Rich Hall: ‘People don’t even listen to President Obama without looking at their phones all the time…’

[prev] …Dylan Moran gets on stage and speaks in his own very distinctive language, that really appeals to me. ‘But nowadays a lot of performers are simply acting out the role of comedian and going through the motions. They use a very predictable cadence of comedy – “here comes the punchline”. If you close your eyes, you can hear it coming. But in order to have a very individual way of saying things, you need to perfect that live.’

‘It works because people know that I’m not really that angry. Anyone that angry should not be doing comedy’

Of course, Rich is not that irate in reality – it is simply a persona he adopts for comic effect on stage. The comedian – whose latest audio CD, Waitin’ on a Grammy, is available to buy on CD and download now – says: ‘It works because people know that I’m not really that angry. Anyone that angry should not be doing comedy. With my style of slow-burn comedy, the crowd know that you can’t be that worked up. The worst thing you can do is get really angry on stage – then you’ve lost it and you’re in Michael Richards territory.

‘I’m not really angry at all. There are very small outward changes in my emotions. I have a sort of deadpan Walter Matthau visage. People think, “This guy looks grumpy”, but that’s just how my face is put together. Your comic demeanour has to match your face. Most comedians fit their face.’ Rich, who in the past was a regular on Saturday Night Live, has enjoyed particular success in this country, where his trademark downbeat style really strikes a chord. The comedian reflects that, ‘British audiences are always very appreciative of the spoken word.’

‘Brits like to insult you. Sometimes they come to the stage door after the show and say, “We really prefer Lee Mack”’

The stand-up adds that, ‘People here also find it refreshing that I’m very detached from America. I’m not waving a flag or pretending that I’m hipper than you because I happen to be from the US. You get that a lot from American comedians.

‘They take on an urbane persona, and the references they drop are designed to make you think that they’re clued into things and that you have to catch up with them. If you laugh at them, you’re part of their exclusive club. Their way of cultivating the crowd is to make you think they’re hipper than everyone else. But I’ve never gone in for that sort of act.’

Rich also enjoys the fact that, ‘Brits like to insult you. Sometimes they come to the stage door after the show and say, “We really prefer Lee Mack”. They don’t even say, “We really enjoyed your show – you’re our second favourite behind Lee Mack”! But I know the subtext – they must quite like me if they have waited in line to insult me!’

‘Maybe those two hours when I’m up there on stage provide a respite from all of us slowly turning into gadget-pedalling robots’

Finally, Rich reiterates how much he is relishing the idea of playing to British audiences once more and receiving our rapt attention. He concludes that ‘you have someone’s complete attention, which is almost impossible nowadays. You can’t go to a sports event without someone Tweeting about it every five seconds.’ He adds that ‘people don’t even listen to President Obama speaking without looking at their phones all the time. So maybe those two hours when I’m up there on stage provide a respite from all of us slowly turning into gadget-pedalling robots. ‘If that’s the case, then it’s pretty cool!’

■ Rich Hall appears at the Key Theatre on Saturday, 14 March at 8 pm. For more information, visit www.vivacity-peterborough.com

■ Rich’s latest audio CD, Waitin’ on a Grammy, is available to buy as a CD or to download now from www.store.offthekerb.co.uk