Interview: Alex Kealy, Rationale

Leave a Comment
© Ed Moore

Alex Kealy is set to tour his latest show across the UK this Spring. In honour of this, Alex fills MoodyComedy in on the rationale behind Rationale.

Hi Alex, how has the first month of the new decade been for you?

I managed to maintain a dry-ish January, went for some runs, gigged a lot, recorded my show for the comedy streaming service NextUp and saw a number of great dogs, so a pretty good month.

What initial thoughts sparked the origin of your show Rationale?

Lofty answer: I’ve always been interested in the non-rational motivators that compel us to think and do certain things. I thought a show focusing on that would be a nice antidote to political shows written explicitly on a Brexit axis. The best book I read in preparation was William Davies’ fantastic Nervous States.

Cynical answer: Topical shows are an absolute ball-ache because a) they can divide audiences and b) you spend six months writing them, lose thousands of pounds going to the Fringe and then they’re immediately redundant come September and impossible to tour (‘What’s the deal with Theresa May, amirite?’ etc.).

So I was keen to write something that would be like a fine/moderate communion wine (ages well, everyone’s happy) and not a banana (ages in 72 hours, reminds people of contentious reasons to leave the European Union).

How did the show develop during last year’s Edinburgh Fringe?

I had a break-up two days before the Fringe so that, er, influenced things a bit. I quite quickly wrote a chunk of material about that and it ended up making a lot of sense to put that in the middle of the show marking a Side A/Side B break in the hour.

How has your writing style developed since writing your first comedy hour?

A bit less wordplay and more jokes that are based on concepts and emotions. I think my use of analogies has gotten really strong but also hopefully I use them slightly less, as once I had a tendency to over-rely on them as my primary comedic tool. I guess what I’m trying to say is that my presence on stage inspires an overpowering mixture of fear and love in all who feast their eyes upon me.

What is your favourite comedy project that you have been involved in?

I’m proud of my comedy night The Comedy Grotto. It’s been going for approaching seven years and we’ve had some of the best comedians in the country trying out new material to fun audiences in a dank basement in North London.

What are you most excited about and what are you most afraid of as you embark on this UK tour?

I’m excited to perform the show another ten times! I’m terrified that nobody will come!

Why should people buy a ticket to see Rationale on tour?

To soothe my fear expressed in the last question should be enough for your wonderful, empathetic readers, but if you need to, I don’t know, make a decision based on more than just assuaging my insecurities, it’s a really good show with a very high gag count. I also got in The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph’s Top 10 Jokes of the Fringe so clearly my gag-writing has the capacity to unite this politically fractured nation.

Rationale starts on 15th February at the Vault festival and runs until 1 April – more details here

Interview: Darrell Martin (Just the Tonic)

1 Comment

Just the Tonic is launching a new comedy night at the Assembly in Leamington Spa this Saturday (8th February 2020). In anticipation of the launch, MoodyComedy had a chat with Just the Tonic owner Darrell Martin about this exciting new venture.

Hi Darrell, can you give us a brief overview of how Just the Tonic was born and how it has developed over the years?

It started because I loved comedy and there was none of it in Nottingham where I lived at the time. I had worked in a nightclub called Venue and had seen how people put things on. I had also run a few things myself before. So, it seemed like a normal thing to do. The reaction from most people I knew would tell me it wasn’t, but it was a recession, I was unemployable, and had nothing to lose.

Why is Leamington Spa your latest place of choice to launch a Just the Tonic venue?

Andy, who has reopened the venue, knew of Just the Tonic from Nottingham. He approached me and told of this spectacular venue. I looked into it and realised that I could probably put on a pretty strong monthly event that could afford to pay some pretty good comedians to appear there.

What are your plans for the opening of your Leamington Spa venue?

I plan to put on a brilliant line up (which we have managed to do) and I plan to fill it up with laughing people (it is getting to be pretty full already… just got to make them laugh now!).

What is the ethos of Just the Tonic? What values do you hold close?

I try to put on quality comedy nights, with the best of the established acts plus the best of the newer acts. We try to keep the price as reasonable as possible for the audience and we try to put on events that are as much of a joy for the comedians as they are for the audiences.

