It s a sign of Ed Byrne s increasing popularity that he s playing a prestigious two nights in the Olympia Theatre. His success can be put down to strong material often concerning sexual politics and a slick, assured delivery that seems deceptively easy and spontaneous. The Dublin comedian has also notched up a series of high profile television appearances both in the UK and America, including the likes of the Des O Connor Show and the Royal Variety Performance.
But for all the supposed glamour of showbiz bashes and the TV studios, it s on stage in comedy clubs that Byrne feels most at home, and more able to express himself. I don t really enjoy doing shows like The Royal Variety that much to be honest with you, says Byrne, because you re limited in what you can do it s got to be very accessible and it s got to be very clean and the reference points have got to be really universal. There is universal stuff in my new act in my new show there s stuff about builders and dentists and taxi drivers and various professions that annoy me as well as stuff about music and films. But at the same time, the angle that I m coming from is very personal. I like to be able to get my opinions across about things. I m not a particularly political comic but I do have my views and it s nice to get a chance to air them.
For instance, I read an interview with Steps recently where they were complaining that there should be more jobs for English people as opposed to immigrants. Now I couldn t go on the Royal Variety Performance and say aren t Steps a bunch of cunts for being such right-wing bigots? . I have to do my least subversive five minutes.
Unlike other Irish comics, Byrne didn t ply his trade in the smoky comedy clubs of Dublin or Cork when he was starting off. He initially got into stand-up when he was living in Glasgow, having opened up a club there after leaving college. Then he moved south and played the London circuit. But it was in another hemisphere entirely that he made his debut on the small screen.
The first time I did stand-up on TV was in Australia, explains Byrne. They kind of have an attitude: well, you ve come all this way, you must be half-decent . They re quite supportive. If you say to them, well, I ve done this TV show in Ireland and this one in the UK , they say, oh, you must be good then . But in America, if you tell them what you ve done in Ireland or Australia, they say I don t give a fuck has he been on Letterman? . It s very difficult to make a living in America as a comic because the pay is so low.
How does he feel, though, about playing to such large audiences as the Olympia? Is it not a bit daunting seeing all those faces staring back at you?
It s really enjoyable, he pipes. I don t find it intimidating. When I m trying to get a new show together, I ll do the small clubs around London and maybe I ll do them unannounced. And maybe there ll be 50 or 60 people and they re right up close to you I find that more intimidating because you re really actually talking to people individually almost. And that s nerve-wracking. But in the Olympia, with the lights in your eyes, you can t really see the audience so you imagine they re smiling!
With new comedy venues springing up like never before, Byrne sees a marked improvement in the lot of the Irish stand-up, not least because of the sustained popularity of the Cat Laughs Festival in Kilkenny.
People used to have an attitude here where they d say, I ve never heard of him, where is he from? and if you answered England or America they d say well, I ll have a gander . And if you answered Ireland, they d say, he must be shit, then . But now Irish people have a lot more faith in Irish comedy and a lot of that s down to the Cat Laughs in Kilkenny which has built up the profile of Irish comedians to such an extent that it s they who are now the headliners and the Americans who open for them.
Byrne is well placed to speak about the standard of the new breed of Irish comics, having MC-ed the RTE New Comedy Awards at Vicar St last month.
I thought the standard was very high, I
honestly did. But I heard that didn t come across on TV because apparently you couldn t really
hear the audience laughing. Which is a shame, because people were cacking themselves,
particularly at Karl Spain who won. He really bowled me over.
Byrne himself is currently working on a sitcom based on his experiences working in the student union in Glasgow and there is also another proposed sitcom with Davina McCall in the pipeline as well as wait for it a Christmas panto for LWT where he will star as Aladdin alongside Griff Rhys Jones, Paul Merton and Julian Clary. Then there was his cameo role in the surreal Irish film, Rat, which starred Pete Postlethwaite and Imelda Staunton as well as Frank Kelly and Niall Toibin.
I was really glad when I watched Rat that it turned out to be quite good. I think it s a very funny film. I m raging that it got such a limited release. Hopefully it will get a wider release in the UK in January. But it s that same attitude people hear of an Irish homegrown movie and say, oh, I don t like the sound of that .
Would he consider doing serious acting roles?
I d like to do straight roles but I m not cut out to be an action hero or anything. I d make a fairly decent corpse , I suppose.
Ed Byrne plays the Olympia, Dublin on Fri 17th and Sat 18th November