After twenty years of watching one of the country’s most erudite,
well-loved and downright funny comedians, Simon Evans’s fans
could be excused for thinking they know who is and what he’s about.
Dry, teasingly non-PC and openly baffled by much of modern life –
not to say his own family – Evans has created a strongly defined on-
stage persona that has served him well over that time.
But almost incredible revelations about his true identity left him
reeling – and have made his newest tour show, The Work of the
Devil, by far his most memorable, eye-opening and thought-
provoking work to date. It’s also his most engaging, audiences
reporting that tears of laughter mingled at the end with stronger
currents of emotion.
“It’s an unusual show for me in that regard,” he says. “Because the
message of the show – almost beyond my conscious control – has
become one that is genuinely heart-warming and uplifting, rather than
just another weary sigh at society’s collapsing values and so on. And
honestly, I couldn’t be happier. The subject matter, the show itself
and audience reaction to it – it’s no exaggeration to say that it had a
positive effect on my mental health, just performing it every night.”
It’s a very different kind of vibe to his last show, Genius 2.0, about
the effect that “dumbing down” has had on everything from our
political culture to our kids.
“It starts in a similar vein – scrutinising identity politics and resurgent
Nationalism, subjecting them to my usual piggy-eyed scrutiny and
scepticism. But then we move through a gradual shift of perspective
as I approach the Big Reveal – the news I received that throws
literally everything I’ve said in the show – and arguably as a
comedian, ever – into a dramatic new light.”
The title of the show - The Work of The Devil, comes from Evans’
comedic hero, Douglas Adams.
“It’s from one of his unpublished, unfinished passages for Dirk
Gently – a theory about the three different stages of progress in
everyone’s life. Firstly, there’s what existed before you were born and
until the age of about 12 or 13: with me, I grew up accepting that
television, for instance, simply existed. Then there are things which
are invented in our late teens and 20s which are exciting innovations
that offer us opportunities to experience the thrills our parents never
knew. For me, again, computers, digital watches, and arguably
sandwich toasters. And then there are things which arrive from our
mid-30s onwards, by which point we can no longer keep up with
change and which we therefore denounce as the work of The Devil.
Any innovation that arrives after that point leaves you saying ‘You
mark my words - no good will come of this’.”
Adams intends the theory to relate to technology, but Evans wonders
if it is becoming relevant to our relationship with political and social
change too now. Everything from changing family structures to geo-
political transformations are creating a world that Evans initially feels
requires a healthy dose of his good old fashioned, robust common
sense. But then comes the big surprise, as Evans virtually whips the
rug away from under his own feet.
Tempting though it is to drop clues, the show will be that much more
rewarding for those who have no idea what is coming. But
satisfyingly, it does follow on organically from some of the loose
ends that were left at the end of Genius 2.0.
“Part of the inspiration for Genius 2.0 was my sense that my own
intelligence, memory, focus, reaction times and so on were all in steep
decline, and at a younger age than I would suggest that was
inevitable. I did routines about it that got laughs of recognition, but at
the back of my mind I had a niggling doubt that this was beyond
normal deterioration. It was my investigation into that which yielded
the new information which birthed this show.
Evans has taken an original and at times counter-intuitive route to his
current status as one of the most reliable and thought-provoking
stand-ups in the country. Alongside appearances in Live at the Apollo
and Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, and six national tours,
have been five series of Simon Evans Goes To Market, his comedy
lectures for BBC Radio Four on the Economics of Everything. It’s
partly Evans’ determination to do comedy that’s about something
which marks him out from the pack.
And Simon is also finding that his stand-up is, to paraphrase an old
ad, hitting a spot that other comedians cannot reach. “What I’m
gradually realising is that while my views may not have changed that
much, the world has shifted underneath me, and I’m now something
of an outlier. There seems to be more of a political consensus among
comedians than ever before, for want of a better word, and half the
country is struggling to find their voice heard; what has happened, of
course, is Brexit. It has polarised the nation, and the overwhelming
majority of comedians seem very comfortable expressing their
Remain views and I do feel that I’m getting an audience which is
looking for a break from all that. Not that I’m pro-Brexit exactly, but
ironically, I have preached a lot more tolerance for a wider range of
views, even though I’ve made my career in character as the most
intolerant old bugger you can imagine.”
The joy of any Simon Evans stand-up show is to watch a comic at the
peak of his powers dissecting big ideas and exploring complex
notions while finding great jokes within it all. The Work of The
Devil, however, delivers all that – plus the most incredible true story,
one that brings a completely new dimension to stand-up comedy and
which will stay with you for a very long time.