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About

Elliot Mason

I’m a lifelong fan/maker of music/comedy

with Justin Mason (right)

The 1970s

I grew up on the Isle of Wight and was forced at gunpoint to enter Shanklin carnival every year with my brother.

Hobbies: Singing Bohemian Rhapsody in my pushchair. Drawing hundreds of unconvincing peas on a sheet of paper.

LISTENING TO: The Muppets, The Wombles, The Beatles, Out Of The Blue by ELO, Songs In The Key Of Life by Stevie Wonder, Jesus Christ Superstar, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Queen

WATCHING: Tizwas, The Muppet Show, The Kenny Everett Video Show, The Flumps, Jamie & The Magic Torch, Top Of The Pops, Mr Benn, Trumpton, Bod, Mr Men, Rentaghost, Take Hart, Roobarb & Custard, Play Away, Paddington, Magic Roundabout, Heidi, Ivor The Engine, The Wombles, The Perishers, Chorlton & The Wheelies, Bagpuss

Pretending to play the piano, Shanklin

The 1980s

I started having piano lessons with Mrs Mepham when I was 8 years old and I never once practiced, preferring to noodle about aimlessly.

I didn’t particularly enjoy school and never got round to finishing any homework.

We moved to Ryde at some point and I bought an electric guitar from Strings music shop when I was 14. It cost £15 and the sticker on it said “Dog of the week”. It was terrible. I loved it.

Hobbies: Riding my bike to the county ground and back. Hole punching large sheets of paper until there was nothing left. Collecting Garbage Pail Kids stickers and throwing the chewing gum away.

LISTENING TO: Huey Lewis & The News, Bronski Beat, The Human League, Nik Kershaw, Madness, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Howard Jones, Prince & The Revolution, Paul McCartney, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Michael Jackson, The Smiths, Aerosmith, John Lennon, The Police, The Pogues, Level 42, Hue & Cry, Erasure, Tears For Fears, Chas & Dave, The HitchHikers Guide To The Galaxy (Radio 4), Eurythmics, Frankie Goes To Hollywood

WATCHING: Chock-A-Block, The Young Ones, The Comic Strip, Saturday Live, Spitting Image, The Tube, Bananaman, The Equaliser, The Adventure Game, Fraggle Rock, The A Team, Button Moon, Danger Mouse, Willo The Wisp, Terrorhawks, Superman 2 & 3, The Trap Door, Return Of The Jedi, Back To The Future, The Box Of Delights, Max Headroom, The Storyteller, The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole, Rockschool, Time Bandits, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, The Police Academy (1, 2, 3), The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, Airplane, Brewsters Millions, Planes Trains & Automobiles, The Three Amigos, Yellow Submarine, Laurel & Hardy, Looney Tunes, Ghostbusters, Buygones, Sir Norbert Smith – A life, Blazing Saddles, Gremlins

Pretending to play the keyboard, Newcastle

The 1990s

Playing guitar all the time now. I formed a band at school with David White and Alex Wells called ElAlDave. It was terrible but I’ve never laughed so much in my life. Our greatest achievement was our reworking of the Coco Pops advert song which was basically us laughing for 3 minutes while a single-finger chord pattern played on the keyboard.

I got heavily into home recording, using two tape recorders to bounce back and forth adding tracks and tape hiss as I went. Then later moving on to Cubase (music production software), which I still use today.

I started playing guitar in function bands at 16.

I left school without finishing a single piece of homework, then I went to college to do a music technology course which I left halfway through after not finishing a single piece of homework.

I became a full time musician at 18, first working at Thorness Bay holiday camp for two years, then on to Shanklin and Sandown Theatres as a sort of resident musician for 10 years.

I went to Newcastle Music College in 1995, hated the course, didn’t finish a single piece of homework, but bought loads of cds and listened to a ridiculous amount of music. It was terrific.

In 1998 me and my brother wrote and made a mockumentary about the history of pencils called Tonight We Investigate. It took a year to make. We sent it to loads of productions companies and heard nothing back, then we sent it straight to Channel 4 and got a phone call the next day asking if we’d like to come up to London for a meeting. We said, “Go on then”.

LISTENING TO: Django Reinhardt, David Byrne, The Victor Lewis-Smith Radio Show, They Might Be Giants, Squeeze, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Steely Dan, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Blur, Billy Joel, Bad News, Rodgers & Hart, Cole Porter, I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue (Radio 4), George Gershwin, Yes, Jethro Tull, Genesis, Gentle Giant, Morrissey, Matt Monro, 10cc, Glen Gampbell, Dean Friedman, XTC, Knowing Me Knowing You (Radio 4), Lewis Taylor, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Bjork, Divine Comedy, Rufus Wainwright, Supergrass, Jellyfish, Jason Falkner, The Beatles Anthology, Motown, Stax, Atlantic, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Neil Young, Caetano Veloso, Aimee Mann, Georgie Fame, Andrew Gold, Richard Thompson, The Beach Boys, Joe Jackson, Harry Connick Jr., Kirsty MacColl, Gloria Estefan, Crowded House, REM, Nirvana, The La’s, Julian Cope, and 4 million other things

