Comedy: No Spain, no Gain

Shortly to a perform a series of gigs at the Laughter Lounge, on the day Hoot Press catches up with Limerick stand-up Karl Spain, he is due to appear on Tom Dunne’s Newstalk show, where he has a regular slot discussing a different comedian each week.
“Tonight I’m talking about Zach Galifianakis, who’s probably best known for the Hangover movies,” he explains. “I remember seeing him in Kilkenny. He has what I think is the best opening line of all, which is, ‘Hi, my name is Zach Galifianakis – I really hope I’m pronouncing that correctly.’ Every year in Kilkenny my rule was to go and see someone I didn’t know. I mean, anyone who’d been a regular in Kikenny I’d have known after a couple of years, and I’d know most of the British acts.
“But these random Americans used to come over the whole time, like Andy Kindler, Patton Oswalt and these kind of people. Sometimes the audience wouldn’t get them, and they’d have the odd gig that was a bit strange, but you could see that they were top drawer. Zach Galifianakis was one of those. And it’s funny, I’ve been to one premiere in my life, which was for The Hangover, and Zach Galifianakis was there. He hadn’t become famous by that point, and he was there with the whole cast.
“I was thinking, ‘Will I go over and say hello?’ I’d met him in Kilkenny but I didn’t know if he’d even remember me. But he wasn’t alone so I just left him off. Then of course he becomes this massive Hollywood star and it’s like, ‘Ah, he could have been my mate!’”
Having been on the comedy circuit for several years now, Karl has had an interesting insight into the careers of some key acts, and notes it is sometimes difficult to predict who will enjoy a major breakthrough.
“It gives you faith when something really brilliant becomes popular,” he says. Flight Of The Conchords are another act that would have been around. I thought they were absolutely amazing, they would have been up there amongst my favourite comedy performers. I used to go see them every night in Edinburgh, not necessarily their own show, but they would have been doing Late and Live or what have you. And I’d think, ‘These guys are amazing, but apart from them having a huge music career, you wonder where it could go.’ But then the thing in the States happened. People obviously have better vision than I do for putting this stuff on TV.”
Before their smash HBO series made them international stars (with Bret McKenzie even going on to win an Oscar for a song he contributed to the Muppets movie), the Conchords played some unlikely venues around Ireland, including Kavanaghs of Portlaoise.
“They did that tour in September of 2003,” recalls Karl. “They’d been in Edinburgh in 2002 and nobody went to see them. But I think they got nominated in ’03 and they were bigger news. And yeah, they were one of the first acts in Kavanaghs in Portlaoise – there’s a picture of it up on the wall! I remember the ’03 tour, unfortunately, because the last gig I did before my mother passed away was with them.
“I was in Durty Nelly’s and they were travelling up to Galway with Tara Flynn, and David O’Doherty was collecting them. My mother had died the day before, and I’m there with a friend, just out of the house for a while. It was kind of a weird fucking moment in my life. But they’re absolutely lovely guys. They played Dolan’s three times in three years. They came over a lot. Of course Bret won the Oscar – and I think Zach Galifianakis presented it to him! It’s weird to have brushed past these people’s lives.”
Karl has himself has been keeping very busy of late, working on a sitcom and also contributing to a new Newstalk panel show along the lines of Have I Got News For You, called You Couldn’t Make It Up. And when it comes his stand-up, he’s happier with his material than ever.
“It’s never been in a better place,” enthuses Karl. “I feel like I’ve broken through a ceiling this year, which is funny as nothing has happened in terms of career reward (laughs). I’m very happy at the moment with the stuff I’m doing. I’m off to Dubai in January to play McGettigan’s Bar, so I’m sticking two fingers up to you with that! Eric Lalor books it, so we have to be nice to Eric all the time (laughs).”
Is Karl a Christmas person?
“I’m not,” he shrugs. “I never really believed in God. When I was a kid, my brothers and sisters pulled out a suitcase from under my parents’ bed with all the presents in it, and it was like, ‘Oh right, there’s no Santa!’ And then I’d go, ‘Oh right, there’s no Holy God – adults are just saying that for me to be good!’ I just think it’s that thing of, ‘Oh, it’s this time of year, we better do this – everyone’s having a good time, aren’t we?’”
So he won’t be doing any Mark & Spencers campaigns then?
“Is there an advert?” jokes Karl. “I’ll do it! (Laughs)”
On the previous occasion I interviewed Karl, he mentioned doing some work with Eircom which involved him spending some time in and around the Irish football team. He travelled to Poland for Euro 2012 and even called out the players’ names before the games, which allowed him to make some joke introductions, including “Glenn ‘Marty’ Whelan” and “Simon ‘We Love’ Cox” (luckily he says no one could hear him).
What does he make of the appointment of Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane?
“I think it’s a great combination,” says Karl. “I’ve been a massive fan of both men throughout their careers. I think Keane has said, ‘Right, I’ll learn from O’Neill.’ When Roy is clean-shaven, it’s always a sign that he’s in good form. The beard is a bit worrying – it looks too much like he’s in charge of Iran and about to launch a nuclear attack!”