Brendan Grace is an old hand at this game, but the legendary Irish comic is far from sated.
His career in comedy has spanned the globe and seen him bring to life characters who endure to this day; creations such as mischievous schoolboy Bottler and the abrasive Father Fintan Stack from Father Ted. Grace also found success as the founding member of The Gingermen, and enjoyed the singular pleasure of sharing stages with luminaries such as Frank Sinatra and John Denver. Being a not-so-closeted Denver fan myself, I knew exactly how this interview was going to start rolling.
“John Denver was a lovely, lovely guy,” Grace recalls in his splendidly shamrocked accent. “I covered a lot of his stuff in my early days. In fact, I called my home Starwood, after his own home. I was deeply touched by his songs. My late mother loved him so, and I was quite devastated, as we all were, when he so tragically passed on. But touring with him was a wonderful experience. He was quite a loner, to a certain extent. Even though we were working together, there were times when we wouldn’t see each other or speak to each other because he was very much into solitude. He was very, very involved with his music. When I worked with him, it was just him and a guitar. He was really something quite special.”
While Grace’s love of music has never faded, his legacy is certainly that of a comedian. The Emerald Isle considers him one of its finest entertainers, and he is regularly lauded as the greatest family comedian of his generation. With material that is ribald without stepping across the line into bad taste or offence, Grace has established a rather unique position in the world of comedy today, where laughter is so often preceded by somewhat more colourful content.
“My type of comedy, well, it’s almost an old-fashioned word now, but it’s clean,” he says. “I don’t use strong words. I use innuendo. I think that’s why I get such a broad fan base. Generally I see people of all ages coming along to enjoy the show. In Australia it’s amazing because there are so many Irish people there! I often do a character who has short pants and a school jacket, and that goes down well in an AC/DC way. That’s Bottler. And then of course I did a part in Father Ted. Over the years that has developed quite a cult following, though my character was only in one episode. But you know,” he chuckles, “I guess he made quite an impression.”
Over 40 years, Grace has inspired and been inspired by countless performers, and among them are some of Australia’s very own cultural and diplomatic torchbearers. Grace’s love of Australia is bountifully clear in conversation, and so often his thoughts turn to entertainers who have found ways of charming us down here in the Colonies.
“Well, first of all I took the advice of a very old comedian, a long-time friend of mine who also toured Australia, called Hal Roach. Hal told me that in order to be successful there, you need to give the people what they want, not what you want. The thing is, what always worked for me is the fact that I can judge an audience and adjust to a situation quickly. That’s something you need working solo, you need to be able to switch around. Someone who entertained me no end was [Barry Crocker in The Adventures Of] Barry McKenzie, and the relationship between him and [Barry Humphries’] Dame Edna. Now Les Patterson, I would fall off my chair watching Les, and my wife Eileen thinks he is absolutely disgusting. And the thing is, he’s just so believable! I think I prefer that character to Dame Edna.”
Performers who have the ability to conjure such distinct and enduring personalities – the Barry Humphries of the world, the Peter Sellers – are a rare breed. Donning a character like a cloak is no simple feat, and for comedians that task is even more precarious as they take to the stage and must maintain the role through ad-libbing and heckling. For Grace (and, it seems, many others), the secret of belief lies in the physical world.
“The problem is that Bottler is another person, he’s not me. I was playing a radio show in Ireland many moons ago with a well-known Irish ventriloquist who has since passed away, Eugene Lambert. He had his doll, and it was in a case like a guitar. While we were sitting around the table, he was setting up the character, and I said jokingly, ‘You do know this isn’t television, they won’t see you.’ And he pointed out something I’ve learnt since – that in order for him to be the character, he had to use the prop. He needed the doll. In order for me to be Bottler, I need to wear the uniform. If I’m doing a radio interview, I need to have at least the cap and the scarf to give me the feeling of Bottler.”
Excited as Grace is to find himself performing Down Under once again, there remains one audience member in particular he is quite anxious to meet.
“I’m hoping I’ll get to meet with Barry Crocker. So Barry, if you’re reading this article, there’s a fat bearded guy from Ireland who would love to shake your blessed hand and say hello.”
Brendan Grace brings his show An audience with His Grace to theState Theatre Monday November 16. Tickets are available here.
