As part of Foster's ongoing contribution to British comedy, they've enlisted the help of 2010 Edinburgh award winner Russell Kane to teach a masterclass in the art of performing stand-up. But these aren't your average budding comics. Emma McAlpine caught up with Russell before the session to find out more...
Good old Foster’s. Not only have they sponsored the Edinburgh Comedy Awards and brought Alan Partridge back from the dead but now they’re getting award-winning comics to teach master classes in performing stand-up. And here’s the interesting part. The pupils in question are journalists. That’s right, the critics are turning comics for a day.
Winner of this year’s Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Award for 'Best Show', the uncommonly bright Russell Kane is here at the Comedy Store in Piccadilly Circus to give a couple of intrepid press members an introduction to live comedy.
Over the course of just a few hours, he will teach them how to find material, time jokes, use call back techniques and cope with hecklers. He will then get them ready to perform that evening in front of a crowd of colleagues. Intrigued and full of respect for the brave reporters in question (personally, I would rather be fed to piranhas than perform stand-up in front of my colleagues, I'm something of a punchline-fluffer), I had a quick chat with Russell before the class to find out what he thinks it takes to be a stand-up comedian.
So you’re here today to teach journalists how to perform in front of a crowd – you must get a little bit of Schadenfreude from that!
I know, how can it possibly work – someone who knows what they’re talking about criticising others’ comedy? The traditional model is that those who have never done it dictate how it should be done, so it’s quite nice to see the model reversed.
Do you think anyone can be a stand-up if they work hard enough at it or do you think you have to have an innate comedic gift?
I like to think there are two schools of comedians – those that think you’ve either got it or you haven’t and others like me that believe that anything can be created with enough hard work and dedication. I know this might anger some stand-ups but I honestly believe there is nothing special or brilliant around comedy as an art form itself that cannot be tackled with hard work. But what seems to be rare in our culture is people that are willing to work that hard and have no life, no girlfriend/boyfriend and work every day in your office job, gigging four nights a week for the first three years.
What can you teach someone about performing stand-up in a couple of hours?
First – find your material. Think about whether you’ve got any stories that you’re desperate to get out down the pub because you know it will make people laugh, that’s a good start. Or do you find yourself taking down little notes, puns and silly one-liners in notebooks because that might be your type of humour? Instead of looking for it in a contrived way, it should be how you’re working already.
You might have a funny anecdote or be thinking funny, miserable thoughts and wishing you had the courage to say it in public. Then once you’ve got that, it’s just about having the confidence to speak it out loud and transcribe what you’ve said, read through it and do a verbal version without looking at it. You should be able to crack a 1-2 minute script in a couple of hours I would have thought.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about stand-up as a career path who isn’t sure they’ve got what it takes?
The main thing is to get up and try it. I'm a real believer in ‘do anything once’. I think of it like the nursing home test. If you’re going to be sat there rocking, without the use of your legs, are you going to look back and go ‘Why didn’t I try that once?’ What have you got to lose? Don’t tell any of your friends, don’t tell any of your family, go to your local open mic night and see how it feels. If you like it, do it at least 100 times and if you’re still dying on your arse every time – give up.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given by another comic?
It sounds a bit banal and clichéd but it was when I was still doing my day job. I hadn’t been enjoying a few of my gigs and I was trying to decide whether to quit my job or not. The comedian Ray Peacock said to me ‘You just need to look like you’re enjoying it up there. Even if the seating’s horrible and there’s industry types and journalists and you feel like you want to die from awkwardness, if you look like you’re enjoying it on some level, people are emotionally drawn into your vortex.
Whatever anyone says about McIntyre, he always looks so happy to be there and when most people see him live all that cynicism just melts away. Just try to enjoy it because it’s a long time rocking back and forth in a nursing home smelling of wee, thinking what a miserable fuck I am!
More to follow: Spoonfed comedy critic (and much braver soul than I) Mike Stephenson attended the class. Keep an eye on Spoonfed for his report.
Russell Kane won Best Comedy Show at this year’s Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards. For access to more comedy content visit: www.fostersfunny.co.uk
Russell will be performing at the Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Award Winners Gala on Monday 18th October with Róisín Conaty.
See more London stand-up
Return to the London Comedy homepage
Add an event
Frieze Art Fair to launch new section for young galleries in 2012
Frieze have today announced details for the 2012 edition, their tenth art fair in London. Taking place...