‘Mad’ Mike Taylor comedy grinch has been an integral part of comedy forums for years, often being bullied by other middle-aged men with weird obsessions. But who is the man behind the computer? I sat down with promoter and ex comedian Mike Taylor for a chat about comedy OK?
Do you remember the first time you laughed?
Difficult one there, probably when I was a baby, I had 2 older sisters who used to delight in the fact I’m incredibly ticklish. I think I’ve always liked laughter, the first live stand up I saw was when I was about 8 or 9 I went with my mum and dad to see Ken Dodd in Blackpool, I still think he’s great.
What is it about comedy that people love?
Partly it’s just a good way of celebrating the fact they are happy, often it might be related to Mel Brooks definition of tragedy and comedy, ‘tragedy is me stubbing my toe, comedy is you falling in a open sewer and drowning’. I do get a feeling that a bullying style of comedy is becoming popular at the moment, I don’t think that’s too good a thing, Frankie Boyle would possibly be a good example, personally I prefer a comic who takes the [stuffing] out of themselves.
Do you run any gigs?
Yes, currently 3, The Rose & Crown Hotel in Clitheroe, The ACE Centre in Nelson and Bury Met Theatre. I’ve got another one that’s starting in September on the outskirts of Rochdale, plus several more that I’m working on. I’m really keen on double up gigs, you can get a better quality of act if you can offer them two jobs on the same night, the new Rochdale gig is the same night as Bury Met and they’re the night before the Rose & Crown and the ACE so even 4 jobs in 2 nights. The hardest part is finding the right venue in the right place with the right people running it, especially as I prefer to run gigs in places that you don’t get too much entertainment, they come along wanting to be entertained with a positive attitude.
From my research on various computer comedy forums you seem to have had your fair share of e-guments! Do you consider you have a hostile personality?
It’s funny is that one, most people who’ve actually met me, either socially or workwise will probably tell you how easy I am to get on with, I try to be laid back if I can. However on the net people change and I’m probably the same, especially if I’ve had a drink, but the are certain people who can say what they like and lots will suck up to them because they run really big gigs or lots of them. A good friend says that if certain people (who shall remain nameless) posted that they had decided racism and fascism were a good idea, half the people on there would be comics pledging their allegiance to the BNP just like that, in the hope that they’d get gigs. Generally I have dislike of bullies and hypocrisy, in every grouping you’ll get people who’ll form cliques, funnily enough though I’m a member of several other discussion boards, (not comedy related) and there is rarely as much of the bullying and hypocrisy that you see on the comedy forums. Rather strange in away as you’d think that a comedy forum should be a happy place, to many egos though.
What do you look for in a comedian if you are going to book them?
Being funny usually helps. It’s a bit weird really, humour is very personal thing what one person loves someone else will stare at the comedian like he’s decided to [insult] an orphan. There are some acts who others rave about, the same with TV comedy and I just don’t get it. This the hardest part of booking acts, I’d like to think I’m fairly good at getting my audiences tastes right but it doesn’t always work. A funny instance of this came about last year, my local when I’m up in Burnley ran a month of events raising funds for Cancer Research and a local hospice. The last night they held a night of music, a disco and buffet. It was on the same night I was running the ACE gig so I arranged for the middle act to go up to the pub and do a set, the pub paid for a cab and gave him a couple of pints, we then swopped around the opening act from the ACE when the middle act returned, same deal again. The opening act from the ACE was one of my personal favourites, he died at the ACE, while the middle act died at the pub. When they swapped round the middle act went on at the ACE and stormed it, meanwhile the opening act went up to the pub and stormed it there.
The other thing I look for is reliability, these days there are far too many acts who will pull a gig at short notice because they have got something that pays better, (if you’re going to get your agent to give a [daft] excuse why your pulling, don’t post on facebook what you’re really doing). I was recently discussing this subject with a three acts at gig, they laughed and admitted to doing it at some point. I asked them how it would be viewed if a promoter cancelled them for a gig at short notice because someone had someone else had said they’d do it for less? This produced some embarrassment in the acts. I’ve had acts pull a couple weeks before because of filming, or gigs that were real opportunities for a career, never had a problem with those reasons, but to pull a gig for another few quid, especially at short notice?
