Your interviewer didn't really grasp the American term to "murder" a room, until he caught Sam Jay's set at SXSW Comedy earlier this year, in which she smashed the audience senseless with her unique perspective on race, sexuality and society. A breath-taking combination of unerring confidence, hammer-blow punchlines and genuine insight will see her reaching incredible heights in comedy. We talk about Boston, LA and New York, and why she has no time for comics who want to be adored.
Thanks to www.sohotheatre.com for the recording space, don't forget to check out their brilliantly varied lineups of the cream of international comedy.
Present at the opening night of the London Comedy Store, Nick Revell has been performing satirical, political and absurd standup for four decades. After a ten year break to write for TV, including on topical sitcom "Drop The Dead Donkey", he humbly returned to the open mic circuit to relearn his craft, and shares his unique perspective on how things had changed in that time, on stage, in audiences and in green rooms. We talk about the benefit of sleepless nights, his new narrative shows, and whether after nearly forty years he's finally found his voice...
25mins of extra material available exclusively to members of the Insiders Club include Nick on the excess of the early days of the Store, and some brilliant technical advice on how to absorb an instinct for the shape of a joke... sign up at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiderswww.nickrevell.com | @TheNickRevell
And go and see Nick's brilliantly titled Fringe show: "Nick Revell: Eurasia’s Most Eligible Psychopaths and Their Lovely Homes"Tickets for my show Primer at this year's Edinburgh Fringe@ComComPod | www.comedianscomedian.com
A multi-media artist, fascinated with language, rhythm, and combining jokes with drawing, Markus Birdman also isn't above a dick joke. Aiming for “high octane and no gaps”, with routines composed like a drum solo, we uncover his volatile relationship with his father and his father's God, the stroke that he almost mistook for a hangover, and wanting to be angry as a means of self-definition.
30 mins of extrasfrom this episode are availableat www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders,including Markus on survivor's guilt, the shot at the top that he might have missed, whether you can fake greatness in comedy, and a short sharp strategy for overcoming writer's block...
I said it and I'm sticking with it: Russell Hicks is a risk-taking ball of fire. Making a conscious choice to bet the house on every gig, he eschews material in favour of 100% riffing, with explosive results. We explore the economic consequences of approaching a set like a game of pinball in an industry based on reliability, dig into his use of comic muscle memory, and find out why he paints on a cave wall and not a canvas...
Extra material available exclusively to members of the Insiders Club includes Russell on why he chose the UK over America, how it felt to be told he wouldn't succeed whilst succeeding, and the suggestion other comics always make to him... and why he ignores it. Join up at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders
Find Russell's comedy album, consisting of three different hours recorded in Edinburgh 2016 at www.russellhicks.co.uk
In the hands of a lesser comic, Ahir Shah's ambitions towards political discourse might seem lofty, but this agile act has the punchlines to back them up.
We explore how he sees one-liners as ".zip" files, using punchy gags into which he's compressed huge ideas, and learn how he attempts to safeguard his precarious mental health, particularly with regard to the loneliness of the job.
20 mins of extra content available exclusively to members of the Insiders Club includes Ahir on his survival tips for small scale touring, the strategy behind his switch from the free to the paid fringe this year, and the thought he'll keep in mind when appearing shortly on "Have I Got News For You".
Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders to access the private podcast with all extra content plus "Comedy Critique", in which the Insiders collaborate on feedback to newer comics!
Burning amazingly brightly on the UK TV comedy scene a few years ago, Andi Osho seemed to have the world at her feet. But something was wrong; she became physically and mentally exhausted and felt increasingly detached from her onstage persona. Now starring in “Curfew” on Sky, we talk about the warning signs she saw and missed, why she wouldn't do another panel show if she returned to standup, and whether it's easier or harder to be depressed in L.A.
Over 20mins of extra material available exclusively to members of the Insiders Club includes Andi on the workshops, courses and ontological studies she's experienced, the limitations of standup, and finding authentic ways to give back to the world. Join up at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders
Beloved of her fans, and radiating a genuine adoration for people, Bec Hill fizzes with comic creativity. We talk about how she lost and refound her sense of play, and explore the relationship between her faith, her self-critical voice and her work. We also cover the difference between a nerd, a geek and a dork; and talk fringe shows, flipcharts and whether she peaked at Piaf...
Extra material exclusively available to members of the Insiders Club includes:
Her biggest challenge with social media and the surprising reason she no longer posts jokes
How Bec dealt with a new act reproducing a very specific aspect of her style and what she fears from big business
Bec and Stu share some more private stuff about what success means to us both.
Creator and host of the Guilty Feminist podcast, Deborah Frances-White is a phenomenally energetic woman on a mission. A former Jehovah's Witness, she now leads her own army of followers, employing the machinery of business to liberate and entertain, and to inspire genuine activism. We explore how improv conquers repression, go into detail on the genesis of her extraordinary podcast and its roadmap for the future, and she exhorts the listener to make your own model.
Extras available only to members of the Insiders Club include two incredible pieces of advice: one on how to pass pretty much any interview for anything, and the other on how as a comedian she nipped bitterness in the bud. Plus some truly brilliant coaching on why and how to create your own model for success.... Join now at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders
Her movie Say My Name is out on 23rd April, go to guiltyfeminist for tickets and details.
On Monday 13th May, help support women, children, mothers and babies in the world’s poorest communities. Tickets for this gala line-up featuring loads of past ComCom guests and more besides can be got at the Leicester Square Theatre website or www.womenandchildrenfirst.org.uk/comedy
Comics new and old!
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Fin Taylor and Caimh "CK" McDonnell are the last guests in this burst of episodes, then I'm on a break for August to record more content at a mystery festival somewhere past Berwick Upon Tweed... If you're reading this check @comcompod for more updates!
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