Watts so funny?
Beatbox comic REGGIE WATTS discusses his "hilarious" Irish accent, the importance of "feeding" the audience and recalls his unlikely transition from budding jazz star to 'fro sporting chuckle-meister
Craig Fitzpatrick, 30 Jun 2010
Reggie Watts is a different sort of comedian. He's a soul singer. A beatboxer. With a little loop pedal assistance, often he's both simultaneously. In between, he proffers stream-of-consciousness lines designed to bemuse and entrance. He can also do a decent take-off of the kind of earnest Irish choral music peddled by Anuna. Which is pretty eclectic coming from a Brooklyn-based comic sporting a thundercloud afro.
He mightn't be doing that particular bit when he hits Dublin for the Comedy Carnival in July, however. "I have an Irish accent but I'm not confident enough to actually do it in front of Irish people!" he laughs. It's been two years since Watts, who counts David O'Doherty and Maeve Higgins as friends, has been over here.
"Irish crowds are great. I was a little worried at first, Irish comedians are known as some of the best comedians in the world so it was a little daunting. But everybody was really cool."
So what can you expect from a Watts show? There'll be a mix of comedy and music, improv and vocal sampling. Aside from that, even Watts isn't certain. "It's improvised, so hopefully there'll be a few new things. It's all pretty basic for me, all environmental. I never know until I get there. I'm not really a news guy, I just try to take a survey of what's happening and mix it in."
It sounds like he's walking a tightrope every night without much of a net to catch him.
"There's definitely gigs where I feel more connected than others," he agrees, "I have things I can fall back on while I'm trying to find my groove again. Some gigs are better than others, as Morrissey would say."
Having a good crowd to play off is key. "Audience food" he calls it. "It's essentially a form of energy. When I'm on stage I'm listening to that. An audience is weirdly like an ocean. Like surfing – the rolls of laughter are very similar to that. You're surfing around, making sure you're taking care of them and yourself. And then everything should be okay. Should be!"
Watts grew up in Great Falls, Montana and, though he came from a "music-appreciating" family, he points out that "no one in my family really plays any instruments, which is odd".
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