That Gaby Roslin Podcast: Reasons To Be Joyful - Emmanuel Sonubi

Episode Date: May 14, 2024

Comedian Emmanuel Sonubi joins Gaby for a chat about all things joy. Emmanuel started out as a musical theatre performer - and bouncer! In fact, he once forgot to take off his Tina Turner wig before doing a nightshift on the door at a club. This is just one of the many stories he shares from his time in the West End.He also tells Gaby about his love of comedy and singing, his new UK tour - and the joy he finds in the little things. You can find out more about Emmanuel and his tour, here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emmanuel, it's so lovely to see you again. Your mid-tour. Mid-Tor, yes. The CV tour, Curriculum V-T. Do you know what? I've always said curriculum vitae, but I've done so many sorts of promo shows where people have said either curriculum vitae

or curriculum V-tai, that I've now lost confidence in how I say it. Why do you think I said CV? Yeah. There we go. Yeah, pretty much easy way to do it. It's the easiest way. to do it. What's so wonderful about this tour is that for an interviewer, it's great because I just

get to say, so, tell me about your CV. You go, oh, that's my tour. What would you like to know? This is what you now love doing before. Yeah. This wasn't, you've done it all. You've done everything. I've had so many different jobs and that's, that's pretty much what inspired the tour because when I started writing the show, it was only because I had a, uh, conversation with somebody before my last show, and they asked me what I used to do before comedy, and I told them about a job. Which one did you choose to tell them? So I told them about when I was in solution sales, which was very much business to business sales and marketing. And there was just a few different things that happened in there that were just, I didn't realize, were

funny to a listener. And I told them a couple of stories. And they were like, is that? And they were in the show and I thought, no. So what did you tell? Give us one of them? There was one of them about an interview process that went horribly wrong. For you? Yeah, yeah. It was after I'd got the job.

So this is, yeah, this is a long... Sorry, explain. So, fresh out of college, a friend of mine went to university to study IT. And he did it because you're always going to have a job with IT. There's never not going to be technology now. And I thought that is a good idea. I know I can do cells. So let me get into this. But unfortunately, I knew nothing about IT. So I got a job that was selling courses. And these courses, back in the day, these courses were for programming,

networking and web design. Right. Okay. So I basically learned all the buzzwords that would relate to those three areas. And I, I, I learned it like the script. So I knew what kind of questions would come up. And I'd just memorize the answer. I didn't know what they meant. I was literally, you didn't know what they meant? Not a clue.

I was saying words that I had no, I, have you ever, like, listen to songs that you used to know as a kid. And then as an adult, you go, oh, that's what they were saying. Yes. But then they were just words. All the time. Yes. It was that with an IT.

And I think it was like day two, my job was to sell these courses to respect, perspective learners. So I had to walk them around and have an interview with them and tell them about the courses that we delivered. One of which was web design. And I think this is maybe day two or three. I'd answered everybody's questions immaculately as well. And even in my, I was like, you really sound like you know what you're doing. And then this kid threw me a curveball. And he said, what language do they teach the web design course in? And I thought, what a stupid question. Why would we teach it in any other language other than English? And that's what I said to him.

And I thought, oh, this is hilarious. This will be some break room banter when we get back for lunch. And it turns out he meant what programming language. And just off that one question, I even told my boss at the time what this kid had said because I thought it would be hilarious and we could relate to it. And he was like... What does your boss say?

It was like, you're joking, you didn't say that. I was like, well, of course I did. Why would we teach it in any other language? And then he started to sort of ask further questions into IT that I then stumbled through because I didn't know. And in that point, he realized that Dead made a horrible mistake and they let me go the next day. Oh, it was that fast.

Yeah, yeah. That's a good one. I could see why you've included that. So it was one of those who go, okay, I need. to learn more and also say less. Okay, so let's go to musical theatre. Story from musical theatre, go. Oh.

