This month we are gong behind the scenes of comedy and tour life with Carl Donnelly. He has just returned from a successful run at the Fringe and is touring the rest of the year. I caught up with the comedian to find out how his journey into comedy began…
Hello Carl how have you been? What have you been up to in the last few months?
The last few months have been probably the most normal and calm for about 3 years (there’s been a lot of family illnesses, deaths etc in recent times) so I’m currently ticketyboo. I’m generally a rather upbeat chipper type but that does feel much easier when you’re not surrounded by chaos in your personal life doesn’t it. It also makes doing comedy easier, especially the Fringe which can be quite labour intensive so it’s nice to be doing one where I feel in good shape mentally and emotionally.
How did you get into the world of comedy?
I sort of got tricked into it. My girlfriend when I was 21/22 without me knowing, signed me up for a stand up comedy workshop. We both liked comedy but I had no desire to ever do it. She thought it would be a fun gift. I went along and the rest is history. The irony is, everyone else on the workshop was desperate to be a stand-up and I went against my will and I was the only person to actually go on to do it officially??
When did you decide you wanted to be a stand up and how did you get into it?
I decided I wanted to do stand-up after I’d been forced to do it at a workshop I didn’t even want to go on. I was always too shy to read out loud in class at school so the thought of stand-up was terrifying. Weirdly though, the moment I did it, I just knew it was what I’d been waiting for. From that day on I was all in.
Which comedians are your inspirations?
When I was very young I watched the comedians my parents liked such as Dave Allen, Freddy Starr etc and loved them. Then as I got into my teens I discovered Vic and Bob, Lee and Herring etc and they opened up a world of alternative comedy. Nowadays, I find silliness the most inspiring. I suppose as I’ve aged and things can feel more serious in general, I’m drawn to total silliness. I saw Garry Starr’s kids show ‘Monkey’s Everywhere’ in Melbourne and it was so brilliant and fun.
You are on tour the rest of the year – it sounds like it is going to be exciting – what can you tell us about it?
It’s my first tour in a few years due to family life getting in the way (my mum got ill, then my dad died, then we had a baby, then mum got more ill, then I got ill, then my daughter got ill and so on) so I’m really excited to be in a position to take a show out on the road again. It’s nice getting to spend a whole evening with an audience rather than just short bursts at club shows. This show covers a few of the things that have happened in the last couple of years but is still very silly and light hearted so I think people will be surprised with how little I seem to have been affected by any of it!
What is your favourite thing about tour life?
Knowing that you get to fully set the tone of the night. In clubs, there is a host and an array of acts so when you go onstage you have to quickly get the audience on your wavelength as they’ve seen a bunch of different styles and tones already. When you’re touring, you can ease an audience into a show. I’ve always preferred that.
Finally, three words to describe your type of comedy?
Big dumb storytelling.
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