Loyiso Gola

Written by: Si Hawkins
Published: Thursday 20th July 2017

Fresh from a sunny morning gig on the Latitude Festival's mighty comedy stage ("fun crowd"), South African star Loyiso Gola is now gearing up for the lengthier challenge of the Edinburgh Fringe.

The Emmy-winning comic has an intriguing theme for the follow-up to last year's well-received Dude, Where's My Lion? His new hour, Unlearning, "goes through my personal journey of trying to learn new things and in turn having to unlearn a lot," says Gola. "Turns out unlearning is way more difficult."

Unlearning difficulties: it's a new one. Now, let's learn a bit about Loyiso's comedy past.

First gig?

My first gig was at a venue called the Armchair Theatre in Cape Town. It was a tiny theatre with a small audience of about 30 people seated on bean bags and couches. I was 17 years old and I went on first so that I could go home because I had school the following day.

Favourite show, ever?

Playing the Royal Albert Hall was quite fun. In 2010, six South African comics played to a sold out Albert Hall. It was a great experience. Walking down the corridors and seeing all the acts that have played there. It's electrifying.

Worst gig?

I once performed to 100 Chinese tourists who didn't understand a word of English. They gave me nothing.

The weirdest gig?

I did a gig to about 100 people in absolute darkness. We hard to perform in the dark to raise funds for an organisation that works with the visually impaired. Fun, but I did find it weird.

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

One of the things I am unlearning is talking bad about people. I will reserve my comments.

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

Yeah definitely, but I am stubborn when it comes to that kind of stuff. I perform the bit anyway until they cave in. The thing is that the consumer doesn't know what they want. If you asked a consumer 10 years ago what they want... no one would have said Uber or iPad. I just like to keep giving people ideas that challenge their existing experience.

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

Always pack a suit and some shoes.

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

In Melbourne earlier this year someone had an epileptic fit while I was on stage. I never light the audience so I didn't know what was going on until someone shouted "stop telling jokes she is having an episode."

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

I am trying to have as much fun in my career as possible. Wherever my career takes me I must be consistently enjoying myself. My goal is to not stop learning.