| Actually, BEN HURLEY... does mind. |
| Written by Luke Oram |
| Wednesday, 06 May 2009 20:41 |
hi, my name is... Here’s the thing about comedians... They’re not funny all the time. They take days off. Sometimes when they read the paper they aren’t looking for new material, they’re just genuinely interested in the events of the world. Perhaps the general public thinks of them as beings operating on a consistent higher plane of hilarity, ready to expound wit on cue... Hey, I’ve got this limerick that needs finishing, can you help me? It’s about a man from Venus…? Well, no. Even Superman, needs days off. Even the Cookie Monster wants a bran muffin, every now and then. Although BEN HURLEY was far from leaping on the café table and overturning the Panini cabinet when we spoke, one gets the feeling that deadpan is one of his best features. We had a surprisingly grown-up chat about Ben’s current show, his success in the UK and Nostradamus. See. That’s grown-up talk. Don’t miss “Actually, I Do Mind”, Hurley’s take on the nostalgia and faux-pas of the 90’s through... It began with a sell out crowd on Saturday and continues all throughout this week. COUP DE MAIN: Who are your main targets in 'ACTUALLY, I DO MIND'? BEN HURLEY: I’ve got stuff in there as obscure as the Quebec referendum, also, Kurt Cobain killing himself, Full House getting cancelled… CDM: How do you make fun of Kurt Cobain killing himself? You’re bound to be greeted with some animosity... BH: Yeah, well I’m a big fan myself. I talk more about the movie (the Cobain biopic 'Last Days') and how shit that is. I’ve got a Diana joke too, but it’s not directly about Diana… CDM: You recently had a successful time in the UK, how was that? BH: I moved over there in 2005 and moved back at the end of last year. It’s a huge scene over there, ridiculously busy. I was lucky enough to crack the top. There’s levels of circuits over there; there’s the open mic nights, then there’s the out-of-the-way country pub gigs, then the universities, then there’s the top level, which is the big clubs like the Comedy Club and the Glee Club. So, after about a year I was doing the top ones, which was great and great money but relentless and brutal – the travelling, and the fact that you’re living in London and that’s a pretty brutal place to live anyway. CDM: Does it take its toll on you, the comedy? BH: Over there it does, yeah. CDM: …because I guess the layman just sees you walk out on stage and spin a yarn. BH: Exactly. But it totally takes it’s toll, although you get very good, you get very slick…comedy is like a muscle. The more you do it the better you are, but also you can work out too much and you can get jaded and lose the love for it, so you gotta strike a healthy balance, which I’m hopefully doing now. hear me...  CDM: How did the Ed Byrne tour come about? BH: I worked with Ed here two years ago and not only did he like my stuff, but we got along well…so he just asked me to do it and I didn’t hesitate, it was great. The most rock and roll tour I’ve ever done. CDM: Is it quite rock and roll, the lifestyle of a travelling comedian? BH: Yeah, less so now. I’m trying to grow up a little bit. I got married last year… CDM: Tell me about your toughest crowd... BH: I dunno, there’s two types of tough crowds…there’s the ones that yell at you and the ones that stay silent. CDM: You prefer the loud crowds? BH: Yeah. A New Zealand crowd is harder to get going because they’re so laid back. CDM: …we’re not the most emotive bunch. BH: No. But having said that, they certainly won't throw things at you, or boo you off like they will in England. There’s no such thing as a perfect crowd. CDM: Still get nervous before shows? BH: Big ones. If it’s gonna be filmed for TV or something like that. This show ['Actually, I Do Mind'] I’ve only done once, so I was pretty nervous on Saturday night. I was trying out a lot of new material that no-one’s ever seen before. I almost wanted to ask the crowd, “is this alright?” CDM: You should have handed out evaluation forms. It went okay though? BH: Yeah it went great. It was nice to be sold out. That helps. CDM: What did you hate the most about the 90’s? BH: All the millennium hype. Y2K and everything, was all a bit silly wasn’t it? All because of Nostradamus, I reckon. Idiot. |
