FIRST IMPRESSIONS: JO BRAND
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m writing material for a stand-up tour. I’m trying it out at the moment in small theatres and I’m hoping to do it either at the end of this year or early next year.
When were you at your happiest?
Oh God! I’m a fairly happy person most of the time so I would hate to think that I was happiest 10 years ago and I’m not ever going to be that happy again.
What is your greatest fear?
Being murdered by a psychopath.
What is your earliest memory?
As a child of about three, getting a kitten for Christmas and it getting stuck up the chimney and not coming out for three days, despite our best efforts to coax it down.
Who has been your greatest infl uence?
Well, I’m sure this is an answer you get all the time, but I’d have to say my mother because she was a fantastic role model when I was growing up. She’s very independent, she’s bright, she’s assertive – all those things that I think are important for women.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
I’m a bit of a martyr, to be honest. It’s terrible, isn’t it? At least I have recognised it in myself – I now have to do something about it. It’s an awful trait to have.
What is your most treasured possession?
I don’t really treasure possessions. I burnt my flat down when I was 17 and lost everything. Ever since then I’ve found it very hard to treasure any possession because I presume that it’s going to go away.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
I can’t stand bullies. I think people are bullied in so many different ways by being shouted at, being humiliated. It can go all the way up to the top.
Do you have a fantasy address?
I’m not in the slightest bit tempted to live somewhere that people would consider a fantasy. I live in southeast London and I like it and I don’t want to move – ever.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I’m sure people would think probably my weight, but it’s not. I like my family characteristics. I look a bit like my brother and I look like my mum. I quite like that, even though lots of people don’t.
What is your favourite book?
In The Springtime Of The Year by Susan Hill. It’s beautifully written. It’s a bit like poetry but it’s a novel and it’s about a woman whose husband dies in an accident – wishful thinking (my husband’s going to kill me if he reads that, but I don’t care). I remember my best friend reading it when we were at college and she cried solidly for about three days.
What is your favourite film?
Cabaret. I like it on loads of different levels. Liza Minnelli is incredible and I think the music in it is fantastic. But I think as an allegory for what was going on in Nazi Germany and how chilling it was, it can’t be beaten. It’s all about performance and life and showbiz. But really there’s a chilling message going on underneath.
What is your favourite record or piece of music?
Shipbuilding by Elvis Costello. What is your favourite meal? Roast dinner. Beef.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
Bill Clinton, because I’ve heard – I’m not talking about the Monica incident – that he is one of the most intelligent people on the planet.
Which historical character do you most admire?
Probably one of the Pankhursts and all those women who were suffragettes and went against the expectations of social etiquette of the time. It must have been really, really hard for them.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
It was just so vile that you couldn’t print it in The Lady.
What is your secret vice?
All my vices are out in public. My favourite is probably eating too much.
Do you write thankyou notes?
Oh, very much so. My mum was always very rigid about that when we were kids and I think it’s really important.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
I wouldn’t wish that to be printed in The Lady, either.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
A butler.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
‘She was a good laugh’.
Jo Brand’s TV series Great Wall Of Comedy is on Sundays at 7.30pm on Gold.
I’m writing material for a stand-up tour. I’m trying it out at the moment in small theatres and I’m hoping to do it either at the end of this year or early next year.
When were you at your happiest?
Oh God! I’m a fairly happy person most of the time so I would hate to think that I was happiest 10 years ago and I’m not ever going to be that happy again.
What is your greatest fear?
Being murdered by a psychopath.
What is your earliest memory?
As a child of about three, getting a kitten for Christmas and it getting stuck up the chimney and not coming out for three days, despite our best efforts to coax it down.
Who has been your greatest infl uence?
Well, I’m sure this is an answer you get all the time, but I’d have to say my mother because she was a fantastic role model when I was growing up. She’s very independent, she’s bright, she’s assertive – all those things that I think are important for women.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
I’m a bit of a martyr, to be honest. It’s terrible, isn’t it? At least I have recognised it in myself – I now have to do something about it. It’s an awful trait to have.
What is your most treasured possession?
I don’t really treasure possessions. I burnt my flat down when I was 17 and lost everything. Ever since then I’ve found it very hard to treasure any possession because I presume that it’s going to go away.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
I can’t stand bullies. I think people are bullied in so many different ways by being shouted at, being humiliated. It can go all the way up to the top.
Do you have a fantasy address?
I’m not in the slightest bit tempted to live somewhere that people would consider a fantasy. I live in southeast London and I like it and I don’t want to move – ever.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I’m sure people would think probably my weight, but it’s not. I like my family characteristics. I look a bit like my brother and I look like my mum. I quite like that, even though lots of people don’t.
What is your favourite book?
In The Springtime Of The Year by Susan Hill. It’s beautifully written. It’s a bit like poetry but it’s a novel and it’s about a woman whose husband dies in an accident – wishful thinking (my husband’s going to kill me if he reads that, but I don’t care). I remember my best friend reading it when we were at college and she cried solidly for about three days.
What is your favourite film?
Cabaret. I like it on loads of different levels. Liza Minnelli is incredible and I think the music in it is fantastic. But I think as an allegory for what was going on in Nazi Germany and how chilling it was, it can’t be beaten. It’s all about performance and life and showbiz. But really there’s a chilling message going on underneath.
What is your favourite record or piece of music?
Shipbuilding by Elvis Costello. What is your favourite meal? Roast dinner. Beef.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
Bill Clinton, because I’ve heard – I’m not talking about the Monica incident – that he is one of the most intelligent people on the planet.
Which historical character do you most admire?
Probably one of the Pankhursts and all those women who were suffragettes and went against the expectations of social etiquette of the time. It must have been really, really hard for them.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
It was just so vile that you couldn’t print it in The Lady.
What is your secret vice?
All my vices are out in public. My favourite is probably eating too much.
Do you write thankyou notes?
Oh, very much so. My mum was always very rigid about that when we were kids and I think it’s really important.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
I wouldn’t wish that to be printed in The Lady, either.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
A butler.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
‘She was a good laugh’.
Jo Brand’s TV series Great Wall Of Comedy is on Sundays at 7.30pm on Gold.