The Art of Comedy: A Conversation with Andy Zaltzman
For Andy Zaltzman, comedy is a "total" art form – encompassing everything from biting satire and literary parody to slapstick humor and, yes, dick jokes. The comedian's love affair with Ancient Greek comedy began at university, where he studied the plays of Aristophanes, who was a master of ridiculing politics, social norms, and cultural conventions.
Zaltzman's entry into standup comedy was a serendipitous one – albeit initially by accident. After struggling in open mic gigs, he eventually found his footing at the Comedy Cafe's Wednesday night show. The comedian credits this experience to carrying on and gradually becoming paid for his performances.
One gig that stands out as a particularly memorable (and humorous) failure was in Killarney, Ireland, where Zaltzman was asked to headline a hotel nightclub despite being an unfamiliar face to the audience. His set was met with "a fascinating cocktail of silence, hostility, confusion, apathy, resentment, and pity," only interrupted by the disco's pulsating beat that kept him awake until 4 am.
Before each show, Zaltzman avoids having nightmares about Killarney nightclubs. However, he does have pre-show rituals, like practicing gratitude for not being on stage at a similar venue.
As for comedy heroes, Zaltzman cites The Day Today and Brass Eye, which inspired him to create more satirical material. His admiration for Aristophanes has never wavered – he attributes the ancient Greek's "total" comedic approach as a benchmark.
One of Zaltzman's favorite gigs was at Bangladesh's first-ever comedy club during the 2011 Cricket World Cup coverage. The tiny basement room, complete with brick backdrop and Seinfeld photos, provided an inspiring atmosphere for the comedian to experiment.
Zaltzman has faced some challenging heckles throughout his career – like a front-row sleeper who refused to fall asleep. However, he's managed to find creative ways to address such situations.
The comedian's latest show, The Zaltgeist, is an attempt to make sense of a world plagued by increasingly absurd politics and social issues. Satire has become more complicated, with the comedian noting that it can be both easier and harder in this current climate – plus exhausting, repetitive, and cathartic all at once.
As for what's next, Zaltzman aims to watch England pull off an Ashes miracle and then return home for a new series of The News Quiz and The Zaltgeist tour.
For Andy Zaltzman, comedy is a "total" art form – encompassing everything from biting satire and literary parody to slapstick humor and, yes, dick jokes. The comedian's love affair with Ancient Greek comedy began at university, where he studied the plays of Aristophanes, who was a master of ridiculing politics, social norms, and cultural conventions.
Zaltzman's entry into standup comedy was a serendipitous one – albeit initially by accident. After struggling in open mic gigs, he eventually found his footing at the Comedy Cafe's Wednesday night show. The comedian credits this experience to carrying on and gradually becoming paid for his performances.
One gig that stands out as a particularly memorable (and humorous) failure was in Killarney, Ireland, where Zaltzman was asked to headline a hotel nightclub despite being an unfamiliar face to the audience. His set was met with "a fascinating cocktail of silence, hostility, confusion, apathy, resentment, and pity," only interrupted by the disco's pulsating beat that kept him awake until 4 am.
Before each show, Zaltzman avoids having nightmares about Killarney nightclubs. However, he does have pre-show rituals, like practicing gratitude for not being on stage at a similar venue.
As for comedy heroes, Zaltzman cites The Day Today and Brass Eye, which inspired him to create more satirical material. His admiration for Aristophanes has never wavered – he attributes the ancient Greek's "total" comedic approach as a benchmark.
One of Zaltzman's favorite gigs was at Bangladesh's first-ever comedy club during the 2011 Cricket World Cup coverage. The tiny basement room, complete with brick backdrop and Seinfeld photos, provided an inspiring atmosphere for the comedian to experiment.
Zaltzman has faced some challenging heckles throughout his career – like a front-row sleeper who refused to fall asleep. However, he's managed to find creative ways to address such situations.
The comedian's latest show, The Zaltgeist, is an attempt to make sense of a world plagued by increasingly absurd politics and social issues. Satire has become more complicated, with the comedian noting that it can be both easier and harder in this current climate – plus exhausting, repetitive, and cathartic all at once.
As for what's next, Zaltzman aims to watch England pull off an Ashes miracle and then return home for a new series of The News Quiz and The Zaltgeist tour.
I feel like comedy is super underrated as a form of mental health therapy lol. Like Andy Zaltzman said, it's all about making sense of the absurdity around us. And omg that gig in Killarney was a total disaster 
! But you know what they say, "the show must go on" right? I'm totally inspired by The Day Today and Brass Eye too - those were some sharp satirical skills back then 
. Can't wait for The Zaltgeist tour to come to town!
.
like, satirizing absurdity is literally the best way 2 deal w/ it 
andy's goal 2 make sense of it aLl w/ his show, The Zaltgeist, is def worth checkin out 
i mean, who else can make fun of politics & social issues without gettin too serious? 
not to mention his love for Aristophanes - genius, right?! 
anyway, The Zaltgeist sounds AMAZING! gotta get tickets ASAP 
! And don't even get me started on the whole Aristophanes thing – is he really the ultimate comedy hero or has he been overhyped? 
I mean, his work is alright, but I'm not convinced it's that groundbreaking.
. The fact that he cites Aristophanes as an inspiration makes total sense - his comedic style does feel very "total" 
. Can't wait for the new Zaltgeist tour 
!
. I mean, Andy Zaltzman's got some great points about how satire has become more complicated, but what if it's just getting harder to find that perfect balance between being clever and not being too preachy? And don't even get me started on the importance of having a good pre-show ritual - does practicing gratitude really work or is that just something he says? 
. One thing I do know for sure though, is that Andy Zaltzman's comedy shows are always entertaining, even when they're not at their best (I mean, who needs sleep when you've got a pulsating disco beat? 
).