He’s the king of the 24-hour comedy marathon whose brand of nerdy, honest stand-up has won him plaudits across the board. En route to Edinburgh, Bristolian funnyman Mark Watson pays us a visit as part of Cambridge Comedy Festival. Jenny Shelton finds out more.
This will be your third time at Cambridge Comedy Festival, are you looking forward to it? Will you choose the commemorative watch or the carriage clock triple attendees are offered?
I’ve always had a great time at the festival. Last year, it was astonishingly hot at the Cambridge Junction but the audience maintained concentration despite the fact sweat was visibly dripping off them. Regarding the carriage clock/ commemorative watch – I’m going to take the equivalent value in cash. My agent negotiated it.
Cambridge is your old alma mater. Did anyone try to make you stay and become an academic? Or did you know comedy was your calling?
I didn’t know specifically that comedy was my destiny, but I was pretty sure that academia wasn’t. I bust a gut to get my degree and had no thoughts on literature left in my brain. Plus, I remember looking at 68 different books on Chaucer on a single shelf in the library and thinking ‘what’s the point of adding to this?’.
What was your student experience of Cambridge?
At first I was immobilised by shyness and hardly left my room. But I ended up having a great time, especially in the final year. By the time I left, I’d just about got the hang of it. A lot of things in life are like that.
You were part of the Footlights – did you do the panto?
Not the panto, but I was in the tour show where I played a version of the Grim Reaper with a Welsh accent. I had a great big scythe and a cowl.
Where would you like to revisit while you’re here?
Last time I actually revisited my old room at Queens’. Someone was in it and she’d taken down my old Super Furry Animals posters, but to be fair, I suppose it was 14 years ago. This time I might have a go at my other rooms from that period. So be warned, if you’re in CC22.
So what can you tell me about your new show?
Not all that much, because it’s a work in progress, and at the time of answering these questions it’s barely got a shape at all – which I imagine is pretty enticing for your readers. I’m confident it’ll be funny, though (unconvincing grin).
Flaws got great reviews last year. How does it feel talking about yourself to hundreds of people?
It’s quite a vulnerable experience, but the rewards are pretty substantial. I have always preferred having material with a personal angle.
After Cambridge, your next stop is the Edinburgh Fringe. What’s it like from a performer’s perspective?
Like most performers I have a mixed relationship with the Fringe. It’s very long, often financially unrewarding, stressful and unfair. However, it remains the most important landmark in the comedy calendar.
What’s the weirdest show you have seen there?
Last year I went to a show where you got blindfolded, sat in a chair, and were hugged by a stranger while a team of opera singers created an immersive soundscape. I think that goes down as the oddest in recent times. Which is not to say I didn’t enjoy it.
You did your first marathon 24-hour show in Edinburgh 2004. What’s it like being in front of an audience for that long?
You end up having a bizarrely intense relationship with the audience (and they with you). It becomes less like a performer- audience relationship and more like a sort of mutual hallucination.
You did a 27-hour show in February this year – what did you do differently?
The main difference with the last two has been that they were for Comic Relief, so there’s a fundraising element and lots more celebrity involvement. Gillian Anderson showed up and spent a bit of time shaving someone’s back using hummus as shaving foam. That would be a highlight in most people’s book.
How do you feel in that final hour of the show? Top three adjectives…
Euphoric; bemused; ill.
What’s been the most incorrect thing you’ve read about yourself?
Some joker put on Wikipedia that, during my Edinburgh show last year, I built a drystone wall on stage. I don’t think you can build a wall in an hour, but a few poorly prepared journalists picked up on it. These days, if it comes up, I generally just confirm that I did it. It’s easier than explaining.
Mark Watson is at J2, 16 July, 9pm. £11 or £18 to see two shows on the same night.
Read the full Cambridge Comedy Festival line-up here
www.cambridgecomedyfestival.com
