An interview with Arthur Smith, written for a University project.
Comedian, author, playwright, artist, poet, broadcaster and grumpy old man Arthur Smith brings the story of Daphne Fairfax to Sheffield City Hall.
Arthur Smith has just introduced me to his promoter as the young male prostitute he has ordered to keep him occupied before tonight’s show at the City Hall. Like any great stand-up then, Arthur is constantly in comedy mode, no matter how small the audience.
Tonight’s gig though, is a little different, because it won’t be a traditional stand-up set. It will be a book reading – albeit a very funny one.
For Arthur Smith, there’s one very important difference between literature festivals like Sheffield’s ‘Off The Shelf’ and the comedy circuit he’s spent the last three decade travelling along.
“They seem to have some deal going with literary festivals where you can get people for nothing. It’s partly because writers, of course, don’t get asked out of the house much, but when they’ve got a book out they’re prepared to do anything.
“But as a comedian who is used to being paid for my work, it’s frankly insulting,” Arthur explains, as to why the Cheltenham festival was one of the few literature events he hasn’t appeared at this year.
He has been on the road promoting his first book, an autobiography: ‘My Name Is Daphne Fairfax’. The title itself has its roots in Arthur’s early stand-up routines – Daphne Fairfax was how the comic would introduce himself on-stage, in case any Inland Revenue staff were in the audience.
This just goes to show how Arthur’s comedy background continues to inform the diverse range of projects he has been involved with over the years. As well as a comedian, he is a proven playwright, artist, poet, broadcaster and now, author. With all of that accomplished, why has it taken Arthur so long to write a book?
“I’d always said I wouldn’t write an autobiography, and then a number of events contrived to make me think I would, which were the advance and the fact that this publisher had been pursuing me on and off for fifteen years about a novel that I nearly did.”
His near-death experience when his pancreas exploded in 2001, Arthur admits, was one event that encouraged him to reflect on his life. “I felt I’d kind of done enough to write about,” he surmises.
But after so many years in front of an audience, perhaps disappearing on his own to write 110,000 words of prose wasn’t something that immediately appealed to Arthur?
“In a sense any writing of length is an introverted process because you’re on your own. There’s no lonelier job in a way, than being a writer just sat by yourself hour after hour.”
He hasn’t been put off entirely by the process though: “I don’t know if I want to write a novel but I do want to write prose again. But then I’ve not written a play for a while. But then I might do something completely different; I might become a ballet dancer.”
He spots the corners of my mouth curling. “You’re right to smirk, because I think certainly my accountant wouldn’t be up for me becoming a ballet dancer,” he admits.
“I could write a screenplay, or maybe make a little film. I like to have a lot of possibilities. I like to do what interests me, especially if they pay me, otherwise I like to do a lot of voiceovers rather than doing what interests me.”
It is this broad range of interests that makes Arthur’s story a fascinating one to see retold live. Unlike other authors at book festivals, there is more to his show than watching Arthur reading passages from his book. There are anecdotes, bits of stand-up routines, poems and even songs, from his 2000 show, ‘Arthur Smith Sings Leonard Cohen’.
“It comes naturally to me. I wouldn’t be comfortable in a suit, sat a table with my head down just reading,” he explains, indicating that his background in stand-up gives his readings a performative element that other authors lack. “I’m always frankly amazed when you get an author who’s actually a good performer too, because most of them aren’t.”
This gives Arthur an incentive to be imaginative with his readings. “I keep experimenting with different bits from the book to do, different ways of presenting, because I could just do readings but I kind of think I should level it with a more informal approach.
“Because of course when you’re reading your head’s down, you’re still, so it’s not such a theatrical experience as if you’re walking about, waving, looking at the audience and farting. Although you can fart and read obviously.”
Despite this, he finds the book festivals a little more straight-forward than the comedy gigs he’s used to, “because you’re not duty bound to be getting laughs all the time at a literary festival, which as a comedian you are.
“And also you don’t have to learn it – you can be reading your own book.”
The audiences, too, offer a fresh challenge. “I think also a literary audience are a little more indulgent in a way. With a comedy audience, if you don’t make them laugh they’re pissed off. A literary audience, it’s a more nebulous thing, and they’re probably a more thoughtful crowd, and probably less pissed.”
In general though, Arthur feels that literature festival’s are effective at bringing books to life. “Obviously books mostly are read privately in your own head and there’s a different dynamic obviously when you’re reading it out loud. I think book festivals are a good opportunity to bring readers together.
“Reading is just as much a solitary process as writing. Book festivals are the one time when readers and writers can meet each other, and in a sense that’s not what books are for, but sometimes you want to go to the party in the next room when you’re sick of twelve hours sitting in the other room.”
Arthur Smith however, get his own perks out of book festivals: “Cash, sex, drugs, young journalists interviewing me, trip out of town, excuse to get out the house, chance to put my suit on. It’s life.”
http://www.arthursmith.co.uk
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