8 minute read
MIKE KELSON: VEGAN ACTOR & COMEDIAN
Vegan Comedians haven’t had much of a laugh recently – its been tough work during Lockdown. But its not all been doom and gloom. Mike Kelson talks us through the last year and looks to the future when live comedy can return again. Plus a joke or two…
HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU’VE MET A VEGAN?
Because they look fit, healthy and usually about ten years younger than they actually are (unless they’re small children of course, and that might look a little odd), oh, and they’ll tell you. It’s a funny thing, but I’m guilty there - I do tend to bring it into the conversation with people I’ve just been introduced to without even meaning to. It’s like a badge of honour for me I suppose, and I need to share that positive information.
My dog Harry, a gorgeous red staffie cross, has been fully vegan for around a year now, and he can’t wait to get to the park these days to tell the other dogs either. I love it that after years of him sharing my meals, I can share his too now, although I don’t go as far as eating from the same bowl. Not at the same time at least.
YOU MUST BE FED UP WITH HEARING THAT ONE! WHEN DID YOU GO VEGAN, AND WHY?
I don’t mind all the vegan windups to be fair. It shows that we make people feel guilty enough to wind us up in the first place.
I’ve been vegan for about nine years now, but vegetarian since leaving school.
I was always a big animal lover and as a child it may sound ridiculous, but it never connected with me that I was eating them too, because I was unfortunately brought up in an environment where meat-eating is perfectly normal, although saying that, my Mum went vegetarian around the same time, which made things easier.
I finally went vegan after years of being oblivious to the horror of the dairy industry, thanks to farmers and advertising telling us how wonderful their cows are treated, and how you always see smiling cows on milk and cheese products. Becoming vegan was a real spiritual awakening for me and I wish it had all happened far sooner than it did.
WHAT’S IT LIKE BEING A VEGAN COMEDIAN GENERALLY?
I consider myself a serious actor first and foremost these days, but comedy is still a big part of my life. As a comedian, it’s important to be able to laugh at yourself, so having a social stigma seemed to make things easier. Things have changed a lot in the last ten years, so it’s not so much of a big deal being vegan these days, but it’s good to show people you can be vegan and have a sense of humour, particularly if they connect with vegans being serious, miserable, complaining or protesting all the time. For some reason, people would never believe I was vegetarian, let alone vegan, possibly because I played sport, wasn’t pale or malnourished, again great misconceptions that needed to be trashed.
VEGAN COMEDIANS ARE A BIT OF A THING – SINCE 2014, THERE SEEMS TO BE LOADS OF YOU. HOW SO? WHAT IS IT WITH VEGANS AND COMEDIANS?
I was surprised how many there actually were. With my generally sceptical personality, I assumed many may had jumped on the bandwagon just to get more gigs, and were scoffing Mars bars as soon as they left the venue, but that was unfair of me (I hope). There is an element of compassion in comedy though. Most comedians just want to make people laugh, and many get into comedy because they were bullied, suffered as a result of others or want to complain about social injustice in a more subtle way. It’s a great platform to get your point across and leave your audience laughing at the same time.
Appearing as Tiger the Horse in Flight Of The Cows, 2019
HOW DID THE VEGFESTUK VEGAN COMEDY FESTIVALS COME ABOUT?
Vegfest has always had a strong connection with entertainment, and comedy was just a progression, with the first proper ‘comedy festival’ being in Brighton in 2015 after a number of one-off appearances from vegan comedians previously. It has always drawn the crowds, partly because it’s gone against the traditional expectations of what vegans are like. Brighton has always been my favourite Vegfest venue for comedy, but I remember great feedback from a decent crowd at Bristol a few years back too. It’s fun chatting with the audiences because they are so cosmopolitan, and importantly not all vegan. It’s a chance to show comedy-goers how much fun vegans can actually be.
SARAH PASCOE PLAYED OUR GIG IN 2014 AND LOOK AT HER NOW! ANY UP AND COMING VEGAN COMEDIANS TO LOOK OUT FOR?
