TMC Interview : Nina Conti talks filth and furry animals…

by Fairy Cake

It’s a regular comedy jamboree this week on The Most Cake.  First lezzie stand-up  Zoe Lyons and now genius monkey-botherer Miss Nina Conti.

Comedy fans amongst you may already be familiar with ventriloquist Nina, who sidled onto the comedy scene back in the early 00’s, snapping up The BBC New Comedy award for Best Act in 2002.  After a slew of international tours, and appearances in everything from Black Books to For Your Consideration, Nina’s currently putting the finishing touches to her summer laugh-riot, ‘Talk to the Hand’, which will see her sticking an arm up the bottom of various furry comedic characters, including the legendary misanthropic primate Monk.

Luckily for me (and you, cake-lovers), I got the chance to meet filth-monger Nina after a blinding set at Bush Hall last Thursday.  And despite being a little exhausted, she was still compass-damagingly magnetic.  Here’s what she had to say for herself.

How do you write?  Do you have a process?

Yes…it’s a mucky one but I do have a process.  It’s a little bit of talking to the puppets, and seeing what they say.  Then a little bit of trying to remember what was said, and writing it down…It’s very important to talk to the puppets, as it awakes my imagination when I see their faces, sat there, thinking of what to reply.  Stewing at a laptop won’t produce that sort of thing.   It’s a little bit silly, and…

A bit schizophrenic?

…and a bit schizophrenic.  But I’ve become so used to it that sitting talking to myself in an empty room doesn’t seem insensible anymore.  It’s a valid part of my work!  I am not a crazy person – it’s my career – and for me it’s the best way of working.

I think it would be seriously weird if somebody watched me doing it though.

It’s quite a private thing I imagine?

Actually – having said that, I’ve just been working with Bill Dare (legendary comedy producer and all-round hilarity factory).  So, I’ve been going to his house with the puppets, and he sort of asks questions and narrates stuff…so it does happen that way too.

It’s nice to just chuck stuff up with other people, then go by myself and think “Do I really like that?  Do I want to do it that way?”.  Audiences are a good gauge too.

Do you test your shows on people before they‘re finalised?

No no – I don’t put anyone through that!  But during little shows like this you can squeeze in something new.

Do you get nervous?

Yes yes.  But I don’t get sicky or shakey.  My nerves come in a different way.  If I’ve got a gig, around about 5pm in the evening I’ll get really tired and start thinking, “Maybe I’m coming down with something…perhaps I’m working too hard.  Maybe this is a sign.”  Like it’s a new thought, every night.   Absurd.  It’s a brand of insanity.  Then of course I get to the gig, I do the gig, it goes okay, and I’m fine.

Most enjoyable heckle you’ve ever had?

I don’t know about enjoyable!   I get a lot of monkey-related jokes.  And I got “Get your tits out” in Belfast once.  I had no come back for that.

Do you think you’ll ever do stand up without something on your hand?

No.  I don’t think so.  I could do stand-up as a character, to cover the Id, y’know?  But not as Nina.  Boring!  Who would want it?  And now that we’ve seen her with all these other characters, I feel that would be a step back.  I would have to change who I was to make stand-up worthwhile, because I’ve got a straight man personality.  In life I’ve often queried why I turned out so inoffensive and gauche…

Monk’s pretty offensive!  Surely he is  part of you?

Yes, I guess he is.  I’m unshockably filthy…as those who know me well know.   I think everyone is.  Some people who are wonderfully liberated don’t have to put on a public face, but I’m not – so the filth gets squeezed down my neck, along my arm and comes out through the monkey.

Now to the “women in comedy” question…

I’ve been asked that a lot.

Oh no, I don’t want to be cliche…

No, no…don’t worry about that – I just haven’t really prepared an answer.  Thinking about myself as “a woman in comedy” isn’t a source of creativity.  There’s no funny stuff there, without doing something overly triumphant, or playing on the underdog theme, neither of which interest me.  I just do my thing and try not to dwell on my gender.  I think there’s something about my act which plays on the virgin/whore thing, which is certainly a more female dynamic, but I think I have been received pretty fairly.

Any tips for young comediennes?

Having said that “it doesn’t make a difference if you’re a woman on the comedy circuit”, there are fewer of us, so if we’re good we do well quickly.  So yeah…stay female.

Finally – what’s your favourite type of cake?

Cheesecake.  That slightly cheap cheesecake covered in jam that you get in supermarkets.  I love it.

Nina’s currently previewing her summer show ‘Talk to the Hand‘ at Leicester Square Theatre.  You can check her out on YouTube or keep an eye on her website for upcoming events.