Comedy

What motivated you to get in to comedy in the first place?
‘I’ve always loved it as an artform and was always kind of transfixed by it. That’s one of my first memories. Humour is a very powerful force. Everything is strung together by words: this economy, this government, this religion. When you’re a comedian it’s like you’re creating a symphony of words that can change the world. Topple ideologies.’

At the age of 18 you left Salt Lake City, where you grew up, and moved to an artists’ colony in Colorado, what was that like?
‘It was fantastic. That’s where I met my first husband and it’s just a great way to live. I think after all these years it’s something I’d like to go back to.’

What is ‘Roseanne World’?
‘It’s my website [www.roseanneworld.com]. I was, like, the first blogger. I started blogging in 1996. I got the idea from my friend, Frank Zappa. He was very involved with the early internet, and I’ve been in love with it for a long, long time. I was doing live streaming in 1998. I was so far ahead of most people. I love it. I do it every day. I update all day long. I get about eight and a half million hits a month. People keep coming back because there’s a sense of community and because it has a point of view. It’s a place where people can hear the truth that the rest of the media won’t cover. I talk about stuff they can’t get anywhere else.’ Feature continues

There’s a lot of political commentary from you on the site. Where do you stand on the coming election?
‘People are fighting for their lives over here. It’s the most important one ever. I have difficulty believing that McCain could get in, but they’ve stolen the last two elections and there’s the horrible possibility that they’ll steal this one too. That’s why we’re fighting so hard to say: you can’t let this happen. The problem is Americans are confused. It’s difficult for them to know what the real truth is. That’s kind of why I have my blog, so that people, who over the years have come to see me as somebody who tells the truth, can hear it from me. I don’t know what difference it really makes, but maybe it does a little. I’ve sort of given up thinking it’ll change anything I just do it because I think it’s right. I say to people, "We might not win but we have to do it anyway." Other people just think I’m completely crazy.’

What have enjoyed most about going out and performing live again?
‘I started doing this show around the 2004 election, when I went all over the country with Michael Moore to colleges. It was great doing it to a new young audience who had never seen me live before. But I’m not going to do it anymore. I’ll come over there and do it, but that’s it. It’s a kind of a farewell thing. You probably won’t be seeing me again. I’m getting old, so I’m going to going to move away and begin another commune. I want to live that way again, and become a farmer. I’m moving to Hawaii with my family and friends, to communally farm. I won’t be doing this stuff again. I’m looking forward to going back into the anonymous real world.’

You’ve won a ton of awards, from Emmys to Golden Globes, but on your website it also says you were the second woman ever to be ‘roasted’ by the Friars Club? What is the Friars Club? And what is a ‘roasting’?
‘I think I’ve won more awards than anybody, and I keep them all real nice in my house. The Friars Club is a club started by a group of male comics who kept women out. When I first went to the club they wouldn’t let me into the bar. I had to stand outside to meet George Burns who just took one step out of the bar to shake my hand. I said: “Oh I’m such a fan!” and he just said “Uh huh”. He made it look like he really had to stoop to speak to this female. And then he went back in. But that was that whole generation. But they’re all dead now so I get the last laugh.’

How has your life changed since becoming a grandmother?
‘It changes your life physically and mentally. You become more protective. Not just over your own children though, people make a big mistake over that, if you don’t take care of the community in which they live, then somebody else’s grandkids are going to come and hurt your grandkids. So you’ve go to take care of all the children in your community.’

Is there anybody you’re in awe of?
‘I don’t know if "awe" is the right word, but I’ve been inspired by a lot of people and I’ve been lucky enough to meet a lot of my heroes. I mean, Zappa to me was God. Just to be able to go and hang out with him, and to be there when he was dying. That guy might have been the smartest guy and the greatest mind there ever was. He toppled governments. Václav Havel listened to his music and it inspired him to topple Communism. Once people hear what free thought sounds like it energises their cells and they go to another level of being, kind of.’

What’s the show like?
It’s hard to explain it, but it’s really funny. It’s an hour or so of almost all one-liners that are really funny. There’s a big laugh almost every 20 seconds. I love it. It’s like conducting an orchestra of laughers.’

Roseanne Barr will be appearing at the Leicester Square Theatre, October 21 & 22.

www.roseanneworld.com