'Audiences like having a mirror held to them’

Scottish comedian Daniel Sloss, known for his dark humour, arrives in India today for his eight-city tour. The Bengaluru leg of the ‘Daniel Sloss: Can’t’ tour will be held on Sunday.

In an email interview with Metrolife, he talks about the comedy scene in India, and cancel culture, which is the theme of his latest show.

Have you performed in India before?

I’ve been to India once before. In March of last year, I visited Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi. I think the (audience) understanding of English in India is better than a lot of European countries, in terms of live comedy.

India has had a comedy scene for well over 25 years so I find the audiences to be comedy-literate. But they are also more sensitive to certain topics than others.

Tell us about the ‘Can’t’ tour.

‘Can’t’, which is part of ‘The Loop’, a new DeadAnt Live intellectual property, is about (exploring) standup comedy in the face of cancel culture — whether cancel culture exists, to what degree, and where it exists in different parts of the world. The show will also include a lot of jokes about fatherhood because I’m a dad now and I have nothing else to talk about.

You make jokes on topics like sex education. What’s your comedy material about this time?

I’m talking about childbirth, pregnancy, a man’s role in childbirth and pregnancy, the first few months of parenthood, and the freedom of speech.

How do you prepare for your shows?

I don’t. You can take me (out) for food, you can put me in a go-kart, you can get me drunk — (I do) no preparation whatsoever. (Similarly), tell me when to go on stage and I’ll go on stage.

Does every city you perform in influence your content?

Sometimes. I like doing a bit of local material at the top because one thing I find true about the world is that audiences like having a mirror held to them. That’s what comedy is. It’s just a comedian showing you what you look like to him.

Romantic relationships are not for everyone. That was the theme of your OTT special ‘Jigsaw’. It reportedly led to over 2,00,000 breakups and several divorces.

What inspires your content?

Passion. If I love something or hate something then I find it easy to talk about it. I rarely exist in the middle. I either love things fully or I hate them to death. And the juxtaposition of that on stage is what people enjoy.

Who are your favourite comics? 

I like comedians like Jimmy Carr, Ryan Cullen, and Anthony Jeselnik. I like dark comedy and comedy that pushes the boundaries. I think that’s the purpose of art.

‘Daniel Sloss: Can’t — India Tour 2024’, March 17, 2.30 pm and 7 pm, at St John’s College Auditorium, Koramangala. Tickets online.