Comic is coming for a laugh and a break
Mar 15 2010 by Sam Wonfor, The Journal
Comedian Ben Norris is en route to the region to make up for lost time... and is looking forward to a slice of solitude when he gets here, as he tells SAM WONFOR
The arrival of his three bundles has also given Ben a new appreciation of the UK’s hotel provision.
“Where I used to dread three days in a hotel in Birmingham... I now see it as a wonderful little refuge,” he laughs. “I can sleep for eight hours and maybe take a laptop and think about writing some stuff. I’ll be trying to do that in Newcastle too.”
It’s a good plan seeing as his fantasy of having a shed-type retreat at the bottom of the garden, where he can take a cup of coffee and a ‘do not disturb’ sign doesn’t look likely.
“At the bottom of our garden, there’s a kid’s play house,” he laughs.
And probably a Fisher Price laptop, I offer, which could constitute a start in the more optimistic of minds.
Ben rightly ignores the notion.
“A mate of mine, Lee Mack (fellow stand-up) has one. When we visit, I’m always very jealous of it.
“Mind you, I’ve never been very prolific. I keep notebooks with me which are full of jottings down, musings and kernels of ideas. Any time I do have is usually about fleshing out that stuff.”
It’s a process which has obviously served him well since he “crept” into comedy in the early nineties.
“I’d come to London to watch comedy and I just thought stand-up was incredible. These guys would just turn up with nothing but a notebook and entertain more people than the band I was in played to.
“I asked the guy at our arts centre why they didn’t have comedy on... and he gave me one Sunday a month.
“By accident, I’d become a promoter and because we couldn’t afford a compere, I used to have two or three pints and do it myself.
“I’d vainly thought I could be an indie rock star, but this comedy thing was something else.
“That’s why I loved the chance to play at being a comedian for five minutes... knowing at any point I could say ‘and here’s your next act’.
“I did that for two years.. but the introductions got longer and longer as I got addicted to it.”
It’s an addiction which has held him in its grasp for 17 years and seen Ben become a headlining act at comedy clubs as well as a trusted warm-up act for shows like Friday Night With Jonathan Ross and the aforementioned Mock The Week.
Now with his increasing profile – one of three Mock The Week appearances saw him stand in admirably at the last minute for Mockfather, Frankie Boyle – means it probably won’t be long before we see Ben return once again to the region under nothing but his own steam.
Ben Norris plays four dates across Newcastle, Morpeth and Stanley on Friday and Saturday. For full details, visit www.thegrinningidiot.com