It's not like I'm pressing. Okay, well, let's choose. It's like one of those keypads. Okay, I'll press that button and that's the musical theatre button. Oh, well, the musical theatre, I did that over the course of many years. And it's such a fun environment, but it's very all-consuming. You don't get tempted or anything. else. Once you're in theatre mode, it's

eight shows a week. Your one day off is not anyone else's day off. So you are literally just in your theatre family. And I think my first show, my first show was a dance show. It was Sadler's Wells for

a company called Zoo Nations. First company I danced for. They were, they're still going now. They're brilliant. Amazing Zunation. They're incredible. Yeah, that was my first. Proper, proper. Incredible. My first professional. role was with Zoonation.

That's awesome. At Sadler's well. So how did that come about then? I will come to the funny story. So the choreographers used to teach dance at Pineapple Studios and I used to attend that class and that's when it really sort of started. So I was there at the beginning. It'd already been going for a little while then I got to audition for them and then we did

this show called Box Beat at Sadler's Wells. and the first show, it started off with us underneath these dust sheets. And we had to be on stage before the audience came in. So we were on stage from maybe 40 minutes. How many of you? 20. 20 people under dust sheets. Under different dust sheets.

They looked like a warehouse. So if you came in, it just looked like a set. Right. But we were under those sheets for probably about half an hour to 40 minutes. I'm a bit panicky now. It was okay. I mean, the fun part was, as sort of work colleagues, you're trying to make each other laugh under the sheets,

but you're also, you can't move. You can't move? Yeah, yeah, because it has to look like a set. So you can see each other? Can you see through the sheets? You could see, we could see the people under the sheets. I couldn't see the next set of sheets. But could you see through the sheet to the audience, to the auditorium?

Just about. We could make it out. Okay. So you're there trying not to move. on the first show, where I'd been sat on my leg for half an hour, I didn't realize that it got that numb, I just couldn't feel it. And then when we were meant to the music starts, we jump out of the sheets, and I've literally jumped out of it onto a dead leg and then just collapsed onto the floor

and was trying to think there's no way to try and star this out apart from a very poor attempt at breakdancing. So what did you do, the poor attempt of breakdancing? Yeah, yeah, until I can get the feeling back on my leg and then carried on the show. What did the other people think you were doing? Oh, not a clue. I had to tell them afterwards. And because I've always been a joker, so they thought I was just doing something stupid,

which they're kind of right. But I was like, no, I couldn't feel my leg. So did you do the same thing? Did that happen every night? Oh, God no. Okay. When mistakes happens, and I still like it within comedy, when comedy goes wrong, it's something.

sometimes the funniest things because that's the one time that you're really in the moment. And there was a show that I did called Daddy Cool in the West End of Sharsbury. It was the music set to the soundtrack of Boniame. And in one of the scenes, I played a drag queen in Camden. The scene was set in Camden. Yes, I love that. You were actually in the theatre. You did, yes.

So now this is Sharsbury Theatre. And I had this, I had this very extravagant wig on. The look that I was going for And when we did the costume I said, I want to look like Tina Turner on steroids And that's what they achieved It was brilliant And I had this wig on

And for one show Were you doing it singing as well? Yeah, yeah So for one show We were in a bit of a rush And I didn't pin my wig on properly So we did this There was this really big head flick

Part of a Canon And as I did the flick my wig just flew off. And at that point, the audience just lost their mind. But you have to stay in character. So I just became the... It was literally like someone just tore my dress off. So I was all shocked.

And then ran off and got my wig. And even the director was like, can we do that every night? I was like, absolutely not. Because if it doesn't come off now, I'm just the weirdo head banging. And it says all these little things and all these little stories when stuff goes wrong

or even when stuff goes right that made the show because I then started looking at all the different jobs I've done and what those jobs have then brought to the comedy stage. So a bouncer is another one, isn't it? Yeah, and sometimes those two coincided,

which was always fun. What, the musical theatre? Yeah. What, you were your own bounce? How? So when I did Daddy Call, around the corner there was a nightclub called Sin

and it was at Tottenham Court Road. It's been knocked down now. but I used to work there at the weekend after I did the show because it was only around the corner. You did both? Yeah. Weren't you exhausted?

