This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/may/23/sara-pascoe-webchat-post-your-questions
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Sara Pascoe answers your questions | |
| (4 days later) | |
| Sara Pascoe never set out to be a standup. Comedy started as a hobby, she admitted in a 2013 interview, third in line to her acting career and plans to write a novel. Yet catch her at Edinburgh this summer and she'll be in the comedy – not books or theatre – programme with her latest show, Sara Pascoe vs History. | Sara Pascoe never set out to be a standup. Comedy started as a hobby, she admitted in a 2013 interview, third in line to her acting career and plans to write a novel. Yet catch her at Edinburgh this summer and she'll be in the comedy – not books or theatre – programme with her latest show, Sara Pascoe vs History. |
| There may be no going back. Pascoe's past two Edinburgh appearances each earned four stars from Brian Logan, and she is the Guide's current pick of the week as her 2013 outing, Sara Pascoe vs the Truth, heads to London’s Soho theatre. | There may be no going back. Pascoe's past two Edinburgh appearances each earned four stars from Brian Logan, and she is the Guide's current pick of the week as her 2013 outing, Sara Pascoe vs the Truth, heads to London’s Soho theatre. |
| These show titles suggest an adversary spirit at odds with her laidback stage persona. “Pascoe's a comic who delights more in playing with ideas than in forcing them down her audience's throat,” writes James Kettle. | These show titles suggest an adversary spirit at odds with her laidback stage persona. “Pascoe's a comic who delights more in playing with ideas than in forcing them down her audience's throat,” writes James Kettle. |
| Case in point: after scientists suggested that most successful comics display symptoms of psychosis, Pascoe was first to respond, saying: "Everyone I know who is really, really good at comedy | Case in point: after scientists suggested that most successful comics display symptoms of psychosis, Pascoe was first to respond, saying: "Everyone I know who is really, really good at comedy |
| works really, really hard … it's unhelpful for anyone to believe there is magic involved in | works really, really hard … it's unhelpful for anyone to believe there is magic involved in |
| being an artist." | being an artist." |
| Fresh off the plane from Auckland and New Zealand's international comedy festival, Pascoe joined us for a live webchat. Was W1A as good as Twenty Twelve (she starred in both), who aside from Maid Marian is her top feminist icon, what's the best vegan meal she's ever eaten – read the best of her answers to your questions below. | |
| HELLO GUYS! this is Sara, thank you for not making your questions too mean, i am going to start answering them now, SORRY IN ADVANCE FOR ANY SPELLING MISTAKES!! | |
| Hi Sarah, | |
| How was New Zealand? | |
| It's too far away. It's really too far way - it took 36 hours to come back and I still resent New Zealand for that. It was obviously very beautiful but the comedy scene is parochial. It's a great place to be if you like being a big fish in a small pond. The comedy festival's got nothing on Edinburgh. | |
| Which authors have you laughing out loud? | |
| My very favourite is Kurt Vonnegut - I also really love Tom Robbins. They both have fantastic ideas as well as jokes. I also love Woody Allen's prose work and his books and would love to steal everything he's ever written if I wouldn't get caught. I also adore Dorothy Parker and Jane Austen and I can't wait to read Francesca Martinez's book because the extract the other day made me roar. | |
| Here it is: http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/may/17/francesca-martinez-having-the-last-laugh-interview | |
| Did you go to that Oxbridge university? It's just that you've got that classic Radio 4 'comedy' delivery, where you tonally start low at the beginning of a sentence and rise up at the end. | |
| No, I went to Sussex University and grew up in Essex. It's probably a sign of social insecurity if I imitate the cadence of Radio 4 comedy. I don't think I do that live but I'm definitely aware of it. When I do the Now Show, I write it in my own vernacular and then find myself delivering it in a completely Radio 4 way. That's probably why they have me back so often. | |
| The Fringe is undoubtedly one of the best festivals in the world. Does working every night ruin it for you, or is it still fun? | |
