The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Jimeoin: Ridiculous
Albert Halls, Stirling, February 13; Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy, February 17
In a modern world full of seriousness, fear and global dangers, a little bit of silliness can go a long way. While political comedians and comic satirists have been delivered a veritable open goal thanks to the likes of Brexit and Trump, this era is also a boon to a comic such as Jimeoin.
Revelling in the daftness inherent in mundane matters or finding universal humour in the little things, this Australia-based, England-born, Northern Ireland-raised funnyman offers a light-hearted alternative to issue-led stand-up.
A case in point is his new touring show, Ridiculous, which he says is “pointless but funny”.
“You will be none the wiser at the end,” he adds. “It’s all just ridiculous.” Among the topics he will be teasing and ridiculing are new technology, dating techniques, absent-mindedness, supermarket etiquette, and even his own name (people might think Jimeoin is a stage moniker, but seemingly his parents couldn’t agree on what they should call him, so eventually merged his grandfathers’ forenames).
Since arriving on the comedy scene in the early 90s, Jimeoin has gathered a loyal fanbase (these days his appeal is so widespread that he annually commands audiences during the Edinburgh Fringe) without having to go overboard in bolstering his profile by never being off our TV sets.
“Stand-up felt like a new thing back in the 90s but it’s just kind of saturated now,” he insists. “It’s a more common artform and it’s certainly great for leading into other things; but really, stand-up is all I want to do.”
While the performing gene has never exactly been rampant in his family (his mother was a teacher, his father a plasterer), Jimeoin’s natural comedic abilities (yes, he was a funny lad at school) soon led him to follow a path into stand-up.
“The moment I realised that comedy was what I wanted to do was when people started laughing at stuff that I found funny,” he recalls. “It felt like I had a whole new bunch of friends. Though I couldn’t really believe they understood my accent above anything else.”
With four children it’s obvious to ask whether any of them have inherited his comedic sensibility? “It’s funny because they have a lot of the same mannerisms as me and they love a good gag.”
So, in a world full of daftness, what’s the most ridiculous thing that’s happened to Jimeoin?
“Getting on a plane and flying from one side of the world to the other to tell people jokes is pretty ridiculous,” he says. “I keep sitting on my testicles: does that count? Oh, and I put half a brick in my wife’s handbag and it took her three days to figure out it was there!”