WORLD’S A STAGE FOR STEPHEN K AMOS:
Gillian McAinsh tracked down British comedian Stephen K Amos ahead of his solo show, World Famous, at the National Arts Festival this weekend
You’ve been to South Africa before. What are your impressions of our sense of humour? It’s not my first time in South Africa – I’ve been a couple of times before as part of comedy festivals, but this is my first time in Grahamstown. South African humour must be influenced by the fact that you have so many cultures and official languages. In the UK we merely have accents, some of which even I can’t understand. I’d imagine that generally in South Africa the sense of humour is likely to be quite sharp, in-your-face and maybe even dark with lots of voices that can now be heard. Laughter is universal and it can be used as a tool of knowledge and understanding between different cultures. To be honest, I’m intrigued to find out just who Graham actually is. Any comments on how your humour travels across countries and cultures? I have found that my style of humour travels across, first and foremost, the English speaking world. I do not rely on local references or colloquialisms when I’m outside the UK. Humour travels well because laughing and storytelling are universally appreciated and practised by all countries and cultures. It’s great to do shows where English is not the first language. You have to really think about how you present your show. Audience reactions can sometimes throw you. For example in the US there is a lot of whooping and cheering, but in Switzerland they applaud the set-up and the punchline. Ever so polite. What can audiences expect from World Famous? I always find this an odd question to ask a comedian. I can tell you if you’re expecting an operatic tenor voice, pirouettes in a tutu, or an appearance by Queen Elizabeth herself, you’ve come to the wrong production. I have been touring the world extensively for more years than I care to say, but I’m not saying I’m world famous – that’s a tongue-in-cheek title to send up my own ego. I won’t give away much – suffice it to say that I’ll be talking and you definitely will be laughing. That’s the deal!
Your favourite fellow Brit comedian? SA? Actually, any nationality?
I haven’t got a definite favourite as there are so many excellent comics out there with different styles. On the world stage I’m glad the comedic juggernaut Chris Rock is back touring. Trevor Noah and Jim Jefferies are doing great things in the US as well. As a solo performer this is probably the longest I’ve spent talking about other comedians. Back to me. You are one of eight children and a twin: did this affect your career choice? When you come from a large family you do have to make your voice heard and there are many different personalities within the family so you have to work hard to get along. I think every comic’s background does play a part in their sense of
humour, but I don’t think this had anything to do with my career choice. You studied criminal justice?
I’m interested in social justice and standing up for the underdog but I think I wanted to be a lawyer because I like the idea of standing up in front of a roomful of strangers and winning them round by telling them funny stories and lies. It turns out you can do the same thing in stand-up comedy and you don’t have to wear a wig and a long gown. Although if I’m feeling festive, sometimes I choose to. Here in SA we battle with homophobia, particularly against women and “corrective rape” hits our headlines far too often. You made a documentary, Batty
Man, for Channel 4 about homophobia in the black community. Why was that important to you? The fight against ignorance, hatred and prejudice should be important to all of us. I’ve made a number of documentaries, some light-hearted, others more challenging. There are battles against all the things you mention the world over. If you can do your bit to encourage dialogue and more understanding, that can only be a positive thing. You travel a lot. Are you single or in a relationship?
You cheeky mare – reminding me that I’ve been single now for years, otherwise known as “available”! With so much travel it’s hard to find a soul mate who will give up their career and travel with you . . . to Grahamstown. I should date a pilot with one of the world’s best airlines. Failing that, someone with access to a FedEx van. I do love a uniform. ý Catch World Famous at 8.30pm on Sunday and 9pm on Monday at the Guy Butler Theatre.