All About Manchester

Heil Herring!

It was Charlie Chaplin's first, but on Hitler's face it became a symbol so sinister that no-one dared grow one again - until now. Comedian Richard Herring is attempting to reclaim the toothbrush 'tache for comedy in his new show, Hitler Moustache, which received glowing reviews at this year's Edinburgh Festival. As he prepares to grow back his fascist facial fuzz for Manchester Comedy Festival, he tells All About Manchester he is a joker making a serious point.

You return to Manchester Comedy Festival with Hitler Moustache, which was one of the most talked about shows at Edinburgh Festival. Could you tell us a bit about it?

I started wondering why the toothbrush moustache is associated with Hitler and not with anyone else who's had it, and notably Charlie Chaplin, so I wanted to see if I could reclaim it for comedy. And also to find out what would happen to me if I grew one and ventured out onto the streets with it on my face. How would people respond to it? So this was the starting point for it. And it escalated from there into a show.

Do you have a real moustache or do you use a false one?

I perform it with a real one, but at the moment I don't have it. I'm just enjoying freedom from it before I grow it again for my gigs in Brighton and Manchester, so I'll have it again for those.

How do people react when they see you sporting the Hitler 'tache?

I expected it to create a lot more conversation and remarks, but to be honest most people don't openly do anything. The main reaction is that people sort of snigger when they think I can't see them. I think they think it makes me blind and deaf, as well as stupid probably. There are a few people who say 'Hey Adolf', but one of the interesting things about the show is that I got a lot less reaction than I expected.

It's a political show, isn't it?

It is quite political. I was affected by events really - the BNP winning those seats in the European elections. When the results were announced, it sent the show in a different direction. I started thinking about the way that fascists actually obtain their victories and realised that the BNP's success was down to apathy. Those who didn't bother to vote did as much damage as those who voted BNP.

BNP voters should probably stay away from this show then, shouldn't they?

I've had two or three walk-outs in the show in Edinburgh - I'm not sure whether they were BNP followers who saw the picture on the poster and came expecting something else. But I'd like them to come and see it. I think I'm preaching a little bit to the converted often in the stand-up clubs, because you get a more liberal audience, but the show is also about culpability and the dangers of political apathy, so I think anyone who didn't vote in the last election, or who doesn't vote in elections, would be an ideal audience.

So you find humour in racism. What's not funny?

That's a personal choice, but I think the worst tragedy presents the funniest things; that's what life is about. I can find something funny in everything - death, illness, massive tragedy. That's the way I cope with it; I laugh.

You've done stand-up, radio and TV comedy. When did you first realise you were funny enough to make a living out of it?

I've always wanted to be an actor or a writer or a comedian. I love writing stories and I love making people laugh. That was what I always dreamt of doing, but it took me a few years of doing it professionally before I thought that maybe this might be a career - you're always thinking that things can go wrong. I've been going for 20 years now so it feels like it's probably going to be OK, but you never know.

What makes stand-up special to you?

Stand-up is great because it's just so immediate and every night is different - even if you're doing exactly the same material, the atmosphere and the audience reaction are different. It's one of the most limitless mediums there is and it's very exciting. You can literally come up with an idea that second and ad-lib your way through it in front of an audience and get a reaction. When you're doing TV or radio it's largely scripted and you don't get that excitement and the danger that you might not be funny or that someone might be offended, or that someone might physically attack you. Out of everything I do now that's my preferred thing. If I do TV it's really to fund the live work; to earn some money so that I can then carry on working on the live shows.

How do you prepare for a show backstage?

I don't really do anything. I'll probably be on the internet Twittering, or playing solitaire on my phone. I don't really get nervous; I don't have to get wound up before I go on. I think you just get to a stage where you're very comfortable with performing and can go on stage without having to prepare. If I'm performing in a theatre, I like standing in the wings for five minutes before the show, just to get a feel of the audience, but basically there are no superstitions and there's no checklist to go through.

What do you do on your free time?

I like playing poker, but I don't play as much as I used to. I love running; I ran the marathon a few years ago. I go to the gym, try to keep fit. And I do things to relax. I like reading. I like hanging out with my girlfriend, watching DVDs - we're currently working our way through The Wire, the TV show, on DVD. I spend a lot of time on the internet; I use Twitter and Facebook to keep in touch with people. But I work so hard that I don't really have all that much free time.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I'd be thin and unable to ever get fat. As it is, my weight goes up and down very rapidly.

You had some strong feelings about turning 40 a couple of years ago. You're now past that landmark - do you feel better about growing older or does it still get to you?

A bit better. I'm 42 now and that's not that old, but it's the fear of impending old age and the onset of not being able to do the things you did before... It's like the Titanic heading for the iceberg; you see it coming and there's no way of stopping it. But I'm very happy with where I am; things are going very well for me. I don't feel like I'm 42, I don't act like I'm 42, and luckily I have a job where I can carry on being pretty silly indefinitely.

Richard Herring's Hitler Moustache comes to The Frog and Bucket on Oct 20. Tickets cost £9/£8 and you can book by visiting www.manchestercomedyfestival.co.uk.

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