Comedy

Josie has a wireless version too, with a 99 flake in it

Josie Long
Sell your act in a line... 'I'm trying as hard as I can'

Age 24.

Her manor Peckham Rye.

Who is she? In a business where cutting humour, if not ruthless cruelty, are the norm, Josie Long shines out as a glorious exception. Her stand-up radiates optimism and joy. She draws you into a world where friendliness, fun and boundless enthusiasm are the dominant characteristics. At her shows, she hands out magazines and badges she’s made herself. She asks us to write down our ‘favourite little things’.

To the cynic she might seem scatty and uncontrolled. She doesn’t deal in regular jokes or punchlines. She talks about the strange situations and delightful objects that she comes across, like the second-hand winter coat she bought from a charity shop. Feature continues

‘I think of my comedy sometimes as like a puzzle,’ she explains. ‘A large jigsaw puzzle. You have to trust me. I’ll complete the whole picture in the end.’ This calls for an openness that hard-nosed audiences can’t muster, as Long has discovered when she played top-line places like the Comedy Store, and a couple of Jongleurs clubs. ‘I died on my arse. I don’t like the kind of arrogance they want from a comic. I like it gentle and a bit shambolic. I used to try to write real jokes with a set-up and a punchline. It didn’t work. Even when I thought I’d written one, other people said I hadn’t.’

Many of Josie’s biggest fans are her fellow comedians. In 2005, she started up a fanzine called Drawing Moustaches In Magazines Monthly Magazine (Bi-Monthly), which was distributed for free and featured contributions from the likes of Robin Ince, Kevin Eldon and Stewart Lee (visit drawingmoustachesinmagazines.blogspot.com to find out more).

Her first public performance as a stand-up came at the impossibly young age of 14. ‘My mum had seen an ad for a workshop in Beckenham. I was already in love with comedy on TV.’ At 15, she had her first gig on the London club circuit. It was a new material night mixing established comics and raw newcomers. Jo Brand and Harry Hill were on the bill. At 17, she won the BBC New Stand-Up Award. Then she went to Oxford University to read English Language and Literature. ‘I loved the libraries. They were full of ancient books that nobody had opened for 50 years or more. We had a Comedy Society. It did a few experimental shows. Even then I wanted them to be full of weird things and audience games. To be honest, they were a bit rubbish.’

Since graduating she’s gone into comedy full-time: ‘I earn a living. I have very simple needs.’ Last month, at the Edinburgh Fringe, she won the if.comeddie Best Newcomer award.

She called her show ‘Kindness and Exuberance’. She’s using the prize money to pay off a couple of overdrafts and take her sister on a trip to Vietnam.

Worst gig ‘Performing in Chamonix for a bunch of ski cunts who hated me.’

Favourite comedians Daniel Kitson, David O’Doherty, Flight of the Conchords, Tony Law, Luke Roberts, Pappy’s Fun Club, Isy Suttie, Danielle Ward, Natalie Haynes, Caroline Clifford

Favourite London clubs Robin Ince’s Book Club and my own Sunday Night Adventure Club.

Look out for ‘Kindness and Exuberance’ at the Soho Theatre (Sept 21-23 and 29-30) and in the if.comeddie season at the Garrick Theatre (Oct 6-7), and Long’s very own Sunday Adventure Club next month at the ABC Café in Crystal Palace. She’s also doing a set at the Laughing Horse Camden (Sept 27).