She talks to us about the new wave of politically aware comedy, what inspires her, and how she could so nearly have become a private detective…
Your shows are renowned for being very experimental and a mix of stand
up, performance art and character comedy. How do you come up with such imaginative
material?
I used to do much more experimental stuff when I first started, but none of my shows generated any work for me, so I started adding bits of stand up in to them in an attempt to get paid work.
Now my shows are mainly stand up, with a theme, and little indulgent flourishes at the beginning and end. Since I’ve used that approach, I have been getting much more paid work.
My material is usually inspired by something I’ve seen, read or heard and then I take it from there. I like to mix serious things with very silly things.
Do you think you’ll ever write and perform an hour of straight observational
comedy?
I don’t know. I like to talk about things that interest me.
In your show you talk about feminism and politics – do you think there’s
a new wave of comedians today presenting these ideas in new interesting and exciting
ways?
Yes. Josie Long and Chris Coltrane spring to mind. It’s thrilling to see.
Are you a regular comedy-goer yourself? Who makes you laugh?
I’m working a lot and I have two small kids, but I try and see as much as I can.
Loads of people make me laugh, especially the ones who take risks that don’t always work.
Everyone who performs at the ACMS basically.
If you weren’t a comedian, what do you think you’d be doing?
I’d definitely be a private detective.
Do you have any advice for budding comedians and comedy writers?
Do as many gigs as you can. Write a lot.
Try to find your own voice. It’s a fine line between flattery and theft. Good luck!