Deranged genius' Paul Foot is bringing his Image Conscious tour to Cambridge
The popular comedian will be appearing at The Junction this Saturday (September 13).
‘Have you ever considered the unique predicament of the soft-shell crab?” Paul Foot asks in the promotional material for his new show, Image Conscious. “Well I have,” he continues.
“That animal is absolutely ridiculous. What about the many, many problems that occur when organising a suburban orgy? The catering, for example. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, which incidentally is a terrible type of lettuce.”
Attempting to describe his fairly off-the-wall brand of humour, Paul said: “My comedy is always changing and always moving, like a migrating whale. You see a blast of air coming up from the water, and you think you know where it is, but then it dives down again – and when you see the next blast of air it’s over 13 miles away.
“It’s a nightmare to track really, but it’ll always surprise you. I guess that’s what’s so wonderful about whales.”
The comic, 44, enjoys being on tour. “I love performing comedy,” he said. “It is my life and my job and my hobby, and I love crafting a new show and taking it all around the country performing it to my connoisseurs, and new people who discover my humour.”
Paul likes Cambridge “I think the centre of Cambridge is really beautiful, even more beautiful than Oxford – which I probably shouldn’t say as I studied at Oxford,” he said. “I was once walking through the less picturesque part of Cambridge, near the station, minding my own business.
“Suddenly, an adult cyclist travelling along the pavement aggressively rang her bell and told me to get out of the way. As I was in a fluster, I didn’t have time to point out that the pavement is for pedestrians and there was no call for such behaviour. I still get annoyed by the incident, when I think about it. I’ve never really got over it.
“Also, I once performed at one of the Cambridge college balls. This involved getting up from my hotel bed at 2am to go to work, which brought memories flooding back of my time as a failed sex worker in Cape Verde.”
The Daily Express once described Paul as a “rare exotic bird”. If that were true, what type of bird would he be? “I usually don’t discuss matters of a personal nature,” said Paul, “but I will make an exception this once.
“A scarlet ibis perhaps, or a toucan, or a long-headed Honduran seagull. My name could be Toucan, Toucan O’Reilly.”
On why people should flock to see this wayward talent, he said: “There are various different reasons one might wish to come and sample my humour. Maybe you’re stuck in a dead-end marriage and you want to learn the best way to organise a suburban orgy.
“The trick really is to get the catering right, then everything else just falls into place – sometimes literally. Or maybe you’re a fan of the royal family who needs to hear some harsh home truths. Or maybe you’re just sick to death of watching MasterChef and just want to get out of the house.
“All of these are valid reasons to come and see my humour, although you don’t have to specifically fit into one of these categories. The humour is accessible to all, like McDonald’s toilets or Ryanair.”
junction.co.uk
