Essentially...
Gary Le Strange is a comedy character performed by actor/comedian Waen Shepherd (that's me). Essentially he's a tragic, eccentric, outsider pop star who has never had any success, and probably never will. He's performed three solo hour-long shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, namely Polaroid Suitcase (2003), Face Academy (2004) and Beef Scarecrow (2006), and released three albums to go with them. Over time, Gary has evolved from being a mere parody of the New Romantic era, eventually flowering into a fully-rounded pop nutcase.

Origins (2002)
Gary started life as just one of many characters in a double act called Peterford Golf Club (with Simon Farnaby, recently of Spoons and Blunder fame). His first gig happened at Barcode on Archer Street, Soho, in March 2002, during which Gary sang a song, then went into a psychotic rage and attacked a theatre director with a spoon.

Polaroid Suitcase (2003)
The album
Eight songs about desire, performed in an early 80s "New Romantic" style. Most of the songs are about things Gary likes or aspires to be.

The show
A character monologue, interspersed with songs, introducing the character through his likes and dislikes, and a story about his ill-fated relationship with former bandmate Philip De Vine. At the Edinburgh Fringe in 2003, it earned rave reviews and eventually won the Perrier Award for Best Newcomer.

Face Academy (2004)
The album
Ten songs about conflict and doubt. Still inspired by the New Romantics, but has a more coherent sound than the first, and the themes are generally darker.

The show
More of a stand-up show than the first one, in which Gary looks at the world around him, thinks about it for a bit, and decides he doesn't like it. Still earned great reviews, on the whole, with people describing it as either "better than last year" or "not as good as last year".

Glamoronica (2005)
Was supposed to be the third album and the third show, and though much work was done, everything went wrong and it never got finished. Slightly more successful was Club Le Strange, which ran at the Albany in Great Portland Street. Essentially a bizarre character comedy night (regular acts included Steve Oram, Tom Meeten and Justin Edwards), it attempted to create a wider world, rather than just being a succession of acts. A vague storyline involved Gary becoming firm friends with his greatest fan Dave (played by Dan Mersh) and being reunited with his ex-bandmate Philip (played by Paul Litchfield). The highlight was the formation of a band, which also included Chris Limb on bass and Jeremy Limb on keyboards. Drew to a close in December 2005.

Beef Scarecrow (2006)
The album
A "multi-concept album" about metamorphosis and corruption. A collection of songs inspired by "art rock" - deliberately esoteric and bizarre, with a few pop tunes for good measure.

The show
Deliberately more theatrical than the others (in a character study sense rather than a melodramatic way), this was about Gary undergoing a complete nervous breakdown, unable to cope with his terrible life and retreating into a pseudo-religious fantasy world in his head. Seemed to divide audiences into those that loved it and those that hated it. Best thing I ever did. In my opinion.

GARY'S BIOGRAPHY
GARY ON RADIO & TV