I got into stand-up because of comedians who played with the medium or did material on unusual subjects, people like Stewart Lee, Josie Long, Robin Ince and Simon Munnery. Those meta-jokes and precisely worded routines on obscure subjects inspired me, they made me want to try comedy out for myself, which I eventually did. At times, I tried to be like them, before I learnt that you have to find your own way and be your own comedian. ‘Find your voice,’ everyone told me and for a long time I pretended to understand.
Deciding on the subject matter for jokes can be a tricky business for comedians, sometimes trickier than ‘finding your voice’. Material on familiar subjects can be comfortable and relatable but certain subjects are easily labelled as ‘hack’, if they become too familiar to audiences. Material that is too niche runs the risk of alienation and comedians must tread the lines between these two extremes – or so it seems.
It was an Andy Zaltzman routine comparing the pedantic nature of Home Office regulations with the intricacies of a cricketer batting against reverse-swing bowling that really changed things for me. This was about as niche as it could get, but it was my niche and I loved it. I decided that I would concentrate on being the kind of comedian I would enjoy watching and that I wouldn’t shy away from niche material once in a while.
Before lockdown, I think I had a reputation as a political comedian. Since the return of comedy, I have shied away from subjects such as covid, with the exception of one joke, largely because I have no real desire to dwell on it. That’s not to say that those who have extensive covid routines are wrong, it just wasn’t what I wanted to do. Instead, I decided to delve more into the ‘niche’ subjects I love to hear jokes about, including maths, science and history as well as science fiction and ‘geeky’ media. I also decided to revive my love of making bits go on for ‘too long’, something that has always tickled me.
When it came time to put my show together, after contemplating writing a political show, I decided to delve into the niche and nerdy and create a show for ‘people like me’, the kind of show I would go to, full of nerdy references and jokes about things I am interested in and hopefully find some people who are interested in them too. We will see…
Jon Matthews: Talk Nerdy To Me will be at The Playwright, as part of the Nottingham Comedy Festival on the 5th November at 4:30pm. Tickets available here.
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