How has your own experience working in/performing comedy helped with your work as a comedy club owner?

I can walk into a room and pretty much out work out whether it would be suitable and how to best use it. Just like when you meet a hairdresser, they will be looking at your head, or a plumber will be looking at the pipework in your house; when I go into a pub or a potential venue I am thinking ‘good sight-lines, sound desk there, toilets are over there, where’s the fire exits, too many pillars…’ Quite dull really. Also, working in comedy, I know most of the comedians so can ring them up and gently cajole them into a gig every now and then. Hence Leamington Spa, a splendid line-up of comedy for the next 6 months with much more to come.

Does each of the Just the Tonic venues have a different feel, or is the vibe pretty consistent?

We try and keep the vibe consistent. Similar pre-show music, same start-up and intro tracks. We try and treat audiences fairly maturely at each place, and we also filter out the troublemakers (drunken people who seem to forget the whole night is not about them). We really do just try and make it a pleasant and fun night out. Our choice of compere is quite important. We use the ones that really engage with the room.

What are your hopes for this newest Just the Tonic venue?

I hope that it is full every month with people laughing at us. What more could a comedy promoter ask?

Tickets are now on sale for Just the Tonic’s Leamington Spa launch night, featuring performances from Reginald D. Hunter, Guz Khan, Andrew O’Neill and Matt Richardson. For more information, visit Just the Tonic’s website.

Interview: Robin Morgan, What A Man, What A Man, What A Man, What A Mighty Good Man (Say It Again Now)

Leave a Comment
© Matt Stronge

MoodyComedy speaks to Robin Morgan about his plans to tour his latest show, What A Man, What A Man, What A Man, What A Mighty Good Man (Say It Again Now), across the UK.

Hi Robin, how is 2020 treating you so far?

Well, thank you! I’m not doing dry January so having a wonderful time.

How did the arc of your new show, What A Man, emerge?

I wanted to write a show about my Dad and my son, and about masculinity in general. When my wife’s maternity leave finished, I took over looking after my son during the days, and found it hilarious how much praise I got for that fact, compared to how much my wife did. The double standards are mad and a real theme of the show.

How did you find the reception of the show at 2019’s Edinburgh Fringe?

I had lovely shows. I work really hard up there to make sure the room was full, and luckily that happened in 2019. The subject matter seemed to resonate too – my favourite moment was a real group of laddy lads who said they liked it. It’s those kind of people I thought would hate it, so that was a nice moment.

How do you feel about touring the country with this new show?

I’m excited to do the show again but shitting myself that it won’t be busy. I don’t have a huge amount of profile so I’m relying mainly on word-of-mouth and people’s lack of plans that evening. I’m so proud of the show – it’s the best thing I’ve written, and fingers crossed for some full rooms.

What motivates you as a performer?

It used to be just the bug to perform, to have fun on stage. But then a few years ago I really think I found my voice (WHAT A WANKY THING TO SAY) and I started talking about subjects that I care about. And this show is a perfect example of that.

Do you prefer to write before getting on stage, or work stuff through in front of a live audience?

Nowadays I like working stuff through with an audience. I’ll have bullet points and ideas but I wrote a lot of this show whilst on stage in preview form. I’m getting better at writing on stage, and already working up a new show for the one after What A Man.

Why should people buy a ticket to see What A Man, What A Man, What A Man, What A Mighty Good Man (Say It Again Now) on tour?

It’s got the most jokes I’ve ever put into a show. It’s about a topic that I think is important to talk about. And a lovely emotional ending. I had people crying at the end of the show (happy tears, don’t worry). Plus it’s got one of the muckiest jokes I’ve ever written. What’s not to like?

BOOK TICKETS FOR ROBIN MORGAN’S TOUR HERE

Seven Questions With… Laura Lexx

Leave a Comment
© Karla Gowlett

Laura Lexx is a sweet-talking comedian with a surprisingly sharp bite. Lexx has been making waves in recent years since her 2018 show Trying was met with high criticial acclaim. She is soon to embark on a tour of her latest show, Knee Jerk.