Yeah, yeah. Oh, okay. Okay, okay. But I really liked earning money. Okay. It was kind of like, in my mind was after the show, you're going to be out anyway. Okay.

So you may as well. So you earn money? Yeah, I'm going to be in a nightclub either way. So it was Thursday, Friday, Saturday. So what time did you come off stage then? 10.30-ish and then I'd go to the club for 11 and work. Because we have our days free because we're already in the showtime now. So I didn't have to be there until six at the theatre.

That you were half hour call. You were cutting it that fine. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Unless we had like a rehearsal or something. Or a matinee. Yeah, matinees day. Well, matinees was on the Wednesday. So I hadn't, wouldn't have done the club.

Of course. You wouldn't be a bouncer. Who'd want a Wednesday, bouncer? Who does that on a Wednesday? So there was one show, and again, after the drag queen incident, there was one day that we finished the show. So it's the same show? Same show, same day to call. Oh, this isn't the drag, this isn't, because this wasn't just the, on the day my wig fell off.

Okay. This was just another day on the weekend. And we, I left in such a rush. This is why I don't rush. If I rush, I'll forget something or I'll lose something. So I never rush. Okay. Because something will always go.

That was the train today. But when we did the show, the show ran late, so now I'm late for work. So I left in such a rush that I forgot to take my theatre makeup off. Oh, I love that. I had full face drag makeup of. with a tuxedo now and I've gone around to the nightclub. I love that.

Without the wig? Without the wig. So just drag makeup. And like theatre, caked on. Oh, fabulous. And what was quite, what was funny is because I wasn't aware of it,

it just looked like this was my choice. This was how I decided to come to work for me. And none of the other doorman said anything. That's how they found out I was in theatre. None of them said anything. And I thought, I didn't find out until later on when we'd have to throw some people out and I'd noticed that I'd had makeup on me

and I was like, where's that come from? Because there were guys that we threw out. So you had no idea that you still had your makeup on even later? Not for a solid two hours at work. I love that. And I look back now and I'm now like, I must have looked terrifying as a bouncer when you walk in

and I've made such an effort standing on the door, giving people filthy looks, like stopping people coming in. I mean, you're not small either. How tall are you? 6'3. Okay. And it was...

Did you have your heels on still? Oh, that's the only thing that was missing. Oh. I think it probably would look better with my hills, to be honest. And they were good hills. They searched high and low for those things. So did you train for singing and dancing a musical theatre? That was your background.

Yeah. So that was always the love. That's what I grew up watching. So I grew up watching things like Little Shop of Horrors with Rick Moran, S.D. Steve Martin. Those were my favorites. Like, Annie, I still watch them now. Good.

I love musical. You're talking to, you don't need to preach. You don't need to convert me. I love musical theatre. I want to hear you sing. Go on, sing a little bit of something. Oh, God. I'm not even watching.

It doesn't matter. Oh, it does. No, you've got a great voice. You have to do a full vocal warm up. Okay, if you could choose any part to be in musical theatre, what would it be? If I was to choose, right now I'd go Mufusa, Lion King. Okay. I think that's one of them.

My friend Scott played that for many years. He's in Prince of Egypt now. That voice that he has got, he's been on my radio show and sung. So you heard. He has. Yeah. Scott, when we've known in trouble for years, and he actually auditioned for Daddy Call.

And I got it, and I never let him live it down. And then he got Lion King. And then there was, he was getting ready to finish a contract. And I was like, because I then got an audition to, from Infussar. And then he was like, do know what? I'm going to do another year. And I thought, I had. Oh, friend.

You call him a friend still. Come and give us a little bit of my friend. Oh, I can't. It's the deference of Simba. Oh, that's good. That's the one I really wanted to say. That's all you wanted to say. That's all I wanted to say.

