KEY POINTS:
The only excuse Irish comedian Ed Byrne has for not coming back to New Zealand sooner is that he's been busy.
"Doing poor-quality television, mainly. Oh, and corporate gigs," he laughs.
Well, even one of the world's A-list comics needs to diversify and, most importantly, "pay the mortgage".
The last time Byrne was here for the New Zealand International Comedy Festival was four years ago when he did six sold-out shows at SkyCity Theatre.
During his first tour here in 1997 most of his shows sold out after he got some good free publicity. On opening night at the Hopetoun Alpha, Byrne abused an "incredibly rude" barman from a central city bar and the slag-off made the papers.
The barman threatened to sue the comedian, TV news got hold of it and, in Byrne's words, "I am suddenly the most famous comic in New Zealand". He's been a big drawcard here ever since.
Don't get the wrong idea. Byrne's a clever comedian rather than rude and crass, and he doesn't bully or pick on the crowd.
"Some of my friends do that, and they do it very well," he says. "But it's hard to pick on the audience and make comedy out of it without making fun of them."
His new show, Standing Up and Falling Down, is about an ordinary bloke who's at war with the everyday world. It's the same show he performed at last year's Edinburgh Festival.
He admits it's hard to stay funny year after year and refuses to go to festivals with a "half-arsed show" just because he enjoys going back to those places.
"You need to give yourself a bit of a rest from constantly writing comedy. Some years you just have to lie fallow and do other things."
However, explains Byrne with a cheeky chuckle, sometimes not much thought goes into the theme of a new show.
"A lot of comedians work from Edinburgh [festival] to Edinburgh, which is your chance to premier your new one-man show. But the nature of the beast is that you have to have your entry in and your poster signed by the end of March even though the festival isn't until August.
"So," he laughs again, "a lot of the time you've decided on a theme and you'll have a vague idea of what the show's about and then you have to stick with it. That can help you write the show because you have something to aim for but it can also stifle the creative process because you're forced into something."
Byrne's been doing stand-up since 1993 when he started the Comedy Cellar, a weekly night at a Glasgow pub. He says he even surprised himself in having the initiative to start something like that "because I'm a naturally lazy person".
"But it was only out of pure necessity. If I could've gotten into comedy without having to start my own club I would have done."
In the past, music has been a big part of his act - you can see his hilarious tirade about Alanis Morrisette on YouTube. Also there you can catch Byrne doing a Stars in Your Eyes take on Prince. If that's anything to go by then Standing Up and Falling Down will be worth a giggle.
Lowdown
* Who: Ed Byrne, Irish comedian
* Where & when: Bruce Mason Centre, Takapuna, tonight; Comedy Gala, St James, Friday; SkyCity Theatre, Hobson St, from Sat to May 10
