Interview with Carl Donnelly

Carl Donnelly takes some time to talk to Voice about the show, inspirations, and to give advice to young people.

Interview with Carl Donnelly

Could you first introduce yourself to the reader?

I'm Carl. 35. Londoner. Vegan. Hesitant hippy.

How would you describe your show?

It's a show about childhood, family tensions and hallucinogenic ceremonies. Basically I drank ayahuasca tea with a Shaman in October last year and had visions of my young self and it made me question how i've turned out to be the person I am.

Why do you want to perform at Edinburgh Festival Fringe?

I love the Fringe. It's my favourite place to do a show on earth so can't imagine not being there. This will be my 11th in a row so it feels like home.

What differentiates it from other festivals?

I love the sheer scale of it. It's enormous! It's incredibly inspiring to be immersed in such a hub of creativity for a month.

Do you think the Fringe has changed over the years? If so, how? Are these changes positive or negative?

In terms of comedy, it's changed loads since I've been going up. I think that is mainly due to the increase in people performing comedy. I started just before the comedy boom on television in the mid 2000s so there were far less people who wanted to be comedians. Year on year since then the comedy section of the guide has grown massively as more people want to do it. As someone who loves comedy, I think it's a positive thing. Some comedians would disagree as see it as saturating the landscape.

What first motivated you to enter the industry? Who were your inspirations?

Seeing live comedy was the catalyst for me wanting to see if I could do it. I grew up on watching Vic and Bob etc on television but it wasn't until I went to a comedy club and saw it in real life that a spark went off inside me. I loved how free and exciting it looked. That's probably why I love Vic and Bob, they make it look so fun and in the moment. They are a constant source of inspiration in that they show you can mature as a comedian and stay silly.

If you didn't have your current job, what would you probably be doing?

I dread to think.

If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?

Comedian. I nailed it.

What is your earliest childhood art memory?

I have a terrible memory. Especially when it comes to early childhood but did get caught bunking off of school when I was eleven because I had gone to the Tate (back in the day when there was just the one of them) on my own. I remember walking around it in awe. I spend a lot of time in art galleries and still have that same feeling.

Do you ever feel any pressure to be a social commentator, or constantly update material to respond to events?

I don't think there is pressure. Comedy as with any art is whatever the creator wants it to be. If you go to see a comedy show, you should check your expectations at the door and let the comedian do the show they want to do. If a comedian is a storyteller or surrealist you can't expect them to throw that out of the window to discuss the public sector pay cap.

Equally, do you think there has been a shift in public sentiment that has affected your work?

I think people are more accepting of hearing a comedian being honest about themselves now which has made it easier to discuss big personal subjects. I imagine it would have been difficult to talk about mental health onstage twenty years ago as less was known about the topic. Now it's a regular feature in my stand-up.

Describe the last year in 5 words or less?

Not great but I'm optimistic

If you could work with anybody, from any point in history, who would you pick and why?

Mark Twain. It would be amazing to hear his thoughts on the modern age.

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?

The main difference is that of investment and expectation from the audience members. If a show is ticketed then the audience have had to go through the process of booking a ticket so have invested some of their time before arriving. I think that creates a sense of expectation that it's good to have and as a performer I like the pressure that brings to perform a show that rewards that. The benefits of the free fringe of course are that it's a great place for newer performers to find an audience because it can be hard to convince people to buy a ticket to see someone they have never heard of.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to take a show up to the fringe?

Do it and don't think about the money.

When and where can people see your show?

My show is called 'The Nutter On The Bus' and is on the Blundabus at 19:30 throughout the fringe.

And where can people find, follow and like you online?

My website it www.carldonnelly.co.uk and I'm on social media as @carldonnelly (I have recently caved in and joined the masses on Instagram).


Carl Donnelly: The Nutter on the Bus is performing at Bob's Blundabus at 19:30 on 3rd – 27th (not 9th). For tickets and more information visit the Ed Fringe website.

Author

Tom Inniss

Tom Inniss Voice Team

Tom is the Editor of Voice. He is a politics graduate and holds a masters in journalism, with particular interest in youth political engagement and technology. He is also a mentor to our Voice Contributors, and champions our festivals programme, including the reporter team at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Recent posts by this author

View more posts by Tom Inniss

0 Comments

Post A Comment

You must be signed in to post a comment. Click here to sign in now

You might also like

The place for creativity in the corporate world

The place for creativity in the corporate world

by Guest Contributor

Read now