Michael "Atters" Attree (born 22 April 1965 in Colchester Military Hospital)[1] is a British humourist and performer.
Michael "Atters" Attree | |
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| Born | 22 April 1965 Colchester Military Hospital |
| Occupation(s) | Satirist, comedy writer, performer, comedian |
| Website | http://www.atters.com |
Early life
Attree was born to British colonial parents who met in East Africa during the early 1950s. He was born in Colchester.[2] He studied Fine Art & Film at Saint Martins School of Art.[3]
Career
Attree writes as the editor at large for the satirical magazine The Chap. His feature interviews have included Leslie Phillips,[4] Sir Patrick Moore,[5] Brian Blessed,[6] Alan Moore[7] and Jilly Cooper,[8] while his ongoing column "The Pentagram of Atters" contains information regarding the supernatural.[9] Attree is a campaigner and activist within the "Chap movement".[10] In his book London Calling: A Countercultural History of London since 1945, Barry Miles recalls how Attree (along with two colleagues) climbed to the top of a Rachel Whiteread art installation as part of a "Tate Modern Protest".[11]
Attree has contributed to publications such as Time Out[12] and The Guardian[13] and erotic comedy for magazines such as Penthouse Forum,[14] Erotic Knave (as "The Knave")[15] and Erotic Review.[16] He was also Flux magazines Paranormal Investigations Editor[17] and contributes to magazines specific to the subject of the paranormal.[18][19]
In the late 80s, Janet Street-Porter (then head of BBC Youth and Entertainment Features) commissioned Attree to work as a producer/director for BBC TV.[20] He later worked as a documentaries producer for Channel Four.[21]
His theatre show Atters Attree’s Chap-orgasmic Terrors is a sci-fi/horror/conspiracy theory comedy spin off of his former Flux magazine series[22] and was performed as part of the Brighton Festival Fringe.[23][24][25] Le Figaro magazine states: "Anarcho-dandy, Michael Attree is a revolutionary cell in a three-piece suit who cherishes the dream of overthrowing the Western consumer society."[3]
Other interests
Attree was chairman and host compère of the World Beard and Moustache Championships 2007, held at the Brighton Centre[26] and hosted the British Beard & Moustache Championships 2012 held at the Brighton Dome.[27][28] He is a committee member of London's Handlebar Club[29] and was the editor of the club's journal for a number of years.[30] He is also a master of ceremonies performer within the fields of neo-burlesque.[20]