Each week, we'll be running this new feature on LOL! Manchester. For our inaugral Q&A, we posed 7 questions in the direction of LOL! New Act award nominee Michael Thornton. He's got a show on tonight at Tiger Lounge titled "Lies & Death" - Here are his words...
What made you get into stand up comedy?
I used to go to XS Malarkey every week and after a while I found myself thinking about how I would approach stand-up. So one day I was mad with my girlfriend about something trivial and decided to sign up for Beat The Frog to spite her. It went fairly well, and I'm still doing it today.
Have you ever had anything funny happen to you on the way to a gig?
No, but I standing outside a gig in Nottingham and someone told me I was about as funny as those guys who draw satirical cartoons in newspapers. Someone last week also told me I'm "a bit like David Cameron but from Levenshulme". I don't know which is worse.
What is the shittest gag you've ever heard?
"I refuse to pay cash machine prices. It's a pointless charge. I'm a hollow-cost denier." - Early Thornton out-take, there!
How do you like your eggs in the morning?
Late. I've probably been up before noon about six times this year.
Whats the best thing that's happened to you in your comedy career so far?
The first time I played XS Malarkey was very special. It's probably everyone's favourite gig, and I just love doing it.
Who would you class as your comedy heroes?
I was a big Bill Hicks fan when I was younger and thought comedy could "change the world, man", so I guess he counts. Now I like guys like Stewart Lee and Hans Teeuwen. As far as Manchester-based acts go, Toby Hadoke, Jason Cook and Phil Ellis are all brilliant.
What is your show about?
It's basically a show where I spend half my time talking about lies and hypocrisies, but then I switch it around and talk about how I'm just as big a liar as anybody. I've tried to make the show as personal as possible, but on my terms. There are at least five jokes.
Michael Thornton: Lies & Death tonight at Cats Cradle Comedy @ Tiger Lounge, Fountain Street, Manchester at 8.15pm. This is a double header with John Thorp's Rich Tapestry of Nothing. The £5 admission also gets you into see Daliso Chaponda's acclaimed show "An African Perspective – Westerner’s Calm Down!"
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