Interview: Kieran Hodgson
Maestro earned Kieran Hodgson his second Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination, he’s recently had his own BBC Radio 4 sitcom commissioned, and he’s coming to Brighton! Victoria Nangle finds out more
Would you say that you are more of a musical comedian, or a comedian who knows a lot about music?
I’d probably be in a third category of comedian who knows just enough about music to write a show about being a guy who likes writing music despite not knowing enough about music to do so. It’s a new and exciting genre.
Your show is called ‘Maestro’. Traditionally that has been translated as meaning ‘master’ or ‘teacher’. Who would you say has taught you the most – in person, and by example?
That’s a fantastic question! I mean, the obvious answer is my parents, who taught me to walk and socialise and so on. But in the non-familial realm I think I’ve probably learnt the most from The League of Gentlemen by example and, in person, from my old sketch group partners, Joe Markham, Joe Parham and Tom Meltzer. Those guys taught me all the rules and gave me a career into the bargain.
What instrument would you most like to be able to take a pill and know completely?
I would love to be able to know the piano completely. I mean, I can already play the piano but to such a mediocre standard that it’s of no use in party or singalong situations. Imagine how nice it would be to just sit down and whack out Moon River for all your friends!
Maestro has been described as your most personal show to date. Was there ever a time when you had to deliberate whether you felt okay sharing so much of yourself every night in cities you don’t live in?
I think that sharing personal details in strange cities is the easy part! It’s sharing those things in front of the people closest to you that I find scary, especially when you may or may not possibly have maybe occasionally just a bit used things to do with them in the show. Last year I did my previous show, Lance, in my home town to a crowd of old teachers, Scout leaders and school friends. It was exhilarating but terrifying, and I’m not sure I’ll do that again for a while.
I think I’ve probably learnt the most from The League of Gentlemen by example
If love sings, what musical noises do heartbreak, adventure and curiosity make?
Heartbreak is a loud wail that becomes a low moan, never running out of breath. Adventure is a some sort of brass fanfare, probably in 6/8 time with the strings doing a heck of a lot of arpeggios underneath. Curiosity is that thing the guy did where he filmed his cat playing the piano.
You’ve been seen doing more acting of late, in Upstart Crow, We’re Doomed The Dad’s Army Story and Jonathan Creek. What would be your dream role to play from a favourite book?
One day I’d love to give the world my Porthos from The Three Musketeers. In most films they make him out to be this buffoonish glutton, but in the novel he’s also incredibly vain and avaricious as well. Come the sequel books he seems to acquire superpowers and is able to eat a whole deer and lift tree trunks above his head. Depardieu did not do him justice.
Radio involves a great freedom of expression of music and comedy combining. Who would you most like to have – alive or dead – on a radio bill show of your own programming?
I would love to have my friend Matt Fraser with me so that we could recreate our ill-fated university radio show ‘Classical Snaptin’. It had an average listenership of 7, I was free to play pieces of music an hour and a half long, and due to the unreliability of the broadcast equipment our most frequent phone-in question was ‘Can you hear the show?’. Reinstated to its proper place on Radio 3 prime time, the new series of Snaptin’ would boast some of history’s least co-operative musical guests, such as Beethoven and Henry VIII.
What is the most fun you can have for a pound?
My publicist has told me I need to plug the show more in interviews so I’m going to go with one tenth of my show, ‘Maestro’, at The Old Market.
Kieran Hodgson – Maestro, The Old Market, Saturday 25 February 2017, 8pm, £10/8