WATCHING: Vic Reeve’s Big Night Out, The Jack Dee Show, Seinfeld, The Larry Sanders Show, The Simpsons, The Blues Brothers, Bottom, This Is Spinal Tap, Red Dwarf, Blackadder, Jeeves & Wooster, Alexei Sayle’s Stuff, A Bit Of Fry & Laurie, Monty Python & The Holy Grail/Life Of Brian, Brazil, Nuts In May, Abigail’s Party, The Rutles, The Jerk, Father Ted, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Absolutely, The Royle Family, Spaced, Early Doors, Black Books, Flight Of The Conchords, Saxondale, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Inside Victor Lewis-Smith, The Weekenders, The League Of Gentlemen, The Day Today, The Prisoner, Leningrad Cowboys Go America, The Beatles Anthology, People Like Us, The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen, Barry Lyndon, Jean De Florette, Manon De Source, Happy Gilmore, Big Train, Set Of Six, TV Offal, Harry Hill, Fist Of Fun

Outside the New End Theatre, Hampstead

The 2000s

Between 2000 and 2002 me and my brother made things for Channel 4, including two sketch show pilots, 10 episodes of The 11 O’Clock Show’s final series, and a sketch for the Channel 4 Political Awards.

In 2006 I left Shanklin Theatre and moved into an out-of-season holiday cottage on the other side of the island to contemplate my future, and started writing what would become my live cabaret act and first album, The Day They Turned Jif To Cif

In 2007 I left the Isle of Wight and played double bass, guitar, and bass in function bands, touring musicals, and a million pantos.

In 2008 I performed my stupid comedy songs for the first time at David Goo’s open mic night at the Cross Kings pub in Kings Cross. It was absolutely terrifying. For the next two years I continued to perform my songs at music nights around London.

LISTENING TO: Maurice Ravel, Frank Zappa, Nick Lowe, Ron Sexsmith, Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Field Music, It Bites, MGMT, Daft Punk, Clearlake

WATCHING: 15 Storeys High, Woody Allen films, Peep Show, The Office, The Peter Serafinowicz Show, A Mighty Wind, Arrested Development, Look Around You, The Mighty Boosh, Nighty Night, Phoenix Nights,

Meeting Daryl Hall outside Daryl’s Place, NY

The 2010s

In 2010 I performed my comedy songs at the Edinburgh Festival as one third of a three-hander cabaret show, and while I was there I met a load of lovely people from the UK Cabaret and Burlesque scene, and I somehow managed to wangle my way onto that, and performed all over the shop for the next 10 years. It was terrific.

In 2013 I joined Colin Blunstone’s Solo Band as the bass player and toured the UK, Europe, and USA for 8 years. It was terrific.

In 2015 I released my second album of comedy songs, Life Is Like A Movie. It’s terrific.

In 2016 I wrote and directed ‘The Elliot Mason Show Episode 6: How To Get More Views On Youtube’ – A short film that took 8 months to make. It’s terrific.

Also in 2016 me and my brother started doing animations for one of our comedy heroes, Victor Lewis-Smith, and we continued to do so for the next 7 years. It was terrific.

In 2018 I played bass for the UK tour of Rock Of Ages which continued on and off until 2023.

LISTENING TO: David Crosby, Lewis Cole, The Ricky Gervais Show, Thundercat, R. Stevie Moore, Robert Glasper, Everything Everything, The Magnetic Fields, Adam Green

WATCHING: Comedy Bang! Bang!, Rick & Morty, Mary & Max, Friday Night Dinner, Grandma’s House, The IT Crowd, The Ricky Gervais Show, This Country, The Trip

It does that sometimes

The 2020s

In 2022 I formed a music production company with David Goo called Mason Giles and we produced bespoke music for adverts, cabaret performers, and things of that nature.

And at the age of 50 I realised I preferred Tesco’s generic ‘Bacon Rashers’ to actual ‘Frazzles’.

LISTENING TO: Francis Poulenc, Caribou, Camille Saint-Saens, Limmy (Audiobooks), Gilbert & Sullivan, Squarepusher, Burt Bacharach, Aphex Twin, Bibio, Thomas Dolby, Gino Vannelli, Gabriel Faure, Cardiacs, Stephen Sondheim, Grace Jones

WATCHING: I Think You Should Leave, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, The Cockfields, One Foot In The Grave, Porridge

And that’s everything that’s ever happened to me , apart from a few baths.

But what, oh what, will the future hold? Only time……………. will tell……………..

