... because they're not really comedians

Billy Connolly says he doesn’t like being called a stand-up – because he hates being associated with the comics who use the phrase.

He dismissed the expression as describing only just-out-of-college hopefuls who are “not really comedians”.

“To me, stand-up means someone straight out of university at the Edinburgh Fringe, with their jacket sleeves rolled up.

“Only they’re not really comedians, they’re writers. All they want is a Channel 4 series, that’s their dream.

“I never write my act down; if you were to read a transcript of what I do on stage, it would come across as crude - but if you’re in a hall with 4,500 people laughing, you know it works.

In the new Radio Times to promote his forthcoming World Tour of New Zealand, Connolly adds: “Some guys write a show and stick to it. I can see the comfort in that, but I think the audience can feel it when someone’s sticking to a script.

“I know I can spot written material a mile off.”

And he added that he never tries to ingratiate himself with audiences.

"When you’re a comedian, making yourself likeable cancels out what you’re trying to do,” he said. “I want my audience to laugh, sure, but I don’t necessarily want to be liked.”

Published: 16 Nov 2004