Let’s get demented with Deirdre O’Kane
Menopause, Covid-19, and teenagers are the core ingredients in the potent cocktail from which poured comedian Deirdre O’Kane’s latest stand-up show which she will be bringing back to Leeside next weekend.
At 75 minutes long and counting, O’Kane’s ‘Demented’ is unique in that it has come about in what she describes as a “rock and roll” time in her life. With her kids as good as reared and her talented fingers in many the showbiz pie, the 6-time Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTA) nominee says she is finally starting to really enjoy the stand-up life.
“My kids are sort of out the gap, I've got a lot of freedom, so I actually feel about 10 years younger than I did,” Deirdre explains.
“It's really interesting because you don't anticipate that. The time that you get back is extraordinary. I've been on the road for 11 months with this show and I think it's the first tour that I've genuinely enjoyed because I haven't been constantly texting and ringing to see is everything okay.”
As Deirdre emerges from some of the more challenging years of parenthood and all that comes with it, she says her approach to comedy and writing has evolved to a point where patience and calm have taken the front seat. This comes in stark contrast to an interview she did about 5 years back in which she described the writing process as “torturous”.
She explains: “I've kind of changed my approach. I've stopped beating myself up as much as I used to. I now sort of wait until the stuff comes to me. I should have let it be a bit more organic. Sometimes when you're trying to force it and you're sitting down looking at a blank page, it's just a waste of time.
“I used to think that if you put the hours in - if you sit down for 4 hours - something will come, and there's a truth to that, but I also find it better to just wait. For example, this show is 75 minutes. That is a lot of material. That takes the guts of a year to write and there's probably 50% that I threw out. Not everything you write is good. It's a lot of time.
“I feel like I'm kind of only getting to know myself artistically because I've always chopped and changed between other jobs and have been so busy being a mum.”
One of Ireland’s most loved and recognised comedians and actors, Deirdre has been a mainstay on the Irish scene for decades and she only seems to be gathering momentum. A co-founder of Comic Relief in Ireland, she also spearheaded the hugely popular show 'RTÉ Does Comic Relief' which raised over 6 million euros over the Covid-19 pandemic. Not only that but she also recently fronted her own talk shows, 'Deirdre O'Kane Talks Funny' on RTÉ, and the brand-new series, 'The Deirdre O'Kane Show' on Sky Max. With all of this considered, she says the word “driven” isn’t a word she would usually attribute to herself.
“I've become more driven with age, which is nice, but I wouldn't have said that about me. An awful lot of it is necessity. I'm self-employed and it doesn't get handed to you. I started out as an actor, and if you're working 50% of the time as an actor, you're doing really well. When it comes to comedy, it's literally do it or don't do it man, you know? Write a new show and push it out the door or you're not working.
“This tour has surprised me the most, this is the one I have pushed and worked really hard at.”
The material for her new show, ‘Demented’, comes from many places, but most evident in how she describes it is an unmistakeable sense of relief and composed celebration, as though she can finally breath and stretch her arms out a bit and really enjoy the moments as they come.
She says: “I've often said, when things are really shit for me, I will make money out of this if it kills me. It's the only light I can think of sometimes when the shit hits the fan. Now, that said, there has been very dark stuff that I've not written about – yet.
“That old adage, ‘comedy equals tragedy plus time’ - I often wonder how long is that time supposed to be? 'Demented' was definitely menopaused and Covid and teenagers. What a cocktail!
“It's only when you get older that you realise, there's no shit hitting the fan, like, you nearly need to stop and think, 'Oh my God, everybody, look at this! Look at this! There's nothing bad happening! Let's take a moment to enjoy that!'. That is as good as it gets, when there's nobody dying, when there's no crisis, let's have a gin and tonic.”
With a seemingly insatiable thirst for challenge and having developed a serious taste for hosting talk shows, Deirdre sets herself no limits for the future. Do we dare mention 'The Late Late Show'?
“The thing that interests me the most is challenge. I like being challenged. I get very bored. I need things to scare me. I wish I could find an easier way,” says Deirdre.
“Wouldn't you think they'd give me 'The Late Late Show' now? I would like more of a stab at the chat show format thing. RTÉ gave me one series of
'Deirdre O'Kane Talks Funny' where I talked one on one to a comedian and I really, really liked being in that chair, I'm very comfortable in it, but I would have liked a broader thing, I would have liked 2 or 3 guests. 'The Late Late Show' is a unique beast and it's not like any other chat show in the world, so, you know, who can fill that slot? I don't know the answer to that one, but I think it's come to a point where it needs to change a bit.”
Deirdre O’Kane will perform her new show ‘Demented’ in The Everyman on Saturday 15 April. Tickets cost €26 and are on sale now at deirdreokane.net or everymancork.com.