Back in the noughties TV seemed to be awash with things like Room 101, An Idiot Abroad and Grumpy Old Men, programmes that reinforced an already stablished British stereotype – having a right good moan. Comedians like Jack Dee peddled misanthropy, as did best-selling books like Is It Just Me Or Is Everything Shit? Despite having agreed to be on the programme in the first place, Stephen Fry chose Room 101 to put in Room 101. Something we shared was a disdain for privileged celebrities on the radio and telly, bitching and complaining. (In true circular fashion, Steve Lowe who co-wrote Is It Me with Alan McArthur, later gave a talk about it at The Catalyst).
Having spent my formative years in Brighton in the early 90s going to spoken word, cabaret and open mic nights – and loving the inclusive, grass roots aspects of these – I had an idea that an event I’d like to go to would be the antithesis of Room 101: a night where people from different walks of life shared their passions with a live audience in the form of an entertaining 15-minute talk or presentation. Topics would remain a secret, only to be revealed on the night: the best talks after all are rarely down to the subject but the speaker themselves. The only problem was – the night didn’t exist. So I decided to set it up myself.
The Catalyst Club began at what is now the Rossi Bar on Queen’s Road, with three friends having kindly agreed to come and speak. One chose the history of the Martini, another ‘sex and classical music’ and a third told us about a road trip round the states with his band. From hereon I never looked back and have never been short of guests or new topics.
Over the next 19 years the Catalyst Club ran at the Latest Music Bar clocking up over a thousand talks from speakers whose ages have spanned from 16 to 93 and topics that have ranged from the ridiculous (musician Ron Geesin’s collection of 10,000 adjustable spanners) to the sublime (Sally’s Kettle’s heroic account of how she rowed across the Atlantic with her mum and made it into the Guinness Books of Records). From alchemy and Hove’s secret blancmange history to Cornish Rap and the books of Patrick Hamilton, the knowledge and passions of Brightonians seem to know no bounds.
Quentin Crisp once said that there is no such thing as a boring person, merely our need to ask more interesting questions and be better listeners. We all have our unique personal stories to tell, our singular passions to share. And you don’t have to be an academic to share your interests at the Catalyst Club or be a professional performer.
Sometimes these qualities can be a distinct disadvantage, masking our ability to speak from the heart. It is what we do for the love of it that really matters. Of course for some folk public speaking is on par with root canal work or being trapped in a lift with Jacob Rees Mogg. It’s ok to come and just be a punter. Though it needs to be said that the Catalyst Club has nurtured a few nervous speakers over the years. One, despite saying, ‘never again’, has since travelled the world giving talks on underwater photography.
In 2016, in collaboration with BBC Radio 4’s Archive on Four we explored the theme of public speaking, offering advice from the most practised to anxious newbies. My favourite was a speaker called Charlotte whose topic was ‘The Terrible Knitters of Dent’ and whose advice was, ‘three pints of cider hits the sweet spot.’
This year, Brighton’s Catalyst Club celebrated its 20th anniversary. I never imagined it would last this long. Our new home – for now at least – is the Nightingale Room above Grand Central. Coming up in November we have magician Paul Zenon, hypnotist Danny Nemu and cinephile Linsay McCulloch. All are welcome. You never know what you might learn.
l The next Catalyst Club is Thurs Nov 7 at the Nightingale Room Above Grand Central doors 7.30pm
l To sign up to the Catalyst Club mailing list visit:
catalystclub.co.uk or drbramwell.com
A Brighton Catalyst Club and Cinecity Special: Horror on the Pier!
Occasionally The Catalyst Club likes to go rogue and host a themed special in which we do share the topics for the night. In collaboration with Brighton’s Cinecity Festival we’re doing a horror special at the end of Brighton Pier. Our guest speakers for are cinephile Mark Keeble, who’ll be giving a tour of his favourite classic horror anthology films; Alexia Lazou on the three Kings of Horror – Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Vincent Price, while Horror actor and TV presenter Emily Booth (Pervirella, Cradle of Fear) will be sharing her personal journey through horror and dipping her claws into a few classic black and white horrors to discover if sometimes, less is more.
Thursday Nov 14th 8pm-10pm £10
Horatio’s Bar, Brighton Pier
A beautifully-designed compendium of biographies, Bramwell leads us on a picaresque ride unearthing an artist’s pilgrimage around the world with a giant, inflatable ‘deadad’; the world’s biggest treasure hunt, an extraordinary eleven-year odyssey involving Evita’s mummified corpse, an ethnobotanist’s search for the psychedelic secrets of the Amazon and a couple who walked the Great Wall of China from opposite ends, only to spilt up when they finally met in the middle. It all ends with a At the very end is a Brighton-based graphic novella that incorporates the town’s hidden river, Aleister Crowley’s ashes and the occult talisman, the Hand of Glory. There’s also a story about Andy Warhol’s penis ending up on the moon – but I’m not sure we’ve got room for that here.
The Whistler 