Circuit Training 34: Phil Nichol was a Pretty Naughty Boy

Best known as one-third of the fine Canadian musical troupe Corky and The Juice Pigs and for winning whatever the Edinburgh Comedy Award was called in 2006, Phil Nichol is still a bit too full-on for our front-rooms, he reckons. That may change in August as his new Edinburgh show, The Simple Hour, is a conscious attempt to show the broadcasting bigwigs that, 'Hey, you can package me. I can even package myself. COME LOOK AT MY PACKET.'

Or something like that. The Simple Hour follows Nichol's splendidly ambitious 2010 show Welcome to Crazytown, in which he played a beatnick jazz poet called Bobby Spade and showed off various hats - singing, acting, comedying. As well as the regular show he'll keep the undergound spirit burning at this year's Fringe with an hour-long midday monologue, the aptly-named Somewhere Beneath It All, A Small Fire Burns Still which 'contains strong language and sexual references.' Of course it does.

Before Phil embarks on that hectic month of gigging he'll be having a more relaxing time at the lovely Larmer Tree festival in July, while Circuit Training caught up with him winding down in India, of all places...

Hi Phil, what on earth are you up to there?

Celebrating my birthday with my girlfriend, as well as doing gigs at the new Comedy Store in Mumbai. Lovely audiences, brilliant shows, great birthday on a beach in Goa...

Nice. What came first for you: acting, songs or stand-up?

When I was at acting school in Windsor, Canada I formed a musical comedy trio called Corky and the Juice Pigs. I wanted to be a stage actor and we stumbled into comedy after entering a competition which ended up with us on a TV show hosted by Eugene Levy and touring across Canada before ending up on The Comedy Club Special with Dudley Moore.

The acting took a back seat and we spent the next ten years pursuing the comedy dream. When the Juice Pigs broke up I moved to London and started my second comedy career as a stand-up. Music has always been part of my life and writing comedy songs is a bit of a laugh so I continue with it.

Those Corky days - were they pretty rock star?

We were pretty naughty boys! We did lots of rock and roll type stuff, from crashing the Montreal comedy festival and running naked through the lobby of the festival hotel while Jerry Lewis looked on, to trying to steal pictures of Lucille Ball that were screwed to the walls of NBC in New York, to drunkenly pinching Terry Jones' face after a debauched cruise of the Melbourne harbour which included seeing how many free drinks we could throw into the harbour before they caught us. Answer: a lot.

'Welcome to Crazytown' took stand-up in a jazzy new direction last year. How do you look back on it now?

I loved it and think it's my best work to date. It was complex, challenging and great fun to perform. Edinburgh should be about taking risks, learning new skills and finding new ways to make comedy. That show was a personal best. I don't give too much value to what reviewers think. They are only human and sometimes are bang-on and sometimes are way off. I'm more interested in maintaining my integrity and the respect of my peers.

Do you have further plans for Crazytown's Bobby Spade?

There is a plan to get it recorded for DVD. But it might be a while before that happens. For now Bobby Spade is on the back burner.

You've hardly become a big TV face since the Edinburgh win - do you actively prefer to stick with live stuff?

I love live performance and want to be the best I can be night-to-night for the audience that have paid to see the show. I really very sincerely want the audience to have the best time possible.

TV doesn't seem too interested in my stand-up which is understandable as it does tend to be a bit contentious, loud and rude. That is why this year's show is an attempt to simplify everything and concentrate on making my show work in both mediums. It's a bit of an experiment.

How does the new show work exactly?

It's a simple light-hearted stand-up show that will take me back to my roots as a bit of a goofball and will find me doing bits and bobs of observational stuff, some silly songs and a bit of surreal tomfoolery. It will be relatively clean and upbeat and I think this reflects my mood. As I said it's an experiment in self control. He he he.

It's also music festival time: how do you find doing comedy at them?

I love it. You get such a great atmosphere and then when you've finished I get to walk a hundred yards and watch some amazing musicians! That is heavenly. I really love the festival audience.

Have you ever had any horrendous festival experiences though?

It's hard to have a bad time at a festival. As a performer/comedian I think of it as part of my job to enjoy myself fully and be an example of how much fun everyone should be having. Let's celebrate!

Phil Nichol plays The Larmer Tree Festival near Salisbury in mid-July - visit www.larmertreefestival.co.uk for details - then two shows at the Edinburgh Fringe throughout August: 'Somewhere Beneath It All, A Small Fire Burns Still' at the Gilded Balloon and The Simple Hour at The Stand.