Edinburgh’s The Stand comedy club cowboy backdrop bought by rival Glasgow club

The Stand Comedy Club announced plans to auction off its iconic cowboy stage backdrop after decided that its toy gun had to go due to complaints from customers who find it offensive.

Speaking to Chortle, The Stand manager Mike Jones said “Some people have found it offensive for different reasons and sometimes we’ve had to change the logo when we’ve done advertising campaigns. Not to mention the countless comedians who’ve made references to child suicide while standing in front of the backdrop.”

After a bidding war, it was Alan Anderson, founder of the Scottish Comedy Awards and promoter at the Rotunda Comedy Club in Glasgow, that bought the iconic branding which he described as “the second most iconic artwork in Scottish comedy after Billy Connolly's banana boots.”

Questioning how triggering a “cartoon gun” was for audiences, Anderson said: “If you go to the British Museum the Elgin Marbles feature friezes of war and mutilation carved in stone. 6million people visit every year. Triggered?

“If you visit the Bayeux Tapestry you see 70m of images of death and invasion. Triggered?

“If you visit Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Museum you see a real live weapon of war ... WWII Spitfire hanging from the ceiling. Triggered?

“Comedy clubs should not be safe spaces for all ideas. Comedy clubs are where comedians should shoot down the ideas and actions of both the establishment and themselves.

“The decision to remove the Cowboy, juxtaposed with Glaswegian Jerry Sadowitz's shows being cancelled in Edinburgh, illustrate that comedy is losing its cutting edge. A comedy club should not be a safe space for ideas. It is where comedians should shoot down both themselves and the establishment.

“Glasgow is the real beating heart of the Scottish comedy scene. We will ensure that this beloved image remains intact at a Scottish comedy club to help inspire the next generation of comedians.”

A version of this article first appeared on our sister site, The Scotsman