Q&A: Al Porter
WORDS: BEN KELLY
ONE OF IRELAND’S MOST PROMISING YOUNG COMICS, AL PORTER IS JUST 22, BUT HE’S ALREADY GOT HIS OWN RADIO SHOW, DONE LIVE AT THE APOLLO AND SUPPORTED KATHERINE RYAN.
You describe your style as ‘council estate camp’. What was it like for you growing up in that environment?
Well, you stick out like a sore thumb. It was a bit of the Billy Elliot factor. Where I’m from, it’s quite rough.
We did things for fun that weren’t what other kids might do. We once tied someone to a lamppost and left him there because we thought it was funny. Eventually my friend’s mum said to mine that they were going to drama classes and my mum palmed me off saying, ‘Please take my son as well; he’s really annoying in the house’ and I think they hoped that that would take away the mad energy from me − things like dressing up in nan’s clothing and running around – but it made it much worse.