In this episode of The Comedians paradise, we sit down with a true stalwart of the London open mic circuit: the brilliant and unpredictable John Sharp. With a comedy journey spanning over two decades, John shares his raw, unfiltered perspective on what it really takes to survive on the grassroots circuit without compromising your artistic integrity. Here is an overview of what we discussed:
[[00:50]] Starting Out in 2004: Gigs on Malcolm Hardy’s Wibbly Wobbly Boat [[01:21]]
[[02:14]] Horrible Histories & Spotting Otis Cannelloni at the King's Head [[03:43]]
[[03:43]] Podcast Interruption: The Next David Bowie in the Next Room [[04:13]]
[[05:32]] Agency Monopolies: How Avalon and Off The Curb Hog the Circuit [[06:19]]
[[06:19]] Industry Gossip: The Rise of Chambers Management & The Comedy Cafe [[07:20]]
[[07:20]] Managing Expectations: Being a 65-Year-Old Comic with Low Goals [[08:22]]
[[08:22]] Niche vs Mainstream: The Freedom of Saying No to Paid Gigs [[09:00]]
[[09:00]] Morals on Stage: Respecting Trans Rights & Avoiding Toxic Line-ups [[10:23]]
[[10:23]] Audience Feedback: "Brilliant But Crazy" Onstage Persona [[11:07]]
[[11:07]] Mental Health & Physicality: Why 'Crazy' is a Lazy Word in Comedy [[11:58]]
[[21:16]] The Andrew Sachs Scandal: Should the producer take the blame? [[23:15]]
[[27:23]] How comedy has changed since John started [[29:31]]
[[29:31]] Closing thoughts and reflections [[33:86]]
If you would like to know more on John Sharp, you can follow his Facebook profile here and see his wonderful ramblings on the circuit:https://www.facebook.com/john.sharp.1048.You can follow this podcast on Youtube at https://bit.ly/41LWDAq, Spotify at https://spoti.fi/3oLrmyU,Apple podcasts at https://apple.co/3LEkr3E and you can support the pod on:https://www.patreon.com/thecomediansparadise.
