in that amount of time,
Katy Koren: we have no idea. We have
Chesney: is crazy. that makes my head hurt. Just thinking about it.
Lynn: So listener you better come if you don't want come and see our show, come to the Gilded Balloon in August.
Karen Koren: Yes, please. In Edinburgh,
Lynn: in Edinburgh, there is no other place that you want to be
Neil: podcast. We also just need to mention before we lose a lovely Korens we do need to mention about the Boss Woman Podcast, right?
Chesney: Oh, well done!
Lynn: Would that be Boss Women Podcast? I've not been invited on that.
Neil: Yeah. The one that, the one they're on series 4, but they've not invited you yet.
Chesney: I understand why Neil and I haven't been invited. I
Katy Koren: we're waiting to do, um, but really Lynn's interview in person.
Karen Koren: We want to do it live in person that then it's very gonna be very exciting.
Lynn: Um, oh, will I get to Edinburgh quite early.
Chesney: Me too. Me too. Yeah. Utilize me too. Girls use
and abuse me. Yes.
Karen Koren: What about you?
You Neil. When are you arriving?
Neil: No, I'm not making that mistake. I'm getting the fuck in doing my shit. Getting the fuck out. There you get around to be utilized, to do anything, to try this, whatever. I have a go at that in do it.
Lynn: Hey Chesney maybe me and you could be the modern day Peters and Lee. Maybe we could
Neil: There's a shows.
Chesney: Love it. Well, which one's, which though?
Lynn: I could be the blind guy. Right? I'll be the, no, he was a singer. Wasn't
he? Where the other ones.
Chesney: So I might have to be the blind guy.
Lynn: Yeah. Yeah. Maybe you need to be both though, because you're the singer. And lovely.
Katy Koren: Remember that
she was blind anyway.
Lynn: Lovely Korens you have been magnificent.
Thank you so much.
Chesney: Thank you girls on this.
Neil: Thank you ladies.
Lynn: On behalf of, uh, Chesney, Neil and our listener, I'd like to thank you for being our guest on this,
the last for series.
Katy Koren: That's very, very kind. Yeah.
Karen Koren: That one listener at the Gilded Balloon sitting in the middle, watching the three of you . Yeah. Yeah.
Chesney: You could be amazing to meet that listener, our listener.
Neil: There's a picture. I could just see that framed now, sitting in the center.
Katy Koren: Thank you very much.
Neil: We really appreciate your time.
Chesney: See, thank you girls. You're amazing.
Neil: See you Edinburgh. See you ladies.
Ah, there they go of them. I've just so they've finally managed to find time for us cuz we know how mentally busy they've been for so long. We've had what technical gremlins and everything. And it was like, yes, finally. And the last minute we weren't even sure. We, we weren't sure we were gonna make it where we got finally we made it with the Korens.
Yes. Yes.
Chesney: You hang on a minute. You made it with the Korens?
Neil: Yeah. Yeah. We made it with the, we did, I did. That's my story. And I'm sticking to it. .
Lynn: No, it's a huge year for them as well, because I don't know if you know this, but it's the 75th year of The Fringe.
Neil: Oh, that's incredible. 75 years of the fringe and 38 years of Gilded Balloon
Lynn: 38! Oh man.
They really, you know, I remember, um, I remember doing a Gilded Balloon way, way back. And Karen was, was pregnant with Katy at the time. That's how that's how long we've been.
Chesney: That's how far you go back. Yeah, I know. Right? Well, you can tell, cause I'm close. You guys are.
Karen Koren: Yeah, exactly. It's
Lynn: family. They are really, really brilliant people.
Yeah, I do. They are, you know, the thing that I love about them is you always know, you always know exactly where you stand with them. Yeah. They don't bother with, with any kind of, you know, cloak and dagger stuff. And we do do their very best always to elevate people.
Chesney: You know, you can see that you can see that.
Yeah. It's, they're really, really lovely people. Um, you know, great, great conversationalists and, you know, lovely to spend time with them. They're really lovely. Really
Neil: well. I'd like to live with Katy, cuz then we could both practice being miserable in the morning. it wouldn't be taken personally cuz we both know the, the boundaries.
Lynn: I don't know that katy's that miserable. I,
Neil: it was about the morning. Apparently it was about the morning. Yeah.
Lynn: You know, you know the thing with Katy is that she just, she literally, you could put her through a tornado and she would come out the other end having fixed something.
