"When I left school, I came out and moved in with my Gran. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do when I left, so started as a glass collector in Delmonicas bar in Glasgow before working my way up to be an Assistant Manager.
"When I think back, comedy has always been part of my life. I’d spend Friday nights watching lots of telly with my Mum, and then when I went to live with my Gran, we’d love devouring Spitting Image, Cheers, Roseanne, Lily Savage, The Golden Girls and then moving on to Ab Fab and Reeves and Mortimer.
"Our homes were always filled with laughter, you’d always find me in the kitchen at parties having a laugh. Laughter has helped me cope through some challenging times and it’s been a constant throughout my childhood and up until now. What was a coping mechanism has brought me so much joy, it’s so much more than a job to me.
"Further education or University wasn’t an option, but I grew up with comedy all around me and my brain is always going at a hundred miles per hour, so I’ve always had a heart and a head which looks for the humour in everyday moments.
"Comedy is the greatest job in the world, and it amazes me that you can make such a difference just by being a clown. There is no better feeling than sharing a laugh with someone and the feedback I get from punters is quite special. For 30 mins or so, people can forget their worries and woes and just be immersed in the shared experience of the buzz you get from a right good giggle when the endorphins are flowing.
"Comedy can be healing too; it brings people together. In my shows, I cover the intricacies of family life, and people can identify - whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a pet or a job. It’s also reflective, comedy is healing and cathartic for the performer as well as the audience.
"I take my comedy responsibility very seriously and it’s very much a team effort, there’s great camaraderie as we all have the shared goal of making sure that everyone has a really great night.
"I’m performing at this year’s Glasgow International Comedy later this month, and I really cannot wait. Like most people in the creative industries, we’re desperate to get back to doing what we love. When I’m not working on writing or performing, I’m a freelance electrical estimator, which is as boring as it sounds.
"The dream would be to do comedy all the time and every 2- or 3-years travel across the UK and Ireland, Australia and further afield, having a root and a toot with my fellow comedians in big venues, like theatres and town halls. I’m lucky and grateful that my diary is looking good for this year, I can’t wait to get back on stage and I’m working on a tour for 2023.
When you love what you do and it loves you back - well comedy, that’s not a job - that’s a gift that keeps on giving."
Susie McCabe’s performs her show, Born Believer, as part of 2022’s Glasgow International Comedy Festival, at King’s Theatre, Saturday 26 March, for more information, head to: GlasgowComedyFestival
