COUNTDOWN TO ELECTRIC PICNIC: Phill Jupitus talks to Hot Press about his EP return

Phill Jupitus isn’t just a renaissance man, he’s also a ridiculously busy one. On the 55-year-old’s Wikipedia page, he’s described as “an English standup and improv comedian, actor, performance poet, cartoonist and podcaster.” Talking down the line with Hot Press at the end of the very first week of the Edinburgh Festival, he explains that he’s currently wearing almost all of those hats.

“I’m only realising the magnitude of what I’ve taken on because I’m doing four or five shows a day, every day, here in Edinburgh,” he explains, sounding more than a little weary. “It seemed like a fucking great idea when I first thought of it, Olaf! Now it feels a little bit weird, but I sort of like the rhythm of it. It’s working out okay, but I was probably foolish to do the middle show. I think three a day should be the limit. But it’s too late for regrets!”

The “middle show” is a new WWII-themed solo improv called Achtung! Acting!, which has been getting rave reviews. But Phill has a lot more going on than just that.

His day starts at 9am in the National Gallery, where he’s hosting an art class. “Yeah, I get up in the morning and I do the art show in the gallery, so that’s just sitting drawing and I do that from nine to half-eleven,” he explains. “And then I walk to The Jam House and I do a Porky the Poet hour, which is essentially me reading my poetry. Then I go and get changed and do Achtung! Acting! at 2.30. I also do the Up The Stand stand-up show and Whose I Line Is It Anyway? as well.”

While his work ethic is admirable, is all of that not extremely draining?

“Well, I’m off the turps at the minute, which helps, so I’m not working any harder than anyone with a normal day job,” he says. “I’m leaving the house at half-eight in the morning, and I’m mostly done at half-six. It’s just a few of these Whose Line gigs are bankrolling the other stuff, because they’re guaranteed money. It’s kind of like having a day job again, that’s what it feels like.”

How long has he been off the booze?

“I’ve been off for twelve weeks. I managed to negotiate Kilkenny Cat Laughs without drinking, and Glastonbury as well. I think if you can do Glastonbury without drinking you can pretty much do anywhere, and I’ve done the Fringe dry before anyway. To my mind it’s the best way of doing it, because it’s a draining festival to do simply because of the pacing of it. If you factor drinking into that as well, it depletes your energy. It creates that situation where I keep bumping into people who fucking got in at six in the morning and are just wrecked… but then they have to go out leafleting their shows.”

Phill will be almost as busy when he hits Galway in October for the Vodafone Comedy Carnival (“Yeah, I’m doing six or seven different things every day there!”), but his forthcoming Electric Picnic appearance won’t be anywhere near as demanding.

“As far as I know, all I’m doing at Electric Picnic is a standup set and I’m doing improv as well, so that’ll be a blast. I haven’t done standup at the Picnic at all so I’m really looking forward to doing a solo show there. I haven’t been to Stradbally in about six years, so I’m really looking forward to getting back in there. It’s a great festival.”

His standup sets often incorporate passionate rants about the state of the world. One subject that’s likely to raise its ugly head during his Picnic appearance is Brexit.

“Look, the reality is that the vast majority of the people voting for Brexit are pretty old,” he seethes. “If you do an age breakdown of the Brexit vote, the people who are least likely to be affected by its most terrible effects, which are going to be down the line, they’ll all be dead by the time those terrible effects are happening. So it’s people who are gonna die have fucked my future. That’s how I see it.

“Imagine Europe was a family, and it’s like the house is on fire, and the family is outside of the house watching it burn,” he continues. “And while the family is standing outside, they’re there in fear and in trouble, and they’re watching their house burn, and father turns to the mother and says, ‘I want a divorce’. That’s what Brexit feels like to me, it’s like, what the fuck? There are other things to be sorted, and you want to do this now? I just think it’s been handled in an incredibly stupid way. It’s a fucking shitshow now.”

Does Phill believe that comedy can change the world?

“I believe that comedy can change minds of individuals,” he says, after a pause. “And it’s like we’re talking here, we’re in the realms of butterfly theory, my friend. And I think that an idea and a notion can change something, but if your objective is to change the world, do not go into comedy. But I believe that an idea can change the world and an idea can come from anywhere. It can come from art, can come from industry, from politics. Where ideas and movement and action come from can be the simplest and most humble beginnings, but I think if you want to change the world… I wouldn’t choose comedy as a vehicle to do that.”

Last month at Canterbury Cathedral, Phill received a Doctor of Arts degree from the University of Kent in recognition of his contribution to British popular culture. So how was his life changed since becoming Dr. Jupitus?

“Sadly I was not made a ‘pop your top off’ doctor, which is always the dream,” he laughs. “But it’s actually my second doctorate. The University of Essex gave me one about six or seven years ago. As much as they’re very insistent that I was allowed to use the title, I absolutely fucking refuse to because I know some fucking dicks that do that. You know, people who got honorary doctorates and they actually call themselves Dr. so and so. Those people need a kick in the throat! It was one of the great honours of my life, and one of the weirdest things ever was to speak in Canterbury Cathedral when I received my degree. As a lifelong atheist, Canterbury Cathedral is a sticky gig.”

A giggle bit of what you fancy? 5 more acts to check out at Electric Picnic

Bill Bailey
Comedy and music don’t always go well together so kudos to Hells Angel lookalike Bailey for blending the two with consistently funny results. He comes to Stradbally on the back of his sell out Limboland tour, a meditation on life, death, the ageing process and the advancement of human civilisation.
“There’s a story about a family holiday that goes wrong, recollections about growing up… things that have been off limits to me before. I’m quite a private person: I don’t like talking about this stuff,” he said recently. “Also there’s a lot more to talk about beyond the personal - current affairs, thousands and thousands of years of human history. I’ve always favoured that stuff.”
Jason Byrne
Surrealist funnyman Byrne has carved a career as one of Ireland’s most enduringly popular stand-ups. He carries off the impressive feat of being both high-brow and puerile – and always hilarious. Currently drawing acclaimed reviews at the Edinburgh Festival, so expect him to arrive in Stradbally in tip-top form.
Bernard Casey
From deepest Kerry, Casey makes no secret of his rural background and actively incorporates his countryside upbringing into his material. Boy-racers, provincial nightclubs, and the travails of the Leaving Cert are among the topics he touches on – with deeply wry results.
Joanne McNally
Up-and-coming Irish comic McNally has notched up appearances on Republic Of Telly, The Late Late Show and the Ray D’Arcy Show in addition to receiving acclaim for her Fringe performance, Bite Me. She has also just toured her new show, Separated At Birth, co-written with PJ Gallagher and Una McKevitt.
Totally Wired!
The duo of Emmet Quinn and Lorcan Hughes have won reviews for their wacky sketches, on-the-nose impressions and hilarious songs. This year will mark a welcome return to Electric Picnic, which they previously played in 2011. They also host their own Dublin South FM show, Comedy Trek.