The name Josie Long is one that every comedy lover will know, and is a name that brings a smile to the faces of many, including myself. Josie is a loveable and sweet yet sharp-tongued and foul-mouthed stand up comic whose material spans from the fantastical to the satirical. She is a bright and positive light shining through the cracks of an often bitter and brutal comedy industry, and, beginning stand up comedy at the age of fourteen, here we have a lady who was quite simply born to perform.
To learn more from this fascinating comedian, I asked Josie these seven questions…
1) What is your favourite day of the week?
I like Thursdays. I usually have some time to write, and spend the day in my office with my friends Neil and Bryony who run Arts Emergency. Plus the place downstairs does Ethiopian food at lunchtime and it is great!
2) Biggest misconception someone could have about you?
That I like pointless twee tat. I like things that have a lot of functionality to them. I do really like homemade things, but I don’t like that many things that are purely decorative or too silly.
3) How would you define your ‘audience’?
I feel so lucky to have such kind and friendly people at my gigs. Is it too shallow and stupid to say they look really cool? I think my dream crowd is on a wavelength with me- so earnest, slightly awkward nerds are probably my dream audience. It’s interesting though I think – because I do a lot of different types of things, my audience can vary a lot; sometimes it’s a very political crowd, and sometimes it’s more people who’ve heard me on radio 4. Other times it’s just drunk people who don’t want to be there!
Photo: Giles Smith
4) What is your opinion on poetry?
I love reading poetry. I wish that everybody read more poetry. There is so much out there to discover. There’s a poetry library in the RFH on the South Bank and it’s such a brilliant place to go and just enjoy finding new poets. I like poetry because you can always dip in and out of reading it. You’ve always got time to read a short poem, and they can capture something so important or so beautiful that they can profoundly help you, or stir you, or challenge you. And you might just be reading it in five minutes on the bus and POW that’s your life changed!
5) What are you driven by in life?
I think I just like the idea that I could keep trying new things and meeting interesting people. I really want to get better as a writer and as a performer too. I would also say I am quite heavily free meal/canapé/free sparkling wine/free travel motivated. I will take pretty much any gig if there is free food or a jolly involved. Other than work, I am driven by trying to do things for the people I love and trying to make the world a better place in my own silly way.
6) What is your favourite thing on TV right now?
I’ve been watching The Fall with Gillian Anderson on iPlayer and it’s very good. I think she’s a fantastic actor.
7) Is being a performer the best therapy?
Ha no, therapy is the best therapy.