It’s all work and a little bit of play for south London comedian, Jen Brister, who is setting out for her new tour Meaningless. When asked what inspired the show, Jen explains, “My mum moved in with me for seven months and it was quite a tense time. It’s difficult when you have kids and you’re parenting them, but you also have your mum around. My relationship with my mum is rather tense and she was a trigger to things.”
Jen, who lives in Brighton with her partner and two children, is often overwhelmed by how far she has come, saying “I still sometimes feel like I’m an imposter and someone will find me out.” After explaining she felt “absolutely elated” and in “such a mad rush” following her first ever show in 1996, Jen offers her best advice for newbies in comedy.
“It’s a long road and there will be setbacks. There are no shortcuts: you may think in your head that there are, but they will only take you back to the beginning. It’s a lot of hard work, but if you want it to be a job then treat it like a job; likewise, if you want it to be a hobby, treat it like a hobby.
“At first, I think you’re unaware of how the industry works and you can be quite naive to things, but after a while I just adopted this ‘let me show you what I can do’ mentality and I wanted to prove I could succeed.”
Of course, we all know that comedy is something we either have a flair for, or we don’t, and Jen Brister was definitely born with it. “I knew when I was a teenager that I could make people laugh. I even used to go to parties and had in my mind that this is an opportunity to show people how funny I was.”
Jen’s role model in the comedy world is Tina Fey; she just how limitless the possibilities are. “She’s a showrunner of a sitcom, a writer, and its star. She has reached so much success in Hollywood.” Perhaps soon enough, Jen may well be reaching for the stars herself. LAUREN RYAN
Jen Brister: Meaningless, Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, Wed 10 Oct. Tickets: £10. Info: www.clwb.net