Known for his appearances on Mock The Week and grumpy guts comedy, Ed Byrne speaks with Stephen Springate about life on the road as a comedian.
‘‘I’m always amused when I’m doing something like canoeing and a couple are going the other way and I hear one say, “Is that the bloke from Mock The Week?” and the other goes, “Don’t be so stupid. What would he be doing paddling a canoe along the River Stort”
After years of countless panel show appearances on programmes such as Mock the Week and Have I Got News For You, it’s perhaps no surprise that to many on the street, Byrne will forever be known as the bloke from Mock the Week. This may be what he is most well-known for to the majority of people, but it’s live on stage where he feels most at home:
‘‘There’s no director, no editor, nobody but the audience and I. I don’t need to watch the show back to see how it went.’’
Which is perhaps just as well considering Ed is touring his fourth live show, Outside, Looking In, solidly from now until well into May, stopping in Cardiff on January 30, Port Talbot on January 31 and then Swansea on April 18. What is life like for Ed on the road?
‘‘There’s no such thing as a typical working day for me, but while I’m on tour I’ll wake up when the hotel tell me to get out. Go and have brunch (which is really lunch because I’ve slept through breakfast). Drive to the next destination. Check in to the hotel. Go and sound-check at the venue. Do the gig. Go in search of Indian food. Go to the hotel and have a few drinks. Rock and, indeed, roll.’’
When talking about what it’s like to have an onstage persona which doesn’t necessarily reflect what you’re actually like offstage, Ed has this to say:
On stage I am more confident, louder, funnier and more passionate than I am off stage. My onstage “persona” is, essentially, me turned up to 11.
It’s easy to forget how long Byrne has been in the stand-up comedy business. Born in Swords, Ireland he left to go to the University of Strathclyde where, as the student welfare officer, he got increasingly involved with live events until he left university to open a little comedy club in Glasgow. Can he place where he first decided to do comedy full time?
‘‘Not particularly, but I remember how I felt after my second ever paid gig, which was at the Edinburgh University Students Association. On my way back to Glasgow afterwards, a woman on a train asked me what I did for a living and I said I was a comedian. Even though I wasn’t yet making a living from it, it felt right to say.’’
How was it changed since he first started out?
‘‘The main difference is that the club circuit has shrunk considerably while the touring circuit has expanded. When I was doing clubs in the 90s you could make a handsome living doing up to five gigs a night. It’s much more difficult now. People are more likely to go and watch a household name at their nearest arena than visit their local comedy club.’’
And what can we expect from his show this time around?
‘‘You can expect a night of unparalleled hilarity and insightfulness. You can expect to laugh until you cry. You can expect to see a mirror held up to society exposing all our weaknesses and flaws. You can expect whatever you like. What you’ll actually get is a bloke talking about his life and taking every laugh he gets as tacit agreement with whatever point he’s trying to make.’’
Ed Byrne, Outside Looking In, St David’s Hall, Cardiff, Sat 30 Jan. Tickets: £19. Info: www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk; Princess Royal Theatre, Sun 31 Jan. Tickets: £19. Info: www.princessroyaltheatre.com
photos ROSALYN GAUNT