One of the very many special events happening at this years Cat Laughs is an invitation only gig featuring Josie Long. The show takes place in Cleere's on Saturday, May 31st at 6.45pm. The tickets will be given free to an audience of 70 people chosen by Josie Long herself. Josie will choose the audience by checking the answers to a questionnaire she has set. Josies questionaire can be found at www.smithwickscatlaughs.com/josie/ where you can submit your answers for Josie's perusal. It's here!!!!! The 2008 line-up. Feel the quality. 1999 Line-Up 1998 Line-up 1997 Line-up 1997 saw some big hitters and some soon to be big hitters coming to Kilkenny. The impressive line up included Graham Norton who was performing the show he was to recieve a Perrier nomination for in Edinburgh a couple of months later. In the show he was trying out an idea where he made live phone calls from the stage. It proved a hit and ended up life as the doggyphone calls on the 'So Graham Norton' tv show. That year also featured Simon Munnery in the guise of Alan Parker Urban Warrior a character he recently revived for Stewart Lees 'Ten Best Comics' shows. Also featured was Ross Noble and Sean Lock but blowing the roof off most of the city that year was the amazing Harland Williams. One of the best ever. This is what he does. This is the line-up for the 1996 festival. Bill Murray was appearing at the festival that year as part of The Second City Theatre with his brothers Joel and Brian (I nearly wrote Joel and Ethan). 1996 also saw the first appearance of the Cats Comedy Cellar, now known as Comedy Cats. Taking to the stage that year at the Cats Comedy Cellar were Eddie Bannon, Jason Byrne, John Henderson, Alex Lyons, Ann Gildea, Kevin Hayes and many others. (If you can remember let me know) I think 1996 may also have been the first year of the now famous football match. I'm open to correction on that. My personal stand out gig that year was seeing Mark Lamarr perform on the Monday. I had never seen Mark perform stand up before and at that time only really knew him as the cocky bloke from The Word. I expected him maybe to be slick and professional.... He was fucking mindblowing ... One of the best gigs I've ever seen. 1996 also saw a rare Kilkenny appearance by Boothby Graffoe. One of the finest purveyors of comedy musical or otherwise. Here's a clip of Boothby doing his thing. This is the line-up for the first ever Kilkenny Cat Laughs back in 1995. If you have a look through the above line-up you may see a few surprises. Well for me the one that made me spit out my coffee ... burn my genitals and revaluate my office dresscode was the inclusion of Jeff Garlin. Wow. Fans of 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' will join me in wowing. Jeff Garlin plays Larry Davids agent Jeff Green in 'Curb' but of course was once a stand up and fuck me if he wasn't at the first ever Cat Laughs. Here's a clip of Jeff and Larry doing what they do best. Discussing things that really matter. .