A self-described gin drinking cabaret darling, musical comedy misfit, drag clown and acid tongued ringmaster, Joe Black is a performer we’ve had our eye on for a while here at QX Towers. And finally, this week, Jason Reid got to meet the king of cabaret noir…
Hey Joe! So your name coincidentally matches your style, but it’s your real name, right?
Yes. I have such an issue with duality, I get far too confused. It’s just easier for me to stick to the same name. And yeah, it sounds dark, too, right? I’m so goth even my surname is black.
It’s clearly fate! What first drew you to the vaudevillian style of performance?
Aesthetically and stylistically, it just appealed to me so much more than anything else. It’s also quite an open word in terms of actual performance. It can be a number of things as long as it sits on a certain vibe. And it just so happens that vibe floats my hypothetical boat.
What’s your twist?
My shows are macabre, funny, silly, sad, completely ludicrous and I like to think, very feel-good. Thats what you need from cabaret, right? A wonky raconteur and a gin-addled cabaret reprobate. That sort of sums my shows up.
As a performer, do you believe humour is limitless?
Yes. Humour is limitless. Comedy can take on absolutely anything. Though people seem to take that and wave it around like a get out of jail free card.
So there should be a degree of personal responsibility, too?
I think the more sensitive the subject matter, the more thought you need to put into it; and in turn the more intelligent the comment needs to be. Most importantly the punchline needs to be absolutely fucking genius. If someone is playing around with something that is clearly going to offend a large amount of people but treats it as a flippant “I can say what I want because that’s comedy” then they are just being a bit of a dick. What was that line from Spiderman? With great comedy, comes great responsibility? Except with dick jokes. You don’t need to be responsible about those.
Do you ever censor yourself?
I censor myself very occasionally. I’ve got to a point now that I know when I’m going too far, or whether to back off just that little bit.
How do you want audience members to feel after your performance?
Like they’ve been on a journey with me, and that we’ve connected. Not necessarily in a deep and meaningful “I UNDERSTAND YOU” way. In a way that an audience feels like they can trust me to just do whatever I want and that they’ll be entertained and distracted from the miserable cold ridiculous thing that is reality.
Let’s touch on your androgynous aesthetic, which is always flawless and chic. How has this manifested over the years?
Oh thank you Jason, you charmer you! Well over the past year I feel like I’ve really refined it. Now when I look back over old photos, I think “what the hell was I doing?”, though I’ll probably think that in another year too. I’ve gone from shabby suit wearing – with too much eyeliner – to full-blown 1920’s sex clown. I’ve worn eye-patches, playsuits, tuxedos, old bits of fabric safety- pinned on, fez’s, bowlers, berets, no shoes, flat shoes, platform shoes. If it’s ridiculous, I’ve probably put it on. Recently I’ve put a lot more focus into costume and image than I ever have before. I’ve vetoed more things, and tried to make everything as chic and nice as I can. I think it’s working?
It’s definitely working. You have a deep fondness for musical theatre. Which musical would you star in if you could?
There’s a few dream roles. Firstly, the emcee from Cabaret; for obvious reasons, right? Fagin from Oliver, because he was my favourite character as a kid. And the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, again for obvious reasons.
What’s your proudest career highlight to date?
Supporting Eddie Izzard at the Southsea Comedy Festival. I enjoyed that very much.
