• About
  • Acclaim
  • The Faces Of MoodyComedy
MoodyComedy

End Of

Interview: Stuart Goldsmith, End Of

February 24, 2019 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

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…

© Matt Crockett

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.

BOOK TICKETS FOR STUART GOLDSMITH’S TOUR HERE

Posted in: Comedians, Interviews Tagged: End Of, Interview, Stuart Goldsmith

Stuart Goldsmith: The Edinburgh Interviews 2018

July 19, 2018 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

© Matt Crockett

Who? Stuart Goldsmith
What? End Of
Where? Liquid Room Annexe (venue 276)
When? 14:50

Are you prepared for what this year’s Edinburgh Fringe has in store for you?

Certainly am! It’s my 25th year and I’m playing a 250 seater at 2.50pm. Those last two are coincidence but I’m embracing it. I first came to the festival as a 16 year old and have performed standup, sketch or on the street at every single one. The question is, is the Fringe prepared for me?!

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

I try not to be tied to a premise. If it’s about anything it’s about effort and how I don’t put enough in, in any aspect of my life. But it’s just jokes gang. Big, big jokes.

What was the biggest obstacle you faced while putting this show together?

My toddler and my podcast. And the constantly running soundtrack from the film “Moana” in the back of my mind, thanks to the first one of those.

Who would most enjoy your show?

ABC1’s. No just kidding, I don’t even know if that’s a thing. I don’t write with a particular audience in mind, I just try to make myself laugh, and then trim away all the bits that no one else finds as hilarious.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

ALWAYS BE MAT EWINS-ING.

What is your favourite thing about Edinburgh as a city?

Cycling around it – half the time you’re on a gentle incline, but the other half you’re zooming downhill swerving around tourists gaping at the architecture from the middle of the road.

What are your plans for after the festival?

I TAKE A GODDAMN YEAR OFF. And have a second child in October. So probably not that relaxing. Might not tour next year, might just go to ground and raise my family. So give me all your money this year please.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR STUART GOLDSMITH: ‘END OF’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2018

Posted in: Comedians, Edinburgh, Interviews Tagged: Edinburgh Festival, End Of, Stuart Goldsmith, The Edinburgh Interviews, The Edinburgh Interviews 2018

Review: Stuart Goldsmith: Like I Mean It

June 22, 2018 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

© Matt Crockett

Stuart Goldsmith has been touring his seventh stand up hour, Like I Mean It for nearly five months now. On one of the last stops of the tour he entertains a room of largely devoted Comedian’s Comedian fans (presumably) at Birmingham’s Glee Club.

Every year that Goldsmith comes to this venue, he bounds onto his stage appearing happier about his material and his place on the comedy circuit than the year before, which is only right as this latest show is one that is solid in its structure, subtle in its callbacks and upbeat in attitude.

This comedian is rather rare in that he holds a different relationship to his audience than most other stand ups, most likely as a direct result of his podcasting background, which has enabled him to share elements of his professional and personal life to listeners on a regular basis. The benefits of granting his audience this insight into his life are clear to see, because we audience members feel like we know him and wish to support him (this is embodied by the tentative lady on the third row who quietly reassures him ‘you’re awesome!’ during the first ten minutes).

Like I Mean It is all about the changes that come along with marriage and having children. Yes, it’s a common theme, but Stuart’s observations are original and maintain reliable laughs. Pair this with elements of the surreal (physically acting out the life and death of daisies picked for daisy chains, and the preparing of French frogs for edible consumption), and it is easy to see a clear knowledge of structural balance. And Goldsmith is so renowned for being nice that moments where the narrative takes a turn towards the macabre are quite delightful.

After a short interval, Goldsmith returns to workshop the skeleton of his new Edinburgh show, End Of, not that it feels much like a workshop at all because it seems he’s already got most of his ideas locked down. He tells us to lower our expectations but it’s clear that he’s confident in this new material, and enjoying performing it.

This show is about being tired and wishing for a break from the unrelenting ambition that drives many of us creatives round the bend. Stu asks himself ‘how much more effort can I give?’ and his pernickety exasperations are contagiously funny. At the moment, the hour is a collection of somewhat disjointed ideas, but that can only be expected as the final couple of months of previews enable him to lock the show’s narrative arc into place.

There are three stops left on Stu’s tour of Like I Mean It: the Soho Theatre, Tringe Festival, and Cardiff’s Chapter Arts Centre. After this he will be performing End Of at this year’s Edinburgh Festival.

Posted in: Comedians, Live Comedy, Reviews Tagged: End Of, Like I Mean It, Live Comedy, Stuart Goldsmith

subscribe via email

Tweets by @moodycomedy
Follow on Instagram

Categories

  • Ask The Expert
  • Books
  • Comedian Of The Month
  • Comedians
  • Comedy Catch Up
  • Comedy Circle
  • Edinburgh
  • Films
  • Interviews
  • Live Comedy
  • News
  • Podcasts
  • Previews
  • Radio
  • Reviews
  • Revisited
  • Seven Questions With…
  • Television Shows
  • Top 5 Moments
  • Uncategorized
  • Web Series

Recent Posts

  • Seven Questions With… Laura Lexx
  • Podcast Picks: Nobody Panic
  • Seven Questions With… Hivemind
  • Review: Tim Minchin – BACK
  • TV Review: Back To Life

Archives

Copyright © 2019 MoodyComedy.

Omega WordPress Theme by ThemeHall