| Collection | British Stand-Up Comedy Archive Events |
| Description | Stephen K. Amos in conversation with Oliver Double for 'Talking Comedy' recorded in the Ballroom at the Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh, on Monday 17th August 2015 during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The events were organised by Lakin McCarthy in collaboration with the British Stand-Up Comedy Archive.
Summary: Track 1 [1:04:50]
[00:00 pre-show announcement. [01:10] Host Oliver Double [OD] is introduced. OD talks about himself and his work in comedy. [02:04] OD introduces Stephen K. Amos [SA]. [03:20] OD and SA discuss spontaneity in comedy. OD questions whether SA learnt this early on in his career. [05:20] SA anecdote about a recent show where the audience “went on a journey” with him [in reference to the flexibility of comedy]. [06:00] SA interacts with audience member to demonstrate working with different crowds. [08:00] SA talks about Australia. Anecdote about an appearance on Australian radio. [09:40] SA talks about limits in comedy, regarding offensive humour. OD notes some of SA’s work could be considered offensive. [10:40] Discussion about breaking down barriers between people in comedy. SA story about fake Nigerian accent used at shows. [12:20] OD remarks on SA’s ability to change material according to different crowds (by age, race, etc). SA goes on to discuss diversity. [13:40] SA gives comparisons between his generation and modernity. [15:30] OD remarks on “shared experience.” [16:50] SA anecdote about a brand of Australian cheese with an offensive name. [18:15] SA digresses to jokingly chastise an audience member for yawning. Followed by story of a similar “rude” audience member. [20:15] OD returns conversation to the offensive cheese. Discussion about tackling “serious” issues in comedy and use of humour to ease tensions. [23:20] SA digresses again to talk to the yawning audience member. The audience member tells SA a story about heckling SA. [26:00] OD recentres the discussion around challenging regressive views through comedy. [27:20 SA talks about a homophobic attack on a friend and how it affected his stand-up routines. [28:55] OD asks how long SA has been in comedy and why. [29:50] Discussion about jury service. [31:50] OD asks SA about early stand-up experiences. [34:00] SA describes comedic techniques and freedom of speech and expression. [36:50] OD asks about SA’s experiences with television and radio comedy. SA remarks on the restrictive nature of television comedy. [40:36] OD and SA talk about the “Royal Variety Show [televised charity event in the UK. Endorsed by the monarchy]. SA story about his time doing the Royal Variety Show. [45:00] SA discusses the technical challenges presented by the varying lengths of comedy sets. [47:40] OD asks about producer interference in comedy. SA talks about the importance of his producer as a second opinion. [49:48] Audience questions. Question one: Can controversial comedy ever garner a large audience? [50:45] Question two: How did SA find the transition between five-minute sets to an hour-long headline show? [55:05] Question three: How can the personal connection to an audience be retained while performing to larger crowds? [58:56] Question four: SA is asked where he gets the inspiration to persevere with comedy. [1:00:14] Question five: SA is asked about his influences. [1:01:58] Question six: Sa is asked if he ever used his law degree. [1:04:09] Despite SA’s insistence on additional questions OD draws the interview to a close.
[1:04:50] Interview Ends. |