Interview with Gareth Waugh

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

Gareth Waugh: I started in July 2010 so almost 3 years

Comedy Blogedy: How would you describe your comedy?

Gareth Waugh: I never really know how to answer this question without sounding “wanky”. Somebody once asked me what the message behind some of my jokes were and I said “that I am a loser”. I think that sums it up enough

Comedy Blogedy: Which comedians influence your comedy?

Gareth Waugh: There’s no comedian that I immediately love everything they do just because it is them doing it. I don’t think anybody really does, we all have favorite bits or pieces of material that other comedians do. The main comedian I would like to be like is John Mulaney, his album The Top Part is one of my favourites and I listen to that at least once a fortnight. My other favorites are Tom Stade, Louis CK, Woody Allen, Jo Caulfield and Pete Holmes.

Comedy Blogedy: Did you always want to go into comedy?

Gareth Waugh: I think so. When I was a lot younger I used to do a lot of acting classes but every scene I would try to make funny, even the ones where I was deliberately told that it was serious, it’s all I was really interested in. From about the age of 8 I used to stay up late and watch Paramount (now Comedy Central) which always had loads of live stand up shows like The World Stands Up, Comedy Blue, Live at the Comedy Store etc. Most kids at school the next day would be talking about Biker Mice From Mars or the equivalent and I was telling them about Tony Woods and Carl Barron.

Comedy Blogedy: How do you go about writing your material?

Gareth Waugh: I do find it difficult to motivate myself to sit and write. A lot of the time it has to be divine inspiration for me which I then milk for everything its worth. I like to try it out as much as possible and have tried writing on stage a few times which has worked well for me.

Comedy Blogedy: 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?

Gareth Waugh: I quit my job in August 2012 to focus on trying to make stand up a career. I thought if I didn’t do it now then I never would and I wouldn’t forgive myself for that. It’s the only “job” that I have never called in sick for or shown up late for. When I was working I once tried to write material about my job, because I had seen so many amateur comedians talk about their jobs on stage, but nothing would come. It just didn’t interest me enough and so I couldn’t find the funny in something I found so boring. To be fair it is hard to come up with a good joke about repairing surveying equipment.

Comedy Blogedy: What do you find the most enjoyable and frustrating parts of the amateur comedy circuit?

Gareth Waugh: I enjoy pretty much every aspect of it. Even the parts other people find mundane like driving 4 hours to a gig in front of 13 people in the middle of nowhere. There’s something romantic in the depression of it all. Driving in the rain at 2am by yourself listening to late night (early morning) love chat shows might not be everybody’s idea of romance obviously. I genuinely only tend to get frustrated with myself if I know I could have done better at a gig. Most people who know me think I am too hard on myself after some gigs but I think its a good thing.

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

Gareth Waugh: There’s no crowd like one in a proper comedy club. Of course there isn’t they are designed specifically for comedy. Places like The Stand are definitely the most enjoyable to play. People might think I am being slightly bias being Scottish but my favorite club out of the 3 Stand venues is the one in Newcastle, although the Edinburgh venue is definitely my home from home.

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

Gareth Waugh: I have been heckled quite a bit. I don’t mind it at all to be honest, its rarely ever nasty. Most hecklers just want to be involved and its important to remember that. I used to always try and put down a heckler but a lot of the time it wasn’t deserved and it doesn’t suit my style to put down an audience member. In my material I am never the Alpha male so to turn round to slam a heckler and become the Alpha male didn’t really work. It always got laughs but it just didn’t suit me at all. When I realised that I had to think about how to deal with hecklers in a different way which was difficult, I knew I couldn’t be the Alpha male but I had to keep the audience onside and keep their confidence. Its something I am still trying to learn to do but I am slowly getting there.

Comedy Blogedy: What advice would you give to new acts thinking about starting out in comedy?

Gareth Waugh: Do as people say not as they do. There’s a lot of comedians out there with great advice who maybe don’t practice as they preach. I don’t think I have any advice that a more established act who understands comedy far better than me could give anybody. I would feel far to guilty offering advice to newbies when I am still relatively new myself. Because let’s face it, what the hell do I know!