Richard Gadd: 'Take risks. Accept failure.'

Richard Gadd, creator of Fringe 2013's most twisted success story, Cheese and Crack Whores, on writing, performing and toying with bad taste

Feature by Richard Gadd | 14 Jul 2014

On show development...

A lot of subject matter is real; just fabricated slightly. I’d signed with an agent and a production company, and they both wanted to send me to Edinburgh. I was still reeling from the year before, and vowed never to go back, but they persuaded me. I see Edinburgh as akin to childbirth. Absolute torture from start to finish, but somehow, your memory erases the bad times and you only remember the good. It was six weeks to go; I had no idea what the show was going to be about and I hadn't written a single line. I took a look at all the things that were getting in the way of the writing process: a genuine break-up; the fact I had no money; the fact I'd been given a notoriously volatile venue, and the fact I had six weeks to write a show. I decided to make the show about all these things. It was extremely autobiographical – more than I'd care to admit – so I thought I'd bring all my fears and idiosyncrasies to the stage in all their ugly glory. I was shocked at how many people greeted my, how shall we say... 'darknesses' with positivity. It was all very surprising. Turns out we're all a little fucked up.

On the fruits of success...

I’ve generated interest from production companies I've admired for a long time, so people are now taking my work seriously. But the most important thing Cheese and Crack Whores did for me was find 'my voice,' unearth what I really wanted to say and do. I reckon if I wasn't going through so much upheaval in my personal life, I would have churned out the same 'notebook crap' I was doing on the circuit for years. The best comedy is honesty. People who aren't afraid to say what they feel, however controversial.

On having a crisis of confidence and audience reception…

A crisis of confidence? My life is a crisis of confidence. That's why I do comedy! The style of C&CW is different to most shows. It swaps the whole man-and-mic concept for audio-tracks and filmed videos; all of which batter the audience into submitting to my vexed psychology. I find playing/being a psychopath helps stop any heckling. But yes, it takes time – particularly on the Free Fringe. People come expecting a very work-in-progress thing, so hitting them with videos of psycho-sexual torture can often be a little destabilising.

On crossing the line...

No successful show has happened by being carbon-copies of their predecessors. Copying is an important part of the learning process, but most shows are successes by breaking what we have come to expect as the norm. Look at the award-winners from last year. Bridget Christie, Adrienne Trustcott, and John Kearns. They definitely wouldn't have had the success they had without breaking a few lines here and there – whether that's through socio-political commentary, or by subverting convention. It needs to be done. That's how art/comedy stays in constant flux.

On deciding to break convention...

The minimal success that I have had stems from taking risks. If you have an idea, and you find it funny, do it and work it up until it becomes funny. I spent a few miserable years trying to make the idea of talking to disembodied voices funny, but it just didn't work. I knew in my heart it could, so I just worked it up, practiced, and accepted failure until it worked. Anything can be funny. There is no set formula. If you think something is funny, chances are it probably is. If nobody is laughing, then you're just not doing it right. Exhaust all your options before giving up; the circuit can be stifling at times.

There's a lot of cynicism over that guy that turns up with a projector and a bazillion props, who stuffs his face with cake, and makes a mess – but if you don't try, you’ll never know. Stuff that breaks convention has a higher risk, but there is also higher reward. It takes practice, and perseverance; never care if you die or what people think. If you start to second-guess your audience, that's when things will go awry. I did and it set me back a good couple of years. Be original. Take risks. Accept failure. Persevere!

You can catch Richard Gadd on Twitter: @MrRichardGadd. His show Breaking Gadd runs from the 1-24 Aug, 9.15pm, The Counting House Attic Space