Because You Demanded It

‘I ate strawberry-flavoured edible pants with baked beans and potato waffles’


From Amy Schumer to Best In Show, the comedian reveals the things that make her laugh the most

Written by Rachel Aroesti in The Guardian on July 29th, 2016

The funniest standup I’ve ever seen

I’ll never forget Kevin McAleer’s Edinburgh warmup at the King’s Head in Crouch End in July 2006. I had to sit on the floor at the back of the room, cover my ears and try not to think about him for a bit. I couldn’t really cope with how funny it was.

The funniest book I’ve ever read

Steve Aylett’s Lint. It’s absurdly brilliant. There was one sentence about a baffled chef I must’ve read over and over about 100 times it made me laugh so much. I was ill with laughing.

The funniest person I know

My friend Helen Minsky. She can’t not be funny.

The funniest hairstyle I’ve ever had

A hairdresser made me look like Oliver Cromwell about three years ago. It wasn’t great.

The funniest film I’ve ever seen

I just watched Best In Show again after first seeing it years ago and was struck by how great it is. It’s constantly hilarious, but also deeply, profoundly moving. Eugene Levy as Gerry Fleck explaining that he has two left feet and can’t dance is masterful.

The funniest sketch I’ve ever seen

Very hard to pick one sketch, but Amy Schumer’s are brilliant. In particular: 12 Angry Men, Last Fuckable Day, Football Town Nights and Milk Milk Lemonade.

The funniest heckle I’ve ever had

A small dog that was growling from inside a woman’s bag.

The funniest item of clothing I’ve ever owned

Strawberry-flavoured edible pants from Ann Summers that had chocolate-flavoured straps on the sides. I thought they were pretty funny. This was in the 80s and I have absolutely no idea who they came from. I think my sister said her friend was a rep or something and we got some funny free stuff. I never wore them as they seemed like the devil’s business and that they’d melt up into my bum and I’d get some awful infection. So I just ate them instead, with baked beans and potato waffles.

The funniest meal I’ve ever had

See above.

Written by Rachel Aroesti in The Guardian on 29th July 2016.
Filed Under: Because You Demanded It, Interview