How did you get into standup?
I always loved comedy, but because I didn’t know the who, what, where and when, I didn’t think it would be something I could do professionally. Then in 2008, when the credit crunch happened, I realised no job is stable and nothing is serious, so I might as well give my comedy dream a try!
Who inspired you when you were first starting out?
The most inspirational comic for me when I first started was Chris Rock, after seeing Bigger and Blacker. After that, I would say that the list is now endless, as I’ve been able to draw inspiration from all over. From Dave Chappelle to Katherine Ryan to David Mills to Sebastian Maniscalco, there’s inspiration to be found anywhere.
Can you recall a gig so bad, it’s now funny?
A mixed bill at Brunel University. I followed a fashion show, poet, three rappers and was supposed to be one of the last acts before the afterparty. Suffice it to say, the audience was not in the mood for accurate and biting satire and social commentary. One sympathetic woman in the crowd said, “He’s doing his best,” but that display of solidarity turned every man in the room against me. The lights never felt so warm, but it gave me Kevlar skin and strengthened my act in a way most comics will never experience.
Any pre-show rituals?
Water and using the toilet. My body likes to cleanse itself before telling dirty jokes! It can be difficult at times when I’m at festivals because my body tends to be like, “I’m not relieving myself here!” so I have to power through – but that’s mainly it, poo-peration.
Best heckle?
I used to have a bit where I would ask the audience what their last meal would be if they were on death row. One audience member replied, “Your dick.” Suffice it to say I had no comeback for that aggressively delivered compliment.
What has inspired your upcoming show, Bapsquire?
Getting old! Being in the entertainment industry can prolong middle age for performers, but Bapsquire is about accepting the fact I’m ageing and settling into my space in the new post-pandemic comedy and entertainment landscape. It’s been five years since I had a fringe show that I toured, and the world has changed. Bapsquire, yours truly, has had to move with the times and become an older wiser comedian – and almost a parent!
Any bugbears from the world of comedy?
I didn’t like the point in comedy about five years ago where good comedy shows were measured by how many harrowing, tearjerking stories they included, when comedy is supposed to be the endeavour of using humour to rationalise traumatic experiences. Also, the failure of most British comedians, despite their keen observational skills, to identify racial and class inequality in the UK. Also, nepotism. If art isn’t meritocratic, then I don’t see the point. Just make your rich kid get a job please!
What are you currently excited about?
After being the first Black British comedian to receive an Edinburgh award nomination, and the first Black Briton to write a sitcom on the BBC in 20 years, it’s been massively exciting to see how the comedy landscape has had to change and the industry has had to recognise the artistic and commercial viability of Black British acts, as well as working-class acts from the circuit. Comedy will become a democracy, whether the powers that be want it to or not.
What’s an important lesson you’ve learned from being a standup?
Experience is the best teacher. My message to anybody who is worried about doing standup comedy: you’ll only learn by getting up on that stage. If it doesn’t go well, remember that I once had a whole auditorium tell me to get off stage – and I’m still here!
Dane Baptiste: Bapsquire is at Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh, 14-27 August