Can I just say, I'm not surprised you didn't get the part if that's all you did. You go up for your audition. Simba. Do you get. All right, one more. Can you see how low you can't go on? Simba. It works for me.

Right? I just wanted a bit of singing. You've got a good singing voice. You've got a lovely singing voice now. Oh, I've got a good talking voice now. Do you sing in your stand-up? No, no, I haven't. And the thing is, because of how, my size now, you think, I'm what, 6'3 and like 19 stone.

So when I tell people now that I did theatre on stage, it's taken as a punchline. What do you mean? So people think it's just a joke. And I'm like, why? Because somebody of six for three Yeah Because I don't look like I do theatre It makes the joke funnier

Because there's so many different things That's why when I started stand up One thing I used to do all the time When I'd walk on stage I wouldn't say a word It happened the first time When I did the gong show at the comedy store I just walk out

When I would just glare at people What do you mean? And did you ever speak? I'm not for like a good maybe 20, 30 seconds. I would just look at it. Oh, okay. Not, I think we'd say 20 or 30 minutes. I would love to do that. Just walk out for 20 minutes.

Then go, thank you. So do you go into bouncer mode? I'd go into bouncer mode. Oh. And I'd walk out and you can just see people's cogs turning of what they think is going to happen or what they think it's going to say. Because everybody makes a judgment. And then within seconds, you can just see them go,

oh, this is quite refreshing. This is not what we thought was going to happen. How do you keep going with the silence? Because as somebody who, you can tell I'd like to talk, the idea of walking out on stage and silence, or if I'm on the radio, silence, on the television, silence. Oh, let's fill this silence. How do you do it?

Eye contact and stage presence. Again, it's a theatre thing. Should we try it? Go on, do it. I'm scared. Let's try some silence. Okay. Give me some silence.

So don't look at me. Oh, he's doing it now. Now you're doing it. You're doing the silence. I'm actually scared. I'm a little scared. Now you're nearly laughing. You are a little bit laughing.

A tiny little bit laughing. Oh, are you going to talk soon? See, I can't actually sit in silence. This is really weird. Okay. Now you can end this. There we go. Oh.

That was your bouncer face. Oh, yeah. And it is very much. Did you do that in the mirror? Did you, before you were bouncing, did you go into bouncer face mode? Check it out on the mirror. I got that bouncer face from my mother. I'm sorry, what?

Yeah, every time I picked up something in the cereal aisle or the shop that I wasn't supposed to be picking up because we were going food shopping on her list. And I'm, Mom, can I have this? And she would just give me that look, and that look meant put that down right now. I was like, fair enough. And that look stuck. That is so fantastic. part of your act, I presume.

No. Why not? You've got to keep that in. Put that into the act. So how did the stand-up come about from... So you trained, you were doing musical theatre, you were dancer, you were a singer, you wanted to say Simba. And then you were doing the straight face. How did the stand-up come about, though?

So that came about by accident-ish. I'd actually... I'd quit theatre. I'd quit theatre. Why? because I, we've just found that we were having a baby. And at that time, I got a lot of flashbacks from my own childhood and thought, my child needs stability.

I'm not going to have the same thing. He's not going to go through the same thing I went through. So I thought, and it, but what was nice, it wasn't a bitter, bitter kind of transaction. It felt like one chapter was now done. That's incredible. And then, because I'd always wanted to be a dad. I've always wanted that. Oh, that's so wonderful.

So when we found out, it just felt like, okay, this chapter's done now, onto a new chapter. There's not many people that can do that. I think if you want to do something, it becomes easier if it's something you want to do. So because we were so looking forward to it, the whole process became easier. Right. I mean, for me, I didn't have to push out a child. I was going to say it's easy for you, but yes. Say another thing, midwives, not a fan of comedy. That's a quest.

