Stevie Martin

Quarantine Questions: Stevie Martin

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© Tash Pszenicki

Twelve weeks into the UK’s coronavirus-induced lockdown, now is a time where we need comedy more than ever. Unsurprisingly, it’s also a time where it’s perhaps hardest to find something that’s actually damn funny. MoodyComedy is trying to remedy this.

What is the first thing you plan on doing once the lockdown is fully lifted?

I’m going to Circolo Popolare for a sourdough pizza. You can’t book, but you can queue at set times, so I will wait for 45 years if that’s what it takes. Then I will go to Yorica! in Soho which is a vegan ice cream parlour that does waffles and crepes and order one of everything. Then I will go to the Soho Theatre for the remainder of the day, watch a show, and enjoy two bottles of their red wine that’s the second-one-down on the menu. Then I will lick the floor. 

What’s your current lockdown binge watch?

I watched the entirety of Friday Night Lights for the first time – I always thought it was just about American football but IT’S SO MUCH MORE! I cried all the way through the finale just because it was ending. Also, why did nobody tell me how good Ozark is? Or maybe they did and I wasn’t concentrating. It has blown my tits off.

Has anything made you laugh recently?

My tortoise got stuck in the basket where we keep toilet roll so I nearly wiped my arse with her. That was funny. Also there’s a tiny Japanese girl who lives opposite, looks a bit like Boo from Monsters Inc., and won’t stop putting cereal boxes on her head. Her parents keep trying to take them off her but she just puts them back on again. I am laughing at very pure things right now. 

How are you trying to keep sane at the moment?

I am trying to write on weekdays because, while staring into space got me through the initial months, it sadly wasn’t sustainable. I’ve also been working out every day though, which is so unlike me I can’t even fathom saying those words, but it makes me feel like I’ve achieved something even if I haven’t managed to hit my daily word count. Disappointingly though, three months in, I only have half an ab if you look really closely. 

What thing would you like to draw our attention to right now?

I am putting up fairly regular (not regular) sketches on my Twitter and IGTV but otherwise am not doing very many online shows. The lack of laughing freaks me out. Like, what am I supposed to do after I tell a joke? Wink? Agh. I have two podcasts though, and they’re fun: Nobody Panic is a different ‘how to’ each week for anyone struggling to function and Might Delete Later is where me and my sister Gina Martin (who made upskirting illegal because she is a legend) rummage through guests social media timelines for their first posts and worst posts. It’s good fun.

THE QUARANTINE QUESTIONS

Podcast Picks: Nobody Panic

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Podcasting has taken on a life of its own in recent years, with vast swathes of comedians coming forward with new interview, anecdotal and improv show formats. As this medium has grown, it has become saturated with assorted comedic content. Podcast Picks is a place for MoodyComedy’s comedy podcast recommendations.

© Nobody Panic

Comedians Stevie Martin and Tessa Coates are on the long road to adulthood. Aren’t we all? Regardless of age, the feeling that we are imposters in a world where everyone else seems to know what they are doing is certainly a common phenomenon. Stevie and Tessa get it; they’ve been there, and they’re not out of the fog yet (is anyone, ever?).

Nobody Panic is a podcast that aims to take big, scary, mysterious adult topics and dismantle them into manageable, less heavy chunks to be addressed.

They approach some really difficult topics, from break ups to problems in the work place, with a light-hearted, can-do attitude. And where their advice in these areas is well-researched and reinforced by genuine personal experience, this makes room for their discussion on lighter topics to delve slightly into the realm of madness. The listener is drawn into this pair’s longterm friendship, and hearing the two crack each other up to the point of hysterics is often an episode highlight.

Both comics relish being the idiot in any given situation, and this ability to laugh at themselves is a huge selling point for the podcast. The pair are both motivational and supportive, and yet neither claims to have all, if any, of the answers.

Nobody Panic is the perfect podcast to listen to if you’re in need of a pick-me-up or simply require a dose of motivation to do that thing you said you were going to do. Martin and Coates shine a light of positivity on topics that might usually make you sigh or even shudder, with sharp wit and playful humour.

CATCH UP ON ALL EPISODES OF NOBODY PANIC HERE.

Seven Questions With… Stevie Martin

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© Natasha Pszenicki

Stevie Martin is a stand-up comedian, journalist and podcaster. Fresh from performing her latest show, Hot Content, at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, Stevie is here to shed light on her first forays into comedy and writing, as well as share her opinion on video games…

1) When did you first encounter comedy?

