Interview: Carl Donnelly
Carl Donnelly can be found headlining Vegfest this weekend, but also brings his solo show to Komedia later in the month. He discusses masculinity, privilege, and turning into a hippy with Victoria Nangle.
Hi Carl, how is today treating you?
Lovely so far. I’ve just got back from a week away so am enjoying sitting on my sofa and just being at home for a few days. I go a bit stir crazy when I’m away for too long so I always feel like I reset at home.
You have a lovely way with words – I especially like your show title Bad Man Tings, and the previous show’s title Jive Ass Honky. How much do you enjoy the evolution of words we’re witnessing at the moment?
It’s interesting that slang words and patois travel so much quicker and further nowadays what with social media etc. I grew up in a working class part of South London so phrases like ‘Bad Man Tings’ were the norm but would never travel outside of London. Nowadays though, the moment a phrase hits a certain point, it lands on social media and spreads like wildfire. ‘Fam’ is now in common usage whereas twenty years ago it would hardly have got out of the M25.
‘Bad Man Tings’ seems to imply both bad things that men in the world are doing, and also the possibility of your own personal ‘bad tings’. How do you think one influences the other?
I tend to focus on my own flaws in the show and then use those to maybe highlight issues. I find that it’s best to be aware of your own flaws before you start passing judgement on others. That being said, it’s a worrying time for masculinity as there is clearly a chunk of men who feel threatened by the way western societies are progressing so are retaliating. The rise of petty angry men’s rights groups etc makes me realise how lucky I am to not be so troubled by my own masculinity.
Years ago I remember you doing shows about what felt like your lack of privilege, regarding your background. Now as a white liberal you are encouraged to count your privilege. Do you think there’s been a change in you, or a change in the times we live in?
Privilege is a fascinating topic and one that I think is so much more nuanced than the louder voices you hear online would suggest. How you feel about your own privileges should always be changing (as should your feelings on most things I reckon). I currently I live a privileged life as am a white middle class man. That has changed throughout my life though. Class is one of the privileges that is often missed out of the discussion (ironically because it’s not as black and white as race etc). When i was growing up in a poor Irish family, the amount of privilege I was privy too was less. My parents are poor and have existed on and off benefits and had bad educations etc. Their lives have been tough so i’m they may be white and heterosexual etc but in class terms they are under privileged. I think it’s a good thing that privilege is being discussed more and more though so I’m confident that people will get to grips with it as a topic over the coming few years and it can be better worked out.
What is your secret to five minutes of personal happiness?
Meditation. Learn the basics and you can sneak five minutes of it in anywhere. On a busy train etc it can be the secret to forgetting all the hassle and stress around you. A lot of people are scared of trying meditation as mistakenly think its about blocking everything out and really focussing your mind when it actually is more about allowing your awareness to relax and not have to be fixed on one thing.
I regularly catch myself doing some new hippy nonsense and have a quiet word
How has it been co-hosting the Carl Donnelly And Chris Martin Podcast with a complete stranger in each town you tour in?
I’ve not started the podcasts yet but am looking forward to them. I have my first one in Swindon this week with an audience member called Russell. He sounds fun on email so I’m sure he’ll be a good co-host.
What kind of things have people sent you in order to make themselves appear appealing as a prospective co-host?
Most people have been surprisingly normal and approached it as a fun job interview. I’ve only had a couple of weird ones. One guy kindly offered to come to one gig, be the co-host then drive me down to the next nights gig on the south coast. He was basically offering to be my tour manager for a couple of days!!
How does Chris Martin feel about the idea of being usurped by podcast ‘hitch-hikers’?
He’s keen to hear what his replacements are like. I don’t think he feels threatened at all by me getting people to sit in for him. He’s the brains behind our podcast and does most of the admin so he knows that without him it would fall apart. Maybe I need to be looking for someone on tour to also do the podcast admin?
What do you think 24-year-old Carl would make of 34-year-old Carl?
He would think I’m such a hippy. In my mid 20’s I was a drunken mess with very little interest in anything other than comedy and partying. I’m now a vegan who meditates and goes off on ayahuasca retreats in search of the answers to life’s big questions. Even now I regularly catch myself doing some new hippy nonsense and have a quiet word. I still go old school from time to time and have a big night out but I see it much more as a novelty now than the norm.
And what ‘good’ advice would you give to the younger you?
None. I could warn him of the mess that the end of his 20’s and early 30’s were going to be and that it would be a tough time but in truth I think they were necessary so he can work them out for himself.
Many thanks for taking the time to reply to this. Hugely appreciated. Wishing you a great tour. All the best, Vicky x
Thanks Vicky. x
Carl Donnelly: Bad Man Tings, Komedia, Thursday 23 March 2017, 8pm, £10
And headlining at Vegfest, Brighton Centre, this weekend.