We have to go there. Actually, we'll come back to that because I want this story about how you, so you said that chapter is closed. Yeah. I'm having a baby, so I'm going to do stand-up. No, no. So I went and got a full-time job. Oh, I see.

That's the... So I went back into the IT. That's when I did solution selling. Oh, that was the same. Solution selling that you got sacked from. No, no, no, no. So that was years back. This was when I went back into solution selling. Knowing what you were talking about this time?

Knowing more of what, knowing more of how to relate to people and even having, like, when I went into that first interview, because there's a company that I'd worked for when I was much younger as well, and that's why they had me back. But when I first met them, I said to them quite openly when they were asking me questions, I was like, I don't know. I haven't got a clue. and they literally said, why you hear it? It's like, well, your advert says you give the best training,

and I'm very good at sales. So if your training is as good as you say it is, I will be fine. So can you sell anything to anybody then? I think the art of selling isn't for me to convince you to buy something. It's me you sell it to yourself. You give yourself reasons to buy it. And I think with selling, you just need to be a good listener. because people tell you what they want.

It doesn't matter what the product is. You don't buy the product. You've already decided that you want the product. You buy the salesperson. If you want a phone... Sorry? We're looking at a bed for my younger daughter now. Oh, right.

So you already know you want a bed. Yeah, but I'm not going to buy the salesperson. But you do. When you go into the shop, if the salesperson is a moron, you are not buying that bed because they have annoyed you. See, I worked in shops for years.

Yeah. So that was what I did as a student. And I loved it. You're right, actually. If you're, like, I've been in, I've gone to buy a phone in a phone shop where that's the only thing you sell. And because of the salesperson, I've walked out without a phone because they've annoyed me. I'll get it something else. Okay.

So they were buying you. They're buying you. They're buying your personality. If that person makes you feel comfortable, then you're going to, like, for example, I've just, I was upgrading my, my map. And I'd done my own research. So I knew that I wanted an IMA. 27-inch I-I-Mac. I knew which one I wanted.

So I walked into the Apple store and told the guy, because I thought, I don't want to be sold to. This is what I need. Do you have it in stock? And he said, yeah, but if I was you, I wouldn't buy it. And that just threw me off. Because I was like, you're meant to be selling me this. That means he's good at his job?

Yeah. because he said the iMac that you're looking at hasn't got the upgraded M2 chip and they're not going to be upgrading that for a long time if you buy a minimac that one he goes it's actually maybe half the price of this

oh he's a good salesman yeah he's got half the price of this and it's got more pro simpson power but you will need to buy the keyboard and the mouse pack separately but even then it still works out cheaper so he sounds like a good salesman so you were that sort of salesman were you

yeah you give people a honest because some people when they go to it's all about the most volume what can I can I get that person to buy as many of these

as possible but if you get something to buy the right thing they will come back for another right so you had you decided okay you're having a baby

you're taking a full-time job still not quite sure how the stand-up comedy came in I just finished teaching dance I'd quit dance now as well because I used to teach a pineapple student And then there was a friend of mine, Christina Can Be.

And I'll always tell everyone exactly who she is because she started this journey. She got given a stand-up comedy course for her birthday. And Christina's always been just, she's just a naturally funny, bubbly person. And she's so likable that when she was like, I'm going to go and try a stand-up, I was like, yeah, that makes sense. and it was there kind of like a graduation. It was about 10 comics doing five minutes

for Stand Up Beach. We went to watch this and she had a great show but pretty much everyone else I'm watching them thinking this isn't. It's not so it's not great it's just if this isn't for me

I'm not connecting with this and because now I'm watching it as a teacher, as a choreographer as a writer going I know what a show's meant to look like and this doesn't feel so much like a show and I got talking to the people

afterwards. And then Christina was like, you should definitely do this. And I was like, absolutely not. No, no, no, no. And then a few drinks later, she was like, just sign up for an open mic, and I'm doing one in a few weeks, sign up, they might not even have space for you. I think she knew what she was doing. They definitely had space for me. So I was like, do you know what, fine. And I gave my email. Oh, my goodness me. I mean, it sends me shaking the idea of doing, I mean, I do anything and I'll stand in front of millions of people. But stand up, just signing up for stand-up, with nothing ready to go?

