Love, family and heartbreak lie at the core of Josie Long’s new comedy show, Cara Josephine. “It helped me a lot to write stand-up about old relationships and about my family,” says Long as she reflects on her most personal show to date. “It was cathartic. I started out the show feeling really angry and frustrated and heartbroken, and it felt like through the show, I could move on and make it into something silly and fun. It’s helped me clarify what I think and feel about love and hopefully that’ll be helpful to someone.
“This show was a really different writing process to the others I’ve made,” she adds. “I wanted to take more time to see what the show was going to become, and it fed into what was happening in my life as I wrote it, too. I started out doing prototype versions of the show in January last year, but they were mainly about how incredible my electric blanket is, because it was a chilly winter in England.”
The British comedian started doing stand-up at 14, but pursued it more seriously after graduating from Oxford University. “I have always been obsessed with comedy on TV and live stuff. And I have always been a big show-off! I realised when I was about ten or 11 that all I wanted to do was be a performer, so in a lot of ways I am really lucky to have been so sure so early on. Now I am in a weird position where I can’t imagine my life without it, so I truly hope it doesn’t all go tits up from here.”
These days, Long is one of the UK’s most unique comedy stars. Regularly appearing on radio and TV, she is opinionated, quirky and endearingly genuine, and armed with a fiery political and social conscience. Indeed, Long draws inspiration from headstrong artists, regardless of their medium.
“I love Joanna Newsom. She has a completely unique voice. She writes these epic albums that are so detailed and wonderful, so incredibly clever and wise. Her lyrics are fantastic poetry. Her album Have One On Me is just awe-inspiring – it’s the most comprehensive piece of art about break-ups and love I’ve ever found.”
Whether asserting her views on feminism or the Conservative Party, Long believes stand-up is an effective means of examining one’s views. “I think humour can be incredibly powerful in changing people’s perceptions about the world around them,” she says, “because when you’re laughing along with something, you are more open to the ideas being presented to you, and stand-up gives you such a wonderful chance to really share your worldview with the crowd over the length of your show.
“I love comedy as much as I ever have. It’s so exciting, because you are a stand-up for your whole life – it becomes how you interpret and understand your experiences. It’s always evolving; it’s such a new genre and you see new people coming up and doing wonderful things, and that inspires you to innovate and work harder. I love that you can constantly change your style and write whatever’s in your heart. I fucking love performing.”
See Josie Long’sCara Josephineat Enmore Theatre Wednesday April 22 – Saturday April 25.
