Funny man Paul Tylak talks Father Ted, TPOTY and more…
By Mary Dennehy
LIFE couldn’t get any more diverse for comedian, writer and actor Paul Tylak, who has worked alongside the cast of Father Ted, aliens Zig and Zag and award-wining cartoon-character, Roy.
Living in Tallaght since 2002, first in Glenview and now in Firhouse, Paul is a familiar face and voice-over artist on TV – with the father-of-two also working behind the scenes scripting sketches and comedy shows.
Versatile, funny and down-to-earth, Paul was the special guest of honour at this year’s Tallaght Person of the Year, which took place at the Red Cow Moran’s Hotel last Friday, November 11.
Ahead of the prestigious, local awards show, Paul took five to speak with his local paper.
What does it mean to you to be the special guest at the Tallaght Person of the Year awards?
It means I’ll have to record the England V Scotland match, and it’s also a great honour.
You’ve been living in Tallaght since 2002, how’s life been?
It’s like anywhere else, safe, secure, suburban. Now and then, like most places, you’re gonna come into contact with dodgy, testosterone fuelled eejits, but that’s only around election time, and we usually don’t answer the door.
What got you into comedy?
I wasn’t really a class clown or anything, but on the last day of school, we were all allowed to do whatever we wanted. So I got up and did an impression of our physics teacher and got hooked on the waves of laughter. Or was it particles?
What is the funniest, first, joke you remembering hearing?
It was probably something on the Two Ronnies or Monty Python, back in the day, but the first thing I really remember laughing at and still love, was Robin Williams with his mum’s poem “I love you in blue. I love you in red. But most of all, I love you in blue.”
What was your favourite memory of being on Father Ted?
Throwing Father Ted into a volcano dressed as an amazon warrior, in the episode “Kicking Bishop Brennan Up the Arse”.
The costume was great, I looked like a proper amazon tribal leader, leaves and grass, massive feather head-dress, blowpipe full of poison-tipped darts, ceremonial spear, and some shake jangly things made of teeth.
Just as we’re about to throw him in, he says “Ah come on lads, would you not consider changing to Catholicism?” to which I said in a very rich Dublin accent “Ah no, we don’t really agree wit de pope’s stance on abortion, sorry pal!” and then we throw him in, and he wakes up screaming, it was all a dream.
You’ve had many voice-actor roles, what character are you most fond of that you brought to life?
Hang on, let me just IMDB myself… oh yes, I have a few favourites, I certainly enjoyed playing a tiny weightlifter in the new Zig and Zag series, and most of the baddies in the new Little Roy series, but I also enjoyed playing a huge whale, and also the parasite who lived on it’s head in “Two by Two” (Ireland’s biggest-grossing home-grown movie last year) because they both had very different voices, one very deep the other high-pitched, and all their scenes were together, but nobody knew it was the same guy doing them both, which I’m quite proud of.
What, for you, was the hardest part of becoming a comedian and actor?
Leaving behind my jet-set playboy lifestyle as an international agent of espionage! Did I tell you I work for the Secret Service?
Oh shite, forget I said that! Seriously though, it’s probably the insecurity. You never know when you’re going to get an acting part or a comedy gig.
You’re always sitting at home by the phone, waiting for it to ring. Which is silly, I could just bring my mobile out with me, but being a traditionalist, I prefer to sit at home and wait for the landline to ring.
You write a lot of comedy, what inspires your material?
Funny things I hear in pubs, like “Get out you’re barred!”
What advice would you give to young people who want to go into comedy and acting?
Make sure you enjoy it. If you enjoy the work, you’ll never work a day in your life. Consequently you’ll be broke, but you’ll enjoy being broke.
People say the best comedians speak from personal experience, do you? Is there any one experience that gets the most laughs?
Generally I use wordplay and silliness, rather than real experiences, but sometimes things happen that I can’t resist putting into my set, like one time, just after Xmas, there was a warning about black ice road conditions from the AA, which my son relayed as “Be careful driving today Dad, the weather man said there’s black guys on the road”.
What qualities do you think a Tallaght Person of the Year has?
I think they have to have done a lot for the community of Tallaght and live in Tallaght, or a lot for everyone in general and live in Tallaght or a lot for everyone in Tallaght and live somewhere in general.
