Interview: Stuart Goldsmith, End Of
Stuart Goldsmith is embarking on a UK tour of his latest stand-up hour, End Of. MoodyComedy had a chat with Stu about the crafting of his latest show, becoming a Dad again and being an interviewer of fellow comedians…
Who is the comedian ‘Stuart Goldsmith’ these days?
Hah, nicely open question – these days he’s a touring act who’s managing to escape the circuit; he’s a father of two who is asking himself big questions about the next five years worth of work before both kids are flying a desk, e.g. working day-job hours at school; and he’s a slightly heavier man than before, but with none of the jolliness you’re supposed to get.
And who is the interviewer ‘Stuart Goldsmith’ these days?
About 6 months ago I started to hit a bit of a plateau with the pod overall, and doubted my stamina to continue it. Now though, i’m hatching a secret-ish plot to apply the interview techniques and ways of thinking I’ve honed in 7 years of podcasting in a frighteningly different field, and it’s had a really invigorating effect on my feelings towards the original pod. Plus recent eps have been some of the best; Andi Osho, Jeff Innocent, Phil Ellis, Doc Brown – there’s been some superb interviews in the last few months, so I’m going nowhere!
And what about the comedy fan ‘Stuart Goldsmith, how’s he?
Oh god he’s EXHAUSTED. There’s just so much stuff these days, and I think since he’s been obsessively watching and analysing comedy full-time for years, it’s harder for him to get excited about the more common forms of standup outside of his own work. He’s much happier watching a turbo-clown push carrots up their nose or fight their way out of an axolotl costume than hearing another hot take on Brexit or online dating. In many ways he’s happy that comedy is such a huge part of culture, but he’s also rueful that he turned his favourite thing into such an all-encompassing job…
Where did this new show, End Of, come from and how has it developed since last year’s Edinburgh Fringe?
I think it came from getting stopped in my tracks by a sense of my own mortality. A friend was diagnosed with something serious, and I also started to ruminate on my own perceived transformation from vital young man to sleep-deprived husk. Exactly as I’d fantasised about in my 2015 show Extra Life, but less metaphorically and more finally…
The show is about feeling spent. Having said that I have now had a break and I’ve been enjoying doing “greatest hits” sets in clubs, it’s made me raring to get back to the scripted tour show and really bite down on it with fresh energy…
Is End Of more the product of sitting down and writing, or brainstorming on stage?
Glad you asked! I have refined the creative process to yet another extreme, doing almost all my “writing” for this one whilst in the car on the previous tour. I suppose my dream is to one day be able to live broadcast a single hilarious stream of consciousness, and take the rest of the year off! The best bits are always the extra toppers and tags I throw onto the end of a good bit when a show is going tremendously well, and I’m pleased to say there have been more and more of those recently. I’m forgetting more cracking little new bots than I’m carrying forward.
Have you had any negative or challenging experiences with your podcast, The Comedian’s Comedian, recently?
Just the constant gnawing anxiety, about booking, researching and preparing for interviews. It’s extraordinary, quite pointless and won’t seem to go away.
What is the biggest revelation you’ve had in the past year?
If you need to dissolve a pill in liquid to administer via a syringe, you can do it IN THE SYRINGE rather than outside and then try and suck up the gritty bits. Mind-blowing. Oh, and probably something about a second child and love being infinite.
