Why I... write comedy
"I like seeing people laugh. It sounds simple, but there’s really nothing more to it than that."
I used to write silly songs for my friends at university and they persuaded me to play at an open mic night. A promoter came over and asked if I wanted to do a stand-up set and I just thought, why not?
My first comedy gig was at a club in Leicester back in 2005. I hadn’t seen much stand up then and so it hadn’t occurred to me that I’d have to talk in-between songs. It went well, but on reflection, some of the songs may have lacked context.
I’ve played to just one person before – and that guy didn’t like it. There were five acts on and the promoter decided to go ahead, regardless of the fact that there was only one guy in the audience. He sat right in the centre, one row back, and with his arms folded just looking at me.
But normally things go well and that’s what keeps you going back for more. I’ve performed at a few festivals, the best was probably the comedy tent at a festival called “Endorset, In Dorset”. It was packed. There were a fair few hundred people in the audience and when I came off, I got called back on again for an encore. That was pretty cool.
One of the comedians I look up to is Jimmy Carr. He tells his narrative almost exclusively through punchlines. I like to tell an obviously fictional story using music and one liners – it’s similar.
I’ve spent most of my life trying to be funny in real life, but I don’t think you need to be naturally funny to be a comedian. When I perform, I’m performing a character, it’s not really me.
Being on stage is a weird adrenaline rush. I write and perform comedy because I like seeing people laugh. It sounds simple, but there’s really nothing more to it than that. I get the same feeling whether I’m performing or not. I’ve had some sketches commissioned by The News Review in London, and I got the same rush from seeing people laugh at something I’d written.
The novel is a whole different beast but I wanted to try writing comedy in a different form. There are parts of my set in the book, but it’s told in a new narrative, and the comedy itself has changed because of that.
I don’t know what’s next but that’s part of the fun. Stand-up has taken me to punk festivals, burlesque shows (I stripped… a bit) and midnight poetry slams.
You don’t have to be brave to try stand-up. There are loads of amateur comedy nights that you can get a five-minute spot on, where no-one will boo or heckle if it goes badly. If you’re interested in giving it a try, all I’d say is, do it. You won’t regret it.
Probably.