“If there were 50 comedians starting, after a year there would be 20, after 2 years there would be 10, after 3 years there would be 2…”
It sounds like the beginning to one of Chris Cairns’ jokes. But the only thing in the form of a punchline, is “they literally drop out like flies.”
Chris Cairns is talking about the ultra competitive environment for comedians in Liverpool at the moment. He has survived the cull, and remains as one of Liverpool’s finest funnymen.
Chris is also well received all round the UK. He’s toured as far as Dubai, as well as Holland Spain and Ireland. His knack of being quick off the mark, a danger to hecklers, means people from far and wide trust him to compere their own nights.
He presides over his own too.
With his girlfriend he co-manages two ‘Laughterhouses’ in Liverpool, the main being Liverpool’s comedic jewel in the crown ‘The Slaughterhouse.’
Now militaristic in their regularity, due to their success, the comedy nights here offer not only the best local talent, but frequently the best in the UK, due to the links Chris has successfully forged around the country.
When I asked him what the secret was to a successful comedy club there was no hesitation in his answer; ‘One that’s well run really. I’ve been to lots of comedy clubs that are just poorly run. A lot of people assume they can just set up a stage and put a microphone next to a fruit machine in the corner and that’s a gig, and its not. It’s the timing really.’
Referring to his own success with his two Liverpool venues, Chris goes on,
‘They’re well run because they run on time. A lot of people doing comedy clubs starting out say its going to start at 8pm, it maybe starts at 9pm, or even twenty past, and by the time its finished, 12 o clock, people are already well pissed, and no one cares about the comedy.’
Chris’ speech on paper doesn’t appear funny, but in his presence you chuckle unknowingly. He has a natural, infectious enthusiasm. Its easy to see why he’s become popular. I wondered how this is translated into a structured (maybe?) live set, and asked Chris about his process.
‘I’ve wrote loads with Paddy [Chris’ writing partner] but if I’m not with Paddy I don’t write much, I just think of something funny, it may need telling a few times before it becomes funny, so I say it over and over until it is. Last week I queued up for the midnight opening of Call of Duty [a hugely popular console game] and all these people had been queuing up for ages, it was really big, it was a nightmare. By the time I got to the front of the queue about 1.25am and said ‘listen mate, have you got Mario Kart for the Wii,?’ Everyone in the queue laughed so I wrote that down, now I tell it in a lot more detail in my set.’
I wanted to know more about the competitive environment he described, how this is manifesting in Liverpool. Chris paints a picture of polarity. ‘For better, the gigs are well better run, and well better paid. For worse Its harder to make a name for yourself. When I started, there was a lot more open spots where people could try their luck, whereas a lot of clubs now, won’t really try people out. Its harder now to get into it unless you’re exceptional.’
This can only be good for Liverpool; a difficult environment which forces people to push themselves to the limit. We of course reap the benefits of their honed craft.
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