1) How did you decide to approach developing Knee Jerk after the huge success of Trying?

Well, this tour is actually an amalgamation of those two shows… they naturally link in to each other really well and while Trying is more personal and Knee Jerk is more socially-focused, they work very well as companion pieces. I’m excited to be able to do some of the material from Trying without the full emotional narrative, and to update some of the social politics of Knee Jerk to make it up to date for 2020. It’s really refreshing to have more than an hour to play with and to be able to play with the audience a lot more because there are no time constraints.

2) What motivates you as a performer?

I am at my happiest on stage… it’s where I feel relaxed, confident, in control and like a professional. It’s the thing in my life I really back myself to do and while I’m doing it my mind is focused and calm. I think other people talk about running or games or something in a way that’s similar to how I feel about being on stage… it’s a time where my extraneous thoughts are all focused on what I’m doing and I can shut out white noise. I just love being on that stage and I love making people laugh. It’s what I was born to do.

3) Where would you go if you could go anywhere?

Oh… lots of places. I would love to go to Japan, I would love to go to Canada. I usually want to go home. I like beautiful places and stuff but I’m a very people-based person. I’ll go where the people are, I don’t much care about places without people.

4) What is the worst thing anyone could say to you right now?

They could tell me I have upset someone. I hate upsetting people. I try and be very careful about what I put out into the world and I’m not good at confrontation. I hate the idea that I’d be responsible for hurting someone.

5) How have you changed as a comic over the past five years?

I’ve got much much faster at finding the funny. I’m more confident in what I’m doing and whether something has potential so now I can get myself to a point where things are working much quicker. I can make my natural way of wanting to do things work rather than trying to adapt everything to make it fit what I’m supposed to be doing.

6) What are you bored of?

Assuming the worst of people. I am so bored of the current climate where everyone wants an easy reason for things being wrong and the easy reason is always to just label a bunch of people as awful. It’s mind-numbingly single minded, crass and unhelpful. I wish we could all assume nobody is out to hurt us until we have to assume that.

7) What character trait do you most envy in others?

The ability to not be jealous and to celebrate other people’s success. I like being enthusiastic about other people but I feel like naturally I run to jealousy first and then have to work my round to being a better person. I’d like to not have that first hurdle and just to go straight to being a cheerleader for other people.

For more information, visit Laura Lexx’s website and follow her on Twitter

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH…

Podcast Picks: Nobody Panic

Leave a Comment

Podcasting has taken on a life of its own in recent years, with vast swathes of comedians coming forward with new interview, anecdotal and improv show formats. As this medium has grown, it has become saturated with assorted comedic content. Podcast Picks is a place for MoodyComedy’s comedy podcast recommendations.

© Nobody Panic

Comedians Stevie Martin and Tessa Coates are on the long road to adulthood. Aren’t we all? Regardless of age, the feeling that we are imposters in a world where everyone else seems to know what they are doing is certainly a common phenomenon. Stevie and Tessa get it; they’ve been there, and they’re not out of the fog yet (is anyone, ever?).

Nobody Panic is a podcast that aims to take big, scary, mysterious adult topics and dismantle them into manageable, less heavy chunks to be addressed.

They approach some really difficult topics, from break ups to problems in the work place, with a light-hearted, can-do attitude. And where their advice in these areas is well-researched and reinforced by genuine personal experience, this makes room for their discussion on lighter topics to delve slightly into the realm of madness. The listener is drawn into this pair’s longterm friendship, and hearing the two crack each other up to the point of hysterics is often an episode highlight.

Both comics relish being the idiot in any given situation, and this ability to laugh at themselves is a huge selling point for the podcast. The pair are both motivational and supportive, and yet neither claims to have all, if any, of the answers.

Nobody Panic is the perfect podcast to listen to if you’re in need of a pick-me-up or simply require a dose of motivation to do that thing you said you were going to do. Martin and Coates shine a light of positivity on topics that might usually make you sigh or even shudder, with sharp wit and playful humour.

CATCH UP ON ALL EPISODES OF NOBODY PANIC HERE.

