Interview /// Concrete Playground Meets Alan McElroy

Irish comedian Alan McElroy is a happy man. He recently got married, has just come back from playing his first solo show at the Melbourne Comedy Festival and is performing in the upcoming International Comedy Festival.

Concrete Playground spoke to him about his rise to fame, how Irish audiences are different from Kiwi ones and why for him New Zealand audiences are the most important.

So you've just come back from the Melbourne Comedy Festival where you did your first solo show right? How was that?

It was a big learning curve because like you say, I've never done a full hour before. It was great fun. There were a lot of Irish people there, it was like a homegig really so the show was completely different. The stories I was telling brought back memories for people who lived in the same kind of area that I lived in, there was a lot of nostalgia. I could also speak faster with them and jump topics quickly.

Do you find you have to slow down for people here?

A lot. When I first came here, I went to a bar with my wife in Hamilton and tried to order a drink but the staff didn't know what I was saying. My wife had to step in and say the same thing and then he understood her. I have slowed right down on stage now, I nearly fall asleep in my head.

Any lessons you learnt from the Melbourne show?

Yeah, I went on with 60 minutes of material but because I was talking to people in the audience during the show, I only did half of it. So here I'll do pretty much the same. I'm going to aim for 40 minutes of material and just let it go. I have my wife with me saying 25 or 5 minutes left so I know when to wrap it up.

How did you get into doing comedy?

I grew up [in Ireland] watching Billy Connelly, Richard Prior and then Tommy Tiernan later on so I always had a massive interest in comedy. My father was always funny and my brother did stand up in Belfast as well.

I also did a performance class as part of a university diploma in Dublin. There was a TV class and a film class and I kept on getting the main roles in these. Then my class pushed me to do stand up at an open mic night. My first performance was nervewracking but it was fun. I think I had a panic attack on stage but the audience seemed to find that funny. I was nervous before but it wasn't until they called my name that I thought "oh jesus" but then I just went for it. And then I won the audience award which was a nice because you know you did well if the audience votes for you. It wasn't my friends who voted either because I didn't bring any friends. I was so nervous I didn't want anyone to see me.

What are the main differences between the comedy scene here and in Ireland, is it easier to get into stand up in New Zealand?

Here it's easier because it's so small. In Ireland there are so many comedy nights on. It'd be harder to get to a higher level in Ireland. It'd take a few more years.

Do you have a day job as well?

Yeah, I do acting. I was in the Tui ad where the guys break into the factory as well as ads for Xbox, Toyota and Placemakers. I've done quite a few since coming over and that's been great. I wasn't expecting it because I couldn't get into an agency in Dublin. It's good because ad work pretty much paid for our wedding. My wife and I got married about eight weeks ago.

Oh congratulations, so is anything from the wedding going to be in your show?

Yeah, the funny bits will go in. I normally don't go to weddings, I hate them. I've fallen out with friends because I haven't gone to their weddings. But mine was a fun wedding, it was really quick. It was 15 minutes long and for my vows I used Neil Diamond lyrics. My brother was MC and he was really good. It was a real show; people giving speeches, singing random songs. In the [Comedy Festival] show I might talk about the fact that at the wedding itself I didn't know I had to give a speech for some reason.

But that's the whole point of your speech, to talk about your relationship.

Yeah, but I didn't know so I told a couple of stories about people in the wedding party but I never thanked Laura [my wife]. So after I finished I sat down and I thought I'd gotten away with it because I wasn't expecting to give a speech. Then my brother handed the microphone to Laura and she straight away said, "well thanks for mentioning me!"

Haha, that's funny. So how long did it take you to put the upcoming show together?

It took two days. I locked myself in my bedroom and just wrote. I had nearly two hours of material so then I had to start editing but it's pretty much there now. The whole point of going to Melbourne for me was just to get the experience and try out material so even though it's one of the big comedy festivals, this is where I live and this is a massive festival for me. This is where the audience is that I want to attract. I'm here for the rest of my life as far as I'm concerned.

Do you still feel nervous going on stage?

Not really, like. Because my whole family came to a show when they were over, that should have been nervewracking but it wasn't. There's something that happens when you're backstage waiting to go on. But once the MC says "put your hands together for..." then you're already walking down the stairs and something takes over. I'm nervous for a few seconds before but you need that or you mightn't have the same sense of energy or adrenaline on stage.

So who are your top three picks for the festival?

A local comedian who is brilliant and up for the Billy T award is Tevita Manukia.  I always enjoy watching him on stage and he's a lovely bloke.  I hope he wins the award. Also, Urzila Carlson is great to watch and can tear the room apart, it's always fun to gig with her.  There are a lot of excellent local comedians, it's hard to only pick three but for my last pick, I have to pick an Irish comedian, David O'Doherty.  He's great fun to watch, I love his songs and I watched him in Melbourne and loved it.

You won 'Best Newcomer' at the Comedy Guild Awards 2010, are you up for any awards this year?

I don't think so. But I've no idea, you never known what they're going to do. I'm doing a few other shows in the festival as well. I'm doing Ben Hurley's New Faces and Terry Frisby's The Great Frisby Comedy Experiment. It's great, I just really look forward to having the performances.