http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/en...his_roots.html
Rich goes back to his roots
Marissa Burgess
QUAYS SHOW: Hall
RICH Hall has been late getting back to his roots of late, spending the summer in the gigantic landscape of his native Montana.
Despite coming from one of the vastest states in the US, Hall nevertheless loves it in his adopted, pokey old Britain - but that’s partly to do with how we love his sense of humour. He is, after all, simply un-American.
"I'm not brash; I'm apologetic,” he says. “That's all you have to be to win over a British crowd,” he laughs.
Despite the dismissive comments, he does make a concerted effort to blend in with the Brits: “You don't walk out and say, 'Where's Starbucks?' I learnt from reading Bill Bryson that if you show interest in a place, it will take you to heart.”
Though he adds: “Whereas Bill Bryson is affable, I'm cranky - but at least I'm affably cranky!"
He also attributes his popularity in this country as partly due to that crankiness. "As a comedian, you've got to go where the misery is," he deadpans.
Art form
The British comedian’s attitude to stand-up suits Hall, too. As he notes, it’s an art form in itself, not (as it’s often perceived in America) merely a stepping-stone to something bigger.
"American performers don't need stand-up,” he explains. “They look at it merely as a springboard to something else: a sitcom, a movie, or their own TV show.”
Though to be fair, he reasons, that’s partly due to the attitudes of the audiences over the Atlantic.
"Most Americans believe they could get up there and make jokes, so they think, 'Why should I pay to watch someone else do that?'” he says.
“They won't pack out a theatre, and American comedy clubs are not great venues for expressing yourself. As a stand-up, you're always competing with a noisy blender at the bar.”
Looks like we’ll be keeping Hall for a bit longer yet then.
Rich Hall is on at The Lowry on Thursday, December 8 and Saturday, December 10. £14. To buy tickets, call 0870 060 1768 or book online.