Known for his gag a minute stand up, comedian JIM CAMPBELL’s latest show BEEF confronts his family curse. The show is a fast-paced and bold attempt to overcome overthinking, anxiety and find self-acceptance through humour. Ahead of performing it at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, he talks to Female First about meeting your heroes and his favourite comedian, Dylan Moran.
Jim Campbell by Edward Moore
The comedian I first found truly inspiring to the point of them making me want to do standup myself, was Dylan Moran.
The first I saw of him was the Monster DVD and I immediately loved the lyricism of it, the sheer density of ideas and the way he’s happy to casually throw out these brilliantly clever turns of phrase in his set ups, when lesser comics would use them as punchlines. The shambling, matter-of-fact performance style he has, makes it all seem like it’s completely off the cuff but it’s clear that it has actually been lovingly crafted.
It’s observational comedy but it is vividly surreal at times. That balance is so hard to strike, because the danger is of it becoming wacky: a cardinal sin in my book. I’m not sure there’s a comedian who’s had so much mainstream success with such cerebral comedy. It’s unapologetically intelligent and that’s to be admired and celebrated at a time when we no longer worry about the dumbing down of culture, because we’ve all accepted that it’s already happened.
I saw him do a work in progress show that was better than a lot of finished, award-winning shows. Stand up is a strange thing in terms of whether or not it counts as art. I think sometimes it doesn’t and at other times it does. In his case I think it most certainly does.
It’s that density that I love so much, and it’s something I almost feel a responsibility to aspire to in my own stand up; making the most of the time you have on stage and the story you’re telling, by hiding jokes within other jokes.
I very briefly met him at the Edinburgh Festival when, for various reasons, I ended up sat at the same table as him towards the end of a meal. One of his group wondered where their dessert was and I remember him saying “I’m sure there’s somebody chasing chocolate around the kitchen right now”, so that turn of phrase is apparently ever-present in my own vocabulary now.
As everybody walked out of the restaurant, a man staggered into the road as a bus was coming by and Dylan pulled him out of the way of it. It’s said that you should never meet your heroes, but I have to say that on this occasion Dylan Moran nailed it, possibly saving a man’s life for the big finale.
In a strange coincidence I saw him another time in Russell Square, where his sitcom Black Books is set. I was talking about him, again in a restaurant, and minutes later he popped his head in, looked at the menu board, decided against it and left. Maybe he saw me recognise him and double take, or maybe Bernard Black is so well drawn he’s come to life and is out there wandering around somewhere.
Jim Campbell: Beef is at Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 1st–25th August (not 12th).Tickets and more information: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/jim-campbell-beef
Tagged in Edinburgh Festival Fringe