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Raymond Mearns
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Is Raymond an egotistical arsehole? I can say he isn’t, but that’s his own blunt conclusion for not being “more successful” than he is. That and being a lazy c**t…but with his huge stage presence (not his size), his ability to do solo shows with different improvised material every night, his talent in working a room to hysterics, his skill as an MC, Raymond is a master of the comedy craft, and he is just plain funny.
Kavita and I met Raymond in Blackfriars Bar and he was up for a chat and some fun. I found him open, funny, gave tips for comedy success and despite hating c***s, very generous with his time with us. In this edition of the Snigger Magazine, we are running Raymond's interview over two issues (July and August) because he covered so much more than we can fit on one page.
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Raymond Mearns (57) is a born and bred Glaswegian. He lives in Lanarkshire Glasgow with his lovely second wife, Anne, whom I have met a couple of times. He has a degree in business, a grown-up family of two children, and a whopping 31-year long comedy career. Raymond describes himself as a failed actor and musician.
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Not everyone’s cup of tea
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Being a failed actor and musician has boded him well for comedy. He started out playing guitar in clubs then adding bits of chat to the sets. Then as that grew into more comedy, ditched the guitar and took up the mic. Raymond connects with the audience by being authentic and telling the truth but he reflects that what he says on stage can sometimes be not everybody’s cup of tea. But his comedy is his cup of tea, - it’s him. His mindset, psychology or psyche, persona or character whatever it is he is on stage does connect.
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He thinks he has never been very good at telling people what they want to hear because at his admission he doesn’t know what people want to hear. He says he is and always has been selfish, a loner, self-centred and does what suits him, so if he doesn’t want to do something his direct answer is “fk off”. He has also said that to audience members who may not have liked his cup of tea and tried to tell him so– fk off. Whether it is an affectation or not, audiences will still flock to see him., so it works for him
I don’t think you can learn how to be a comedian like Raymond because of his authenticity, unless you are a clone, but you can learn from him how to make a room work, so go see what he does and how he does it and learn.
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Big Break
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Raymond would say his break came when, after only having one venue in Edinburgh, The Stand opened its venue in Glasgow - and they needed Glaswegian acts. And with The Stand needing to embed itself with authentic, brilliant local talent there was only one person to fill the shoes. Tommy Sheppard (the owner of The Stand) asked Raymond and the rest is history.
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You can see Raymond at the Edinburgh Fringe from August 1- 10 then 12 – 25 (7.50pm).
Raymond Mearns Roast Master is on at Beehive2 (The Attic) at Scottish Comedy Festival at the Beehive Inn.
Tickets available at https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/raymone-mearns-roast-master
AND at Hoots Apex 18 – 25 Aug (5pm). Tickets available at Fool On Comedy Crew | Edinburgh Festival Fringe
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Catch up with Raymond again in our next edition to find out his tips for comedy success, who he finds funny, more about authenticity and why he loves a sunset.