As he launches his new stand-up DVD, The Story So Far - Live In Glasgow, we snuck in a chat with him, and found the following things out…
Walking across London to talk to Kevin Bridges about his brand new stand-up DVD, The Story So Far - Live In Glasgow, I nearly bumped into someone coming out the door I needed to go through. Turns out, it was Bridges himself, who'd arrived early for the interview, and was popping out for a quick coffee. But from the off he was friendly, open and interesting.
A jumpy interview recording, sadly, has made a full transcription impossible. But we still managed to find out this little lot...
1. He's not an overnight success story.
"I'm the only one who's been to all of my gigs," he says, when we chat about the perception that he seems to have suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "I've been working hard at this for many years," he continues, pointing out that, while many around him spent their late teens out on the town, he was relentlessly working, night after night, to hone his act.
2. He remembers who got him there.
His gratitude to The Stand comedy club, for instance, is cemented in his maiden DVD, as he thanks them in the credits for the gig. He also thanks the people who inspired him: Frank Skinner, Noel Gallagher, Irvine Welsh and Billy Connolly.
3. He's a HBO fan.
The intro to the DVD is an homage to The Sopranos, and a fun one at that. So, what did he make of the divisive final season of The Sopranos? "I've not watched them all yet!" he confesses.
4. He enjoyed the DVD recording.
"The SECC is a massive room," he says, contrasting it with the smaller venues that he's built up his career by playing. He was clearly thrilled to do the gig in his home town, too. "It was really special," he confessed, although it did make audience interaction more difficult.
5. Michael McIntrye's Comedy Roadshow sells tickets.
"The day after the episode I was in went out, ticket sales went through the roof," he recalls. He still prefers stand-up comedy to the likes of panel shows, mind.
6. His dad is a welcome source of comedy material.
Just check out the segment on his DVD about communal pornography watching for further evidence of that...
7. Finally, he's not resting on his laurels.
He's already planning his next tour, and he's got a new Channel 4 show coming up, where he's giving up and coming acts a showcase on the telly. Expect to see a lot more of him in the years ahead...
Kevin Bridges - The Story So Far... Live In Glasgow is available on DVD now
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