Seven Questions With… Hivemind

Leave a Comment
© Tom Garnett

MoodyComedy speaks to Alex O’Bryan-Tear, Josh Hunt, Jesse Locke and Harriet Cartledge about their improv comedy group, Hivemind. Hivemind will be performing two improvised shows (Improvengers: Pretend Game and Lord of the Game of the Ring of Thrones) at the Museum of Comedy in London throughout December and January.

1) Hands for feet or feet for hands?

Alex: Why not both? Why limit ourselves?

Jess: Reach for the stars with your feety, feety hands.

Harriet: But seriously, who wants more feet? I personally have more than enough.

Alex: If anything, you have too many already.

2) Does being part of such a large group of performers make the job easier or harder?

Josh: You’ve clearly never seen the London Philharmonic Orchestra if you think we’re a large group of performers.

Jesse: We’re like an ecosystem where every one of us has a vital part to play. If you take one us away, we go extinct.

Alex: For example, if you take me away as the alpha predator, you end up with five Joshes. It’s only by the regular eating of Josh that harmony can be maintained.

Harriet: I guess what we’re trying to say is that it makes it easier.

3) What’s the best thing about public transport?

Jesse: If you get there first, you get to drive it.

Alex: That’s so true! Wow.

Harriet: I once saw a guy watching a video on how to pick up women, but he didn’t realise his headphones weren’t plugged in. It was basically just me and him on this train. Without public transport, I’d never have got to enjoy that moment.

4) What would you like people to take away from your shows?

Alex: Our corporate business cards.

Jesse: The antidote.

Harriet: Not the keyboard, we have to keep that.

Josh: Unattainably high standards with which to judge all improv groups in the future.

5) What was the last ridiculous thing you saw?

Harriet: There’s so much ridiculous stuff in London that it just washes over you.

Jesse: Like someone was doing falconry with parrots on Primrose Hill. It was fine.

Josh: I saw a guy with feet for hands. I saw a guy with hands for hands. What’s his problem?

Jesse: I was at a party where some people were recreating the trauma of birth. People were covered in goo then wrapped in plastic and squeezed into a pool of water.

6) What is the worst advice you’ve ever been given?

Josh: I think I tend to give bad advice rather than receive it.

Harriet: So you’re the evil one?

Alex: Give up on your dream of becoming a princess, you’ll never make it. Just they wait!

Harriet: When I was twelve, I told my mum I wanted to become an interior designer and she told me I didn’t have the flair.

Alex: Well, now we know you don’t have the flair. But at the time, who knew what was inside of you?

7) Should humans be trying to live longer?

Jesse: No, but other animals should. Keep up, badgers.

Alex: Ever since I was born, I’ve tried to live longer than I currently am. So far it’s been a 100% success.

Josh: Who doesn’t want to live longer? Though I don’t want to get crippling neuroviruses.

Harriet: And only if you don’t turn into like, a raisin.

For more information, visit Hivemind’s website and follow them on Twitter

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH…

Review: Tim Minchin – BACK

Leave a Comment

[usr 5]

© Damian Bennett

Tim Minchin is currently heading towards the end of an entirely sold out UK tour, his first since 2011, and he certainly receives a warm welcome from his British fans. Having written the music for the stage shows Matilda the Musical in 2010 and Groundhog Day in 2016, and spent four years working as a director on an animated film in Hollywood that got suddenly scrapped, he has returned to the medium that made his name.

Minchin begins with a new song, If This Plane Goes Down. This new addition to the comic’s musical repertoire serves as a perfect introduction to the show, combining dark, fatalistic humour with beautiful chord successions and heart-felt reflections on life achievements and the importance of family.

Minchin’s musical aptitude is something to be marvelled. Often improvised, he works the piano with his whole body, making the body of the instrument as much a part of the show as his own. He stands high on its stool, dances on its lid, he often hits its keys with his bare feet. The piano becomes an extension of the comic himself, giving every song, every note, an undeniable fluidity. Tim’s performance, as always, is highly physical, and his ability to work the large stage, and the room, comes across as effortless.

