JUST FOR LAUGHS

Alex Edelman will be performing Just For Us in Leicester and Nottingham - that is as long as the Boston comedian’s pronunciation of Leicester gets him to the gig. He chats to us about this, his first UK tour with the Edinburgh Comedy Award & Barry nominated show.

How hard has it been to go from working in a KFC to travelling the world as a comedian? Are there any parts of the fast food game you miss?

I miss my time before I worked in fast food when I didn’t know anything about frozen chicken or that soft-serve came in bags.

There’s a universal “I’m-ordering-now” face that everyone makes when they look at a menu. And after you see 500 of them in a night you want to punch anyone who makes it, but looking back it’s kind of adorable.Also, there was a funny guy named Hidalgo who I miss. Hi, Hidalgo.

What do you miss most about New York when you’re out on tour?

I miss so much. I miss my beautiful and small-but-airy apartment. It’s filled with little knick-knacks and stuff from folks who have stayed there.

I miss a few select restaurants with waiting staff that seem to never change and open kitchens where you can see the insane rush play out in front of you.

I miss the bookstores. Most of all though I miss the quality time I get with my friends who live there. Everyone in LA works in entertainment it feels like.

In New York, my wonderful friends aren’t really comedians. My best pals are total angels like Haley - a social worker - and David - a political operative. There’s also Erica and Chloe, who do work in entertainment, somehow, but they’ve such a New York vibe about them where it feels like they’re not “drenched” in it.

Are there any New Yorker traits that you only realise are specific to New Yorkers when you’re in different cities?

New Yorkers don’t loiter. Ever. Even a New Yorker in repose walks through Central Park in a lazy meander. They wander around with their hands in their pockets. I spent most of my time in Los Angeles this year because of work and I was driving by a Trader Joe’s - imagine an M&S infused with a semi-Tahitian feel-good vibe - and I just saw people standing around. Standing. Like cows or something. Not with beers in their hands or anything. They were just standing. What are you waiting for? It’s a Tuesday. Move your ass.

How does your brother being a Winter Olympian impact on the way your family views your career?

I think it certainly made being a comedian a little less weirder. Although, my Mom and Dad and the rest of my family are really interesting folks. A lot of them have jobs that are conventional and they’re classic parents - worried about their kids - but they have a true alternative sensibility and they like stuff that’s slightly offbeat. So the comedian thing suits them fine I think. Also, they maybe worry about me less because I’m not, like my brother, careening down an ice track at 100mph on a lunch tray.

You’ve had to deal with a lot of antisemitism after gaining the limelight, do those comments ever make you question your career choice?

No. C’mon. You know the answer is no. Jews are an indispensable part of comedy’s DNA. If you have a problem with Jews, I hope you enjoy Bernard Manning and racist pantomime or some s**t because there isn’t a lot for you in the annals of ha-ha.

How do UK audiences react differently to US audiences? Are there more jokes you can get away with over here?

I don’t really change anything. I will say that British people like jokes that sort of try to sum up their national character as a whole and Americans do not. Americans TRULY feel different from each other. To say that British people share a common quality wouldn’t cause an uproar in a British venue but American audiences would be like “lol what the hell are you talking about?”

Are there any UK cities that are notorious amongst US comedians?

Leicester, actually. It’s famously mispronounced by US comedians.

■ ■You can catch the show in Leicester at The Cookie on Monday, February 10, Birmingham Glee Studio on Wednesday, February 26, and Nottingham Glee Studio on Thursday, February 27. Tickets: Leicesterthecookieleicester.co.uk, 0116 253 1212, £15; Birmingham and Nottingham, glee.co.uk/performer/alex-edelman, £15.