Randy Writes a Novel: An interview with Randy Feltface

We were lucky enough to catch up with Randy Feltface, the uniquely purple Australian comedian whose new show Randy Writes a Novel is about to land in London. This one-man play sees him ready to bravely lay his soul bare by reading aloud from his unpublished manuscript; however, severe digressions threaten to derail his plan.

A veteran of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and a star of both stage and television, Randy already has a sterling history of inducing laughter both here and back home. We wanted to know what we can expect from his new show and what showbiz life is really like – among other things – and he was good enough to oblige…

I think this was your fifth time at the Fringe… Are you sick of it?

I am sick of it to be honest. The intoxicating atmosphere, the heartbreaking architecture, the thousands of amazing performers dashing themselves against the rocks of international notoriety. I’ll definitely be back next year.

What were the best reactions to the show at the Fringe this year?

I had a man walk onto stage and try to insert my typewriter into me.

What’s your best tip for dealing with hecklers?

Enthusiastically encourage them until you’ve completely alienated the rest of the audience, buy them a drink afterwards, stay in touch with them and gain their trust over time until you eventually become firm friends. Then one day, when their guard is down, kill their dog and eat it.

The content of Randy Writes a Novel proves that you have some strong ethical stances. Can you give us a preview of some of the topical subject matter in the show?

It’s funny you use the word “topical” there because I spend a great deal of the show discussing assorted creams, sprays and balms and their various applications on the human body. Daktozin, Bepanthen, Anusol: I cover the lot.

George Orwell said, “Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness”. Is it really that bad?

George Orwell also said “If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever”, so I think we all know George was a bit of a killjoy.

With your past shows, has there been any notable difference in audience response as you move from one country to another?

They didn’t get me in Equatorial Guinea.

How similar is the typical humour of Australians to that of Brits?

It’s very similar. We think Michael Gove is a bit of a twat too.

Do you have a favourite place in the world to perform?

Minsk.

You don’t shy away from a good rant. What’s your topmost gear-grinding bugbear?

I’m obsessed with semantic drift at the moment. For example, did you know that the word “bugbear” once referred to a legendary hobgoblin that would devour children in their beds, and is now simply used to describe a source of irritation? One day the hobgoblins will rise up and reclaim that word and we’ll all be a lot worse off for it. Particularly the children…

The show Randy Writes a Novel is about to start a run at Soho Theatre, what do you hope to be remembered for there after the run finishes?

That I was polite to staff and the dressing room area was left in a clean and orderly state.

Has the show changed much since being performed at the Edinburgh Fringe?

I spent 26 nights in Edinburgh whittling the show into a bullet-proof hour of theatrical wonderment, but since returning to Australia I’ve decided to put a 16 minute liturgical dance piece in the middle. I think it will really take things up a notch.

This is not your first time performing here in London. Are there any spots here you like? Any you hate?

I actually don’t hate any bits of London. That being said, it can be an exhausting place to navigate with far too many people in it and I’ve never been there in November, so maybe I’ll get back to you after my run and update my answer to “all of it”.

What’s your honest opinion of Londoners?

That they probably don’t care what I think of them.

What do you miss from home when you’re here?

The horizon.

You and Sammy J (your sometime comedy partner) have a touring stage show, have released a CD, spearheaded fundraisers and have a show on Netflix. To what do the pair of you owe your enduring chemistry?

Stubbornness. We’re each patiently waiting for the other to leave.

Any wild, dirty secrets since becoming famous?

I once did a line of cocaine with a guy that once heard from a friend that Benedict Cumberbatch has a secret passage under his house that leads directly to a secret room underneath the Cittie of Yorke pub in Holborn, which was the original cellar from the Inn that occupied that plot of land in 1420. He goes there to read apparently.

What was your last dream?

I was being hounded by culture-hungry millennials for an online contribution but my fingers were too fat to navigate my keyboard.

Could you leave us with a favourite line from your unpublished novel?

All names and events are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Thanks very much!

Cheers!

Laura Foulger

Randy Writes a Novel is at Soho Theatre from 7^th until 19^th November 2016, for further information or to book visit here.

For further information about Randy Feltface visit here.