The best way to introduce Ro Campbell is to tell you outright that he was crowned Scottish Comedian of the year in 2010. Winning that title wasn’t a piece of cake though. It took the Aussie-born and now-settled-in-UK comedian five annual attempts before he got it right. And since the win, he’s gone on to become the main act instead of the opening act. His other claims to fame include performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Adelaide Fringe, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, several maximum security prisons (no kidding!) and supporting Russell Kane and Tom Stade on their 2011 UK tours. However, Ro’s not a rank newcomer to India, he’s backpacked through the country when he was a mere 18-year-old. But unlike that journey of self-discovery, his current visit is hardly profound. To get Bangaloreans to roll with laughter probably sums up his motive this time around. Excerpts from the interview...

COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

Q: First things first, what if we don’t get your jokes? A: I’ve performed in quite a few different countries this year; all of Scandinavia, Croatia, Finland, Estonia, Singapore, Australia. You get used to adapting to the new environment and finding common ground. Plus I’ve had a two-week holiday in India before the shows during which I have experienced plenty of funny stuff to talk about which Indian audiences should relate to. This country is a comedy observer’s dream, so look out! Q: What’s going to be your Plan B if your jokes fall flat? What do you generally do when you dot get the expected reaction from the audience you’d hoped for? A: Generally I tell them that I hope they all die on the way home, then I drink heavily and cry myself to sleep. I should probably buy a guitar. Q: Being a stand-up comic, people expect you to be funny all the time. Does that irritate you at times when you just want some time-off and be serious? A: Only if I’m in the back of an ambulance or at a funeral. But even then I appreciate the challenge.  Q: Just moments before getting on stage, what are the thoughts going on in your head? A: “Man, I probably shouldn’t have eaten that Vindaloo.”   Q: How has winning the title — Scotland’s King of Comedy — changed your life?  It’s obviously increased audience’s expectations of you... A: I no longer need to obey the laws of any land in Europe, I just utter the phrase “Scottish Comedian Of The Year” to the relevant authority and they wave me through with a tug of the old forelock, and I wave back at them from the cockpit of my jumbo jet, bottle of Jack Daniels in one hand, Venezuelan stripper in the other. Apart from that my life is the same, except now more comedians don’t like me.

In regards to audiences expectations, when they hear my accent and that I’m not actually Scottish it tends to confuse them to the point that their expectations go back down again, at which point I sucker punch them into hysterics.  Q: What is tougher — getting people to pay attention to you or getting people to laugh at your jokes? A: Hey, I’m not too bad at this job. I’ve got the skills to pay the bills. They’ll listen and they’ll laugh. Otherwise, I will kick them one by one in the face.  Q: How should we come prepared for your gig? A: Well, if you’re not going to laugh, wear a cricket helmet. Otherwise, just bring me your most attractive sister.