| The performing element is not fun at all. Not one bit. But I enjoy my job 11 months a year so one month of misery is okay. I love seeing other people's shows and living in that beautiful city one month a year. This is my eight festival. So in four more I will have lived in Scotland for a full year. But, in terms of how big and competitive and tiring that festival is to work at, no, as I said, not fun. I get progressively more paranoid and emotional as the four weeks go on. | |
| I do try to do fun things while I'm there like go to the cinema or swimming or walking up Arthur's Seat. But I spend the entire time worrying about my show so those are a waste of time. | |
| And also I drink too much. | |
| Thanks Sara. U amazing. Haven't got a question except what's ur usual tipple?.... | |
| Thank U Hal. U amazing more like. My favourite drink is white wine but I drink red wine because I think it's healthier. And then when I'm feeling really healthy, I drink a whole bottle of red wine and my mouth is stained red. I have to drink a glass of white wine as that's the only way of getting red wines stains out. | |
| I loved Maid Marian & Her Merry Men as well. Will you marry me? | |
| (don't ask, don't get) | |
| Okay but there are some conditions. Sure, some people will say that a shared love of a TV show is not much to base a marriage on. I say: lifetime loves have been based on less. So here goes: I don't like the word wife. We both have to be husbands. I think heart husbands is how we'll refer to each other. The ceremony will have no men giving away women and we'll both have to give speeches. Mine has to be funnier. I will get a whole writing team. You will pay for this as my dowry. | |
| If agreed, sign here ______________________ | |
| I've never heard of you - how would you describe your style? | |
| No worries on that score. I am avoiding publicity wherever possible in order to stay cultish and underground. The Guardian are doing their best to raise awareness. Thank god for people like you reminding me of my place. Having said that, my style is excellent. And you should really get involved. | |
| What else would you do if you couldn't tell jokes for money? | |
| That's a good question. I would still tell jokes for free. But I think a lot about being a psychologist. This is going to sound really pretentious and is probably true of all of us but I find other people's reasons for doing things and their approach to the world fascinating. Also, being a psychologist is really just getting some free saucy gossip. Except you're not allowed to tell anyone. But I would keep a very racy journal. | |
| Also, my younger sister is a GCSE English teacher and I am so proud of her and think that is what I should have probably done with my life. But I was too selfish. | |
| You've said comedians work really really hard. With so many people wanting to get into stand up, is it a job worth fighting for? | |
| Standup is a compulsion. The first gig will be an experiment. A leap into the dark. But like falling in love, it becomes something (for those who enjoy / hate themselves), an all-encompassing endeavour. So when I say work really really hard, that is not out of choice. People don't get up, sigh, and then think I should probably think about one joke for nine hours. They get up, try and do admin, but all they can think about is that bloody joke. | |
| And in terms of being worth fighting for, the comedy scene is made up of whoever wants to be in it. It is big enough for everyone. Not everyone will be able to pay their mortgage form it. But as it exists in rooms above and below pubs, anyone and everyone who wants to should try it and see how it feels. It's like being a town crier. And what is so exciting about how huge the live standup comedy scene is now is that the diversity of voices, because more people feel welcome, has improved the quality of standup greatly. | |
| what is the meaning of life.well, cmon. no pussyfooting about. | |
| Well, in a nutshell, of course there is no meaning at all. We are merely meat robots programmed to replicate ourselves in order that the bacteria that pre-dates us by millennia can continue existing. | |
| BUT being that we are here (probably), the meaning of life is to give life meaning •• Sara bows •• | |
| Did you live in a share house in Abbotsford, Melbourne in 1999? | |
| No I didn't. Who's been talking? What do you think you know? I've also never been to Colombia, my name didn't used to be Colin Stabsford, and I'm not really 42. | |
| Sorry, I should probably ask a question relating to your stuff. So......erm.......'Sara Pascoe vs History;. I'm a history teacher. If I bring a classful of screaming adolescents to your show may I be able to tick off a module on the national curriculum? | |
