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David Quantick

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David Quantick (born 1961, Wortley, South Yorkshire, England) is a freelance journalist, writer and critic who specialises in music and comedy.

He began writing for the music publication NME in 1983 alongside Danny Baker and Paul Morley. Along with Steven Wells he contributed to many of the humorous snippet sections in the paper. He gained a reputation for incisive and witty observations on popular culture and music. Alongside rock journalism he was also submitting gags and sketches to British comedy shows such as Spitting Image.

Quantick built his profile steadily and his name began to appear more and more often in print, radio and television. In 1992 Armando Iannucci asked him to join the writing team for the radio comedy On The Hour after which he made the natural progression to the television follow up The Day Today (1994). Both shows were highly acclaimed within the industry, winning awards and marshalling a loyal fan base.

At this stage Quantick was still submitting copy to the NME, only giving up in 1995 after an unusually long association with the paper. Around this time he was appearing regularly on Collins and Maconie's Hit Parade (BBC Radio 1 1994–1997), commenting astringently upon music's stars. This developed into his own named slot in the show, named Quantick's World. His relationship with Maconie continued in parallel on the weekly show, The Treatment on BBC Radio Five Live, which was an hour-long satirical news round-up.

In 1995 Carlton Television broadcast a set of 6 pilot television shows, one of which was Now What?. The series was not picked up for development but Quantick found a writing partner through these proceedings in Jane Bussmann. The two went on to write and perform Bussmann & Quantick Kingsize (1998), a series of sketches and monologues for BBC Radio 4.

Quantick rejoined the Chris Morris/Armando Iannucci axis to write for Brass Eye in 1997. The show caused huge controversy as Morris's work often does: the Brass Eye Paedophile Special attracted so much protest that Government ministers promptly condemned the programme without having seen it. Quantick's association with Morris on Jam (2000) was less explosive.

Throughout this period he contributed to less provocative fare such as Smack the Pony (1999–2001), Harry Enfield's Brand Spanking New Show and could be heard on BBC Radio 4's 99p Challenge.

In 2000 Quantick and Bussmann created the world's first Internet sitcom Junkies about three heroin addicts. Quantick also claimed it as the first docusitcom (documentary/sitcom), though some argue a competing claim is made by The Osbournes. It starred long-time Morris collaborator Peter Baynham, with Sally Phillips (Smack the Pony) and Peter Serafinowicz (Look Around You). The project grew out of the writing pair's frustration with the commissioning process. The average sitcom, they said, costs £200,000 to make and finding funds is too difficult. So they secured the services of cast and crew on a voluntary basis and made a show for less than £4,000. The site received over a million visits in its first eight months of existence.

In 2001 Quantick collaborated with Collins and Maconie again on Lloyd Cole Knew My Father, a live show where the three recounted humorous tales of working as rock journalists. Stories centred on the deflating aspects of the job: the boredom, missing assignments, the idiosyncrasies of fan letters. Quantick missed one performance at Edinburgh's Pleasance Theatre when he went for a walk up a large hill — Arthur's Seat — and froze from exposure. He had to be rescued by firemen. A performance was later broadcast on BBC Radio 2 as a six-episode serial.

Around this time Quantick took part in a number of nostalgic list shows on British television themed around decades past: I Love the 1980s and I Love the 1990s etc.

In 2003 and 2005 Quantick contributed material to sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Sound, and co-wrote three series of 15 Minute Musical (2004-06).

2005 also saw him take part in Channel 4's Come Dine With Me, with four other celebrities

Throughout, Quantick worked on biographies of musicians and comedians (The Clash, Beck, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Bill Hicks).

Quantick continues to write, and co-presents a weekly programme One Way Single Parent Family Favourites on art radio station Resonance FM. He is also part of the writing team of Harry Hill's TV Burp, and writes and presents series 3 of 'The Blagger's Guide', a six-part comedy series on BBC Radio 2 with writer and producer Simon Poole. He also appears as Doctor Dave Radio on another Radio 2 comedy programme, Radio Rivron. In large part due to his his media contacts, Quantick is rarely out of work.

In 2006 Quantick recorded One — his first solo BBC Radio 4 series. A show in which no sketch featured more than one voice, it received excellent reviews and featured a variety of performers and writers, including Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie, Dan Maier, Kevin Cecil and Jeremy Clarkson.

On 3 April 2008, Word magazine was forced to apologise in court to Morrissey, over an article by Quantick that accused the singer of racism and hypocrisy.

In June 2008, Quantick was recruited as one of the launch presenters of Q Radio, presenting a weekly show. He will also write a column for Q magazine.

Quantick is married to TV presenter and former agony aunt Karen Krizanovich.

Bibliography

  • Grumpy Old Men on Holiday — (HarperCollins Entertainment) — Hardcover — May 16 2005 — ISBN 0-00-720185-0
  • Grumpy Old Men — (HarperCollins Entertainment) — Hardcover — May 31 2004 — ISBN 0-00-718993-1
  • Revolution: making of the Beatles White Album (The Vinyl Frontier) — (MQ Publications Ltd) — Paperback — June 30 2002 — ISBN 1-903318-55-6
  • Lenny Bruce (The Cutting Edge) ~David Quantick (Editor) — MQ Publications Ltd — Paperback — November 30 2001 — ISBN 1-903318-30-0
  • Chris Rock (The Cutting Edge) ~David Quantick (Editor) — MQ Publications Ltd — Paperback — November 30, 2001 — ISBN 1-903318-29-7
  • Richard Pryor (The Cutting Edge) ~David Quantick (Editor) — MQ Publications Ltd — Paperback — November 30, 2001 — ISBN 1-903318-28-9
  • Bill Hicks (The Cutting Edge) ~David Quantick (Editor) — MQ Publications Ltd — Paperback — November 30, 2001 — ISBN 1-903318-27-0
  • Beck (Kill Your Idols Series) (Thunder's Mouth Press) — Paperback — January 1 2001 — ISBN 1-56025-302-9
  • The Clash (Kill Your Idols) — with John Aizlewood (Editor) (Thunder's Mouth Press) — Paperback — October 1 2000 — ISBN 1-56025-269-3
  • Dress to Kill (Kill Your Idols) (Virgin Books) — Paperback — June 9 2000 — ISBN 0-7535-0479-0
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