If you look forward to the capital’s monthly comedy night as a chance to chuckle at light-hearted observations and the odd bit of celebrity stick-poking, steer well clear of Glenn Wool. Often touted as this generation’s Bill Hicks, the moustachioed stand-up specialises in comedy that dances on the borders of acceptability with reckless glee, and experiments with material so edgy you could slice up a fruit salad with it. After a decade spent living in the UK, he upped sticks to test the waters in some of the globe’s more remote comedy venues, and is heading to Abu Dhabi this week on the back of a well-received stint in Mumbai. But as we found out when we grabbed him for a chat, the life of an international comic isn’t quite as glamourous as it sounds…
So, we gather you’re touring about at the moment and honing your act for the Edinburgh festival. What’s the gist of the new show?
It’s just about my last two years. My last two years of doing stand-up, I haven’t had a home, I’ve just been circling the globe, and droppin’ down like a little comedy satellite, tellin’ jokes then getting back on the plane and off I go again. It’s all about the trials and tribulations and scrapes I’ve gotten into in that time period.
Sounds fun. Had any really surreal moments on the road?
Yeah – I woke up one time in Hong Kong, after going around the world twice in a two-week period. And I just could not remember where I was. I went to the window and looked out into the bay to see if I could read the names of the ships, and of course it’s an international harbour, so they’re from everywhere. I read the stationery but it’s one of those worldwide chains, so that was no good. So, as a last resort, I called down to the front desk and I was like, ‘I dunno how to say this, but where am I?’ and the woman said, ‘Room 317.’ Eventually, I went down to the lobby, saw all the uh… Hong Kong people struttin’ around, and that’s when it all came back to me.
When a gag doesn’t work, is it hard to drop it?
I don’t get too worked up about it – you give them all about three shots, then if you can’t make them work, you take them out of the show. I’ve had a lot of gags that didn’t make it into an Edinburgh show that ended up being the main piece a couple of years down the line. I’ve always looked at it like this, my act is kind of like a sports team. You’ve got the old veterans, then you’ve got a couple of new guys and they go straight in and they play every day and sometimes they become big showpieces. But some jokes, like a player, need to be nurtured and you can’t rush them into the show.
Which social group takes the most offence to your comedy?
I find that people are never actually that offended, they’re just using their child’s disability or what have you as a reason to get attention. I had a funny thing happen in Alaska recently. At one point I used the phrase ‘stronger than a Down’s syndrome farmer on steroids’, which I would say is not offensive, because it’s not a negative stereotype. It’s just three strong things. There’s also a point in the show where I talk about how my girlfriend suggested to a pregnant woman that she should smoke so her child will come out smaller. Then afterwards, a woman came barrelling through the crowd – a heavyset lady, and she had that look in her eye, like she might have been personally offended by the Down’s syndrome joke. I thought she was about to hold up an IQ test and say, ‘You are degrading my people!’ But she comes up to me and goes, ‘Yeah I wanna bring something up about what you just said.’ And I’m like, ‘I’m sorry if I offended you.’ And she said, ‘No, what offended me is your girlfriend. You tell her, smoking doesn’t make your baby smaller because I smoked three packs a day when I was pregnant and I had an 11lb baby.’ I have not enjoyed audience interaction like that ever!
Glenn Wool will be performing at the Laughter Factory at Heroes on July 12. Tickets cost Dhs130 and are available from www.timeouttickets.com
