Comedian Damian Clark chats to The Irish Post ahead of this year's London Irish Comedy Festival, which runs from April 5 to June 14 at The London Irish Centre in Camden.
What makes you laugh?
Farts
When's the last time you really laughed?
When I heard an old guy fart in the chemist Hahahaha! Ahhhhh. That was a good day.
What's the best joke you've ever heard?
Gary Delaney has ace jokes – a fave is “I went to a positive thinking course… it was shit.”
What made you get into comedy?
The love of it. Stand up is so raw and honest. Laughter can bond people together and a good venue can make you feel like you’re part of an exclusive club making fun of yourself the rest of the world. Plus if you perform onstage you get free drinks and sometimes pizza.
Who is your favourite comedian?
Irish comic John Colleary. John Lynn as a close second.
What's the most common misconception about comedians?
That we’re all mental, that is so… actually now that I think bout it, that’s pretty accurate.
Any situations you just can’t find humour in?
Na. Sometimes the darker the subject the funnier the gag. Tension needs a release somehow.
How do you deal with hecklers?
Follow them home. Wait until they’re asleep then very sneakily climb through their window and very quietly replace all the food in their fridge with exact replicas that are all way passed their expiry date.
What’s the strangest thing that’s ever happened to you at a gig?
A spot light exploded. The one spot light used let out an almighty BOOM and sparks went everywhere like fireworks. We continued the gig by all holding our phones to the stage to light me up. It was quite magical.
Do your friends and family think you are funny?
Probably. I’d say they think I’m more of an idiot than funny.
Is there a difference in UK/Irish humour?
Of course. Don’t even mutter the word ‘British’ or ‘Britain’ in Ireland. That’ll kill the gig. Mutter the word ‘Irish’ or ‘Ireland’ in the UK and people love it. But most base humour is the same. Although getting used to saying ‘Primark’ instead of ‘Penneys’ I find quite difficult.
Should comedians have lines they don't cross? do you?
I don’t think there’s any lines that can’t be crossed, as long as its funny. The worst line you can cross is not being funny. You can’t ban one touchy subject and not another, its all or nothing. I don’t usually mention taboo subjects in my set but love it when comics do.
I cross a line in my new show. The most DANGEROUS topic of them all, yawning. I don’t care what anyone says that is the worst thing you can talk about. You can’t hear the word ‘yawning’ without yawning. Then everyone else starts yawning and you’ve got an audience of bored looking people that want to sleep. Now that’s a gig on the edge!! I’m going to hit it head on. I like a challenge.
What's your best personal comedy moment to date?
This interview.
What can we expect from your set at the London Irish comedy festival?
As much funny as I can fit in 55 minutes. High energy, guaranteed laughs and a bloody good time (but no real farts, sorry).
Tell us a joke right now...
Nice try. You’ll have to come and see my preview show on April 5 and you’ll hear a whole heap of them!