Meandering Career Overview

Music

1995 – 2005: Shanklin Theatre – Resident Musician/Assistant MD – Keys, Guitar, Bass, Double Bass, Banjo, Balalaika

2007: From The Hart (Musical), New End Theatre, Hampstead – Double Bass

2008: Shout! (Musical) With Su Pollard – Guitar/Bass

2009 – 2010: Never Forget (Musical) – UK Tour – Bass

2009 – 2015: Qdos Pantomimes. Beck Theatre, Hayes – Bass/Guitar

2011: Footloose (Musical) UK tour – Bass

2013 – 2020: Colin Blunstone Solo Band. UK/Europe/USA tours – Bass

2016 – 2022: Qdos Pantomimes. Wycombe Swan Theatre, High Wycombe. – Bass

2018 – 2023: Rock Of Ages (Musical) UK Tour – Bass

2021: Ebay Advert ‘Buy a Thing, Sell A Thing’ – Music Production

2022 – 2023: ‘Mason Giles’ – Bespoke commercial music production. Co-Writer/Co-Producer

2022: Cazoo Advert Jingle. National UK Commercial Radio. Writer/Producer

2023 – PRESENT: Imagine Pantomimes. Wycombe Swan Theatre, High Wycombe – Bass

2024: Passing Strange (Musical), Young Vic, London – Guitar/Kbd

2024: Life Is Strange: Double Exposure – 4 songs – Writer/Producer

Music

1995 – 2005: Shanklin Theatre – Resident Musician/Assistant MD – Keys, Guitar, Bass, Double Bass, Banjo, Balalaika

2007: From The Hart (Musical), New End Theatre, Hampstead – Double Bass

2008: Shout! (Musical) With Su Pollard – Guitar/Bass

2009 – 2010: Never Forget (Musical) – UK Tour – Bass

2009 – 2015: Qdos Pantomimes. Beck Theatre, Hayes – Bass/Guitar

2011: Footloose (Musical) UK tour – Bass

2013 – 2020: Colin Blunstone Solo Band. UK/Europe/USA tours – Bass

2016 – 2022: Qdos Pantomimes. Wycombe Swan Theatre, High Wycombe. – Bass

2018 – 2023: Rock Of Ages (Musical) UK Tour – Bass

2021: Ebay Advert ‘Buy a Thing, Sell A Thing’ – Music Production

2022 – 2023: ‘Mason Giles’ – Bespoke commercial music production. Co-Writer/Co-Producer

2022: Cazoo Advert Jingle. National UK Commercial Radio. Writer/Producer

2023 – PRESENT: Imagine Pantomimes. Wycombe Swan Theatre, High Wycombe – Bass

2024: Passing Strange (Musical), Young Vic, London – Guitar/Kbd

2024: Life Is Strange: Double Exposure – 4 songs – Writer/Producer

Colin Blunstone Solo Band 2017

with Colin Blunstone

Rock Of Ages Tour Band 2019

with Vito Guerrieri, Marc Le Guerrannic, Drew Lowe

Passing Strange, Young Vic 2024

with Giles Terera

Animation

2000: The 11 O’Clock Show – Series 5 Animations – 10 episodes, Channel 4. Co-Writer/Co-Animator/Voice

2001: Shut Up & Dance – Pilot, Channel 4. Co-Writer/Co-Animator/Co-Producer/Voice

2002: Isle Of Wight – Unbroadcast Pilot, Channel 4. Co-Writer/Co-Animator/Co-Producer/Voice

2002: Channel 4 Political Awards, Channel 4. Co-Writer/Co-Animator/Voice

2016: ‘The Undiscovered Peter Cook’ animations for Victor Lewis-Smith. BBC4. Co-Animator

2017: ‘The Undiscovered Peter Sellers’ animations for Victor Lewis-Smith. Sky Arts. Co-Animator

2018: ‘Fix Or Fail’ animations – 5 Episodes for Victor Lewis-Smith. Channel 5. Animator

2018: ‘The Undiscovered Kenneth Williams’ animations for Victor Lewis-Smith. Sky Arts. Co-Animator

2018: ‘The Undiscovered Tony Hancock’ animations for Victor Lewis-Smith. Sky Arts. Co-Animator

2018: ‘Stanley Baxter Comedy Hero’ animations for Victor Lewis-Smith. Channel 5. Co-Animator

2020 – 2021: Bruce Sudano Music Videos. Animator

2021: ‘Professor Groblix’ Victor Lewis-Smith comedy pilot. Animator

2022: ‘Hitler’s Jazz Band’ animations for Victor Lewis-Smith. Sky Arts. Animator

Comedy

2010 – 2020: Elliot Mason (Musical Comedian). Cabaret & Burlesque Shows. London & UK. Writer/Performer

2010: ‘The Day They Turned Jif To Cif’ – Comedy Album. Writer/Performer/Producer

2015: ‘Life Is Like A Movie’ – Comedy Album. Writer/Performer/Producer

2016: ‘The Elliot Mason Show Episode 6’ – Short Film. Writer/Performer/Director