What do you think of female comedians?
I have no problem with booking female acts, I often go to Laughing Cows comedy night, I’ve found many good from acts there who I might not have seen otherwise. A lot of people won’t have more than one woman on the bill, I think that’s crazy, so long as they are different styles of act what’s the problem? A bill should be as varied as possible, not just 4 blokes doing straight stand up, last year I had Tony Jameson MCing, Maureen Younger opening, Hayley Ellis in the middle and Brian Damage & Krysstal closing, so 3 women and 2 men, a really good night was had by all.
Have you ever booked any weird acts i.e animals, circus, children etc?
The only acts I can think of who’ve used animals, are both Magicians, Magic Sam used maggots, and last week Ali Cook used a dove and some goldfish. I do like acts who are ‘different’ so love magicians and mind readers, also musical and character acts, so long as it’s inventive and funny that’s what counts.
Who is the best comedian?
It’s hard to say best as I said before one mans’ meat is another mans’ poison. My personal favourite at the moment and I’ve seen a lot of great ones this last few years is Tom Binns doing his Ian D Montfort Sunderland psychic who talks to famous dead people and Ivan Brakenbury Hospital Radio DJ. I’ve seen him do both these shows at 3 different gigs this last 6 weeks, he’s brilliant. He’s talking to the BBC about a TV series for Ian D Montfort, at the end of the night I wished him well with it while regretting that if comes off I probably won’t be able to afford booking him next year.
What do you think of Bill Hicks?
I’m a big fan of his, sometimes he gets a bit a bit off the point but always remembers to bring it back with a ‘nice big throbbing purple vein [funny] joke’. He obviously died too young, but it would have been interesting to see how he developed and matured.
Is it true about ‘tears of a clown’?
There is some truth in it, I’ve known lots with inner anxieties that sometimes come out in their act and some who just bottle it up. It’s usually worthwhile watching an act just before they go on, when I did it I‘d be listening to the compere building the punters up, (I’d usually crush them back down), and I’d be stood there thinking ‘come bring me on and let’s get it over with.’ Once I was on all the nerves would be gone but the build up to going on was horrible. Maybe it’s the weird stuff and emotions inside you that make you want to put yourself through it.
Why do all the best comedians smoke?!????
I don’t know if they do, I know a lot of acts do smoke, probably higher than most of the population in general do, several none smokers who’ve gigged for me recently come to mind, Tom Binns, Jason Cook, Ali Cook and George Egg all non smoker some of my favourites.
What do you make of the Welsh comedy circuit?
To be honest I’ve never actually been to a comedy gig in Wales, so apart from the big names like Rhod Gilbert etc I can’t say much apart for the two times I saw Tudor Owen some years ago, I thought he was brilliant. I hear lots of good things of him, I’d like to see him again or give him a paid middle if I knew how long he’d got now. I think the last time I saw him was at the Beat The Frog World Series were I can’t help but think he was robbed. However I don’t think much about the racial area that someone is from, I go with the belief that funny is funny. The only time I’ve been abroad and seen comics were New York and Dublin, Dublin was fantastic, 4 gigs in four nights, acts I wouldn’t normally see over here.
I normally have a nap in the boot of my car, do you have any pre gig rituals?
You have a nap in the boot of your car before a gig? Are you a [very] ventriloquists dummy? That’s a fantastic idea for an act, a ventriloquist with a dwarf human dummy. Now I’m just promoting I like to try and catch the Archers at 7pm, however due to ‘I player’ if I haven’t heard it I’ll play it later, when I did stand up I had favourite underpants and shirts. I like it when the last act goes on, it means that there is [nothing] I can do about the show, so i finally get to have a pint of glass of wine.
As a promoter, what would you say is the true price of comedy?
Lots of hard work for little reward, both comics and promoters, if you do make it good in either field you’ll be the exception rather than rule. Anyone who’s involved in comedy should read Stand Up And Deliver by Andy Kind, a brilliant book. If and when I get that I can rely on promoting gigs for a living I’ll write the promoters version of it.
Sum up Mike Taylor in three words…
Total [guy], evidently:-)
“I don’t think much about the racial area that someone is from.” – Mike Taylor
