Interview
Interview
Babatunde Aléshé can’t understand why people like cheese
The comedian talks outrageous rider requests and why fondue is terrible ahead of his UK tour this September
High Expectations is an apt title for Babatunde Aléshé’s new UK tour – his dizzying rise has blown his own expectations out of the water.
“With my last tour, I only thought that I would sell 4,000 tickets,” he says. “That was my aim. I was like, okay, if I sell 4,000 I’m good. That’s a massive achievement. Then it sold over 30,000. That blew me away, because I genuinely did not believe that would happen. I just didn’t think I would draw that big of a crowd. I really didn’t.”
Aléshé is quickly becoming a dominant name in British comedy, launched by a very well-received stint in the I’m a Celeb jungle and appearances on major panel shows. He’s on his way up at a rapid pace. As for a time his high expectations haven’t panned out?
“Birthday plans,” he says. “My 24th birthday, I invited all my mates and literally three people showed up. We had to divert plans. We were going to go to a rave, but because only three people showed up, we just ended up going to Nando’s and then just going back to the estate and having a little drink, and that was that… I was fuming.”
Ahead of the kick-off of his tour in September, we got stuck in a lift with Aléshé to talk customer service jobs, Eddie Murphy, and his hatred for fondue.
Who would you most want to be stuck in a lift with?
Eddie Murphy, because I’d pick his brain for advice and tips on stand up, on comedy, acting, writing and just, how does he stay so funny and so relevant for all these years? I’ve been watching him for decades and he’s the reason why I started comedy. So if I could be stuck in a lift with one person, it’d have to be him, because until we get released I’m just asking him questions, taking mental notes, taking notes on my phone. I’d ask him everything.
Who would you least want to be stuck in a lift with?
Right now, Donald Trump. Or Nigel Farage. I would not want to be stuck in a lift with either of them because they’re just not serious people.
I don’t know who would be more annoying.
Funnily enough, I think Trump would be more annoying. Which is mental to say for someone like Farage, but Trump is unbearable.
What’s the weirdest interaction you’ve ever had with a famous person?
I won’t say who it was, but it was just a lot of awkward silence. We were trying to have a conversation, because obviously we knew who each other was, and we just didn’t have anything to talk about. So I was trying to navigate out of the conversation. I was just like, “Okay,” and I said that like, five times, but they just kept on trying to interject and talk about something. I was just like, “Brother, this ain’t going nowhere. Just give it up. Let me go.”
What’s the last gig or live show you went to?
I went to the Usher concert. That was absolutely fantastic. He definitely blew the roof off the place. I was so surprised that he’s still got all those moves after all these years. Not to disrespect him, but being the age that he is, I mean, that was a workout just watching him. I was just like, “Man, I don’t envy you at all boy,” because he was roller skating, dancing, spinning around, doing all these back flips and stuff… I was just like, “Mate, well done.”
What’s on your rider?
Not a lot. Water, fruit and just like little snacks. Maybe some crisps, some sweets, just to get the energy, but always water and fruits, nothing else. No alcohol, none of that.
Have you ever been tempted to put something outrageous on there?
Never. I feel that I’m not at that point yet where I can do stuff like that, but trust me, the day that my fame supersedes that line… Oh man, I’m going to request stupid things. I’m going to be like, “I want a live goat in my dressing room, and I want the biggest speaker you can find, and I want a lavender bush.”
What did your 12-year-old self think you’d be doing right now?
My 12-year-old self thought I’d be acting more over comedy. My 12-year-old self would never be disappointed with being a comedian, because I wanted to be a comedian, but I wanted to transition into acting.
What’s the film you’ve re-watched most in your life?
Trading Places with Eddie Murphy. I love that film. I love Coming To America too, but Trading Places is just… it’s like Shakespeare to me.
What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
My last job, which was working at Transport for London. I couldn’t stand that place because I worked in customer services, so I was taking complaints from the customers, and that was not nice, getting shouted out by customers. It humbles you, because you really have to learn how to control yourself and compose yourself. You do have to learn empathy, you know, because at the end of the day, people’s days are being ruined, but when they take out their frustration on you, you kind of have to develop a thick skin. You just kind of gotta get numb to it, because it’s a lot of negativity. When you answer the phone and someone is shouting at you… oh man, you instantly want to shout back.
What work of yours do you feel like didn’t get the attention that it deserved?
I’d say my acting. In no way trying to be arrogant – I just felt like I had a lot to offer. In this business, what I’ve learned is clout is what kind of pushes you. So if you’re relevant, you get more opportunities in that field and sometimes newer talents get overlooked, even if they are good. I’ve seen that within the comedy world. Like, yes, I’m relevant, so I get a lot of opportunities, but I also recognise the talent behind me, the newer talent. That’s why I’m always pushing to showcase new acts and just basically give them a platform so that they’re not overlooked. There’s room for everyone.
What’s the worst advice you’ve been given?
We were actually talking about this yesterday, me and my wife. When I meet any successful comedian, I always pick their brain. I always ask them for advice, especially when it comes to navigating the world of stand up, whether it be performing on stage or to how to conduct yourself off stage. I won’t say who, but I spoke to a comedian, and I was asking them about how they structure a one-hour set. They basically said, “Oh no, it’s off the cuff. I just wing it, and there’s no structure. I just do whatever.” I was just like, hold on, you’re telling a newer act that you don’t structure anything when that’s a lie. Not only that, it kind of made me feel like they saw me as a threat, and because they’re so far advanced within their career, I just thought that was just stupid.
But I think maybe the worst advice I’ve ever been given is that you don’t need to write every day as a comedian. I would advise every single comedian to write every day. You don’t have to write a whole load of material – even if it’s just one line or one joke. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be polished and complete. You write one joke every single day. Don’t put pressure on yourself – you don’t have to write for an hour. It could be five minutes. It could be 10 seconds. Put something on paper. That’s my advice.
What’s your most controversial food opinion?
I think cheese is disgusting. How could you eat something that smells so bad? It doesn’t make sense to me. But people go crazy for it. I went to a mate’s house when I was in drama school – there were like four or five of us. I’m like, “Why does your house stink so bad?” Then he brought out the fondue, and they went crazy. They brought out the carrots and the celery and cucumber, and they’re just dipping it. They were like, “Don’t you want any, man?” I was like, hell no. Do you not smell that? They gave me a packet of crisps to munch.
What’s your guiltiest pleasure?
I love chilling out listening to music. I’ve got a vinyl player, and one of the ways I absolutely love to relax, is putting a record on and just zoning out with a nice glass of wine. You can tell how middle class I am now.
What’s your favourite record at the moment?
My favourite vinyl at the moment that I’m listening to is by Larry June. The album’s called The Great Escape. It’s like, chilled hip hop, very melodic.
Do you have any superstitions?
I don’t have superstitions, but I do love a good conspiracy theory. All of that Illuminati and aliens and reptilians stuff, I find that so entertaining, and I would love to think that there is some truth in stuff like that, because it just makes the world a bit more interesting. If there was, like, reptilian shape shifters, it’d be like, “Alright, it’s scary, but, my lord, that’s kind of cool, innit?”
Babatunde Aléshé’s UK tour kicks off 10 September – find tickets here
