KEY POINTS:
A delayed flight, poor cellphone reception and a comic that doesn't much like interviews make a quick chat with Dylan Moran a tad tricky. But perseverance pays off and after 10 minutes and multiple callbacks, some lessons in life were gleaned from the Black Books creator.
1. The longer you do something, the less likely you are to screw it up.
After 15 years working the stand-up circuit, Moran no longer lives in fear of dying on stage.
"What happens as you've been doing it over the years is that you're less likely to really screw it up. You just hit a level where you're in control of what you're doing.
"You make those big, dramatic, interesting mistakes that turn out to be funny stories later, because when you're young you're finding out what the hell it is you're supposed to be doing."
2. There is such a thing as too much comedy.
Of course he'd like you to go and see his show, and his friend Arlan O'Hanlon, a comedian he describes as "magnificent". But for the most part Moran has no intention of checking out the other acts at the Comedy Festival.
"I don't watch much stand-up comedy. It's not my idea of a night out. Maybe it's just from doing it so much. If I do go and see somebody it's because I really want to and I'll make an effort."
The last such person was American entertainer Jackie Mason.
"I saw him last year and I was blown away. It was probably the best stand-up I've ever seen. He's 75 years old and it was just amazing what he did to the room. People were just rocking with laughter."
3. Irish people like to talk.
Which is possibly why there are so many Irish comedians, suggests Moran. "I think Irish people grow up talking. It's like a national sport. It's very much the way of life.
"Talking for the Irish is like fighting for the English. it's paramount in our society to talk. It really, really matters."
When Moran takes the stage, he doesn't think of it as performing, merely talking.
"I talk a lot about what I find funny or what I think is remarkable."
4. Other people's suffering is not funny.
Moran doesn't have any particular themes to his work, just things that come up in everyday life. But some things just aren't funny, he says. Namely, making fun of other people's suffering.
"Where's the fun in that, you know? I don't see how that does anything useful.
"The only reason people make those jokes is because they can't cope with the horror of reality. But there are probably better ways to do it."
5. Tasmania is in short supply of cigarettes.
Having just stepped off the plane from Canberra, Moran simultaneously chatted with TimeOut while exploring Tasmania for the first time. After hopping in taxis, ordering coffee, and generally getting his bearings, Moran suddenly stops, mid-conversation, to declare his first major observation of the island state.
"I'll tell you something about Tasmania. You can't find [expletive] cigarettes anywhere. I'm scouring the streets and still nothing."
Lowdown
* Who: Dylan Moran
* When & Where: Auckland's St James from May 9 to 11. Tickets from TicketDirect; May 15 at Westpac St James, Wellington. Tickets from Ticketek.
