Musician of mirth Stephen Lynch
Mar 13 2010 by Karen Wilson, The Journal
KAREN WILSON speaks to US comic songwriter Stephen Lynch ahead of his show at Newcastle’s O2 Academy tomorrow night.
TYPE "Stephen Lynch" into YouTube and chances are you’ll either laugh like a drain or log off in disgust.
The New York musician’s comedy songs are something of an internet phenomenon and have attracted millions of hits. He’ll be in Newcastle tomorrow for the last date of his European show.
"I last played Newcastle in 2008," says Stephen, 38. "All I remember is my parents telling me about the expression ‘bringing coals to Newcastle’.
"I tried it out and the audience stared at me blankly. Maybe it’s an age thing but I won’t be repeating that line again."
The self-confessed "musician trapped in the body of a comedian" is more at home in intimate music venues than comedy clubs.
"I’ve eschewed the comedy club scene mainly because it’s not set up for music and it’s not conducive to the sort of thing I do," he says.
"It’s all about music really, but I just happen to write these twisted lyrics that people find funny."
His cult songs, which include a paean to Jesus’s imagined brother Craig and a riff about paedophile priests, often have a sting in the tail. And his fans are not afraid to shout out requests for old favourites If I Was Gay or Lullaby (The Divorce Song).
"If you’re trying to get laughs you want to play things people haven’t heard before," says Stephen, who admires the work of comedy songwriters Tim Minchin, Tenacious D and Flight of the Conchords.
"But I get lots of flak if I don’t play ‘the hits’ so it will be a reasonable combination of old and new."
When it comes to hecklers, Stephen is pretty adept at dispatching them – literally.
"I’m usually able to shut them down pretty quickly but I’m not afraid to throw them out of the theatre if they’re disrupting the show," he laughs.
And he’s pretty unphased by critics that brand him sick and puerile.
"I’m not afraid to sing about things that most people wouldn’t," he says. "And those who don’t like it don’t have to come to the shows.
"I understand that my humour doesn’t appeal to everyone but sometimes people will lump it all into one category which is an adolescent fixation on things that are dirty. But I just point out that probably 75% of my show is not like that. I like puerile humour but I like other types of humour, too.
