list.co.uk/comedy Previews | COMEDY
LOCAL LAUGHS MATTHEW ELLIS THE MAN BEHIND JELLYBEAN MARTINEZ TACKLES OUR Q&A A
Can you tell us about the moment when you thought: ‘stand-up is for me’? I bought a Richard Pryor VHS from a bargain bin in Tesco’s and I knew from then that I wanted to speak verbal diarrhoea to people. Do you have any pre- show rituals you can tell us about? When I first started, I had to get dressed EXACTLY the same way or, in my head, it would be a bad gig. Now I just stop being a weirdo, so before I go on, I put my hands up in the air and say ‘I’ll handle this!’
Where do you draw the line when it comes to ‘offensive comedy’? I love offensive comedy; I have a very dark brain. I just don't like it when new comedians to the scene do ‘sick’ jokes just to spark a reaction, like making a Madeleine McCann joke ten years on.
What's the one thing (good or bad) you remember about your very first stand-up gig? The good thing was realising how bad my material was and that I should maybe try a different avenue of comedy. That’s why I tried character comedy even though I'm making Jellybean less of a character and more me these days.
You’re curating your own ‘legends of comedy’ lineup: who are the bill’s top three acts? Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy, Steve Martin. Three different styles of comedy: improv, stand-up and crazy props. All masters of their trade. ■ Jellybean Martinez is at The Stand, Edinburgh, Thu 1, Sat 10 Jun (kids show), Sun 9 Jul; The Stand, Glasgow, Sun 2 Jul (kids show). See more of this q&a at list.co.uk/comedy
1 Jun–31 Aug 2017 THE LIST 73