Welcome to the eighteenth edition of ‘Meet the Writers'. This week punching below the intellect is comedy everyman, Stuart Laws.
So, it looks today as though I'll be taking the ‘Laws' into my own hands!
That's not to say literally. Can I just reiterate that there will be no cupping involved in this interview?
Why don't you mask this awkwardness with some self-promoting claptrap, Stuart?
Well, primarily my interest is in films but at one point, just after I had produced my first (and only) feature film, I suddenly took an interest in comedy writing and performing. Since then I've drafted about five sitcoms, three films (one of which I think is pretty cool and may making it may become the purpose of my life) produced a lot of online sketches and videos (including an online sitcom called Who's Toby?), had a stage play performed and started doing stand-up. Very little tangible, poster-boy, success but lots of accusations of fascism. I say lots, I mean three. Which is quite a lot for someone who by and large isn't a fascist.
I watched Who's Toby? and I was laughing and crying in the first minute. I am of course a manic depressive.
Why don't you tell us some more about the project, Himmler?
Well, we thought, why not make our own sitcom? We had the equipment and it seemed like a fun idea. So under the premise of two friends on a gap year we started filming. It's a simple set-up, one static shot, a framework for each episode and fully-improvised dialogue. And across the twenty episodes and two series so far we have kept the concept the same and built up this whole little world of interlinking characters that have been introduced as guest stars. It's really fun to do and nice to have something where there is a storyline that slowly develops and twists through every episode. Plus I've come to be quite attached to my character: a passive-aggressive, faux-intellectual who was a repressed homosexual and then when his first boyfriend dumps him is pressured into doing women again. He's mental.
Self-producing two series of sitcom is obviously a huge undertaking, improvised or otherwise. Do you have an eventual application in mind for Who's Toby? or are you content to let it stand it's own in the wilderness like a dog dumped on the hard shoulder of the A406 (Barking relief road exit)?
It's about as commercial as doing an hour long special on the dog dumped on the hard shoulder of the A406. So quite happy to leave it to exist on the internet and garner terrific antipathy, aggressive critique ("abysmal, flat, lifeless script.") and unusual fans. I had someone come up to me in Wurzburg, Germany and ask me if I was from Who's Toby? and then proceed to compliment it. That was nice. Plus, just keeping it on the internet means that we can try and destroy it ourselves. 2nd series featured loads of guest stars and was a lot darker and we're planning to jump the shark for a third series.
What's your film about? Is it a comedy, or is it one of those films that's like a comedy but without any laughs? Like a Dane Cook film.
It was a straight drama - young couple struggling to pay their way, the bloke is a bit of a dickhead, takes a risk, it backfires and he f**ks everything up. It's ok, not that good though. You want a copy on DVD?
Sure, I'll add it to my collection of AOL starter disks and tile my roller disco with it.
You've progressed to performing stand up and even hosting your own comedy night in whichever weird place outside of London it is you live. How are you finding that?
Genuinely I've become quite annoyed with stand-up. I feel like I peaked about 4 months ago and I haven't really done that well since. I think that may be due to running my own night being a distraction or it may be that I've lost interest in it. I came to the conclusion that all I was another middle-class, white bloke and that I wasn't ever going to stand out so what's the point of refining the same set gig after gig? I have much more faith in a double act I've got going, despite the fact we ballsed it up at a new act final recently. Despite my new found negativity I am keen to encourage everyone to try stand-up, so how's about it, Bussell?
The trouble I have with stand-up is that I know I'll be amazing at it. That's only going to make you feel worse about yourself, isn't it, Stuart? Honestly, I'm not even allowed on planes, I'm so the bomb.
But enough about the sheer awesomeness of me. Let's talk about another of your projects. What's all this Mad Gary business, you giant loon?
Mad Gary is just an innocent bloke from near where I live who made the mistake of driving an orange Ford Focus and have a licence plate that reads MAD GARY. Unfortunately I am a bit mental, got carried away and a bit obsessed about him so thought it appropriate to start my own cult about who this guy is an why he's so mad. So, also being a bit of an Atheist and having a lot of Christian friends, I also used it as a chance to surreptitiously critique religion and believers. I wanted to become a Koresh like figure and finish the series in a fireball but I got busy at work. So there are a further two episodes to film, when I can be arsed.
Beyond that arsery, what's up next for Stuart Laws? More web comedy? More drama? Another feature perhaps? Or how about jacking the whole thing in and opening a Japanese/Mexican fusion restaurant called ‘Jap's aye caramba'?
There's loads of pipeline stuff. I did a cancer documentary, I've been talking to a production company about a couple of feature ideas, made some Comedy Lab proposals and been working on a 10-part series called Drawing Parallels - a sci-fi drama that I've shot the opening three episodes for and am now planning and writing the rest of the series.
If I do find the time I would like to open up a nightclub called Wheaty-Pete's where I sell cereals to punters and they can chill out, enjoy the music and enjoy a Frosted and Raisin Wheats cereal combo. Commercially though I think I'm destined for nothing - it's impossible to find anyone who thinks a night out and cereal go hand in hand. Morons.
Lastly, how many times a day do you yell, Stallone style, "I am the Laws!" at people of opposing viewpoints?
The most important aspect of my opinions is that I have to exude them from every pore. With people I know I have reached a stage where exuding opinions is enough to convince them I am right, however with unknowns there is a degree of entropy that I have found difficult to control. Therefore it becomes important, nay essential, that I scream at people so as they might realise that in fact they are wrong and I am right, or as you put it, "I am the Laws!"
Stuart, thank you.
The last edition of ‘Meet the Writers' was with Ladma.
I like Stuart and I really liked Who's Toby. Good luck with the films! 