Banging around Europe with his new show, 'We Got This', Dylan Moran is, “by and large”, having a good time – and it’s not long before the legendary Irish comedian brings the show to Sydney and Perth Comedy Festivals among a sprinkling of Australian dates.
“The thing about touring Australia is you get to one town, one place, people are laughing in one language; it’s not the same where there’s really big differences in a few days!”
It’s not so easy for Dylan to explain the “premise” of 'We Got This' – “That’s very high level,” he jokes – because the show is a smorgasbord of Dylan’s observations and experiences. “I just write about what’s going on, where I’m at, and where I feel like the world is and what’s happening to all of us.”
“The idea for the title, 'We Got This', when the virus first appeared, Trump and all those guys saying 'don’t worry about it' who were in charge, and how ridiculous [saying] that turned out to be.”
In terms of illness and resilience, Dylan agrees that in life in general, we never know what we have until we have it. “I guess it’s just the original premise, that human attitude of ‘Well, we’ve got this, but we don’t know what it is we’ve got!’”
Dylan has been described as 'the master of grumpiness'; it’s an ascription that draws a hearty bellow from the 'Black Books' alumni, who needs to recover from a laughter-induced coughing fit before he continues. As to whether he takes pride in that title, particularly given his noted tenure, Dylan says, “No, not especially.”
“I’d rather like to be considered to have a full range of emotion than being placed in one position, if you know what I mean?”
Regardless of his wishes, Dylan, across what he jests as being his 855-year tenure, has been known to have a dry and catty sensibility to his humour – but he doesn’t consider his stage persona to be a “brand of comedy”, nor does he feel he’s an old dog to be taught new tricks. “I don’t feel I’m an old dog,” he says. “I revel in my work and take enormous enjoyment from all the performances, or at least try to.”
“I don’t have a brand of comedy; I just have whatever I’m doing that particular night. You’re talking to human reality which maintains interest wherever you go. People are interested in the same things, shout out, laugh, and so on.
“But everywhere you go, people will have a different spin on it, a different cultural take. I enjoy the differences, but at the same time, I never think about it until I’m asked. I tend to just rock along.
“I don’t think analytically about it other than doing it. Questions require some sort of thought out answer but on the day when I’m [performing], I just rock up and talk to people.”
Dylan Moran plays 8-9 May at Perth Concert Hall (Perth Comedy Festival) State Theatre 11,15,16 (Sydney Comedy Festival) May.
