Jordan Brookes

Written by: Si Hawkins
Published: Thursday 10th November 2016

The best show I saw at this year's Edinburgh Fringe - and I saw some bloody corkers - was Jordan Brookes' The Making Of, which is sort of the story of his gap year, but that isn't the half of it. Or even (rough guess) a fifth of it.

Brookes is a crazy-faced, wildly-physical human ideas factory, who makes other comedians seem a little half-assed by comparison. And he's doing that show again, for two nights at The Museum Of Comedy in London's Bloomsbury. Mind you, looking at the early-show memories below, it's a wonder that he's still gigging at all.

First gig?

Total disaster. None of my fans came. Was booked to do five minutes in the side room of a pub. Ended up doing 18 minutes to the kind of piercing silence you hear when sleeping in the countryside and you wake up in the middle of the night. The audience was principally made up of a family of non-English speaking people sat round a table, who'd just finished a three course meal and then a comedy night got brought out as the unwanted mint that accompanies the bill.

They slowly left one by one throughout the longest 18 minutes of my life, until there was one lady left, furthest from the exit. Every time a gag fell flat she moved to a chair nearer the door like a sad game of musical chairs. Thankfully I had enough dud jokes in my locker to allow her to successfully evacuate the building.

Favourite show, ever?

Don't know. I really enjoy them at the time but the moment it's over my memory of what actually happened gives way to neuroses and doubt.

Worst gig?

My second gig. A shisha bar where they didn't know comedy was happening. No mic, no lighting, no stage, and I was the only act. The MC (who'd had to cobble together the night last minute due to a misunderstanding with the venue) got the fear five minutes before and said to me "it'd make more sense if you just started it. No need for me to MC," which made no sense.

But I was keen to make an impression so entered this side room and just started shouting. I was heckled within 30 seconds with "you're not Asian." Yep. The night had been billed as an all-Asian occasion. I spent 11 minutes apologising and shouting up and down this dimly-lit room and left to zero applause. The 'MC' then took over and told the crowd "Right guys, that's it for the comedy night. Let's give all our acts a round of applause. See you next week."

Who's the most disagreeable person you've come across in the business?

It would be discourteous of me to say, but generally it seems to be anyone who treats comedy too much like a 'business'.

The weirdest gig?

My second ever gig. Oh, and one from earlier this year when there were 29 squaddies in the audience who heckled the first comedian (who is female) with "show us yer tits." I'm not a confrontational person, but when I went out there I was pretty angry, spent 20 minutes berating them, then had to hurry out and bundle myself into a taxi the moment it was over. I'm such a hero.

Is there one routine/gag you loved, that audiences inexplicably didn't?

Not really. I'm never in love with any particular joke until the audience enjoy it too. Until then it's just this shapeless thing I'm ambivalent about.

What's your best insider travel tip, for touring comics?

Don't bring a book or headphones or anything that'll distract your brain from exploring the crippling truth of your own terminal unimportance. Sometimes it's okay to feel like that.

The most memorable review, heckle or post-gig reaction?

My one-star tweet review during the Edinburgh Fringe from someone who was on their phone half the time, probably writing the review as they went.

How do you feel about where your career is at, right now?

Everything feels like it's too much and not enough simultaneously.

Jordan Brookes' show The Making Of is at London's Museum of Comedy on the 16th and 17th November. For tickets visit: museumofcomedy.com