Interview: Spencer Jones - DOGS
Spencer Jones is the creative mind behind DOGS. What started as a silly character to entertain his son turned out to be the beginning of this brand-new show. Spencer is a BAFTA-nominated comedian, actor, writer, and artist, as well as a two-time Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee.
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/spenc
Venue: Soho Theatre
When: 5th – 3rd August (not performing on 17th).
Could you tell us a bit more about yourself and what Dogs is all about?
I am a human who shows off for money, so that’s comedy, acting singing etc. At the time of writing this questionnaire I’m writing a show entitled DOGS. When I start writing something, and I use the term writing very loosely at this stage, I don’t really know what the show will be about. What I do know at the time is what I’m up to day to day. I have a little dog we acquired slightly by accident that I didn't really want at first. Now my partner is in full time employment, I spend a lot of time with the little bad breathed beast. One morning whilst I was getting my son breakfast, I slipped into a silly character with a posh voice talking about how we have a rescue dog. My teenage son tried not to laugh but couldn’t help smirking as I carried on relentlessly with this very over the top character. It was at that point I had a start idea and my show was grown since then. A nation of dog lovers but we love all sorts of dogs and there’s all sorts of people in this nation. I sensed good fertile Comedy ground and have been working on the show for six months, trying bits out around the country in Comedy club and theatres. I’ve added music, quite a few different types of dog leads, and even a load of different masks that I’ve made all by myself. There is stand-up comedy in there too, and I’ve ended up with a hybrid show which looks at dog packs and the human pack as I see it. But with as many laughs as I can squeeze into an hour.
You are returning to the Edinburgh Fringe after being nominated twice before. How does it feel to be back with a brand-new show?
Just to begin, the nominations were a surprise. They always are and always should be in my opinion. There are hundreds of shows with Edinburgh winning capability. I’m very pleased to be back but also excited and scared. But fear is a good motivator for me. It's one of the things that makes a good show. That said, I'm bang up for it, I absolutely love Edinburgh, the festival and the city. It's hard work but to go up with a brand-new hour is a privilege. I'm also doing a kids show in the morning at 11 and a play called 11 1/2 angry men with a bunch of other comedians at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. By the time I get to my show in the evening, I'll be fully warmed up/knackered.
You got the idea for Dogs during a walk when you had no inspiration. How did you come up with it, and what was the writing process like?
I'd been stuck in a rut writing wise. The combination of worrying about other things money/career/trying to be a good dad. There was a lack of freedom in my mind in comparison to previous years. I managed to clear my mind and stop worrying about everything which took a while. And I just started having fun again at home with the kids. I mention this in question number one. That's what opened up the door to me. Once I have a theme, I can start daydreaming/working/workshopping around that theme.
The writing process itself is quite ADHD inspired. At home, I have three or four different set ups that I flit between. One is music, keyboard, computer, instruments, etc. If I I feel the urge for that kind of thing I jump on and start working. The other has been making stuff with my hands. I've got quite into making masks of different types of extreme characters. I don't know what the mask will be when I start, and also I don't know if they will get a place in the show, but sometimes they develop in such a way that they find a place and combined with an existing idea. Often to ideas down at the same time, create something twice as good. There's also a fair bit of stand up in the piece so I have been making lots of little notes/jokes/observations and putting those into a decent order that works with the other stuff around them.
The show explores how caring for a dog makes you rethink how you live. How has having your Chihuahua-Jack Russell cross changed your own daily life?
I have always loved dogs. I adore them. I say hello to every single dog I see, sometimes underway breath so the owners can’t hear. Dogs are the best. But I never thought I would have one because my life is quite unpredictable. I always worried I wouldn't be there for a dog and as a result wouldn't be a decent owner. Long story short, I am now with my dog most of the day and quite a few evenings when I'm not doing gigs. My little dog I think stops me from going mad. She needs me, obviously for food and water, but also for walks. That walk means I get out of the house when perhaps I don't want to or wouldn't if she wasn't there. That walk means I might interact with a couple of people while I'm out and about, see something funny, make a new friend maybe. I have a tendency to be quite selfish sometimes but my dog torpedoes that just with a look on her cute little face.
What do you hope audiences will take away from the story?
There is a theme to the show, but I don't want to give it away here. To do so I think could spoil it. I do hope the audiences will have a laugh. (I think they will the previews to be going very well) Dogs have an intriguing way of meeting each other for the first time, it's either a bark or a sniff of the private parts. Imagine if humans did that. Feels like there's a lot of barking in the human world at the moment without actually knowing what you're barking at.
If you had to describe the show in only three words to make people eager to come and see it, what would they be?
Funny. Cheap. Essential!