Chesney: Yeah. She's a very passionate person.
Isn't she? You can tell that she's very passionate about what she does and she really has a great vision for Gilded Balloon and her, her answer to that question that you asked was just like so perfect. And you know that with her behind it. And Karen of course, that they're gonna achieve that. You know, she's just
Lynn: definitely, definitely.
Chesney: Yeah. But you just believe her. It's like, oh, oh yeah, that's gonna happen. with you with you and the helm that's gonna happen.
Lynn: you can see how Vikings conquered the world. Can't you, when you meet the Korens you're like I get it. I understand.
Chesney: That's true. They definitely,
Neil: it was in the previous episode where we were talking about having the, the people that fitted into this get shit done column, right?
Yeah. We mentioned that. So they, they definitely go into that one. Put them in there. Exactly. Yeah. They go, yeah. Absolutely for sure. And it was interesting as well though. Cause we had, uh, when we had Phil Cornwell on a few weeks ago, so we'd just been talking to the Korens and what legends of comedy they are and uh, how many people owe so much to them.
And when we had Phil on the show a few weeks ago, totally unprompted Lynn, you referenced back to, to you and him what? 20 odd years ago. And what was one of the first things that came outta his mouth? Oh yeah. That was with
Karen Koren wasn't it.
Lynn: Yeah know she's legendary. You know, it's funny as well. Cuz if you've never heard of the Gilded Balloon listener, firstly, where have you been?
Neil: Yes.
Lynn: Secondly, now that you've heard of the Gilded Balloon, you'll hear it everywhere. Like there's uh, you hear it on like I think on Letterman or something like that, there was a thing in some said, oh, well blah, blah, blah. The Gilded Balloon. And yeah, no it's one of those things that once you hear it, then you'll.
Chesney: Uh, it's part of, it's part of the, the, the whole kind of culture of, of comedy now. Isn't it
Lynn: totally is totally.
Neil: Oh, the Edinburgh furniture, isn't it
in a way.
Lynn: Yeah. Yeah. Like a whole load of Australian and, uh, American comedy just wouldn't wouldn't have happened without the Gilded. It's fascinating.
Chesney: I'm so glad we had guests like those two on, because it's not, they're not your kind of average guest that you would have on, on a, a chat show like this, you know, they, they, it kind of shows a little bit more kind of behind the scenes.
Um, and of course, everybody in comedy knows who the Korens are and knows what the Gilded Balloon.. Yeah. And which is, you know, wonderful to kind of give their side of what happened and how they've kind of managed to almost create the, the careers of all these superstars is just, it's phenomenal. It's great. And, and I think people will really be interested in it.
Lynn: So I have a question for you guys. Are you ready? Cool. Yeah. Having met the Korens and knowing how sort of prestigious and amazing the Gilded Balloon is, has that made you more excited, more nervous or more terrified?
Neil: F off about it, just stop talking about it.
Chesney: I think we know how Neil feels. I'm I'm the opposite. I'm the opposite.
I'm it makes me more excited cuz I, you know, I I'm really, really, um, excited to be playing at such an incredible like institution, you know? Yeah. I really am. And to have, have those girls behind us as a, you know, and our little podcast is, well, it's just, it's a dream.
Neil: Yeah. That's the amazing part of it.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah. God bless them. That that's Incredibles gonna be
Lynn: amazing. It's going to be amazing. So. But I don't know what you're doing in August, but I'm telling you what I suggest you might wanna get yourself to Edinburgh and hang out with us cuz you know we're family now, right? Yeah.
Neil: Yeah. National Museum of Scotland, 17th, 18th and 19th. Oh, of August.
We'll
Chesney: the listeners,
Lynn: unfortunately is the end of this. Yeah. Uh, we will be back again sometime later in the year after Edinburgh. I don't know if we've mentioned it at all. uh, but uh, it's been lovely having you with as listener, uh, and hopefully you'll join us again soon, but until then
I have been ferguson
Neil: and I've been harrington.
Chesney: I have been Hawkes. Thank you guys. Thank you, listener.
See you next time
Neil: you later. Bye. Bye. You've been listening to Ferguson Harrington Hawkes with Lynn Ferguson, Neil Harrington and Chesney Hawkes written and produced for sauce productions by surprise surprise Lynn Ferguson, Neil Harrington, and Chesney Hawkes.