For Tom Stade, comedy arises when you view your life as a movie, as Andrew Youngson finds out
During the final throes of his 2014 Edinburgh Fringe tenure, Canadian funnyman Tom Stade took some time out to speak about his new 2014 tour, which he kicks off at Aberdeen’s Lemon Tree next Friday.
Hi, Tom. How has your Fringe set been?
How dare you call it a set. This is art that I set free into the world (laughs).
Sorry, let me rephrase. How has your art been going?
It’s absolutely fabulous. It’s flying. I’m a very proud mother.
I’m glad. So what can we expect from your Decisions Decisions tour?
It really is an exploration of how I truly believe that life is just a series of decisions, and there’s nothing good or bad about that. And in the end, we’re just here to witness what we can do on this Earth. And, in the end, we’re all young people driving old people cars. For me, my brain does not know that I’m 43 years old, but my body does. It’s this battle between the two of them that Decisions Decisions is about.
What subject matter does that theme open up for you to talk about?
Let’s just say beauty products are involved, as well as the fact that I’ve lost a few of my teeth in my lifetime, and the exploration of where all my money went.
Your money all went on dental treatments?
Not a lot of it, no. Just some of it.
You start the tour at the Lemon Tree on September 5. Do you get to test-drive the material at the Fringe?
Yeah, that’s why I like to start a tour right after the Fringe. I get to do the material night after night, so I know it like the back of my hand. That means that all of a sudden you can have fun with it, because you can riff in the middle of it and then come back to your skeleton structure of the show. But it’s on the night that the meat gets put on it. So no two shows are the same.
How does it feel at the cusp of a big tour, then?
There’s always excitement because I love this job. I mean, I’m an absentee father to my children because I love this job so much. And the excitement not only comes from the touring, but because it’s a whole new set, so you don’t get bored with the material, which can be a big thing for comedians. You should always deliver something with the freshness that it needs.
I always get excited going on a big tour like this, because it’s what you work for, you know? When you’re slugging it out in little clubs, you think “hey, one day I’ll get to tour off my own name, and when it happens I want to appreciate it while it’s here”. I mean, this is showbusiness. They could forget me at any moment. So I might as well enjoy it while the heat is on, man.
You co-wrote for Frankie Boyle’s Tramadol Nights TV show a few years back. The material was famously controversial
at times. Where do you think the line is these days?
That’s a question that a lot of people ask me and, do you know, it all depends on the person. And also, we get conditioned in society that anything beyond the norm is too far. But that changes in time.
One of the most dangerous shows at one point was The Young Ones, it was super controversial, but now it seems tame compared to what’s going on out there. So it all depends on what society’s norm is right now. Yes, Tramadol Nights was controversial, but we’re talking over two years ago now, and it’s not that controversial any more. And that’s only been two years.
What’s next for you?
Writing the next show. That’s what I always do. I’ve already got half an hour’s material for the next show. When I get home after a tour, I start doing little amateur nights to build up material for the next one. It’s a labour of love, so I’m always trying to find the next thing – to stumble on to the next thing that turns my fancy. I’ll never stop doing that, and it’ll always be what the future holds for me.
A lot of comedians find their material comes from things that irk them. Is that how it is with you?
I find my material like I’m watching my life like a movie. I find that most of the things which make me laugh aren’t external. Unless it relates to what’s going on in my life. I don’t do politics like Frankie does. Most of my material revolves around the root cause of humanity, and how I’m trapped in it.
I like talking about things that are close to home for me, because I think most folk go through human tragedy. And if you spew out your human tragedy on stage, and someone hears it who has always thought it but never said it, that’s what creates a belly laugh. But as soon as you start talking about the troubles of the world, you’re in danger of sounding like a smart-ass who thinks he knows everything that’s going on.
Tom Stade kicks off his Decisions Decisions tour at the Lemon Tree, Aberdeen, on Friday, September 5. Tickets are available from www.aberdeenperformingarts.com or by calling 01224 641122.