Sarah shares the same birthday as me, May 22nd, along
with Morrissey and George Best, so she’s got to be good (ha-ha). I’ve been fortunate enough to perform with and host so many top comedians over the last few years with Vegfest, and it would be unfair to single out any acts, because there are so many different types and styles and they’ve all added a certain something to the line-ups, with many of them currently doing great things on the circuit (well, pre-Covid at least).
ROMESH IS ON THE TELLY QUITE ALOT!
It would be good to get him at Vegfest, so Romesh, if you’re reading this, drop us a line. I don’t personally think he’s over-exposed. If there are comedians on TV a lot, it’s because there is a demand. There are so many vegans in the spotlight now, in acting, music and sport, and it’s great to see. These people are heroes to many, and if they take veganism on board because of them, it’s a wonderful thing.
Stand up routine while hosting the Cudham Craic music festival, 2018
COMEDY REALLY NEEDS A LIVE AUDIENCE, AND UNLIKE MUSICIANS, WHO IN SOME CASES HAVE HAD TIME RECENTLY TO REALLY GET CREATIVE, IT MUST BE SUPER TOUGH FOR COMEDIANS GENERALLY AT THE MOMENT.
Yes, it’s been a difficult time for those that rely on engaging with an audience. I know a number of events and festivals, including our own at Vegfest, have gone online, and that’s’ been encouraging for some, but you still can’t beat a live audience. It’s watching people laughing out loud at your gags and stories that makes comedy worthwhile, something special, knowing that you are performing a service for others and not just your own ego.
Performing at VegfestUK London, Olympia, 2019
HOW HARD DO YOU THINK THE INDUSTRY HAS BEEN HIT BY THE PANDEMIC? WILL WE SEE COMEDY CLUBS REOPEN?
Very hard, and I hope most people have had the strength and perseverance to keep busy writing new material and keep going, despite all the difficulties. It’s the same with theatres. Because of what I do, most of my friends are either actors, comedians or musicians, and I know they’ve all been suffering, and it’s the uncertainty of when venues will open and if they do, what restrictions they’ll have that is really concerning. Smaller venues would suffer the most with social-distancing measures, as they need to sell at full capacity to make shows work. I’m sure things will return to normal at some point though, and we can imagine it was all just a bad dream.
HOW HAS LOCKDOWN TREATED YOU SIR? ANY BENEFITS?
I was badly affected at the start, but eventually decided to use my time wisely. I was used to being busy, so found it totally alien, but spent a fair amount of time outdoors (I’m fortunate enough to live in a little village surrounded by greenery) and found I that I fell in love with na ture over again. I kept fit through exercise, and really got into spiritual videos. I meditated and read, often books I’d had and been too busy to start. I’m far more knowledgeable now on so many different subjects since the lockdown started, so again, I’m grateful for the opportunities that presented themselves, albeit in difficult circumstances. A few film projects have been able to go ahead too, despite restrictions, so again, it’s about showing gratitude for what you have been able to do rather than worry about what you couldn’t.
ON A SERIOUS NOTE, WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE BIGGEST ISSUES GETTING IN THE WAY OF THE GROWTH OF VEGANISM RIGHT NOW? APART FROM VEGANS TAKING THEMSELVES TOO SERIOUSLY OBVIOUSLY…?
The vegan community needs to come together, to put aside their differences and work together for the cause. There always seems to be so much in-fighting and it’s a real shame. Let’s encourage those who have made it so far to become vegetarian and help them on their next step, are learning not to wear animal products, have animal friends as ‘pets’ in an environment where they do not suffer but are looked after like members of the family, and remember we are all at different stages on our own personal spiritual journeys, but the destination, to eradicate animal abuse, is the same. And we need vegan politicians. I wouldn’t trust voting for anyone who wasn’t or who didn’t respect veganism.
CAN’T RESIST…. YOU KNEW IT WAS COMING….COME ON THEN, WHAT’S YOUR FAVE VEGAN JOKE?
The favourite one I’ve heard is…How many vegans does it take to change a lightbulb? Two, one to change it and the other to read for animal ingredients. It’s funny, because I still check the ingredients on everything, even products that I know have been vegan for years, just in case they’ve changed the recipe. My own jokes tend to be based on wordplay, and Beatles songs are particularly useful (Vegan work it out, Give peas a chance, With a little hemp from my friends and While my quinoa gently heats just a few examples).
