Shortt order

D‘Unbelievables duo of Jon Kenny and Pat Shortt are one of the biggest successes in Irish comedy with a string of sell-out shows, best-selling videos and numerous TV appearances to their credit. As Jon Kenny recovers from his successful battle with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Pat Shortt is going solo with a collection of new characters and old favourites, including the hapless rural politician, Maurice Hickey.

It was combination of factors that’s led to this solo show,” explains Pat Shortt. “The fact that Jon isn’t planning to come back to work for a while as he’s convalescing was obviously something I had to consider. Then, the success of the Maurice Hickey character on RTE’s X-it Poll program made me think that I could develop him a bit more and

introduce him to a live audience. The funny thing about that was that when RTE asked me to do him on the show I realised that I’d have to think about what his policies would be and all that serious political stuff. And I’m not at all interested in politics, I haven’t a breeze. But I realised some local

politicians haven’t a clue about policies either, it’s about getting in, getting elected and staying elected. And I think people recognise that. It’s sort of yahoo-politics really, fixing deals and kissing babies and talking shite, and I can do that.”

Given the Irish people’s proven

willingness to elect crooks, might Maurice Hickey ever actually stand in a real election?

“I think he’d probably do quite well, if only because people are so pissed off with the regular lot. I’d love to just to see the expression on the faces of the real politicians he might beat! Maybe that’d make them stop taking

themselves so seriously. Although I have to say that I’ve not officially been approached by any of Ireland’s political parties to stand. Neither of the major two, anyway.

“But the Irish love a rogue and I think there’s a bit of Maurice in a lot of us. He’s a misfortunate and a bit of an eejit but he always bounces back and he’s always working the angles. The other thing is that for all his crookedry and shite-talking he never does himself any good. In that way he’s different from a lot of real politicians,” he concludes.

How difficult has it been for Pat to adjust to writing alone, since anyone who has seen him perform with his friend and colleague Jon will attest to the palpable warmth and chemistry between the pair?

“It’s very different, certainly, but it’s also a challenge,” he considers. “The working relationship with Jon is great in that I know I can make him laugh and he knows what’ll set me off so with the solo thing I’m working outside that. But I’ll work out an idea and try it live and the audiences, and even the crew will let you know pretty quick when something’s on the right track. We’ve always been very flexible about the material and I’ve continued to do that.”

It’s probably true that not since RTE’s Hall’s Pictorial Weekly has rural Ireland been so effectively and indeed affectionately satirised. Was this a conscious decision to avoid the ‘Middle-class single guy talking about girls’ approach that governs much Irish stand-up?

“It wasn’t a conscious thing,” he insists, “I just wrote about the people I saw around me when I was growing up. It’s always real people who are funniest to me, though you exaggerate that on stage, obviously. For example, the Garda characters in D’Unbellieveables came about because a friend of mine in the Guards was complaining about how people will leave their bikes unlocked and then be amazed when someone steals them. ‘Ye can’t be doin’ that, lads’ was actually his line! Then there’s the teachers I had and characters I’d meet from where I lived. It’s the unintentional faux-pas and the absolute lack of tact that some people have I find hysterical.”

“Jesus,” he remarks, “you’re about the sixth person who’s mentioned that bit… The character was already written and I just showed up and did her but she’s

definitely struck a chord. There’s a whole series of those ads still to be screened. I think people have a fascination with drag, I get a lot of women complementing me on my legs which is weird, not too many blokes, mind you, which is okay with me. I think women tend to like men’s legs, that’s why you get so many of them at hurling matches.”

What can he tell us about the current show?

“Basically it’s a combination of older characters like the nurse, the teacher and Maurice and newer material centered around the story of a comedian called Tommy Leonard who’s doing his first big one man show. But he can’t tell a joke to save his life, partly because his mother’s in the audience and she’d kill him if he said a wrong word.”

It sounds like it could be autobiographical. As someone who has also enjoyed considerable success as a straight actor does he put a lot of himself into his roles?

“A lot of people ask me that,” he considers carefully, “and I always tell them the same thing. There’s none of me in any of the characters I play, I’m simply a very brilliant actor. Sure look, I’m acting now, and you can’t tell, can you?”