Paul Zerdin - the man behind the puppets

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5 April 2012
The Weekender

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Paul Zerdin has helped make ventriloquism cool again. From the Royal Variety Performance to the Edinburgh Festival, his fresh twist on the traditional comedy art has impressed everyone from the Queen onwards. His Sponge Fest, which will be touring the UK from August 4, sees him bring to life three very different characters - the cheeky pre-adolescent Sam, belligerent OAP Albert and precocious infant Baby - but let's find out more about the man behind the puppets...

Have you always had a really big imagination?
Yes, when I was younger I had no friends (laughs). I was doing ventriloquism from a very young age really. I was, and still am, a massive fan of The Muppets so I knew I wanted to do something with these kinds of characters.

When did you first realise you could make a career out of ventriloquism?
When I failed all of my GCSEs, apart from Drama and English. Originally, I thought maybe I could be a magician. I had a box of tricks before I had puppets. I was working part-time as a magician and was one of those people that would approach you and ask if you would like to pick a card. After a while, I became interested in making money. I had a book about ventriloquism and realised that is what I needed to do so I learned it.

So can you train yourself to become a ventriloquist? Does it just come down to a lot of practice rather than being a natural skill?
Yes, anyone can do it. You have just got to practice a lot. I had a book which was written by a ventriloquist, who sadly died last year, called Ray Alan. He had an aristocratic character called Lord Charles and I learned a lot from him.

When were you originally approached to appear on TV?
I did an audition for a programme called The Big Big Talent Show, which was Jonathan Ross's comeback show on ITV. It was a bit like Britain's Got Talent. I won it. The producer was Nigel Lythgoe, aka Nasty Nigel from Popstars and America's Got Talent. He put me on The Royal Variety Show. But I came out just as variety shows were sort of finishing. People want reality stuff now so my timing was a bit off.

Do you think programmes like Britain's Got Talent are a good outlet for comedians and ventriloquists to showcase their work? A ventriloquist actually won America's Got Talent...
Yes Terry Fattor, who won America's Got Talent, now has a show in Las Vegas. I went to see it and it was amazing.

What makes your ventriloquism unique and sets you apart from the other people in your field?
I don't really know. I think I have always done the comedy clubs like The Comedy Store or Jongleurs so maybe I have a more modern approach to it. When you say ventriloquism to people they often sigh - they are filled with disappointment. It is such a horrible word so I have always been conscious of trying to make it accessible and more fun.

Some ventriloquists have been known to walk around with their puppets in everyday life. Would you ever do this?
I have heard a story of a famous ventriloquist who performed one evening but completely flopped and was seen backstage blaming his puppet. I went to a ventriloquist's convention in Kentucky.

There were about 500 ventriloquists there and they were all completely bonkers. It was the one place where I felt quite sane and normal. They would check into the hotel with their puppets. I watched from afar thinking I didn't ever want to be like that. I only ever talk to the puppets when I am working with them on stage.

As part of your job you have to travel and tour a lot. Do you like this lifestyle?
Often it is really tiring because it is literally just about the hotels, driving and food so I get home as much as I can. However, I do get some really good gigs. As a result of a YouTube clip, I got booked by a Saudi Prince to perform at one of his parties in the Seychelles. You have to get out there and do the UK tours too though.

You will be touring with Sponge Fest in the summer. What can we expect from the show?
There will be a lot of stand-up rather than just the puppets. Of course I'll be using the characters as well but to keep the genre evolving you can do ventriloquism without the puppets. So this should be a bit edgier than the usual ventriloquism show.

For Paul Zerdin's tour dates visit: www.paulzerdin.com

Paul Zerdin's interview took place on The London Chat Show. The next show is on May 25. For more information visit www.londonchatshow.com

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