John-Luke Roberts: Look On My Works, Ye Mighty, And Despair! (all in caps.) is an hour of extraordinary character comedy. We fired over a Q&A to get more info.
It’s an hour of clowning, character comedy, stand-up comedy, absurd ideas, actual jokes and a floating intergalactic head. There’s a bee in it, and a pirate. It’s nonsense. It’s a whole heap of bloody nonsense. It’s different from the other kids. But, as well as being hilarious, it’s really meaningful. It’s the most significant piece of art you’ll see this year. Imagine Man of Steel, then the opposite. It’s that.
What does Edinburgh mean to you?
Edinburgh is a city in and the capital of Scotland, in the South Eastpart: administrative centre of the Lothian region.
Who inspires you and why?
Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Day in, day out, she keeps on killing vampires. Just keeps on doing it. I couldn’t do that, I’d get tired. And I’m not even sure I could identify a vampire. I’m certainly not willing to lug a mirror around to check.
Describe your best or worst experiences on stage.
I was three and Les Dennis kept giving me gifts in a pantomime. No reviews, unfortunately, but I’m pretty sure everyone thought I was great.
Describe your best or worst review.
Just amazing. Just so good. WOW!
If you weren’t a performer, what would you be?
I would be a market analyst. I would analyse the markets. ANY markets. I would be the BEST market analyst. What’s a market analyst?
What was the last book you read?
The End of History by Francis Fukuyama
What’s the point?
Stop asking that it’s not helping.
Imagine that the BBC have asked you to produce a primetime show. What would it be and who else would be involved?
It would be a show where different generations of the same family compete in a variety of tasks and games, and the winners get the chance to memorise consumer items on a conveyor belt. It would be called “Different generations of the same family compete in a variety of tasks and games and the winners get the chance to memorise consumer items on a conveyor belt: LIVE!”
