Q&A with Daniel Sloss

Daniel Sloss, at just 26-years-old, has started his comedy career in Scotland and conquered the world. He has performed shows at the major comedy festivals, and made appearances on TV shows such as Conan in the United States, and 8 Out of 10 Cats in the UK.
I spoke with Daniel ahead of his performance at the Canberra Comedy Festival.

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Q: You’re coming to our comedy festival in Canberra. Have you performed here before?
DS: No never, it’s going to be my first time.
Q: What are your expectations of coming to Canberra?
DS: I’ve got no idea! I’ve heard from other comics that it’s a great gig, and if it’s anything like the rest of Australia it’s going to be a great gig.
Q: How often have you come to Australia to tour?
DS: Every year since I was 19, so about seven years now. In the past couple of years I’ve always done Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne, but this time I get to add on more dates and come to other parts of Australia that I’ve not been to before.
Q: So what’s your favourite part of Australia you’ve been to?
DS: I went up to Nimbin today! I’ve been up in Byron Bay, just ‘enjoying the shrubbery’ …
Q: For the audience who haven’t heard you, or seen you on Conan, how would you describe your style of comedy?
DS: Well, I would never describe it as dark, but enough people have described it as dark to know that I’m wrong … I’m not one of those comics who goes out there to offend or upset the audience, but I’m not going to shy away from certain topics. In this show I’m dealing with things like relationships and death. This year’s show has caused 48 couples to break up so far.
Q: Are you aiming for a number?! 50? 100?
DS: I want to get to 100 so hopefully by the end of this Australia trip, because hopefully if I get to 100 I’ll be dead chuffed!

Q: You’re quite young; you’re 26. Have you gained respect from the industry having achieved your level of success at such a young age?
DS: I think when I was young, I got very lucky with TV breaks and stuff like that. I was a good comic, but I was young and I was given a lot of chances. So I think it’s more in recent years, personally, I think that I’ve finally become a real comic. I was a good comic back then, but it was very ‘porridge’ comedy: funny, but no substance.
Q: Do you think you’ve developed that since?
DS: Oh God, yes! I’m not just one of those comics who gets up and just says something on stage. I like talking about real things, and I’m more and more coming into my voice, which is fun.
Q: If you weren’t doing comedy then, what would you be doing?
DS: Oh I’d have to kill myself … I have no transferrable skills, I didn’t go to university, I don’t read a lot … I’m so used to working for just one hour a day, and being able to swear! If I did get a job it would be in the fast food industry and I’d be awful at it …
Q: Daniel, thanks so much for joining me today, and good luck with your Australian shows!
DS: Great, thanks!

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Daniel Sloss performed in Canberra on Saturday, May 25, but will also be around for gigs in Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney during 2017.
The full interview with Daniel can be heard below.

Featured image by Isabelle, used under Creative Commons license.