Dom Mackie is a young, storytelling master of therapeutic comedy…
When did you first realise you were funny?
To be honest, I still don’t see myself as funny, I guess the fact other people laugh at what I say is a bonus. Suppose the first gig where I got an applause break was when I first realised, I was funny, cause at least I was so funny the audience wasted their energy putting two hands together for it.
How did you get into stand-up?
When I was in my first year at university, I attended the comedy society and did some improv there. One of the members liked what they saw and invited me to an open mic night in the city, I’ve never looked back since.
As a post-millennial, do you find that comedy is changing, is the material of older comics still relevant?
It is always good to keep up with the times as the more relatable your material is towards younger audiences, the better presence you have on social media (presence=promotion). I feel society is very PC nowadays so you do have to be very careful with what you say, but it depends if you are actually that bothered with what people think, which I’m not.
What does your perfect Sunday afternoon look like?
Oh this is easy! Chilling on the sofa, watching Netflix, not being bothered if you accidentally fall asleep when watching… bliss.
If your comedy style was a soup, what would be the key ingredients?
Wow, from an easy question to a challenging one! I’d say the key ingredients are energy, storytelling and audience chatter, I do all three in my set and if I don’t, then clearly something is up with me that day.
Can you tell us about the show?
It is called “Poor Life Choices”, it is a therapeutic experience for the audience, where I not only go over the stupid decisions in my life, but the audience reveal stories about their lives. By the end, we feel like a community but it’s a hilarious community at the same time.
You’ve been touring ‘Poor Life Choices’ across the world for quite a wee while now. How has the show evolved in that time?
From doing previews in pubs in Cambridge to worldwide shows has been an incredibly quick journey. I find it hard to even process how quick its been. It started with a 35-minute TED talk pretty much now, but now it involves the audience and it has become a solid hour long stand up show with good reviews.
How did it go down in America?
I am always concerned when taking my stand up outside the UK due to the different reactions I could get from it. I was beyond overjoyed by the different reactions I got from outside the UK and I am returning to America in July, I can’t wait to perform there.
You’ve got 20 seconds to sell the play to somebody in the streets…
Do you like stupid stories? Do you like to watch someone suffer? Do you like comedy? Then come and see ‘Poor Life Choices’, the sell out show where sad times lead to good fortunes.
Poor Life Choices
The Caxton Arms
May 28 & 29
Mumble Comedy 