When I was little my parents used to play The Goons tapes in the car, and when I got a bit older I’d watch videos of Reeves and Mortimer obsessively. I had a very absurdist sense of humour for a six year old and once sang ‘My Rose Has Left Me’ at a school talent show which included bellowing the line ‘She wasn’t immunised – THAT’S A LEGAL REQUIREMENT’, so it’s not surprising I got heavily bullied if I’m honest. 

2) What do you really not care about?

I don’t care about video games. I really don’t think I could give less of a shit about them. I’ve tried to get into a range, you know, even fun ones like Crash Bandicoot. Or story-led ones like Red Dead. Or classic ones like Goldeneye. I think they are a massive waste of time and I get bored after a few minutes. It has nothing to do with the fact that I’m terrible at them in case you’re wondering. I downloaded that goose game yesterday and my boyfriend had to calm me down because I couldn’t pick anything up with my beak. On second thoughts it sounds like I care too much.  

3) Where is your safe place?

Reading a book on the chair in my living room that my grandma gave to me. It is black leather and so in the summer if I’m wearing shorts my legs stick to it and I have to rip my skin off to get up but it’s worth it. Or reading Harry Potter anywhere. I also like being anywhere with no wifi that means I absolutely can’t continue to check my fucking phone which I do every 3.4 nanoseconds. 

4) What motivates you to work hard?

Looking back aged 70 being like ‘WHY DID YOU SPEND SO LONG TRYING TO GET INTO GOLDENEYE WHEN YOU COULD HAVE WRITTEN A BOOK OR SOMETHING?’ Also when someone says something mean to me. That’s such a motivator. Once when I was a waitress, one of the regulars who apparently worked in counter-terrorism said ‘You don’t know what you’re doing, you’ll never be a writer’, so I quit waitressing and started house-sitting for a friend’s mum while looking for writers jobs. At one point I couldn’t afford food so I ate nothing but eggs out of their fridge for two days, but I got a writing job SO THERE, STUPID COUNTER TERRORISM MAN. 

5) Why is comedy the right job for you?

To be honest it isn’t! I do a lot of different jobs, not just comedy, and am terrified by performing live so it sort of gives me a kick up the arse in other areas. I just like making and creating things, whether that’s an hour of comedy or a podcast (I have one called Nobody Panic) or an article (I’m a journalist) or trying to get stuff made for TV. I also want to write a book. Basically I have zero attention span and am just attempting everything that will keep me out of a 9-5 office. One day I might open an aquarium. WHO KNOWS.

6) Are you avoiding anything right now?

Yes, I’m doing a monthly new material comedy night and I need to write ten minutes and so far I’ve written the word ‘worms?’ so very excited to see how the comedy pans out. It’s incredible what I can get done when I have to write new material. My bedroom is so tidy and I’ve ironed everything.

7) Are you at all similar to your parents?

Yes. My parents like to ‘joke’ that I received all of their worst qualities combined. I worry a lot and don’t ever feel like I’m good enough, which is apparently something they recognise in themselves. There are good things though – my mum has incredible skin, is incredibly creative, and is the kindest, silliest person I’ve ever met, and my dad is the most hard-working, generous and funny person I’ve ever met so I hope and pray I have received even a tenth of those genes. 

For more information, visit Stevie Martin’s website and follow her on Twitter

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH…

Edinburgh Review: Werewolf: Live

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The popular live game show, Werewolf: Live, has recently undergone a dramatic transformation. Contestants this year are the Fringe’s own comics, rather than members of the audience (as had been the case in previous years).

It’s a truly refreshing palate cleanser from all of the straight stand-up, but audience members are still treated to their comedy fix. This evening in particular there are seven comics taking to the stage: John-Luke Roberts, Nathan Roberts, Andy Field, Cam Spence, Eshaan Akbar, Stevie Martin and Adam Rowe.

Front man Jon Gracey revs up the suspense of the game, whilst also reminding us just how ridiculous the whole concept is. Amongst this group of seemingly innocent villagers lie two hungry werewolves, who will be picking off the villagers one by one until they are found out, or until there are no longer enough villagers left to stop them.

This is a game where emotions run high. Stevie’s extreme exasperation at being called out despite not being a wolf, and Eshaan’s disappointment about being a villager for the sixth time are particular highlights. That’s not forgetting John-Luke’s interesting tactic of randomly calling out someone from the start, and then sitting quietly and stroking his moustache for the rest of the round.

A huge bonus is that the comics really know what they are doing. They know the concept so well that they are able to develop tactics and use their previous experiences to inform their play. They’ve also built such a strong rapport that their interactions begin to shed light on their relationships off stage, adding an interesting social element to the play.

With three games per show, the audience are able to really immerse themselves in this sinister fantasy world. The only problem is, an hour simply doesn’t feel like enough. Catch Werewolf at Underbelly, Bristo Square at 9.05pm throughout August.