Marny Godden
Published: Tuesday 23rd February 2021
One random comedian, eight random questions; it's the ultimate test of funny person and fate.
This week we welcome Marny Godden, the character comic, artist, actor and all-round creative force for good. Tomorrow night Marny and several comedy cohorts appear at the monthly Big Wowie! Comedy Cabaret, which is in cahoots with Grow, Hackney but accessible everywhere as it's a free Zoom affair. Join in or just lurk, from your own lounge/bedroom/loo (maybe turn the webcam off if the latter).
So what has Godden gotten up to, this weird few months?
"I've been developing my comic creative style, and really enjoying myself by creating satisfying bite-size formats I can make at home on my iPhone," she explains. "I'm mixing a little bit of art with a little bit of magic and character performance."
Magic. And what might Marny do at this particular gig?
"My performance with Big Wowie! Comedy Cabaret will most likely be a singing rat or something equally as thrilling."
We would absolutely watch that. Marny Godden, your Random 8 await.
Who is - or was - your most interesting relative?
My granny, Juliana. She was a Dutch woman who moved to the UK during the war. She was a poet, and a performer. One of her catchphrases, said in a thick Dutch accent, is "you'll regret it!" or "Godverdomme!"
She was very dramatic but also had an innocence which made her lovable. Recently I found out that during the birth of her first child in Paris, she made absolutely no noise at all, and apparently the doctors found this very odd.
Which historical figure should get more attention?
Beethoven. I'm not sure young people discuss his genius enough.
What's the best thing you ever bought a ticket for?
The Kate Bush concert of 2014. This concert was a transcendent experience. From the moment she took to the stage we were transfixed. In the interval there were people in tears and stunned silence just sat on the carpeted stairs of the Apollo foyer, all of us knowing that this was something truly magical we were witnessing.
The greatest thing in your wardrobe?
A giant rainbow-coloured lampshade I made into a hat which plays music.
Who's the most interesting person you've ever met?
Probably a Robert Smith lookalike. It was during the '90s when The Cure were the coolest band of all. My brother and I chased a man who we thought was Robert Smith up the street and when we caught up with him realised, 'oh, this is someone dressed like him'; how awkward yet fascinating to watch a bigger fan than us experience fame from this perspective.
Which film or TV show would you love to have been in, and which part?
I would have loved to play Rick in The Young Ones. I love The Young Ones still, nothing else apart from Bottom touches it. The character Rick is raucous and hilarious and so charismatic. I definitely aspire to these things.
What's the worst job you've ever had?
Working in an ice-cream hut selling refrozen ice-cream to tourists in Greenwich Park, for £2.50 an hour.
Your most memorable injury?
Jumping off apparatus in primary school, biting my tongue in half. I still have a tongue flap. Want to see?
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