This week, Irish comedian Ed Byrne joined Toby Tarrant, sitting in for Chris Moyles, on The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X.
Speaking to Toby Tarrant Byrne shared the story of how, as a young comedian in 1997, he made national news headlines in New Zealand after getting into an argument with the country’s ‘rudest barman,’ prompting him to make it part of his act the following night, provoking the barman to threaten Ed with legal action!
He's a taste of the conversation.
Tune into Toby Tarrant (in for Chris Moyles) on Radio X weekdays from 6:30am – 10am and on Global Player**
Key
Ed Byrne – EB
Toby Tarrant – TT
Pippa Taylor – PT
James Robinson – JR
TT: “How as a comedian do you find out that you’re popular in New Zealand?”
EB: “Well you start going, as I say, when you’ve no dependents and you have the time to do it, and it’s a bit of a working holiday. The first time I went out there, I got in trouble in a bar. I was in a bar called the East Side Bar, and the barman was just the rudest barman I have ever come across in my life. And I told him so, basically, and was thrown out. I was in ’97, and I don’t know if you remember, there was that thing, like in LA, for about five minutes, where it was like trendy or hip for waiters and bar staff to be rude. It was a thing for like five minutes. And this guys just decided he was going to run with it for the rest of his life. So I took issue, and he threw us out. And one of the things he said to me was, ‘You’re in the wrong country.’ So anyway, I mentioned it on stage the following night, it turns out that this guy was just known as a really rude guy.”
TT: “Right.”
EB: “So I started slagging him off on stage; he threatened to sue. And bearing in mind New Zealand is a place where so little happens that they invented bungee jumping – it made the news! I was literally on the news. So it just sold the tour out! And then I just went back year on year. So yeah, that was my first time there. I don’t know, controversy just sold tickets, so I’ve been going back ever since.”
PT: “So he did you a favour?”
EB: “Yeah! I mean, nobody remembers that now in New Zealand. But people go, ‘That Irish comic strangely does well here, doesn’t he? I can’t remember what first brought him to our attention.’”
TT: “So what you really need to do is if there are any places where, you know, Ed Byrne fans haven’t taken hold yet, is just go to every country that you don’t tell tickets in and get kicked out of a bar. And then you’re sorted for life!”
EB: “Well the barman has to start it; this is the thing. Look at me, do I have the physique of a man who goes round getting kicked out of bars? I have to get lucky! I just happened to go the bar where the biggest, you know, worst… I nearly swore. Tool, can I say that?”
TT: “Yeah, you can say that.”
EB: “Yeah, is serving and take issue with how rude they are.”
Tune into Toby Tarrant (in for Chris Moyles) on Radio X weekdays from 6:30am – 10am and on Global Player**
