Billy Kirkwood: Show Me Your Tattoo
Billy Kirkwood gives us a taste of what's in store at his Comedy Festival gigs
“I wanted to do three shows about things I was really passionate about,” says Billy Kirkwood. Luckily for him, his passions are fertile grounds for comedy: geekiness, tattoos and wrestling.
First, the geekiness. BIlly is an all-purpose nerd, but has a special love of B-movies. “I love all this stuff that you just accepted as being brilliant when you were a kid. When you're young, you just say, 'Dolph Lundgren as He-Man? Brilliant!' I like films like Troll 2, which is one of the worst movies ever made. I watch it every Christmas day with a couple of mates. '”
I mention a childhood fondness for Krull.
“I love Krull! For the first couple of years of my career, I'd try to get a Krull joke into every gig.”
The geek test officially passed, we move onto tattoos. “The concept behind it is talking to people about the stories behind their tattoos and having a bit of fun with it.” With a special treat for Glasgow audiences, who will be invited to design a new tattoo for Billy. Is that wise though?
“When I did it in Edinburgh, I ended up with a tattoo of a lion on a skateboard running away from a packet of Frutella. I don't know what Glasgow will pick, but there will probably be a cock in there.”
Finally we talk wrasslin', which Billy is involved in as ring announcer for ICW. “I've been a wrestling fan since I was a kid,” he says, “so I love being involved with ICW. Life's worked out for me so that comedy is my dayjob and wrestling is my hobby. Not too shabby.”
Billy recently landed a wrestling fan's dream job, supporting Mick Foley on his UK stand-up tour. “Mick used to get me on for his Karate Kid sketch where I was Daniel-san and he was Mr Miyagi. I remember at one point he was beating me up and I thought, 'shit, this might be the peak of my career'.”