Getting to know Seann Walsh

We get to know Stand Up For The Week frequenter and team captain of Argumental Seann Walsh as he talks to us about Irish connections, his hatred for people who smoke licorice Rizla, and an awkward encounter with Davina McCaul, ahead his return to the Vodafone Comedy Festival 2012 which kicks off this week.

How are you today? Tired?

Yeah I’m fine. Tired yeah. But it doesn’t matter, everyone’s always tired aren’t they. So I’m normal, because I’m exhausted. All I’ve done is sit in this hotel all day but I’m still tired. But after I’m done I might do walk around Dublin, I love Dublin.

So tell me about your show for the Vodafone Comedy Festival.

It’s mostly new stuff. Hopefully I won’t be repeating myself from the year before, unless someone makes some requests and I do a ‘Greatest Hits’ set. It will attempt to be a half hour from the Edinburgh Fringe show which is called ‘Seann To Be Wild’.

With a name like Walsh there’s got to be some Irish there?

Yes, my Dad, came from Tipperary to London. He’s properly Irish, no teeth, and that amazing Irish walk. I can’t describe it but you can always tell from a distance if someone walking towards you is Irish.

How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

Loud, inappropriate, bitchy.

What did you want to be growing up?

Comedian. Sorry, boring answer, but always an actor/comedian. There was a three year period where I wanted to be a film director. I did film studies in university, and I miss that a little. If I ever write something I could perform in I’d like to have that kind of role as well. It’s an avenue that I’d love to explore maybe when I have a bit more life experience. No one wants to listen to a 26 year old has to say about the world, he can fuck off.

If you could change one thing about yourself?

I’d like to go back to school and pick up a few more bits of knowledge, I didn’t pay enough attention at school. I was kicked out of classes and didn’t tend to attend, so there’s a lot of real basic things that I just do not know. I’m getting better but until a couple of years ago I don’t think I could have drawn the globe.

How would you describe your style of comedy?

Slightly mental, but mostly observational. I grew up watching Lee Evans and Lee Hurst, and they had a massive influence on the way I look at life. Those characters rubbed off on me as a person, and I don’t mean ripped off, I mean they are characters that I spent so much time with, watching them over and over, that they’re a part of my style now.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?

I always expect everything to crumble at my feet, and I am constantly living with this paranoia that everything is going to fail. But ideally, I’d love to be able to do stand-up comedy when I want to and take the time to really build a show. I’d love to have a year to really absorb the world around me and be able to make a show with that instead of constantly having to pull something out on demand.

You’re a bit of a pro when if comes to TV shows now. What are your best/worst moments from that?

My first ever TV thing was Mock The Week, and I was too naive and too new to know how big it was, and Mock The Week is still probably the biggest thing you can do. Live At The Apollo is probably the thing I’m most proud of. Worst? I once, regrettably, said yes to going on Big Brother’s Little Brother, and I’ve never been opposed to it and I used to quite enjoy it. So I watched a bit and I saw the guest was only on for two minutes and that was it, so I thought ‘What the hell’ and said I’d do it, I’d get to meet George Lamb. So I go along, and it’s not Big Brother’s Little Brother, it’s Big Brother’s Big Mouth, which was an hour, live, and I had to sit there for an hour and be asked these questions and have no idea and it was horrible. And at the end of the show, they all dance, and I don’t dance unless I’ve had two bottles of wine, and even then it’s not dancing, it’s pretending I’m in a music video, looking at cameras and taking off my jacket. So I sat down and refused to dance and Davina McCaul had to dance in front of me to block from the camera the fact I wasn’t dancing.

What things annoy you the most?

Judgement. People who smoke licorice rizla. You can’t like that, no one can, you’re just doing it to be different. People who say they don’t like music. People who try to be different, who’s only goal is to be above everyone else by trying to be different. I can’t stand that. Oh and longboards. You know the skateboards that are longer? Ugh.

Do you have a favourite one-line joke?

There’s a great comic called Julian Dean, he’s a favourite of mine and he has one that’s not a one-liner, but it’s a joke joke. It goes, “People say, ‘It must be scary going up there and doing standup.’ And I say, ‘You don’t know fear. Until you’ve been driving in a car at 60 mph, and you lose control and you’re spinning through the air. You don’t know fear, until the car lands on it’s top and bursts into flames. You don’t know fear until you’re scrambling over the broken glass and pulling out a screaming man. You don’t know fear. What you do know is, you’ve failed your driving test...’” It’s just brilliant.

Best advice you’ve ever been given?

Work hard. It’s simple. You can’t do this without working hard.Which is really annoying because I wish I could just go out there and talk shit.

Seann Walsh will be live on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, July 26th, 27th and 28th, at The Iveagh Gardens, Dublin. Check out www.vodafonecomedy.com for more details. Tickets from €20 on sale now through ticketmaster and other usual outlets nationwide. Booking Line: 0818 719 390.

Story by EI Team | 09:00 | Monday 23rd July 2012 | Comedy

855

Comments

• No comments have been posted for this article yet. Be the first!

Log in to leave a comment

Login or register to leave a comment

Enter your email:

Enter Password: Lost Your Password?