Could you first introduce yourself to the reader?
Hello, I’m Joe Jacobs.
How would you describe your show?
My quest for less stress and more mindfulness, using a mixture of rap and stand-up comedy. As a well-meaning scumbag man-boy covering the profound and the profane, I think there's something for everyone. The setting of a dingy cave is apt.
Why do you want to perform at Edinburgh Festival Fringe?
It's the big boy expo of comedy. I want to set up shop and showcase my wares once again for self-respect and fun. Fine tuning my comic capabilities in a competitive market for credibility and kudos. The Fringe is like attending a gym for comedians, I imagine. I don’t attend a gym.
What differentiates it from other festivals?
It's more hostile from the outset. Organs are sold to make the months’ rent. The cobbled streets cause you to slip in the rain. You endlessly flyer and watch people tread on your soggy face. Scottish people. You come back from it changed, usually for the better.
What first motivated you to enter the industry? Who were your inspirations?
When I entered the industry I was motivated, because I didn't realise it was an industry. To me, performing comedy and making this a job is the greatest privilege I could ask for. I try to just focus on funny. My inspirations were Jack Dee, Jerry Sadowitz and Eurotrash.
If you didn’t have your current job, what would you probably be doing?
Rotting in the lower rungs of a nameless media entity. I have such imposter syndrome that every shift at normal work was like day one serving a sentence in an American Supermax jail. Just keep my head down, avoid conflict, do my time and hopefully re-enter society rehabilitated.
If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
Prolific Youtuber or A$AP Rocky's friend.
What is your earliest childhood art memory?
Shoplifting a keyring from the gift shop at The St. Paul's Cathedral.
Do you ever feel any pressure to be a social commentator, or constantly update material to respond to events?
I do, only because I have a platform and don't want to waste it by contributing nothing of value. It's a shame I wasn't about in the 90s when you could make a career talking about mittens instead having to have an opinion on revenge porn or contemporary antisemitism on the left.
Equally, do you think there has been a shift in public sentiment that has affected your work?
Technology means that a seven second clip can give you a career while an unseen 1 hour show can give you a hernia. I worry that people have less value on creativity these days and it’s harder to stand out. But as long as I'm happy making stuff, anything as a result is a bonus.
Describe the last year in 5 words or less?
Drowning in content dead soon?
If you could work with anybody, from any point in history, who would you pick and why?
I'd love to work with a few comedy promoters from a couple years ago and not fuck it up.
Or do a shift in Subway with William Shakespeare.
Why would a performer opt to do either a ticketed event or participate in the free fringe? What are the benefits and limitations of both?
There's so much competition for emerging acts that it's worth making it as easy as possible for people to give you a punt. The downside is that a lot of the public may not understand how much has gone into making it a free show, both financially and creatively. It's also not a great feeling holding a bucket for coins after a performance.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to take a show up to the fringe?
Be correctly medicated. Look after yourself. Support your peers. Don't take anything personally. Nobody cares.
When and where can people see your show?
4pm, The Caves. All August apart from the 12th.
And where can people find, follow and like you online?
Follow me on Instagram, Twitter or join my mailing list via my website JoeJacobs.Website.
Joe Jacobs new comedy show ‘Grimefulness’ is at the Just The Tonic Up The Road for the month of August at 4pm daily for tickets go to www.edfringe.com
0 Comments