| Finally, in a partial response to the egregious numpties further upthread, I saw you doing a thing with Andrew Lawrence a little while ago. You were marvellous. Thank you for a lovely evening. | |
| Dear Kitten Kong,As wonderful as screaming adolescents sound, I'm not sure I will be able to handle them as well as teacher. Perhaps I could write a pamphlet for you to read out in class and I will stick to performing to middle-class sleepy people. There is a bit of history in my show, I am researching the great love stories: Hitler and Eva Braun; Napoleon and Josephine; Adam and Eve. Are any of these on your syllabus? You may notice that I am treating religion as historical. Some people say you can't please the rational and the faithful all at once. To them, I say: meet my new character: GeneSus. He lives inside you and tells you what to do and you will never see any evidence of him. They just have to trust what they tell you. | |
| What's your favourite place in Edinburgh? | |
| David Bann's restaurant. Or the sauna at Warrender Pool. | |
| How do you approach writing material that both challenges and delights an audience? Is there a play-off between making acute political/feminist statements and making something that people can let themselves laugh at? How do you define this in your work? Also is this too many questions? How many questions am I allowed? | |
| I write a lot of stuff that isn't funny so it doesn't get further than me lecturing my boyfriend in the kitchen while he's trying to cook pasta. I love it when an analogy enables me to tackle a subject I am earnest about in an humorous way and I always regret it if I feel like I've tipped over into being preachy on stage. I wouldn't want a comedian to tell me what to do or how to live my life. The joke comes first, or should come first. And so I try to ask questions (just like you) rather than lecturing from a definite standpoint. | |
| Have you ever had a paranormal experience? | |
| I've often died on stage. Boom boom. | |
| If you're a vegan comedian, please tell us a vegan joke | |
| I can't. They are all too quorny ••high fives herself•• | |
| Also Quorn's got egg in it so it's not even a Vegan joke. | |
| Would you describe yourself as a feminist? | |
| HEY GUYS! thank you for all your interesting questions, i am so sorry if i didn't get to your question, in summary i LOVE being a vegan but that doesn't mean i am critical of any of you and what you like to eat, just cruel farming practices. And if any of you are interested in stand up PLEASE have a bash, just book 5 mins somewhere and see how it feels, big love to you all xxx | |
| Oh yes. But not as a definition of myself - people are far too complex to be reduced down to a description based on one thing they believe. But I love reading feminist literature and analysing our culture via it. I studies feminism briefly at university and what struck me was how very lucky I am to have been born in this country at the time I was born. I think feminism is really exciting now because what we have to challenge is the insidious way that concern with body image can undermine the freedoms women now have. We also have the huge but fascinating challenge of how to spread human rights without disrespecting cultures. Anyone who thinks that women don't need feminism anymore should have a quick search engine of FGM. | |
| How easy do you find defending Veganism in a quite hostile carnivorous culture? | |
| I don't feel that I have to as it's just a personal decision. I am not an activist or judging anybody else on their own dietary needs or decisions. I feel passionate about it and it has made my life happier but I have absolutely no antagonism to people who find happiness in meaty diets. | |
| Can you ask your dad if there will ever be a Flintlock reunion? | |
| Haha. My dad hates that that's on my wikipedia page. They have done a couple of very small scale reunions, just gigs in pubs. I believe there is footage on youtube. Brace yourself: they are pretty old and tubby now with not much hair. My mum met my dad because she was a fan of that band, and used to stalk him. So, I have Flintlock to thank for my existence. | |
| HEY GUYS! thank you for all your interesting questions, i am so sorry if i didn't get to your question, in summary i LOVE being a vegan but that doesn't mean i am critical of any of you and what you like to eat, just cruel farming practices. And if any of you are interested in stand up PLEASE have a bash, just book 5 mins somewhere and see how it feels, big love to you all xxx |