Dave Griffiths is clearly a determined man. In this show he tells the true story of how he, a very minor comedian with a passion for t shirts, took on one of the biggest clothing brands in the world. This is the story of CNUT versus FCUK. You may have heard of FCUK, or French Connection, but perhaps not of Griffiths’ clothing line, King CNUT, which began with a t-shirt he got printed for a laugh and turned into a six year long legal battle with trademark lawyers.
His slideshow style presentation was nicely put together, but felt more like a lecture than a comedy gig. That said, his tale is a fascinating one and it’s well worth learning about how to fcuk over brands that spend a vast amount of time and money desperately trying to crush the little guy whilst making their money through copying and stealing ideas themselves.
His awkward style is likeable and after a slow start he got into his stride, making jokes of varying quality while taking us through the past six years he has spent obsessed with winning this battle against the corporate giants.
A man with clearly way too much time on his hands, Griffiths made it his mission to avenge his lawsuit and report French Connection whenever they infringed other companies’ copyright, which apparently they do on a regular basis. This truly was an interesting insight into trademark law, told from the perspective of a comedian who can see the funny side of it. However, this is not really a comedy show, although he finds himself pretty funny, we weren’t exactly laughing our branded socks off.
His delivery was only ok, a touch too stiff to be engaging for a full hour and his story did become quite repetitive. His chatter could have been a lot slicker, lacking coherency at points. But it was a story told with enthusiasm and it really was interesting to hear from someone who is hitting back at the companies who are out to destroy the little guy. Long live King CNUT.