No, no, no, nothing at all. And then they emailed me and said, yeah, we've got space. So I had maybe weeks to prepare. Never done it before. But I was terrified, but the thing that gave me confidence was any time I told a friend of mine that I was going to go and do stand-up, none of them took the minute. And if you know,

if you know groups of boys, you can do something as small as change your hair and we will give you a 90-minute comedy roast where you will sit there and you'll take it. But when I was expecting ridicule and all of them were like, yeah, that makes sense. Oh, how lovely. And that sort of their belief in that I could do it

made me think maybe you can. And then it all just became, because I knew how to be on stage. So then it was just, well what do you say and I've had the chance to speak to him about this it was Al Murray that inspired

me to do the piece that I did because everyone knows our Murray pub landlord those two things are synonymous together and I was like well who are you I was like you've always been Emmanuel the Bouncer that's what everyone in the area knows you as

and it was actually for a long time I used to get called the dancing dormant sometimes as well. I like it. Everyone knew me as a bouncer. And I thought, as a bouncer, you've got this unique position where everyone, I'd say the majority of people have interacted with you or walked past you or seen you. Everyone knows your job, but no one knows your personality. And there are so many things I could then talk about from a bouncer's perspective of seeing people come in and going out and getting drunk and falling over. And you can see people when I'm talking about these stories

where they're going, yeah, that is you, Dave, that is you. It is little things like that that people then relate to. And it gave me all of the stories that I needed to. And the nice thing was, I didn't have to make anything up. I just spoke about everything. It was the real stuff. And that's why this tour CV is just perfect. But you've done some TV as well.

I mean, QI, I was, you know, just makes me laugh. That was such a. She was so nice. Because I was really nervous. I was so nervous. Were you? I'm always nervous. I'm nervous now.

You're not nervous. You met me before. You know, what are you nervous about? I'm always nervous. Really? Sometimes it feels like waiting for the other shoe to drop. You're fine. You're doing really well.

Yeah. It's been a lot of fun. And then when I got to do something like QI, I was so nervous because of, Everyone on there had been there for, like, Alan Davis had dutched, that was like his 300 episode. Oh, okay. Everyone was seized. Yeah, okay, I get that.

Everyone on there is seasoned at this. Yeah. And she just made me feel so comfortable. That's lovely. And so relaxed that it became easier. Because you want to be yourself on TV. But then you go, how much of yourself do you want to be? because I was just so nervous about getting it wrong

or saying something I shouldn't and she just made me feel so relaxed that all of that just went away and it just became fun. So you're going to do, because last time I was talking to you about you need your own radio show and all of that. Is that, you're going to do all of that as well?

I would love to. So I'm spending a lot of my time just trying to, what I've noticed is I'm writing more now for me and things that I like doing because I find if I try and create for a commercial purpose, if you like, your mentality changes. It's like if you're drawing something that you want to draw,

you're going to enjoy it. And then if other people like it, great. If it's not for them, great. You still like what you've done. You're still proud of your own work. And are you proud of your work? Yes. Yes.

This show, this is the second hour that I've written. And for a while, I was like, because people were saying to me, Do you think it's better than your first hour? I don't know. I just know that I enjoy it more. Oh, how wonderful. You're on the right podcast then. Yeah.

Reasons to be joyful. I'm just really happy. Oh, Emmanuel, that's wonderful. That's wonderful. I'm so pleased to hear that. Yeah, it doesn't feel like an hour. I keep thinking that I've underrun. I was like, I must have forgotten something that couldn't have been an hour

because it's just so much fun to do. How do people get tickets? They're all on the website, Immanuel standup.com. Wonderful. Thank you so much. Oh, thank you for having me.