Laura Lexx is going on her first UK tour with Knee Jerk which shines a hilarious light on how hard it is to be a good person these days. With her tour just about to start, we got some time to chat with Laura.
1. Thanks for your time, you’ve just kicked off your UK tour, how have the first shows gone ?
They’ve been great fun so far… it’s so good having a whole show to play about with just me instead of trying to cram everything I want to say into an hour or twenty minutes. The shows so far have flown by!
2. How does it feel going out on your debut UK tour and where are you looking forward to playing ?
I’m really excited to play York because I had such a great time at the festival there a few years back and haven’t got to play there again since. I’m keen for Newcastle because I so rarely get to come there and gig – I think I’ve actually only ever gigged in Newcastle once?! Also Chorley because I love that theatre – it’s so welcoming and gorgeous.
3. Can you tell us what Knee Jerk is about in a few brief sentences ?
It’s about laying it bare and being honest about myself, my flaws, the problems I see in the world and why netball is absolute dog turd.
4. Speaking of knee jerk reactions, what are your thoughts on the reaction to Phillip Schofield’s recent revelation ?
I hope him and his family are alright.
5. Do you think knee jerk reactions are a new thing or do you think that social media has just given people an easy platform to rant about thing ?
I think knee jerk reactions are old as time… all this “everyone’s a snowflake” or “you can’t say anything now” is such shortsighted nonsense. Every generation thinks the one just behind them are the end of it all – look at that song “Anything Goes” how long ago was that written and yet most people would say things have been alright since then. People aren’t really different, we’re just hearing from people who were otherwise made to be quiet before so we’re confronted with the effects of more things now.
6. Is there a particular subject or person that, no matter how hard you try to not react, presses your buttons every time?
Er, everything?! Ha! I get wound up by a lot of stuff to do with gender and comedy, because it’s something I’m an expert in and it’s complex and long winded and people want to offer a stupid simple answer. You start talking about discrimination or representation in comedy and people want to go “funny is funny, your gender doesn’t matter as long as you’re funny” and that is just absolute NONSENSE because funny is such a temperamental idea and it takes very little to affect it.
7. You have a routine about netball, were you good at netball/sport at school or did you dread that time when those classes came around ?
I was definitely not good at it but I didn’t dread it because I didn’t care enough to warrant getting upset about it. PE was a thing to be got through before I could go back to doing the things I liked doing.
8. If you could banish one human trait to the dustbin which one would you choose and why ?
Jealousy because it’s the one I find hardest to keep under control and it never, ever brings me happiness.
9. Just for fun now: If you could choose any animal to be your permanent sidekick, what animal would it be?
My husband because he’d hate it.
10. Thanks for time and good luck with the tour, just to finish what else do you have planned for 2020?
Oh just casually finishing a script, a board game, two light entertainment formats, buying a house, doing the New Zealand comedy festival, touring Dubai and getting a dog. Nothing much.
Laura Lexx is on tour with ‘Knee Jerk’, tickets available from: https://www.seetickets.
