Comedians on Ethics – Gemma Flynn: A Moral Code

Is alternative and political comedy possible while holding down the day job? Comedian Gemma Flynn is also an academic and turns to a great moral philosopher for answers...

Feature by Gemma Flynn | 15 Mar 2017

The documentary Lost in France has stuck with me for a few weeks now. Niall McCann’s work on Glasgow’s prolific indie music scene of the 1990s and 2000s is all about arguing for getting messy and making things. It’s also a searing economic critique of our current moment. There’s a memorable scene towards the end where Alex Kapranos reflects on the period; there was just enough financial support to get by and prioritise your art with space to fuck about. In other words, to make mistakes and learn from them. McCann’s message is clear; they could not have done it today.

So it goes, right? We’re living in the age of food banks so we can’t spend money on alternative art and poetry. Agreed. But, as a way of coping, I feel like there’s an odd struggle emerging in comedy, where I spend most of my evenings.

The trouble is the only acts who can pay for the space to develop their comedy freely are not necessarily the people I want to get my politics from – even if those acts were the funniest boys at Eton.

For those without an unlimited disposable income, doing something in comedy that might be a bit political or feminist or transgressive is likely done while working in a job that's either a fucking slog – which makes it hard to get stage time because you’re completely burst – or one that pays more but requires a more professional persona. The latter kind doesn’t necessarily merge well with being a stand-up comedian. It can be tough, for instance, to stick it to the man at the weekends when you’re also in the civil service fast stream.

I deal with this by working in academia (which I love, TY cherished employers) while at night finding rooms 'alt' enough for me to develop as a comedian. It’s vital if you want to be any good at stand-up to get out there and say things, to make mistakes in a public environment and learn from them. That’s how you write good bits and, hopefully, a show that is entertaining and meaningful. It’s what makes nights like CHUNKS’ monthly gigs so important. Mistakes are crucial in developing critical art. However, there’s an unavoidable clash here when we try to do this in today’s climate of precarious work.

This becomes a real problem when you stop yourself from making comments that reveal your opinions, such as if you are pro-choice, or call out misogyny in a way that’s a bit angry and sweary. It’s why everyone has that line on their Twitter bio now that says their views don’t represent their workplace (may my Twitter forever remain a safe space for live-tweeting the Real Housewives of Atlanta).

We can’t neuter ourselves or head to the comedy middleground for money, or give up right? Or, the only people left will be the Eton types – the actual gentry – and we’ll never get performers like Arab Strap or comedians we can relate to again.

So the question becomes, how can we carve out creative freedom in this stifling environment without getting hauled up in front of HR?

As my boi, the philosopher Immanuel Kant, would have said, it’s possible the only way to gain pure autonomy is through a personal ethical code. Among all the constraints and expectations of the current climate, maybe the way you regain the freedom to create space is by being certain of your own moral boundaries. You're free when you’re bound by your own laws and not by those of others. 

Here’s my own ethical code: don’t punch down and learn from my mistakes. 

Baseline ethical boundaries may be freeing and allow you the certainty your aim is never to harm. A personal ethical code might not necessarily free us from all the challenges of neoliberalism but it could help us to create work which is critical and different while feeling less restricted by the skittish, precarious work needed to support this. It strengthens our determination to be creative, while also paying the bills.


Gemma Flynn: XXX, McPhabbs, 17 Mar, 8pm, £2 
The Dash Capital podcast is available on iTunes and Soundcloud
Light Bulb: An Alternative Comedy Showcase, Blackfriars, Glasgow, 11 Apr, 8pm, free

http://theskinny.co.uk/comedy