upfront
THE
MISCHIEF
OF MARK
THOMAS
One part comic, one part
political activist and two
parts troublemaker, Mark
Thomas’ stand up has a
very different tone. David
Griffiths asks about his
latest rebellious venture
and new show, 100 Acts
Of Minor Dissent.
M
ark Thomas is not easy to classify.
Although he’s first and foremost a
comedian, his work also incorporates
the investigative drive and crusading
zeal of the reform-minded journalist, while
perpetrating the sort of stunts on corporate figures
for which Michael Moore became famous; so how
does he classify himself?
“I love the idea that you can show things that you
didn’t expect. I love the idea that as a performer
you can take people and show them stuff. And for
me there’s something interesting about just picking
away at a subject, and just merrily investigating it.
“I think it’s the same attitude that some investigative
journalists have, you just start looking at something,
and you pick away, and you just want to see what’s
there. I’ve got one foot in theatre I suppose, and one
foot in journalism, and one foot in stand-up comedy.
And that makes for some kind of weird beast at the
end of it and, do you know, I’m quite happy with it!”
Taking on subjects as serious as the international arms
trade, the UK economy and Israel/Palestine relations
with a more-than-cheeky tone, Mark is known for taking
on serious matters with a sense of humour. The saying
goes that if you want to tell people the truth you
better make them l ]Y