Chatting to comedian Jon Richardson

Jon Richardson is one of the sharpest, brightest and most in-demand young comedians on the UK comedy scene at the moment: We caught up with Jon about his plans to perform naked should England win the World Cup and why young people are so important to comedy.




mFEST:You were selected by the festival young programming team at mFEST - Do you notice a lot of young people at your shows?

JR: Doing the podcast and the show on 6music certainly made more young people aware of my comedy. I think there are more young people at stand-up in general than most other shows thanks to its rawness and interactivity.

mFEST: Do you tailor your stand up for different audiences? As the crowd will be a bit younger?

JR:I don’t tailor my act towards anyone in particular but I suppose being in my twenties my material is naturally going to appeal more readily to young people. Young people tend to be much more willing to adapt to different things so they can be easier to perform to.

mFEST: You cite Lee Evans as a particular influence. Who else inspires you in Comedy?

JR: I’ve recently got into an American comic called Louis CK, I love the way his brain works. He doesn’t use any tricks or try to blind you with an energetic performance, he just relays his thoughts through a microphone and succeeds in as pure a way as is possible. That is incredibly inspiring.

mFEST: Daniel Sloss is one of younger comics at mFEST - how do you think younger comedians, such as yourself, differ from the old guard?

JR: I think it can sometimes be harder for a young comic to succeed, since so much of comedy is about having a unique viewpoint and that’s really something you can only acquire over time. I can sometimes fall prey to over-analysing comedy and age is something that is definitely less important than it can seem. Kevin Bridges is proof that funny is funny regardless of your years, he’s just great.

mFEST: What's the best joke you've heard about a Scotsman?

JR: I can’t think of any jokes about Scotsmen that don’t also involve an Englishman and an Irishman, and in those cases the joke is rarely on the Scotsman. I remember very few jokes, I survive as a comedian by being charming and non-threatening.

mFEST: Will England win the World Cup?

JR: Absolutely not; I will perform naked at mFest if they do. (Well, in just boxers – I lack the bravery to be bold even in this most certain of bets!)

mFEST: You have the keys to a time machine. You can go back in time and perform on stage at venue with an artist of your choice. Who, where would it be and why?

JR: I’d love to go back and see some of the music hall comedians, Max Miller and the likes, perform at the Glasgow Empire since there are so many tales of horrific deaths there. Not that I gain any pleasure from watching fellow professionals struggle, you understand? There was something so naughty and yet inclusive about their comedy and I think it would be fun to see how they did it.

mFEST: There is a lot going on this year at mFEST. Will you have a chance to check anything else out?

JR: Unfortunately I’m heading straight to the Edinburgh festival to be judged, poked and scrutinized within an inch of my life when I finish performing at Macrobert. If I could recommend anything to people who are going to be there it would be the screening of 1980s film classic, Labyrinth. It’s a hugely important part of my arsenal for coping with life, a film I have watched when bored, lonely, ill, homesick and so on. It’s like a friend to me. Or as Ludo himself would say, ‘Fffffffrrrrrrriieeeennnnd?’