On October 2nd between 11-1pm Sam Campbell was awarded the Samuel Beckett Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Arts and Culture in the GMB Chamber. Through his unique style and approach to comedy, Campbell offered what can only be described as a truly harrowing experience to all attendees of the event.
From the outset, Campbell exposed the audience to his distinctively blunt comedic delivery, beginning his acceptance speech by monotonously stating:
‘What a great day, what a great cause.’
He expressed deep gratitude for being extended the Hist’s ‘sacred medallion for the Arts and Culture,’ one aspect of which made him think of ‘paintings,’ while the other reminded him of ‘yogurt.’
Presenter Jane Freyer began her line of questioning by asking Campbell to describe his first ever comedy show. Although Campbell initially responded that his first stand-up was at a comedy club in Brisbane, the remark that followed immediately set the tone for what the remainder of the interview process would consist of, as he described ‘a very bright neon sign’ that he claimed grabbed the audience’s attention more than he did during the show. Despite being somewhat baffled by this response, Freyer swiftly followed up her question by asking ‘how big [it] was’ – presumably referring to the venue – to which Campbell confidently answered, ‘oh, I’d say it was about as big as this podium.’
When a student interrupted the interview with his late arrival to the event, Campbell struck up a conversation with the audience-member, asking him what he was studying at Trinity. ‘English,’ the student said. When the student then asked what Campbell’s purpose in visiting Trinity was, he instantly replied, ‘I received a medal, you rude bastard,’ earning a flood of laughs from the crowd, before continuing with the interview.
Forced to adapt to Campbell’s matter-of-fact responses to questions, Freyer proceeded to ask about his family, and whether they served as an inspiration to him in his career, to which he responded, ‘yeah, they’re a scream.’ The dialogue that followed was perhaps the most intensely awkward the audience had experienced yet, as Freyer then asked:
‘What does your mom do?’
To which Campbell replied, ‘she’s a teacher.’
‘Interesting. What does she teach?’
‘Children.’
The questions put forward by audience members seemed almost to mirror Campbell’s style of comedy, as one Trinity student asked what planet, outside of Earth, Campbell would be most excited to perform on. After some deliberation, Campbell replied ‘Neptune.’ When asked to elaborate on his choice, he replied ‘I don’t know… the atmosphere.’
Despite the deflective nature of his responses, Freyer was able to extract a few gems of wisdom from the comedian, as Campbell profoundly remarked how strange a feeling it is to ‘give stories to people through comedy, that you can no longer use anymore’ after a show has finished. He also noted the importance of being able to ‘handle lots and lots of rejection’ in comedy, while also ‘not [giving up] on ideas,’ as material that may not work for years can suddenly become very popular with the right crowd.
Campbell’s outstanding quick wit, along with his ability to be unapologetically himself on stage, has earned him the title of ‘a comedian’s favourite comedian,’ and for good reason. Be sure to catch his show in Dublin, ‘Kid Giblet,’ taking place both today and tomorrow, for what is bound to be an unforgettable experience in the realm of comedy.
