Smart, sharp and hilariously catty, Scott Capurro – one of the UK’s best known comic personalities – hosts London’s most uncensored chat show every Thursday in October at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern.
Scott Capurro’s Position pokes and prods a high-profile roster of guests in pursuit of the most personal revelations, the most intimate insights and a few hours of guaranteed hilarity.
We spoke to Scott about how he intends to titillate and shock us.
Tell me a little about Scott Capurro’s Position – what can we expect?
Light chat about whatever we like. There’s no plugging and no cameras rolling, so hopefully we’ll stumble upon a few dark truths as well.
It’s been called ‘London’s most uncensored chat show’. Are you setting out to be shocking and sexy?!
‘Sexy’ maybe, depending on the hot-ness of the audience. ‘Shocking’ is usually just a by-product, a result of doing what we like.
Just how deep will you be poking and prodding your guests in pursuit of personal revelations?
I don’t wear a watch, so quite deep, hopefully.
How would you describe your interview style?!
Dick Cavett is a hero of mine. His American chat show in the 70s and 80s was erudite, informative and entertaining. He gave each single guest an hour. We try to book only a few guests, the temptation is to have all my friends on stage, but we want the audience and the guests to connect. I want them to do all the work.
What do you want to get out of your guests?
Spontaneity. I research each person – but the less planning and rehearsal, the better.
As far as chat show hosts go, are you more Graham Norton or Alan Carr?!
I’d be honoured to just share a stage with either. Actually, Graham did appear in the first season of this show, in the spring, and he was lovely. Charming and candid, he wrapped the room around his pinky finger. I admire his mischievousness. If I can emulate anything about either Alan or Graham, it’s their playfulness.
“One guy saw my naked photo on line and said I was too chunky. Chunky. I’m 6’2 and weigh a little over 12 stone. I wondered if he was either blind, or a model. Or both, which would have been sinister and delicious.”
I love the title. So what’s your favourite position?!
Bent forward and inquisitive.
You’ve got some greats appearing with you. Was there any criteria for who you were looking for – I notice that the majority of them are gay?!
I wanted people who were restrictive with their use of exclamation points. Oh! And I hoped to book people whose work I admire, and who use spoken language as their greatest means of communication. Dancers are great to look at, but a bit slow in the uptake.
So do gay guests make the best guests?
No, but they make the best pets. They’re great at self-cleaning.
You’ve been called many things, but what’s the strangest thing you’ve ever heard about yourself?
One guy saw my naked photo on line and said I was too chunky. Chunky. I’m 6’2 and weigh a little over 12 stone. I wondered if he was either blind, or a model. Or both, which would have been sinister and delicious.
Have you made any changes to the show’s format for this run?
Yes, David Mills opens each act with a song and he introduces me, which adds a nice warmth to the opening moments. We also only do one break, makes the night less laboured.
How do you test out your material?
I test it on audiences. I used to try it out on friends, so I lost all my friends.
What topics are the most controversial?
In the UK, race. In the US, religion. In Norway, nothing.
What’s the worst and best show you’ve ever had?
My worst show happened when I tried to throw a woman out of a window in Belsize Park. It’s hard to recover the audiences’ attention after that. My best show was in the same club, exactly one month earlier. Show biz is funny.
When did you come out?
When I had a cock in my mouth. Seemed like the right time. Luckily I had a pencil and paper available.
Can you remember your first very date – where did you go and have you kept in contact?!
We went to our shared communal space in our university dorm and drank something awful, like, oh god, I dunno, Chivas Regal. I then gave him a foot massage (oh, that old chestnut) and then he raped me. Not a rape rape. Just a forceful, condomless fuck. It’s what we did in 1982. We met up again in SF years ago, but he was a hooker and seemed bitter.
“When in Rome…fuck a lot of Italians at that spa in the city centre. And you can answer emails there too. It’s all very convenient.”
What’s in your bedside table?
Lube and candy cigarettes.
What comes first: love or sex?
They come separately, like schoolmates masturbating.
Is it better to give or receive?
Receiving can be difficult, if you have as much junk as I do. And I don’t mean in my trunk, ok? (Triple snap). I like to give advice and then ignore the response. Like on the bus, offering instructions to tourists who don’t ask. Makes London seem chummy and a bit crazier than it already is.
If you had to represent your country in international competition, what would it be for?
Teeth. I’ve got lots.
What cliché most applies to you or your life?
When in Rome…fuck a lot of Italians at that spa in the city centre. And you can answer emails there too. It’s all very convenient.
What’s one of the most outrageous things you’ve ever done?
Jacked off to Jesus on Australian television. But then Australia is easy to shock, it’s so suburban.
Finish the sentence: A good night out starts with….?
A change of plans. Let’s stay in.
And it ends with…?
My head on a soft pillow, watching Mad Men.
And finally, what’s next for Scott Capurro?
A kitchen re-fit. The glamour seriously never ends.
Scott Capurro’s Position
Royal Vauxhall Tavern
372 Kennington Lane
London SE11 5HY
020 7820 1222 / www.theroyalvauxhalltavern.co.uk
1-29 October 2009