Robin Ince on his new book, The Future of Jokes

What makes Robin Ince tick? Well, perhaps a better question is, what doesn’t? A comedian, poet, author, podcaster, science enthusiast and all-round lover of creativity, Robin Ince has found a way to turn his curiosity into a fascinating career that spans over decades. He’s seen a lot of change in the comedy world over the years, some positive, some negative, but all undeniable. The future is coming fast, but one thing that has and will always remain for Ince is a core belief which underpins all of his creative work: “making the world more approachable and accepting of as many people as possible.”

His new book, The Future of Jokes, part of the Futures series, takes a critical look at what comedy’s future might look like in a rapidly changing and politically ever-turbulent world. “I wasn't really sure what I wanted to write, but I knew I didn't want to write this kind of ‘technical’ book about the future of jokes with AI, blah, blah, blah. I think there definitely are comedians who can easily be replaced by artificial intelligence. The sooner, the better.” Instead, Ince opts for a more humane approach to looking at the future, like “a future where women who tell jokes are in a space that is not threatening,” recalling the recent US SNL monologue by Shane Gillis where he disgustingly refers to women as wh***s.

Vehemently left-wing, Ince envisions a world where comedy can sincerely be used to challenge damaging perceptions, instead of just reinforcing the ideas that already exist. “If you're simply representing the status quo, then you're not the proper 'fool'. I think a lot of comedy that is described as ‘edgy’ by the media is not edgy; it's bigotry, which is dressed up as this noble free speech gesture.” With his book, he wants to challenge this kind of tedium. “People are still banging on about the woke when we have someone like Donald Trump as president, with all the things that we know he has done. I want us to stop pretending the threat is people who want to be more inclusive.”

Of course, technology is going to be a big part of the future of jokes, and Ince is no stranger to this idea. But if it is our self-consciousness that makes us distinctly human, as he argues in his book, then what impact can AI truly have on comedy and the process of creating it? Ince doesn’t seem too worried; in fact, his optimism shines through. “I think the most important thing – and I'm not sure that AI will ever be able to do this – is that creation has to come from love. I think that's my wokey bullshit thing.” Perhaps then the challenge that technology poses is how new comedians can be discovered in an increasingly competitive field. “It’s a magnificent thing that you don't just have to work the clubs anymore, and therefore you don't have to rely on the person who then goes ‘I'm sorry, you don't really suit this.’ So, I think the individualism of a voice is more possible, but then it's the difficulty of being found.”

Ahead of his joint 20 Years of Shambles tour with long-time collaborator, inspiration and friend Josie Long, which is headed round the UK this month and arrives in Glasgow on 22 November, Ince reflects on his performance style – one which refuses to be pinned down. “I hope none of my shows is a carbon copy. It's a nice thing that I have certain people who will come back to my shows on the same tour over and over again. They say it’s because it's never the same, and they never know what I’m going to do next.

“I always make sure that I start with something different, and then, once I've started with something different, I can kind of roam in a different way. Whereas if you start with the same thing, before you know it, you've accidentally solidified what you're doing.”

Whether he’s working on a new poetry collection, writing a book or preparing for a tour (or, all of the above simultaneously), one thing for certain about Ince is that he will continue to come up with new ideas and to challenge himself and others. Despite his love of creativity and the time this takes up, his constant awe at simply being alive means he’ll always stop to smell the roses. “I just look at everything, and I get excited. This week I've been taking loads of photos of pavements, of leaves on pavements!” And where will you find him when he’s not doing some combination of the above? “Probably browsing in a charity shop near you within the next 48 hours”.

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Robin Ince: The Future of Jokes is out on 5 Nov, part of the short, essay-length series called FUTURES published by Melville House UK
Robin Ince and Josie Long: 20 Years of Shambles, Saint Luke’s, Glasgow, 22 Nov, 7pm