The reveal of a seven-piece band is truly a memorable moment, elevating the performance of Rock n Roll Nerd to full-blown musical extravaganza. Minchin’s musicians are enigmatic and enthusiastic, and it is thrilling to see the formation enjoying performing together. What is particularly joyous is the new twist this newly-formed collective gives to Tim’s older classics, from If I Didn’t Have You to the popular favourite, Prejudice.

It would be easy for this kind of comedy to come across a tad pretentious, but Minchin always balances this tricky line. He candidly and matter-of-factly confides in his audience about his mental health and the responsibility he feels as an artist who has kids to feed. He’s also, as ever, not afraid to look the idiot. This is most evident, perhaps, in his latest rendition Cheese.

With a self-confessed fixation on double entendre, paired with a knack for bullet-proof argumentation, Minchin is a master of articulating his anger and frustrations in a heartfelt, often gleeful way. Tim Minchin is, most definitely, BACK.

TV Review: Back To Life

Leave a Comment

We first meet Miri Matteson as she frantically hacks at her own fringe in preparation for a job interview. This kind of bumbling impulsivity is a staple of Miri’s approach to life, we soon learn.

Miri (played by Daisy Haggard) has just been released home after spending the last eighteen years in prison for murder. It’s not just that her family have been living their lives without her for nearly twenty years, but Miri has become completely isolated from the world she lives in. The world has moved on and didn’t wait for her, incarcerated, to catch up.

As we piece together what happened eighteen years ago, the true nature of the characters begins to become clear. Everyone is either afraid of Miri or absolutely despises her, or both, and this affects how they react to her now she has re-integrated into the outside world.

© BBC3

Most of the characters are energetic and peculiar, from brutally honest and antagonistic probation officer Janice (Jo Martin), to Miri’s new boss, chip shop owner Nathan (Liam Williams). These ridiculous characters contrast against the sensitivity of neighbour and potential love interest Billy (Adeel Akhtar) and also the uptight and, for some reason, furious former best friend Mandy (Christine Bottomley).

Set against the backdrop of Kent’s murky pebbled beaches, Back To Life develops a similar feeling of tranquil tragedy to that of Ricky Gervais’ After Life, which is, at times, rather breathtaking. Back To Life is a programme that shows us what we are capable of doing to each other, and that’s quite scary. But it also shows how people who love each other deep down under the surface are capable of putting their conflicts aside when it really matters.

Jauntily paced and saturated with sarcastic remarks thrown out between deeply flawed individuals, Back To Life is tense and filled with conflict. Haggard’s performance is stunning, yet utterly heartbreaking.

BACK TO LIFE IS AVAILABLE ON BBC iPLAYER

Podcast Picks: My Favorite Murder

Leave a Comment

Podcasting has taken on a life of its own in recent years, with vast swathes of comedians coming forward with new interview, anecdotal and improv show formats. As this medium has grown, it has become saturated with assorted comedic content. Podcast Picks is a place for MoodyComedy’s comedy podcast recommendations.

Returning from a recent two month hiatus, Hardstark and Kilgariff are back with more tales from the darkest corners of humanity.

Enthralled by conversations with an assortment of friends, acquaintances and strangers at parties and get-togethers about their ‘hometown murders’, the pair came to the realisation in 2016 that while talking about horrendous abductions and murders isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, it certainly sparks a certain interest for a particular demographic. And so My Favorite Murder was born.

Talking about the most horrific assaults and murders in unflinching detail, Georgia and Karen are certainly doing their bit to lift the taboo on topics that many people simply do not want to think about. From rape, to child murder, to pedophilia, these horrendous things do exist. But we are not laughing at the circumstances, and certainly not at the victims. We laugh because we acknowledge our own discomfort regarding these terrifying things. We laugh in the communal recognition that laughing at something takes the power away from it.

© My Favorite Murder

The pair also talk candidly about their experiences with addiction and mental health. Their unfiltered conversation is not only hugely refreshing to hear, but also an undeniable source of comfort to thousands of listeners who express their gratitude on a weekly basis in their emails.

We hear from someone whose Dad was the vet of the ‘satanic’ dog that the Son of Sam blamed his murders on. We hear from someone who found photo evidence that their grandparents were swingers. We hear from Mary Vincent, who showed tenacious survival spirit when she was raped by a man who proceeded to chop her arms off and throw her over a cliff. It’s heart-stopping stuff, but the fact we can come together to share it soon gets those hearts beating again.

