Ahead of comedian Karl Spain’s newest show, he warns audiences he may end up laughing at his own jokes – they're just that good. 

The comedian will perform his latest show Well, What Did You Expect? at Vicar Street on April 19th. 

Speaking to The Anton Savage Show today, Mr Spain said one of the biggest challenges for a comedian isn’t always making the audience laugh, but keeping them quiet. 

“It's about keeping them quiet,” he said. “Well, you have to make them laugh, but you have to keep their attention. 

“It is very much it's a different kind of work – there's no, ‘Anyway, hi, how are you, look at the ceiling’. You have to be funny right away.” 

Ad-libbing

Mr Spain’s commitment to jokes even has him laughing at himself at times. 

“If I think of something, I’ll say it on stage,” he said. 

“I recorded a TV show years ago and I had to write stand up pretty much last minute, so people got annoyed because ‘he laughs at his own jokes’. 

“But I literally was ad-libbing – I ad-libbed the punchline, and I started laughing because I've just heard it. 

“Sometimes it gets passed the process of thought, so half of my brain says it and the other half goes, ‘Oh that’s funny’.” 

Spain the ghostwriter

Mr Spain also finds himself often laughing at other people’s jokes – especially when he writes them. 

“I write for other people as well,” he said. “So sometimes I write a gag and go, ‘That would work for them’. 

“Once I was doing a gig with someone and someone laughed and looked at me and went, ‘You couldn’t write a joke like that’ and hit me on the arm. 

“I was like, ‘Am I being set up here? Is this a test?’.” 

'I try to take it back'

While charging others for a joke-writing session has its perk, Mr Spain he often regrets some of the insights he offers. 

“There was one joke I came up with and I genuinely trying to take it back in the same second, it was so good,” he said. 

“At the moment I'm working with three separate people who are three completely different characters and acts in the next few weeks.” 

You can hear Mr Spain’s jokes straight out of his own mouth on April 19th at Vicar Street. 

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