‘It’s not a TED talk. I’m not there to give any answers, I’m the person who is flailing around’
Jack Dee, who’s heading this way in the spring, speaks to JAMES RAMPTON about his love of live comedy
IN the run-up to his national tour of his latest show, Off The Telly, Jack Dee tells me: “I still get the same buzz as ever from stand-up – if not more. I now relish it even more than in the past. “When I started, it all happened so fast. The arrogance of youth makes you think, ‘this is obviously my birthright.’
“It’s only as you get older that you realise you need to nurture it. I am delighted the people still come out to see me. I feel so gratified that people turn up, know what I’m about and really enjoy it.”
The comedian, who has also co-written and starred in Lead Balloon and Bad Move, and hosts legendary BBC Radio 4 show, I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, employs his famously grouchy demeanour to dazzling comic effect on stage. When it comes to sneering for Britain, nobody does it better.
It is six years since Jack’s last tour, and he can’t wait to get back.
He said: “I have been away from live comedy making Bad Move and other TV projects. By the end of that, I ended up with a list of funny ideas I really wanted to do on stage.
“You get a gratification from live stage work that you simply don’t get from telly.
“Onstage, you get an immediate response from the audience. You can think of something on your way to the theatre, open the show with it, and get a huge laugh. That makes you feel, ‘Wow!’ You don’t get that making telly.
“I feel much more at home in the live space where you have complete autonomy.
“You have a lot of responsibility, but you can make it what you want and there is no debate about it. The joy of it is that it’s completely your own thing.
“I hope audiences find me a refreshing voice. You get laughter that has a back note of relief – ‘Thank God someone has said that. That was refreshing. I like the fact that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about!’”
That is key to Jack’s appeal. He doesn’t pretend to provide any solutions in his stand-up.
“It’s not a TED talk,” he asserts.
“I’m not there to give any answers. I’m just a person who is flailing around.
“I don’t want to present myself as the good guy. I’m the person who is lost.
“It’s about owning up about being confused and aimless and not knowing what to say or do.
“That’s where the comedy lies, rather than trying to present yourself as outside the sphere of difficulty.”
In the same way, it is important for Jack’s comedy that he remains an outsider looking in. He never wants to align himself with any particular banner.
“I try not to get locked into any niche or group. It’s important not to be identified with any slogan. I remain politically anonymous.
“I don’t support one party and diss the other. If I did, I would betray my own cause and would not be able to criticise a politician when they did something wrong. I’d much rather point out the stupid stuff that politicians do.”
He is also anxious to remain neutral on the vexatious subject of Brexit.
“I remain quiet about my views on that. I’m not waving any flags. I want to be able to stand back and be one of the millions of people who are bemused by the whole thing.”
All the same, Jack admits that the current state of political strife is fertile ground for comedians.
“Of course, that friction is great food for comedy. The only problem is, it’s quite a challenge not to alienate one side or the other. My aim is to get the whole audience to say, ‘Fair enough, that is funny.’
“That’s the dynamic I use. You know people on both sides feel very passionate. That creates energy and tension – and tension is an essential part of the comedian’s arsenal.”
So what are the themes of Off the Telly? “Whenever I do a new show, it’s a running commentary on my life as it is at that moment.
“One of the things I deal with is the TV shows that I’m no longer invited to do and the ones that I am invited to do and don’t want to!
“I deliver an anti-celebrity take that the audience really enjoys. We have reached saturation point with TV celebrity shows. I can’t watch them anymore. I don’t get any nourishment from it.
“When a format becomes popular, it eventually cannibalises itself.
“A good example is the arc of success and demise of Big Brother. It started as a fascinating idea about people in a room together having to get along and deal with whatever was thrown at them.
“At some point in the third or fourth series, the producers realised that they got great ratings when the housemates fell out.
“So they said, ‘Let’s choose people who we know will fall out.’
“There was an element of manipulation, which introduced ugliness to the whole thing.
“There is also so much repetition on television now. ‘What shall we watch tonight? Do you want to watch someone buying a house, someone cleaning a house or someone being arrested?’ There is a sense that we are living vicariously through these programmes.
“There is nothing but amazing cookery shows on TV. I love cooking, but the more I watch them, the less I cook. I satisfy the need by watching someone else do it!
“Perhaps it’s an age thing. I’m growing into the person I always mocked. I’m becoming a grumpy old git!”
He added: “I hope comedy always has a role to play and doesn’t get bullied into receding and not having its voice heard. It’s very healthy that people insist on being ridiculous and on seeing the stupid side of things.
“I’ve always thought of comedy as a sanitary system for the brain, disposing of all the crap. Flush it out with a good laugh!”
“I just hope people have had a great laugh.
“It’s not a message-laden show. You’re not meant to go away having deep thoughts. If you do, I’ve failed!”
Tickets via offthekerb.com or individual venues. Lincoln: Engine Shed, Saturday, March 21. Buxton Opera House, Thursday, April 2 Leicester De Montfort Hall, Friday, April 17.