Boiling the frog with Rob Auton
ROB AUTON has been in comedy for more than 15 years, with yearly shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and numerous ventures into different mediums.
After his first full hour of stand-up, The Yellow Show, in 2012, Rob is now touring his 10th show – The Rob Auton Show.
It is billed as his most Autonbiographical show to date.
Rob says: “I always try to focus in on a single subject. I got to my last show, Crowds, and decided to do one about me, which maybe I should have started.
“But I feel ready to do it; I’m far enough away from my childhood that I have some perspective on it all, vocalise the thoughts which have been kicking around in my head for so long, and share some of those stories.”
Rob’s shows have covered topics such as yellow, faces, sleep, water, talk, and time.
“I wanted to talk about first jobs, first girlfriends, first gigs, and the more specific I am about certain things, the more people seem to connect with it.
“Everyone has the first day of their first job, but each is also the only one experiencing it, so it is a unique moment.”
As for how he keeps his creative flow after more than a decade-and-a-half in the business, he explains: “Like anything, you’ve got to keep the machine oiled, and I think you do that by not letting the pipes clog up, so to speak.
“You keep writing those ideas down and don’t lose faith in them.
“I’m constantly surprised by audiences: they latch onto something I didn’t think was anything, and I find that inspiring.
“I’m not always the best judge of where the good stuff is, but also things which are obvious to me aren’t always clear to others.”
It also helps that his work is something of a sanctuary for him: “I can turn to it in times of need; it’s a safe place, but risky too, and I’m always looking for that inspiration.”
While he has been a celebrated comedian for some time, he says that he also enjoys building his career at his own pace.
“The good thing about the tour is that more and more people are coming – it’s my 10th hour, sixth UK tour, people are really paying attention.
“It’s like when Forrest Gump starts running, and he’s just by himself, but the further he went, the more people realised he was doing it, and all of a sudden there’s people and news crews behind him.
“For me, building a solid foundation of work and creativity is like boiling the frog, I think I want it to be that slow build.”
And he hasn’t lost the sparkle of live work, either: “One of my favourite things about performing is that things evolve, you say it differently every night.”
He adds that spontaneous moments are something he relishes, but still has to get to grips with sometimes, too.
“It’s little things – there was a guy vaping in one of my shows, and then someone coughed somewhere else right after.
“I was like ‘you did that,’ and that got applause. People see that it happens in that moment and that’s what they’re there for.
“I even asked the audience if they were serious – I really dug my heels in – when I should’ve just taken that new energy which was basically handed to me on a plate.”
While he doesn’t take the job lightly – especially as a comedian who travels by train often – Rob explains that he will remember his time fondly.
“It’s not easy – I mean I’ve just watched the documentary about the miners in Wrexham, so it’s play time compared to that.
“When I get old I will look back at having done UK tours and think ‘yeah, that was pretty good.’”
■ The Rob Auton Show is playing at South Street on Friday, February 23. Tickets are available via: whatsonreading.com
JAKE CLOTHIER