For the latest in our WISE WORDS interview series - where stars from a whole range of fields share the important life lessons they’ve learned along the way - we’re posing some of the big questions to DANIEL SLOSS.
After making a name for himself with a record-breaking solo run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Daniel has toured extensively across the UK, Europe and in the USA, where he’s performed an impressive six times on Conan O’Brien’s nightly show.
As he embarks on his new tour with the show ‘So?’ taking him across the UK and 16 countries in Europe, Daniel sits down with HuffPostUK to share some words of wisdom...
What do you do to switch off from the world?
I get high, playing FIFA with mute on and listen to comedy podcasts. The Xbox distracts my hands and eyes, the podcasts distracts my ears and the weed distracts my brain. Calms me down after a gig or a tour and just resets me in a very good way.
How do you deal with negativity?
With a healthy mixture of self-loathing and arrogance. Listen to the criticism, work out whether I respect the source (99 times out of 100 I don’t), imagine a thousand different comebacks which I know could send the critic into a downward spiral of self-loathing, and then don’t send them. And then just look at how far I’ve come in life, what I have, what I’ve achieved and that I wouldn’t be where I am if I was shit. I’ve earned my career and no one can say I haven’t. I’m amazing.
When and where are you at your happiest?
If I ever get to be home for 2 weeks I love it. I travel so much with this job, and I get homesick, missing my flatmates and family. But anything more than 2 weeks and I start going insane. Turns out I also need to work in order to stay sane. I’m very happy on tour. Coz we’ll be on the road for 6 days, then home for 2, then out for 5 then back for 3. And I’m with Kai Humphries, my support act/best friend, and there isn’t a human being on this planet who can reduce me to tears of laughter faster than him.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Write a new show every year, even if it’s shit. You’ve got to turn material over at that rate so you can stay at the top of your game and keep your passion for the jokes.
What’s been the hardest lesson you’ve had to learn?
You can’t rip every gig. Some audiences just don’t like what I do, and sometimes I’m not as good as I normally am. It just happens.
What would you say to your 13-year-old self?
Don’t worry so much about being single, turns out you actually hate relationships. Also, ignore everything you ever learned in PSE at High School, turns out the drugs they’re trying to put you off are fucking great. And they don’t lead you to heroin.
What three things are at the top of your to-do list?
Become one of “The Greats”, pay off my parents’ mortgage (they don’t need the help, they’ve just given me so much over the years that it’s the only way I can think to pay them back) and become really good at cooking.
What do you think happens when we die?
The people that love you cry a lot.
When are you in a place that makes you believe in something bigger than ourselves?
When I’m high. But when I’m back to the logical, rational thinking person I normally am, never. Theres no God, there’s not after-life, there’s no higher consciousness, there’s nothing like that. We are an incredible accident. A statistical anomaly drinking on a rock that floats through a universe of mainly nothing, and I think that in itself is amazing.
What quality do you most prize in relationships?
Laughter. I love making people laugh. I always have. Especially when they’re sad. I like being the type of person that everyone feels they can confide in about anything, and knowing I’ll try my hardest not to judge, and sometimes not even offering advice, sometimes people just need someone to listen. So I just listen, and hoard those secrets for future blackmailing purposes...
What keeps you grounded?
Oh God, everyone I know. My family and friends are wonderful at reminding me that I’m just a very lucky piece of shit that they’ve known and loved before anyone else ever gave a fuck.
What was the last act of kindness you received?
Some guy recognised me in a pub the other day and bought me a pint.
DANIEL SLOSS - SO? UK and European Tour runs 28 September - 10 December 2016. Info here: http://danielsloss.com/gig-list/
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