Joe Sutherland’s debut stand up show ‘Model/Actress’ will be at the Pleasance Courtyard – for the month of August so we caught up with him to find out a bit more about the man behind the microphone.
Please tell us about your brand of comedy.
Chic, silly, dirty, smart and stupid all at once.
What can audiences expect from your new show?
Stand-up, sketches, videos, costume changes and tantrums. It's a show about self-confidence, the Spice Girls and homophobia.
Which comedians have been your biggest influence since you decided this was your path?
Lily Savage, Sarah Silverman, Katherine Ryan, Tim Key.
What random things make you laugh in everyday life?
Anything my brothers do. They’re all much funnier than me, but not as pretty.
Please tell us about your best and worst moment on stage so far.
Best - performing this show! I’ve been doing work-in-progress versions of it for about six months and I’ve been blessed with absolutely delicious audiences who have enjoyed my Geri Halliwell material as much as I do!
Worst - Performing to the staff of a really hipster magazine. They came along to a really small gig to see their colleague try stand-up for the first time (hack, Stewart Lee wannabe) and they just relentlessly heckled the other 3 acts. They were all really posh trust fund kids pretending to be working class and I don’t think I’ve ever hated so many people at once.
Do you still get nervous when you do a gig?
Only if the crowd is all one ‘type’ of person and I feel outnumbered. Like if it’s all soldiers on an army base, or a corporate gig for construction managers, or a gay bar full of only men. The best gigs have at least two of every kind of person, like Noah’s Ark.
Why is Edinburgh Fringe Festival such a great platform for comedians?
Because you get to meet and perform to SO many people who give you their time. How wonderful is that? If I sell ALL my tickets (and that’s a big IF) then that means 1,320 people will have taken a punt on me and given an hour of their lives to hear my little show. So long as they’re not pricks, I will add each and every one of them on Facebook.
Who are you looking forward to seeing at the Fringe?
Sara Pascoe, Reg D Hunter, Nina Conti, Ellie Taylor, and I love finding people from other countries that I’ve never heard of. If it weren’t for the Fringe I would never have found out that Australia produces the best comedians in probably the whole world and puts the UK to shame.
What is your advice to aspiring comedians?
Don’t listen to any advice.
What is the oddest heckle you've ever received?
“Don’t get me started on Beyonce”
What is next for you?
Taking over the world. Obvs.
Joe Sutherland’s debut stand up show ‘Model/Actress’ will be at the Pleasance Courtyard – That for the month of August for tickets go to www.edfringe.com
