Jokes with Jasper

Jasper Carrott is one of Britain’s most established stand-up comedians and has five gold albums under his belt so it was no surprise that this was an incredibly entertaining event.

During his one-hour conversation with Geoff Rowe, director of Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival, he joked about the success of Funky Moped’s B-side; car insurance claim forms and stealing jokes.

I wasn’t aware of quite how much he'd influenced British stand-up. He was at the forefront along with Billy Connolly who used language too offensive for television, giving Jasper the spotlight.

As well as British folk clubs, he circuited well known American comedy clubs such as The Comedy Store alongside such icons as Jay Leno and Richard Pryor. This lead to his ‘big break’ in the states; a recommendation from actor, Robin Williams, to a journalist for the LA times sparked a review which caused tickets to his five shows to sell out in just an hour!

Unfortunately, he feels too old to carry on with stand-up. He worries that there would be no surprise left and he lacks the “enthusiasm, vibrancy and hunger” necessary. He did go on to detail some ideas for an interesting new outlook on comedy he hadn’t quite figured out, perhaps hoping an up-and-coming comedian could make it work. The unassuming Brummie did say, however, that he’d be honoured if his material was recycled by a ‘counterfeit Carrott’ - but he'd definitely show up and heckle. 

 

Hannah Maggs