Interview with Chris McKay

CB: How long have you been gigging in stand-up?

CM: I’ve been gigging since July 2012, shortly after i came out of hospital and was getting ready to go back to my full time job.

CB: How would you describe your comedy?

CM: Observational with a touch of surreal ranting and a bit of wrong

CB: Which comedians influence your comedy?

CM: Jeeez, that’s a question and a half. I suppose i have many influences such as Billy Connolly, Peter Kay, Frankie Boyle, even Morecambe and Wise, who are extremely well known, but having met quite a few people now whilst gigging I do have some really good role models and mentors from the circuit who have guided and helped me out like Josh Wilde, Winter Foenander, Andy Holloway, Rick Murtagh being just a few. Oh I better not forget Rose Vivaciou, being one of my oldest friends from school, can’t leave her out.

CB: Did you always want to go into comedy?

CM: It was always a dream about doing it when i was growing up. I lived in Hastings and Bexhill, which are only really famous for 1066 and old people going to die, then Eddie Izzard got famous in the 90’s and I thought if a guy from only a few streets away can do it, then there’s no reason I can’t. Like losing my virginity, I wish i’d done it sooner.

CB: How do you go about writing your material?

CM: I update my facebook status a lot and use it as a way of jogging my memory when I write. It helps i have a pretty good memory anyway, but i tend to write in a haphazard way because i like jumping from one subject to another without always having a clear link, only one or two people have realised that i deliberately write like that.

CB: Do you gig as a stand-up full time or is it more of a part-time hobby? If so, do you find that your main job influences your material?

CM: It’s a part time hobby that I use to blow off steam. I try not to mention my full time work too often, if not at all, due to its nature I have to be very careful in what i say. I have used anecdotes that have been exaggerated but i try to rely on previous experiences from other jobs I’ve had such as HM Forces, Child Support Agency and BT.

CB: What do you find the most enjoyable and frustrating parts of the open mic comedy circuit?

CM: I find the most enjoyable parts of the OMC are making friends and seeing them around the circuit trying out new material and watching the audience react. I love running my own night in Bexhill once a month too, so its nice inviting people to come down and perform and also giving something to the town that it hasn’t had before.

On the downside of the OMC, I have met some prize tools and also get a bit frustrated with no replies to emails and facebook messages. I think my main problem is work getting in the way of my gigging, but the bills need to be paid.

CB: What’s your favourite type of audience to perform to?

CM: Brighton crowds are my absolute favourite. They are friendly and they just don’t give a damn! Sometimes when you perform in London, they get all prickly when you joke about certain subjects and its mainly acts in the audience who just tend to stare and assess, whereas in Brighton they assess but they laugh too and always give great advice.

CB: Have you been heckled a lot since you’ve started gigging? Do you enjoy being heckled? What’s the best heckle you’ve had?

CM: I don’t really get heckled all that much, but when i have been i just laugh it off and bring the culprit down to earth a bit. I think the best heckle I had was when i had two ex girlfriends in the audience and one heckled me during a joke about my lovelife, I answered her back and then the other joined in, even though they were on opposite sides of the room! It was the Ghosts of Girlfriends Past moment, but I took it and made a comment on her prowess…to which her husband nodded and shouted, “Yeah, she still does that…” Awesome

CB: What advice would you give to new acts thinking of starting out in comedy?

CM: The best advice I can give is don’t try and be someone or something that you aren’t. If you have a streak of vulnerability, then show it. If you aren’t into politics, don’t do it. Audiences are like children, they can tell instantly if you are faking who you are. There’s only one Frankie Boyle and there’s only one you, so Frankie will be Frankie and you just be you. Unless you are a t**t.