Daily Info sat down with the comedian Alex Kealy to chat about their latest show and what audiences can expect when they see it.
Daily Info: What’s The Fear all about?
Alex Kealy: A mix of things - I always think most stand-up shows can only ever cleave partially to a theme - but especially anxiety and my relationship with it (the titular “fear” of the show title).
DI: What can audiences expect from this show?
AK: Loads of great jokes and routines about a variety of topics ranging from death to Toblerone.
DI: We were lucky enough to catch a version of the show last summer. But how has the show evolved and changed since last July? Do you enjoy the process of fine tuning an hour of comedy?
AK: There’s a new ending to the show since that July preview, which goes down really well, and some general tightening, restructuring and extra jokes. Luckily, it’s my least political show as events of the past 6 months would have meant a massive rewrite for anything political written in mid-2024. I love the process of tweaking, although it’s stressful to know how much shows change in the final 4 weeks before the fringe - comedians need deadlines and as much as we claim to hate the fringe, would we really be able to finish our shows without that kind of looming Judgement Day?
DI: Tell us about your hit podcast, Gig Pigs.
AK: It’s a love letter (or as it’s a podcast, I guess a love voicenote?) to live music. My friend Ivo Graham and I take another comedian to a music gig and then we meet up with that comic to discuss the gig and also that comedian’s relationship with live music (first gig, best gig, worst gig). Imagine desert island discs… but for music!?!! Wait, scratch that.
DI: What is your greatest fear?
AK: Death! An oldie, but a goldie. I literally can’t think about dying as I basically have a panic attack when I start to imagine what it is like not to be conscious anymore and so doing any life tasks (making breakfast, doing this Q and A etc.) seem completely pointless. The solution? Avoid ever thinking about it.
DI: Which comedian do you most admire?
AK: Very hard to pick just one. At the moment, I’m delighted for how Pierre Novellie - an extremely smart yet relatable and silly performer - seems to be finally getting his long overdue flowers for his wonderful shows. He works so hard to get exact phrasing and rhythm to perfectly detonate his ideas.
DI: Can you sum the show up in three words?
Funny, honest, smart.
But where’s the self-deprecating word that makes me look down to earth and relatable? Can’t be bothered with that - new year, new me. Braggadocio self-belief without caveats.
Alex Kealy's The Fear comes to Common Ground on Sunday 18th May and tickets can be found on here.
Image Credit: Matt Stronge