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Alex Kealy

Interview: Alex Kealy, Rationale

February 8, 2020 by Becca Moody 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

Posted in: Comedians, Interviews Tagged: Alex Kealy, Interview, Rationale

Alex Kealy: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

August 2, 2019 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment
Ed Moore
Who? Alex Kealy
What? Rationale
Where? Just the Tonic at The Caves – Just Up the Road (Venue 88)
When? 18:40

What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?

Good! It’s late July and I’ve had the utter terror do-I-have-a-show-fuck-shit-fuck-if-I-were-a-full-time-teacher-I’d-be-on-holiday-now of early July but I now in fact do have a Good Show.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

We’re not rational – we come to most of our decisions because of emotion, instinct, family ties, group identification and our bodies. We then use rationales after the fact to intellectually justify our positions, but that’s not how we got there.

What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

Making the show flow and the argument weave through relatable examples that keep the gag rate up.

Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?

Not really? I’ve been very excited to go up each of the past four years I’ve done solo shows and all of them have been basically fun to do. I think this is my best one and I’d love for lots of people to see it TB quite H.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

Olga Koch, Sarah Kendall, Ivo Graham, Stuart Laws, Alfie Brown, Ian Smith, Heidi Regan, Ahir Shah, Josie Long, Bryony Kimmings’ “I’m A Phoenix, Bitch”, Portobello beach.

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

Doing lots of comedy and increasingly making a living solely from that.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR ALEX KEALY: ‘RATIONALE’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2019

Posted in: Comedians, Edinburgh, Interviews Tagged: Alex Kealy, Edinburgh Festival, Rationale, The Edinburgh Interviews, The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

The Edinburgh Interviews 2017: Alex Kealy

July 24, 2017 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment
Alex Kealy’s debut Edinburgh show is an introspective look at the effects of leaving the EU on 21st century Brits, with Kealy examining issues surrounding Brexit and also aspects of his personal life, with his trademark calm, downbeat delivery. Alex will be performing The Art of the Keal at Just the Tonic at The Caves throughout August.

© Ed Moore

1) What excites you most about the Edinburgh Festival?

Getting to perform multiples times a day – I might be onstage 100 times in August when it would be more like 20 in a usual month.

Should I have said “other people’s shows”? Sure, but it’s all about me, really.

2) What was/is your first Edinburgh show about?

Being single and Brexit. “I’m so lonely… like my country, amirite?!!?”

3) Does your comedy attract a certain type of audience?

Want to get those smug liberal audience members in. Preaching to the choir? Nah, I want to preach to bishops and above, please.

4) What is the worst experience you’ve had with Edinburgh accommodation?

I remember one year a friend very kindly had me to stay for a week and his flatmate had taken up quite a lot of living room space with an intricate home-brewing appliance. I wasn’t there long enough to taste the beer, was there long enough to be weirded out by yeast and hops.

5) What is your most treasured memory of your comedy career so far?

Smashing sold out Saturday night show for my debut hour last year; afterwards, some of the audience came up to me to get a selfie, which was very sweet.

In the interests of balance, I can tell you other stories of me dying horrifically at gigs are available.

6) What show will you definitely be seeing at the festival this year?

Joseph Morpurgo’s new one. I’ve seen half of it in preview earlier in the year and it was brilliant: he’s consistently the most inventive comic out there.

7) What do you hope to gain from the Edinburgh Festival this year?

I’d like my audiences to really enjoy my show and minimal amounts of debt would be pretty sweeeeeet too.

8) What do you imagine your last ever show will be about?

“The year is 2042 and Alex Kealy’s show is 50% comedy and 50% a plea to the All Seeing Ones to spare my family from The Sickness that has ravaged the planet.”

BOOK TICKETS FOR ALEX KEALY: THE ART OF THE KEAL, AT THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2017

Posted in: Comedians, Edinburgh, Interviews Tagged: Alex Kealy, British Comedy, Comedy, Edinburgh Festival, Interview, The Edinburgh Interviews, The Edinburgh Interviews 2017
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