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More Than Mostly Comedy.


I’m really enjoying the process of recording our More Than Mostly Comedy Podcasts.

One of the downsides of running your own night is you spend so much time concerned with admin that you seldom have the chance to chat properly with the other acts. From the moment you arrive your attention is split between trying to appease the staff and the audience; dealing with technical problems and customer queries – worrying about whether performers will arrive, and constantly keeping one eye on the time so the show doesn’t overrun, leaving them stranded in Hitchin before the last train.

It becomes an exercise in multi-tasking, with so much emphasis placed on what goes on behind the scenes that little or no time is spent thinking about your own material, or talking to the rest of the line-up.

A couple of years ago, while we were still at The Croft, we had the idea to record our own podcast. We thought that if we made a point of interviewing every act, we’d address the problem of barely speaking to them; ensuring we didn’t just become the guys who gave them a lift from the station and paid them at the end of each night.

The downside of this was we increased what was expected of us; trying to find time around hosting the evening to sit down with the line-up and record every interview.

Those first few at The Croft proved to be tricky; the only place we could set up our equipment was in the kitchen, which would still be in use mid-recording. We were in the way from the offset, which was never going to make for a comfortable interview.

Since moving to The Market Theatre it’s become a lot easier; we now have more space at our disposal – and while it’s still a challenge to find a free moment, when we have, the results have been worth it.

We’ve had fascinating chats with acts we look up to; talking in depth to the likes of Richard Herring, Phil Kay, Norman Lovett and Sean Hughes about what makes them tick. It’s also helped us redress the balance; showing we can be more than a pair of rabbits caught in the headlights, so stressed with running the evening that we barely communicate.

It’s also nice to step away from the rigidity of our slideshow-based stand-up and do something a little more off-the-cuff.

So, if you're interested in the mechanics of comedy, why not have a listen? You might find them intriguing. Episode 5 is a good starting point - if only to find out about Glyn's dubious taste in music.

The More Than Mostly Comedy Podcast is available for free via iTunes here. Episode 6 will be up in the next few days, featuring interviews with Joey Page (BBC2’s ‘Never Mind The Buzzcocks’) and WitTank (BBC3’s ‘Live at The Electric’).

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