ComedyClub  Interviews with comedians Marianne Thamm
Interviews, comedy, comedians, standup comedy, humour, humor, South Africa, stand-up comedians
What's the first funny thing you remember saying?
The word "foosh". For some reason if found it hilarious.
What drove you to choose comedy, when you could have been a mechanic or a doctor or something decent like that?
The fact that information about the world, politics, religion and what it means to be a human being is packaged in a series of silly half truths. Comedians should be court jesters who pull back a curtain to reveal a sort of universal truth. We should be saying the things everyone thinks but seldom says in polite society.
What's your favourite fashion accessory?
My dachshund.
How has the way you look affected your identity as a comic?
No.
Are there things you wouldn't say on stage? Eg, any words you'd never use or subjects you'd never tackle?
I wouldn't ever use the word "oven gloves".
Who is your major influence? And your major South African influence?
Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Kate Clinton. Pieter Dirk Uys, Soli
Philander..
Is there any figure from your past that you'd like to see in your audience? What would you do to them or for them?
Yes, the cafe owner who tried to fondle me when I was a kid. I'd stick a cucumber up his arse.
What's lacking from South African comedy, or audiences, that it remains such a small scene?
Exposure. Television threw up a batch of comedians in the 1970s. The Mel Millers, the Biltong and Potroast sort of crude, boy stuff. Because
comedy is mostly performed and best enjoyed "live" it is inevitable at
this stage that it will take time to cultivate audiences. Eventually, I do believe good comedy can become like the new rock and roll.
Do you think all South Africans can all laugh at the same joke at the same time. What kind of joke would it be?
No. I do think a sense of humour is something unique and people who get that sense of humour will laugh at specific things. Jokes are actually the worst form of comedy. They are generally not original and usually always exist to reinforce a stereotype. Jokes are an easy way out.
Do you ever steal jokes?
All the time. Although comedy is not essentially about jokes, they are
collective and belong to no one person in particular. Jokes are like
gossip, they transfer information. We tell and retell them (the few good
jokes that is) because they resonate with people in some way.
Would you sell your material?
Yes, if I felt it was a sketch or a line that didn't or wouldn't
necessarily work if I performed it.
Would you promise never to use it on stage again after the sale?
Depends on the contract. I do think certain sketches suit certain people.
Which internationally renowned comic would you most like to work with? What would you do to him/her?
A: Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders - make them tea.
What's the most embarrassing death you've ever seen another comic die on stage? (names not necessary) Describe the incident, and how you felt.
F W De Klerk making the National Party submission to the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission. A tremendous sense of vindication.
Where would you like to live when you retire - if ever?
In an old age home where they'd put blue rinse in my hair, force me to
wear a dress for the first time and make me pee in front of strangers in
the sunroom.
How funny do you Really think you are?
Very.
Will you matter 50 years after you're dead? Will it matter to you?
No and no.
What's the interview question you'd most like to be asked, and what is the answer?
Q:Have you ever slept with a man?
A: Yes, Max Collie.
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