Comedy Fest Q&A - Paul Douglas

Comedy Fest Q&A - Paul Douglas

Comedy Fest Q&A
PAUL DOUGLAS

1)Tell us the name of your show
Misfortune Favours the Drunk

2)Which came first – the show name or the show content?
Bit of both! The show will consist of about 25% older material and the rest is material and stories specifically for this show.

3)C’mon, be honest….
Do you honestly think that counts as a question? (The Voice of Bane)

4)Any other working titles for the show?
I wanna Paul you off!

5)How long – honestly- have you been working on this?
I was a late addition to the festival (late December I found out) so I have HONESTLY been working on the show in some way or another since then.

6)What’s been the biggest challenge of pulling this show together?
The ordering of the jokes/stories so that the show has a nice flow to it. Am still working on these aspects as we speak!

7)Who’s your biggest comedy rival – and why?
Matt Stellingwerf because he’s a ginger with incredible networking skills

8)Who’s your biggest comedy friend – and why?
Matt Stellingwerf, have spent a lot of time with this guy and we debuted in the NZICF last year in a show together. He’s not as big as he used to be though cause he’s lost some weight.

9)Which show is your must see? Why?
Jim Jefferies, have been a fan of his stand up for some time and his TV show Legit is a breath of fresh air in the sit com department. I also admire comedians that showcase that it’s not so much what you say but how you say it. He gets away with a lot of harsh but brilliant material.

10)Give us your definition of a great night out during the festival
See an early show (like mine! It starts at 7pm 13-17th of May), then have a lateish dinner with a few brews and then catch a later show once you’ve got a bit of a buzz on and a full belly. Also the break between shows will give you time to digest what you’ve just seen before you go to what may be an entirely different show.

11)What goes through your mind, the minute before curtain goes up?
I hope there’s a crowd behind this curtain. But in all seriousness it’s personally the point where my nerves are peaking but you just need to try use them to your advantage.

12)What about when you’re on stage?
My material (hopefully) and also trying to get a read on the crowd to see how they are responding to my material and if there are any on the spots adjustments I need to make.

13)How easily distracted are you?
On stage? Not too easily, my deeper voice can overpower any light talking in the crowd. But in general if I’m not enjoying something I can be distracted very easily.

14)Give us your dream comedy line up
MC Jimmy Carr so he can destroy the audience/hecklers before the first act even comes out. Then followed by Hannibal Burress for the Zany factor, Bill Burr for the no bull shit aspects of his comedy, Louis C.K because he’s at the top of his game and finish the night off with the one and only Billy Connolly because he was an early inspiration for me.

15)Just finally, where will you be in 5 years’ time
Hopefully still doing comedy and living fairly comfortable. I’m not in it for the moolah but would preferably not be living on the streets and hitting open mics.

PAUL DOUGLAS performs in MISFORTUNE FAVOURS THE DRUNK (AKL 13 – 17 May) as part of the 2-14 NZ International Comedy Festival in cahoots with Old Mout Cider 24 April – 18 May. For more info visit www.comedyfestival.co.nz.