Jarred Christmas: The usual suspects and the curve balls

Jarred Christmas explains how his question and answer format show has thrown up some very odd audience queries.
 
I wanted to do a show that kept me in the moment, kept me living on stage from minute to minute instead of having a tightly written show to get through. It’s taken me years to realise that I am at my best when I’m loose. I’m proud of all of my previous shows. But freewheeling was not really an option in those shows as I had so much stuff to get out.

The Q&A allows me to improvise into my material, and to just improvise. I don’t know what material will come out in each show. Each show is a bit chaotic and plunges us all into the unknown.

The most common questions I get are:

Where did you get your shirt? (Or similar shirt based questions.)
I wear cowboy shirts because I love them. But people seem to be curious about them… I have plenty of jokes and stories to deal with this question, including how, when I was a child I wanted to be the Milkybar Kid.

What’s your worst gig?
I think it’s a very British attitude. They want to hear about the WORST gig. Not your best gig. But that’s because the British and any decent comedian knows, the worst gigs have the most entertaining stories. How boring to hear a comedian talking about a gig they smashed. That’s just showing off. But you tell a story about how you died on your arse… now that’s funny.

And. . . the curve balls – There has been a couple of amazing questions.

Do you remember me?
That one got me, ‘cause I didn’t remember them. They kept saying their name but it didn’t ring any bells. It got really awkward and funny. They kept getting upset and saying “Well I remember you” but then it turned out I had never met them and they were just pissing about. It was very funny. You live by the question and die by the question. Very Machiavellian.

At a kids’ stand up show a kid asked me “Why are you here?”
“‘Cause I need the money” was the honest answer and I hated every minute of the gig, and as I said it I realised I should do gigs because I want to do them, not because of the money. Lesson learnt.

Jarred Christmas – Snafu, Brighton Dome Studio, Thursday 17 October 2013, 7.45pm, £12/10, 01273 709709, www.brightoncomedyfestival.com