Jimeoin on his comedy heroes

Mitch Hedberg, Stewart Francis and Tommy Cooper are among the Irish comic's favourites

This article is from 2012.

I’ve been doing comedy for 22 years now. Mostly in Australia but as of late thanks to McIntyre, Live at the Apollo and the Royal Variety Show, I’ve started to get an audience when I tour in the UK. But this is on the back of a lot of blood, sweat and tears. So now, after all that, you want me to sing the praises of some other comic and give him the publicity that my agent says I sorely need? Well, fuck that. Alright, I will, but as long as they’re dead.

Big fan of Mitch Hedberg. First saw him in Kilkenny. Went through a period of hating most stand-up after years of seeing a lot of comics become successful who are basically shit. Bitterness really on my behalf, looking back. Then you see someone who makes you realize why you liked it in the first place. Someone with jokes. Well-crafted jokes that had weird subject matter. He is just great. Was. He’s dead now.

Who else? Stewart Francis. Is he dead? Anyway, I like him, or rather his jokes. I don’t actually know him but he really makes me laugh. As a general rule I find if I like the comic as a person I don’t really find their act that funny. And vice versa. Being a bit of an arsehole is always funnier.

Tommy Cooper is one of my all-time favourites. I think a lot of people say that but he really tickled me. I didn’t watch much comedy as a kid but Tommy caught my eye. I don’t think he was an arsehole. There goes my theory. Anyway, there are loads of great acts out there but it’s always so much better when you discover them yourself.

Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow, Sun 6 May.