UK funny man Stephen K Amos is once again bringing his suave, comedic presence down under for a long awaited national tour in which he'll be shedding light on some of the more personal moments from his life.
“It’s about me talking about myself, really,” Stephen says of his new show, The Spokesman. “I’m the best person to do it… [like] if a major Hollywood star gets in trouble then it’s always someone else talking about it, like a ‘close friend’ or ‘a source close to them’ and we never know if it’s true or not. So I say I am the spokesman and I’ll be talking on behalf of myself.”
The Englishman was adamant about who he would choose as his spokesperson if he wasn’t able to choose himself. “I think either Oprah or Will Smith because Oprah can clearly do no wrong, and Will Smith because people say we look alike. People often shout at me on the street calling ‘Will’ and it gets really annoying,” he jokes.
The people of Brisbane won’t have to wait long to see the alleged Will Smith look-alike in person, and Stephen reciprocates the same love we share for him. “I do love Australia! I’ve been coming here for the last eight or nine years and this is my big tour this year so I’m going everywhere.”
Stephen is definitely more excited about some places than others. “I’m going to Canberra, of all places, and I’m looking forward to that because I hear that’s where I can get fireworks, prostitutes and porn,” he laughs. “Don’t get my fireworks and my porn mixed up, though, because it could get dangerous.”
Clearly as hilarious off-stage as he is on, there are virtually no parts of his own life that he won’t cover while down under. “I think everything is open season and everything has a funny, valid point to be made. I’ve touched on personal issues in the past like tragedies, but I’m not willing to talk about the relationship and bringing a partner in on the comedy… Not now that I’m single anyways,” he admits.
A regular on television, including The Stephen K Amos Show, you’d think he’d follow in the footsteps of other great comedians and make the move to the big screen full-time. “Nothing beats live comedy,” he says. “You’re in the moment and things happen that are out of my control. I quite like talking to the audience and getting them involved so every show is slightly different. TV is good for publicity, but just try and make sure you’re doing the right kind of jobs.”
Recently Stephen took part in The Comic Relief Bake-off back back home in England, and confessed he was definitely out of his comfort-zone. “It was very daunting. There’s a very popular show in England at the moment called Great British Bake-off… One of the ideas this year was doing a version of this show, but using comics. As you can imagine, hilarious results. Lots of soggy bottoms being called out and someone’s cake even caught fire.”
Next on Stephen’s agenda is real estate. In Australia. If he can find ‘the one’. “I’d probably end up buying a place here because I do come here quite a lot. The time of year I come over here is when it’s summer, and at the moment in England it’s cold and depressing and dark at four in the afternoon, so it’s really nice to follow the sun around. I do a lot of work in London and America so I couldn’t move over here full time unless, of course, I find ‘the one’ at one of these shows.”
Stephen K Amos plays the following shows in Australia
Thu Feb 21 — The Arts Centre Gold CoastTue Feb 26 - Sun Mar 10 — Brisbane Comedy Festival @ Brisbane Powerhouse
Tue Mar 12 - Sat Mar 16 — Adelaide Fringe @ The Arts Theatre
Sun Mar 17 — Adelaide Fringe @ The Gov
Thu Mar 21 - Fri Mar 22 — Canberra Comedy Festival @ Australian National University
Sat Mar 23 — Geelong Performing Arts Centre
Sun Mar 24 — Frankston Arts Centre
Thu Mar 28 - Sun Apr 21 — Melbourne International Comedy Festival @ Athenaeum Theatre
Thu May 9 - Sat May 11 — Sydney Comedy Festival @ Enmore Theatre
Wed May 15 - Sun May 19 — Perth International Comedy Festival @ Astor Theatre
