Stand-Up Comedian, Phillip Wragg
Have you ever noticed how people walk along Oxford Street? Surely, you'd think, they would all walk pretty much the same way. No, they don't. Stand-up comedian Phillip Wragg has made a study of the varying ways in which people navigate London's busiest shopping street, and made it part of his hilarious routine. He also discusses different sex faces, talks about bedroom shenanigans so vigorous you end up inside the duvet cover, and has a major beef with everything about the Elephant and Castle Shopping centre. But it's not all sex and shopping, there's also drinking, "gay stuff", and observations of London life, making Phillip one of the capital's funniest and most exciting comedians. How soon into a conversation with someone where you've mentioned being a comedian do they ask you to tell them a joke? Phillip Wragg: To be honest, not many people ask me to tell them a joke. There are not many stand-up comedians around these days that tell 'jokes'. I certainly don't, I tell stories that are hopefully funny, obviously there are punchlines, but not in the old style. The most common reaction is "wow, I could never do that!". I think it taps into people's fears of public speaking and not being in control, which is understandable.Do people start suggesting ideas for your material? PW: My friends give me lots of ideas and my family give me material without even knowing it! I do tend to sit in social situations observing and earwigging a lot. As far as I know my friends haven't started censoring themselves yet... My material is very personal and observational, so everyday life always goes into my set and we [comedians] all find ourselves having moments where we think "I must remember this, it's going to be a great story." One of my sets is about Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre, that set literally wrote itself after I ended up in there by accident; it was like being in a candid camera zombie film. 
How did you get into comedy? PW: I had always wanted to do stand-up. I was raised with a lot of comedy in the house, I was allowed to stay up late to watch "An Audience with Billy Connolly" and "An Audience with Victoria Wood", and became obsessed with the idea that you could make a living from standing on stage, making people laugh. I have been addicted to comedy ever since, but never knew how to get into performing until I heard about the stand-up course run by Amused Moose. I signed up to the two-month course and at the end I had to do a five minute set in front of an audience, and it took off from there.How would you describe your style?PW: My style is just being myself. Friends that have come to see me say it's like I'm having a conversation with them, rather than 'performing'. I am gay, and that features a lot in my stand-up, I think it's important as in the past gay men have come across as being the joke or being 'camp', and I just wanted to share my experiences of being a gay man living in London, talking about relationships and men. I also do observational comedy, my friends say they can't walk down Oxford Street without thinking about my set on people's walks, and that was absolutely my intention.Who are your influences? PW: Victoria Wood, who is an excellent storyteller. I love American female comics like Joan Rivers, Kathy Griffin and Wanda Sykes for their shock value, and also Eddie Izzard and Ellen Degeneres for their more surreal take on everyday life.How do you deal with heckling? What's the worst one you've had? PW: I'm very lucky in that I've not had to deal with much heckling. I was very worried about it at first, but generally it doesn't happen that often, and when it does it's usually a drunk idiot. I think it's important to remember that the audience are on your side, and you have a microphone - so shut them up and move on! The worst heckle I had was this brain-dead homophobe who was using vile language all through my set. I can't repeat exactly what I said, but let's just say I threatened to do something with him involving his arse and my fist, and he left shortly after that.The London comedy scene is so huge, and there are a vast pool of (mostly) talented comedians. How does a comic carve a name of themself there? You've done really well in stand-up competitions - do these help? PW: Comedy competitions can pretty hateful to be honest. I think comedy is subjective and people like different styles, so it's very hard to say who is the 'best'. Competition wins do look good on your posters, but it's far more important to just get out there and do it. The more you gig, the better you'll get - treat it like a job, be punctual in both turning up on time and not running over your set, be polite to other comedians and to promoters, don't get ahead of yourself; comedy takes years to get into and is hard work!
Why do comedians aim to get on radio and TV? Is it all about getting a bigger audience? There are comedians like Daniel Kitson who choose to only to only do live performance: what's your ideal? PW: I think it is partly about getting a bigger audience, and partly just about getting the recognition you deserve. Most of the comedians on TV have been on the circuit of the years and been gigging every night, so good for them if it works out. Other comedians are just happy to do the circuit, Daniel Kitson being a key example - not known to the wider population but his gigs sell out in minutes! I would love to do TV if I'm honest, but I know I need to work a lot harder to get there.What's your advice for someone wanting to start doing stand-up in London? PW: Just go for it! My attitude was always: if it's not going to kill me, what's the worst that could happen? There are several courses out there now, that's a good start. Get five minutes of material together and put your name down at an open mic night. If people want to know what the stand-up circuit is really like, my amazing friend, Viv Groskop, has just published this book all about it. It's an essential read!If money were no object, which project would you do next?PW: I'd love to take a show to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2014 or 2015, it's a dream of mine. It can be very expensive doing a show there, including travel, accommodation, publicity, taking three weeks off work, and obviously the intense psychotherapy needed afterwards! Quick Fire Q's