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 Sharing a hotel room with Irish hooligan Jason Byrne is a feat within itself, but Welsh comedian MARK WATSON is no stranger to taking risks. After performing a 24 hour gig and being offered to speak at an environmental issues conference, he tells BROOKE MCMASTER he’s back to showcase his latest material.
I have seen Mark Watson perform here once before. No one knew who this powerhouse was, except that after his name was a trail of achievements from the beginning of winning the Daily Telegraph Open Mic Contest to writing novels. Here I am expecting this thick Welsh accent to come through the phone as I had seen from Mark performing – instead I’m greeted with a polished British accent. Something I have always believed is that the attraction and popularity of some comedy can be based on the mere factor of an accent. Would Dave Hughes be so popular without his Ocker slurs? Mark agrees that the use of an accent is empowering to a career.
“Yeah I do agree, I also think that it’s nice to have this persona that you hide behind – this little alternative version of what you do. Partly it’s a type of defensive thing, but also it does probably make you funnier in all honesty, because it’s something a bit more distinctive.
“Especially in the UK if you are an Australian comic you do stand out. Anyone who has an accent or any kind of specific thing like that definitely gives them an advantage and that’s worldwide through the ages of comedy, there are no restrictions.”
You may recognise Mark from his stint on the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala a little while ago. Although it was only a short spot, he managed to carefully craft his routine to ensure maximum belly laughs. His best joke was about Aussie sayings and the impracticality of the term ‘cracking the shits’. In fact how do you crack a shit? I wouldn’t want to be around to witness such a thing.
Mark is perhaps best known for two marathon shows at the last two Edinburgh festivals, lasting respectively 24 and 33 hours. He has written two novels and a book entitled Mark Watson Is Crap At The Environment, which involves Mark trying to make a small but interesting difference to the worrying state of the planet through his new project, one that has brought him to Australia to speak at an Environmental Earth Summit in Melbourne and to also perform another feat of doing a comedy routine for a full 24 hours. The idea simply intrigues me, and having grown up with a father who is a comedian, I’m interested to see how much of that 24 hours is filled with ‘good material’.
“The majority of it is pure improvisation and working with the audience. It’s all quite freeform and comes off what the audience thinks. Most of it is not really jokes actually, although I do try and pass some ideas through here and there.
“I have a plan hour by hour, but quite often you go a long way off that plan to be honest. It’s almost like a sleepover, anytime you’ve been up all night things just become weirder and more funny, but to an outsider nothing makes sense.”
I am also intrigued as to how Watson controls his bladder for 24 hours; does he strap a colostomy bag to his leg?
“That’s not a bad idea, but no I have short breaks for the sake of everyone, because well I can’t exactly make people watch me go to the toilet ... although maybe if I run out of ideas for the show.”
On top of all this, there’s not a trace of the self-congratulation you might anticipate from such a prodigy; he’s disarmingly modest, affable and articulate. And on the strength of his achievements so far, Mark Watson doesn’t need to worry about his future too much. Expect to hear plenty more from him.
MARK WATSON plays a series of shows at the Brisbane Powerhouse from Tuesday April 22 – Saturday April 26. Bookings: 07 3358 8600 or www.brisbanepowerhouse.org
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