If you want to hear about the darkest corners of humanity, if you want to be shocked, if you want to be prepared… if you want to be reminded of the human connection and warmth that withstands all this murderous bullshit, then My Favorite Murder is an excellent place from which to start.

CATCH UP ON ALL EPISODES OF ‘MY FAVOURITE MURDER’ HERE.

Seven Questions With… Stevie Martin

Leave a Comment
© Natasha Pszenicki

Stevie Martin is a stand-up comedian, journalist and podcaster. Fresh from performing her latest show, Hot Content, at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, Stevie is here to shed light on her first forays into comedy and writing, as well as share her opinion on video games…

1) When did you first encounter comedy?

When I was little my parents used to play The Goons tapes in the car, and when I got a bit older I’d watch videos of Reeves and Mortimer obsessively. I had a very absurdist sense of humour for a six year old and once sang ‘My Rose Has Left Me’ at a school talent show which included bellowing the line ‘She wasn’t immunised – THAT’S A LEGAL REQUIREMENT’, so it’s not surprising I got heavily bullied if I’m honest. 

2) What do you really not care about?

I don’t care about video games. I really don’t think I could give less of a shit about them. I’ve tried to get into a range, you know, even fun ones like Crash Bandicoot. Or story-led ones like Red Dead. Or classic ones like Goldeneye. I think they are a massive waste of time and I get bored after a few minutes. It has nothing to do with the fact that I’m terrible at them in case you’re wondering. I downloaded that goose game yesterday and my boyfriend had to calm me down because I couldn’t pick anything up with my beak. On second thoughts it sounds like I care too much.  

3) Where is your safe place?

Reading a book on the chair in my living room that my grandma gave to me. It is black leather and so in the summer if I’m wearing shorts my legs stick to it and I have to rip my skin off to get up but it’s worth it. Or reading Harry Potter anywhere. I also like being anywhere with no wifi that means I absolutely can’t continue to check my fucking phone which I do every 3.4 nanoseconds. 

4) What motivates you to work hard?

Looking back aged 70 being like ‘WHY DID YOU SPEND SO LONG TRYING TO GET INTO GOLDENEYE WHEN YOU COULD HAVE WRITTEN A BOOK OR SOMETHING?’ Also when someone says something mean to me. That’s such a motivator. Once when I was a waitress, one of the regulars who apparently worked in counter-terrorism said ‘You don’t know what you’re doing, you’ll never be a writer’, so I quit waitressing and started house-sitting for a friend’s mum while looking for writers jobs. At one point I couldn’t afford food so I ate nothing but eggs out of their fridge for two days, but I got a writing job SO THERE, STUPID COUNTER TERRORISM MAN. 

5) Why is comedy the right job for you?

To be honest it isn’t! I do a lot of different jobs, not just comedy, and am terrified by performing live so it sort of gives me a kick up the arse in other areas. I just like making and creating things, whether that’s an hour of comedy or a podcast (I have one called Nobody Panic) or an article (I’m a journalist) or trying to get stuff made for TV. I also want to write a book. Basically I have zero attention span and am just attempting everything that will keep me out of a 9-5 office. One day I might open an aquarium. WHO KNOWS.

6) Are you avoiding anything right now?

Yes, I’m doing a monthly new material comedy night and I need to write ten minutes and so far I’ve written the word ‘worms?’ so very excited to see how the comedy pans out. It’s incredible what I can get done when I have to write new material. My bedroom is so tidy and I’ve ironed everything.

7) Are you at all similar to your parents?

Yes. My parents like to ‘joke’ that I received all of their worst qualities combined. I worry a lot and don’t ever feel like I’m good enough, which is apparently something they recognise in themselves. There are good things though – my mum has incredible skin, is incredibly creative, and is the kindest, silliest person I’ve ever met, and my dad is the most hard-working, generous and funny person I’ve ever met so I hope and pray I have received even a tenth of those genes. 

For more information, visit Stevie Martin’s website and follow her on Twitter

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH…