Plan for 2014

Eddie Izzard is planning to play a gig in each of America’s 50 states next year.

The idea follows his current Force Majeure tour, which covers 25 countries throughout Europe, USA, Africa, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, India, Nepal and The Far East.

In an interview with Chortle, published today, the comic said: ‘I love doing stand-up. I think I'm going to play all 50 US states next year’.

In 2011, Izzard became the first comedian to appear at the Hollywood Bowl, but he has not tested his appeal in rural America.

Yet he says he enjoys mixing intimate venues with huge arenas – and dismisses criticism that such place are unsatisfying places to watch stand-up.

He said: 'The Hollywood Bowl is a good fit for comedy. The “aircraft hangers”of the arenas, like rock 'n' roll in a stadium, is it like watching television in a field? I would argue with that.

‘I've done some great arena gigs, at Wembley particularly. But they have to get the sound right because these venues were built more for ice hockey and ice skating. The new ones they're building now, this is somewhere stand-up's really going to happen, where you can do 'big intimacy'. It might sound stupid but I believe that the seats at the back of the Hollywood Bowl were the best, you got the whole event.

‘Intimacy, small, dingy room, 100-seater, yes... I do do those. I want to do both. Why the fuck should rock 'n' roll be able to play stadiums, and we in comedy aren't?!

‘Obama was playing to 100,000 people when he was doing his campaigning and I'm sure those speeches were electrifying. I think the only way for comedy to get good at playing the bigger places is if a lot of us are doing it, so they change the buildings or change the way we deal with the spoken word. It's only if we all get into it that it's going to happen.’

Click here to read the full interview.

Published: 30 May 2013