Thankfully, Ed hasn’t let this experience deter him from revisiting. He proved quite positive overall, often pointing out a silver lining regardless of how thin it was. I assume comedy could be more susceptible to suffering in cultural translation. Ed doesn’t think of the trepidation with international audiences, not even being thrown by particularly drunk heckling Australians. Instead he relishes the effect comedy has on his experience of travel.
“The interesting thing about doing stand-up comedy is that it’s a great way to see a country and experience its people. You have to understand the culture of a people to know what makes them laugh.”
This is not to say it is nothing but a culturally-enriching experience, performing to audiences of different backgrounds. America won the hardest audience award for Ed. “Things that you assume would work just bomb and it can catch you off guard. Their attitude to things can be in stark contrast to the rest of the world.”
The universal themes Ed can verbally capture and create would assist in his finding international audiences conquerable. Women and their need to discuss problems in bed, being a nerd, this is all stuff that a vast array of countries could empathise with.
“I didn’t deliberately start talking about more and more nerdy stuff. I actually think that when I started out I made an effort to look quite cool. I guess you just reach a point in your life where you don’t give a shit anymore. You just accept that this is who you are.
“Being a nerd was something I didn’t utilise in the past. I guess it’s now a far more prevalent thing. Between Bill Gates and Simon Pegg and The Big Bang Theory, it’s a far more acceptable notion.”
Thankfully Ed found his comedy identity, just in time for an award he himself deemed as the “most obscure award in acting”. Ed Byrne was awarded the Best Supporting Actor at the Monaco International Festival of Non-Violent Film.
“I didn’t even know I’d been nominated until I got the award. It’s a shame because I’ve been nominated for things before and I never win. The one time I’d been nominated and could be excited that I’d won, I wasn’t told.”
Too often people envision a rather glamorous life for anybody in the entertainment or television business. It isn’t all Oscars and critical acclamation.
“I got sent the award in the post and it’s just a framed piece of paper. The glass in the frame was even broken which took the shine off ever so slightly.”
Possibly initiating some bad Buddhist karma, Ed would actually not consider himself a fan of non-violent films. “Generally I like at least some cartoon violence.”
Ed appeared on the Graham Norton Show with Robert Downey Jnr who had just been nominated for an Oscar. He recalled Robert Downey Jnr discussing his Oscar nomination and decided he should bring up his triumphant acclamation.
“It reminded me of a scene from Tropic Thunder where they introduce five-time Oscar winner Kirk Lazarus and MTV Movie-Award winner of best kiss Toby Maguire.”
While you can appreciate the sentiment, you couldn’t look at Ed Byrne’s career and be unimpressed. He won a Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival; he’s performed on Conan, Mock the Week and so many more. He has also performed at top comedy festivals across the globe.
“The Edinburgh Fringe is a big deal for me because that’s where I met my wife.” Ed continued with a list of other perfectly valid reasons the Edinburgh Fringe remains close to his heart. After hearing the first, you can see why that was the only answer he was able to give without getting better acquainted with sleeping on the couch.
“I did grow up there too, so I think it’s a good diplomatic answer.” That was indeed well played, Mr. Byrne.
Ed also confessed that another revered festival for him personally was the Montreal Festival. The feeling for him was ‘business-like’, setting it apart from all others he has attended.
“It’s the one place where it feels like comedy is taken very seriously. It feels like you could be at an auto-industry convention in the fact that people take your job so seriously. I’m almost expecting somebody to come up and say, ‘Hey did you hear about that comedy-delivery system they’re working on?’”
Recently Ed has done some factual broadcasting for the BBC. “The money is nice! No I suppose it’s just fun to do while you’re writing your next show. I won’t tour again until next year so I can’t just sit around with my thumb up my ass.”
Wise words from a comedy veteran for any young comics. If you thought your years between shows was going to be a pleasurable thumb-filled-ass experience, you are sorely mistaken.
Finally I asked Ed if there was anything he wanted to say about his upcoming show in Australia. Ed replied: “oh…. no.”
I must admit I wasn’t expecting to see the full stop to his reply quite so soon but Ed left it at that. I suppose Ed’s career really speaks for itself. Why would one bother promoting themselves when they will sell-out audiences regardless?
BY TESS WOODWARD
