What do your parents/children (delete as applicable) think of your job?
My kids roll their eyes at me being a comedian, but they bring their university flatmates to my solo shows – so I think they are secretly proud. My mother is very publicly proud and brings her gang of 80-year-old friends to my shows.
What’s the worst thing about being a comedian?
We need a very thick skin and lots of resilience to bounce back from tough gigs and disappointments. Opportunities don’t necessarily go to who is funniest – you often have to get into the ‘cool kids’ social network to get onto the fun gigs. Relationships in comedy can sometimes feel like they are based on what people can do to boost your career rather than being genuine social connections. That ‘climbing up the comedy ladder’ process is probably what feels most uncomfortable to me as I value authenticity in relationships.
I think you are very good at what you do (that’s why I’m asking these questions). What do you think of you?
I think I’m very good at what I do! Well after a killer show I do anyway! I think most comedians have periods of crippling self-doubt, especially if we start comparing ourselves with exceptional comedians or after we have had a disappointing show.
I would give myself the ‘Jill of all trades best all-round trophy’ – for participation in medicine, book writing, acting, filmmaking, parenting and the comedic arts!
How much do you earn and how much would you like to earn?
I earn around six pounds a minute as both a psychiatrist and a comedian – unfortunately some weeks as a comedian I only get paid for 10 minutes work! So, I still do some psychiatry reports to pay for my Edinburgh accommodation!!
How important is luck in terms of career success – have you had lucky breaks?
There’s definitely luck involved in big breaks – as well as lots of hard work. It was lucky that Harper Collins heard me on the radio being interviewed about being both a psychiatrist and a comedian. That lead to me being commissioned to write ‘When Life Sucks’. That led to lots of TV appearances as an entertaining psychiatrist in New Zealand and Australia. That led to TV guest spots as a comedian. So, I got into TV due to one lucky Radio NZ interview.
Alan Davies has said that comedians fall into two categories - golfers and self-harmers. The former just get on with life, the latter are tortured artists. Which are you – or do you think you fit into third category?
I would be a ‘semi-disabled golfer’ as I have a ‘munted’ arm after breast cancer surgery, so I can’t play golf (literally or metaphorically). I tend to be a glass half full person, but I worry about what might happen if the glass suddenly gets a hole in it. We can’t pour from an empty glass because we have only got a limited number of spoons of emotional energy. We need to put our oxygen masks on first before our batteries drain…..So maybe I’m in a third category – comedians relying on excessive use of metaphors?
Who is your favourite person ever and why – not including family or friends or other comedians?
New Zealand’s covid lockdown Prime Minister Jacinda Arden – she’s articulate, compassionate, bravely speaks her mind and has a great sense of humour.
This interview is a paid partnership with Jacinda Arden’s PR company.
Do you keep your drawers tidy and if not why not? (please think long and hard about this question, it's to settle an argument with my girlfriend. The future of our relationship could depend on your
response).
I’m a ‘clean the benches, stuff the drawers’ person. I figure that I can’t see the state of my drawers – out of sight, out of mind. My husband neatly rolls his underwear in his drawers and stacks and unpacks the dishwasher with military precision but leaves a bomb site of crumbs and chaos on the benches. So, we balance out each other’s domestic habits and have been happily together since 1992. You and your girlfriend can have opposing views on the ‘tidy drawers debate’ and still make this work. For more gold nuggets of relationship advice visit drjoprendergast.com.
Dr Jo Prendergast’s ‘The Cool Mum’ is at the Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose – Coorie Room @ 1pm for tickets go to www.edfringe.com
PHOTO CREDIT - EMMA SMART
