‘I’m a bit of a
WORKAHOLIC’
Bloke chat
Noel Fielding on taking his unique brand of comedy on a massive tour of the UK…
‘I get bored very easily so I have to keep stimulating my mind’ Below: With Mighty Boosh partner Julian Barratt Below right: On Never Mind The Buzzcocks with Phill Jupitus and Rhod Gilbert
People seem to love bizarre humour… It was just like that with the Boosh. It was such a weird show, Julian [Barratt, his Mighty Boosh partner] and I thought it was pretty mental how big it had got, considering that we didn’t compromise on anything, we didn’t leave anything out, and we were doing a show about a Crack Fox and a transsexual merman with a “mangina”. It was pretty amazing! It’s been a decade since The Mighty Boosh first aired on BBC Three, and since then you’ve established yourself as a central figure in the UK comedy scene, doing gigs at Wembley Arena and the O2.What’s that like? Last time we were on a massive tour, we went out in Marilyn Manson’s tour bus! It became like we were in Pink Floyd or something… Why did Julian Barratt want to take a step back out of the limelight? It got to the stage where everyone wants a picture of you, and I don’t think Julian was comfortable with that whole “celebrity” thing.
You, on the other hand, partied with the likes of the late Amy Winehouse, Razorlight, and the Geldof sisters… I’m not very good if I don’t work; I’m a bit of a workaholic and I start going out partying, doing stupid things – I get bored very easily so I have to keep stimulating my mind. Tell us more about your latest tour, An Evening With Noel Fielding… There’s live animation, which takes ages to work out how to do, live music, and brand new stand-up, which I’m excited about. It’s a really complicated and expensive show – I always want to put on a show that costs as much to put on as it takes in tickets! Are you looking forward to performing at some smaller venues? Yes. It’s more intimate, which is actually better for comedy. When you are performing at the O2, it’s so massive that the laughter takes 30 seconds to get back to you, which is weird. Are you nervous about how the live shows will be received? I just want people to come away from the show thinking, “Wow, I really enjoyed that”. If this doesn’t work, I’ve got nothing! THE UK TOUR AN EVENING WITH NOEL FIELDING RUNS UNTIL 12 DECEMBER. TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE FROM TICKETMASTER.CO.UK
BYLINE: GEORGINA LANGFORD
M
ost people know Noel Fielding best as his eccentric zookeeper alter ego, Vince Noir, from The Mighty Boosh.. Noel followed up the hit series by bringing his surreal comedy to a range of projects – and now he’s setting off on a massive UK tour. His latest TV show, Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy, was set in a café on the side of a volcano. It was staffed by Andy Warhol and a chocolate finger who was also a PE teacher, as well as Noel himself, who played the straight guy to his weird and wonderful companions. ‘I wanted the Boosh fans to get on board with Luxury Comedy because I feel like I lost a few of them,’ says Noel, 41. Here, he tells about the tour – and why he likes to party.
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