A chat with Dan Clark of “How not to live your life” before his Harrogate show

Harrogate-News interviews Dan Clark, of the hit TV comedy “How not to live you life” who is shortly starting a comedy tour including Harrogate Theatre on 29th April 2011.

The questions below were suggested by the facebook fans of Harrogate-News.

Have you ever been heckled so bad you didn’t know what to say back?

“Yes, once!

It was in the early days of doing stand-up comedy and I had agreed to do a free gig, being a free gig they didn’t really value me being there and throughout the act a couple of guys just kept on talking at the bar.

During a pause one of the men shouted over your not still going on about that are you ? and I really didn’t know what to say back, it ended up in a bit of an argument and ultimately me walking off. It hasn’t happened since though.”

Do you have a routine to get ready for being on the stage?

“Not really but sometimes nervousness can make you feel tired in a way and I do a bit of punching in the air to get ready, but not really anything else

Do you have any plans to make another series of How not to live your life?

“I am due to talk to the BBC next week about this. The previous series have been well received and the BBC have liked them too so I am hopeful there will be.”

Is the character “Don Danbery” based on anyone/share any characteristics of him?

“If I said I did it could make me sound really bad! Don does share bits of my personality but where Don just says or does things, I stop myself doing that. I guess there is a  part of me that is Don in reality.

Bits of him are based on an amalgamation of people I have witnessed over the years, people sometimes say he reminds them friend or boyfriend and that that they admire him in a way in how he just says and does without filtering what he says and does.”

How would you describe your stand-up ?

“Essentially it is observational comedy so it’s about things I have seen and witnessed and sometimes gone through, but it sometimes has a surreal twist to it and is at times quiet rude or edgy….. like my sitcom the stand-up also comes from the left-field too and in the second half we are also doing a lot of songs which I haven’t done before, some of them are from the show that work out of context and a lot of new material with a guy that plays lots of instruments”

We have a 1min  20seconds left, how would you like to be remembered or remembered and talked about at your own funeral?

<laughs>

“That’s a big question for a short time!

Many people say that they would like everyone to be happy at their funeral and for it to be a celebration, but the Don Danberry side of me says I would like everyone to be miserable and crying in how they can possibly live their lives without me <laughing>

It reminds me of an episode of How not to live your life where Don let people believe he was dying to get lots of attention though.

Thank you Dan for finding time to speak to us and we look forward in seeing you when you come to Harrogate and hopefully in the next series of How not to live your life.