July: Comedian Of The Month #6, Noel James
Each Comedian of the Month on MoodyComedy is a comic who has never previously featured on the website. Reasons for selection can include various current projects the comedian is involved with, or perhaps recent appearances on television programmes or podcasts. There is no strict criteria however, as Comedian of the Month simply stands as a collection of recommendations, highlighting interesting and original aspects of certain comedians and their work.
The stand out comedian for me this month is Welsh funny man: Noel James. I heard of him through a recent episode of Stuart Goldsmith’s Comedian’s Comedian Podcast in which Noel presented himself as a very thoughtful and self aware individual, and one that I was interested to find out some more about.
Throughout the episode, Noel discussed his use of wordplay and metaphors amongst many surreal one-liners. These often tie together to form mad little stories and frequently feature songs too: his comedy is clearly something of a variety act within a one-man show. He’s obviously a very intelligent guy, which is made even more clear when we hear that he can speak (and perform in) Welsh as well as English and in the words of the man himself: “I heard ‘sorry’ is the hardest word, but not compared to Welsh, I heard”.
What I like most about Noel is the way his natural sense of humour really comes through while he is performing. He is able to ad-lib, or appear to be ad-libbing, without hesitation and that is a very important factor in a live comedy experience for me because it makes the show feel unique and tailored to an audience. And it’s clear that Noel’s audiences do adore him; when watching clips of his stand up on YouTube, the laughs are constant and genuine and this is down to his wonderfully confident delivery and hints of absolute insanity.
Watching Noel James’ material and listening to him analyse it on Goldsmith’s podcast was a real breath of comedy fresh air for me (and not only due to his soothing Welsh accent). He brings an honesty to his work but also carries that hint of mystery that comes with surrealist comedy and I think that makes a lovely combination.
You can listen to Episode 86 of The Comedian’s Comedian Podcast at a price of your choosing here or download it from iTunes.