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Combining his love of hip hop, strong jokes, audience participation and a newfound passion for drumming, Des has fun with word play in his brand new stand up show, Des Bishop Likes To Bang.
Bishop will perform in New Zealand for the first time when he brings his brand new stand up show to Auckland’s Herald Theatre for five nights only as part of this year’s New Zealand Comedy Festival this month.
Where did you perform your very first professional comedy act?
In a comedy Club in Cork in the South of Ireland where I was going to college.
What was the biggest lesson you learned from that first experience?
Don't pull a mooner!
Is there a subject that you won't touch as part of your comedy routine?
Yes, subjects I don't find anything funny in.
How much preparation would you do for a comedy festival gig? Months of working out new material at small gigs in Ireland and the UK. In the case of the NZ comedy festival, I put together a stew of my best bits over the last 10 years because I have never performed there.
Do you ever get writer's block?
Not really but I can take a while to figure out certain bits and how they will work best. Sometimes I even let a bit go only to find out how to do it months later because some other material makes it relevant or leads into it better.
Ever had a mind blank on stage? What did you do?
Definitely. Particularly when jet lagged or if I have not done a show for a while. Most of the time I just say I have had a mind blank and then joke about that. Or I just hide it and take the piss out of the guy in the front row.
Which comedian have you learned the most from?
In the early days I would have to say Tommy Tiernan, it is harder to say nowadays. I would say my other big influence was watching Richard Pryor years after I started doing Stand up
Has humour changed from when you started to now? In what way?
I used to joke a lot about what I noticed about Ireland as an American who moved there when I was 14. It was great but a bit restrictive when I was outside of Ireland. In more recent times I tend to focus on personal issues and subjects people find difficult to discuss and find the humour in those. I guess I just became more honest on stage.
What else do you do or would you still like to do apart from comedy?
Hip Hop.
What's your mantra for life?
Keep it in the day.
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