Partridge, poetry and Scrabble: an interview with Tim Key (and a bit about Jacob's Crackers)

Partridge, poetry and Scrabble: an interview with Tim Key (and a bit about Jacob's Crackers)

06 December, 2011
by: Emma

"It’s a sad indictment of my current career that there are moments where I’m just sitting at my desk writing poems on crackers with a Sharpie." Emma McAlpine speaks to comedian, poet and actor Tim Key.

Someone recently asked me to recommend a new comic who was "alternative but not too weird," which I took to mean "I’d like to see the conventions of comedy challenged but I don’t want to waste an hour watching a man try and woo a banana." Immediately I could think of several incredibly weird and brilliant comics she would probably hate, but after a long pause I replied: “Tim Key.”

It’s not that Key's stuff isn't every bit as daring and innovative as the most surreal end of the stand-up spectrum but it is, I think, more accessible. After winning the coveted Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2009 for his second solo show The Slutcracker, he has since made a triumphant return with The Masterslut, a colourful patchwork of offbeat meanderings, amusingly pithy poems, beautifully shot films, Russian lounge music and a bubble bath, amongst other things. I caught up with him ahead of his West End run to discuss some of his more uncelebrated talents, how his act has changed over the last few years and what it’s like to work with Alan Partridge...

Is it quite nerve-wracking doing a follow-up show after winning the main Edinburgh award?

I didn’t think it would be but then when I got up there it was a little tricky. It took me a couple of days to work out how to do it and during that time I hated it! You start thinking “If this is dog shit, it’s going to be a very poor month!” You just have to work hard and try and get through it.

Will you do another one next year?

No, I have an idea for one but I like the idea of doing alternate years.  It does take over your life having a new Edinburgh show. Whether you like it or not, it becomes your main focus and you’re staking your whole reputation on it. I have other stuff I want to do and I’ve got tickets for the Olympics.  I’m going to watch a bit of weight-lifting (my favourite), some volleyball and gymnastics.

You've changed your stage persona a bit over the past few years. You were kind of passive-aggressive to start with and now you're quite relaxed. What made you decide to tone it down?

Well, I don’t really have a director for my shows so I like it when friends come and tell me what they think. I happened to be less aggressive in one of them a while ago and a friend told me he thought it was a better direction to go in. At times there’s still an edge to it but I enjoy it more now, you can say more when you’re a bit nicer!

And you’re no longer reading poems off Jacob’s Crackers.

I feel that belongs in the last show now but I'll do it live sometimes. I still replenish a cracker every now and then. It’s a sad indictment of my current career that there are moments where I’m just sitting at my desk writing poems on crackers with a Sharpie. You can’t press too hard either or the biscuit-y bubbles will shatter – it’s quite a delicate skill. I guess I’m probably the best at it in the world.

I really enjoyed the short films in the new show, and you've done some amazing ones with Tom Basden (pictured above in the background) as well. Would you ever make a full length feature film?

Me and Basden are writing one at the moment but it’s impossible to say what will happen with it. I do like making films and I work pretty closely with some talented guys who make the ones in my show called J Van Tulleken and Steve Jamison. I’d like to make a film with a budget but also do something with Basden and Jay and Steve, like last weekend. We all went to Beachy Head and shot a little poem on the beach there.

You've also acted in the online Alan Partridge series – Mid Morning Matters. Were you a fan of the show beforehand?

Yeah, I remember  when I was in sixth form I’d drive to parties listening to Knowing Me, Knowing You and we knew all of it off by heart, so it was a very big moment when I was asked to do that. It was intimidating and scary but also very exciting and surreal to suddenly be in the same room as that character. The first day was weird; you know in a minute he’s going to put his clothes on and look like Alan Partridge, but it’s still no less surprising when he comes out with poor jeans and that sports jacket!

It must have been a struggle to keep a straight face...

There’s not much acting really, I’m mainly just sat there astonished by the creature sat next to me which was what I was doing in real life anyway!

I think a lot of people doubted whether the new series would work online but it went down really well in the end.

Yeah, I wondered exactly what it was we were making at the start as it was a really new thing but it worked out well for them. It’s going to go onto Sky Atlantic and I think they’re going to make more episodes.

Will you be in the new episodes?

I hope I‘ll be in the new ones but I’m very ‘glass half full’ about it  – I feel blessed to have dipped my toe into it at all! If they asked me, obviously I’d love to.

You've also produced some beautifully designed  books and a vinyl album of your poetry with the Invisible Dot – there can't be many modern comics on vinyl!

Yeah we made a vinyl album. We decided it would be good to put it on an obsolete format and some people who still have a record player have bought it but we’ve cut out a large swathe of our market by doing so! If we can sell a few that’s great, but mainly, I’ll just be happy to have this physical thing that I’ve made with nice artwork on it in 40 years time.

Is it true your 25 Poems book was going for £200 on Amazon at one point?

Yeah, a friend of mine wanted to get one for his girlfriend for her birthday and the only one he could find was on Amazon for £200. He asked me if I could get him one for cheaper, so I told him I’d do him one for £150. No matter what the quality of something is, if you only make a few of them they become really expensive. I think for our next book we’ll just make one and sell it for £100,000.

So you’re a comedian, poet, actor...do you have any lesser known talents?

I think that’s about it, although I’m pretty good at football. And Scrabble.

Have you ever managed to get all your letters out in one go and win the game?

Of course I’ve done that, I’ve gone out on my first go. I spelt 'cameras' during a competition so I scored....well you do the math. Pretty highly!

Ok I believe you.

Tim Key: The Masterslut is at the Soho Theatre from Thursday 8th December-Saturday 7th January, while his annual Christmas Freeze! show with Tom Basden will be at the Duke of York's Theatre on Saturday 10th December.

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Emma