In this episode of the Collective Whisper podcast, host Simon K delves into the world of Irish comedy with the iconic Owen Colgan. Owen is best known for his role as Buzz McDonnell in the popular mockumentary series Hardy Bucks. The episode covers Owen's journey from small-town Ireland to the comedy stage, the evolution of Hardy Bucks, and his latest stand-up tour, 'Futuristic Farmer'. The discussion also touches on Owen's life experiences, creative process, and the impact of social media on comedy. Tune in for a laughter-filled conversation and some nostalgic memories of Hardy Bucks.

Simon & Owen speak about:

• Life in Ireland and Personal Anecdotes
• Reviving Hardy Bucks: Reflections and Future
• The Origins of Hardy Bucks
• The Irishman's Humor and Cursing
• Living in Spain with a Therapy Dog
• Nostalgia and Snickers Duo
• Performing Live Shows in Ireland
• Transitioning from Character to Self
• The Creative Process and Mental Health
• The Concept of the Futuristic Farmer
• Upcoming Shows and Projects
• Conclusion and Farewell

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/owencolly

IMDb:https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4060935/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6XnWlkVJRIVVKHyut3US7z

Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/owencolgan 

S3E20 Owen Colgan main 


[00:00:00] Simon K intro 


Simon K: The Collective Whisper podcast with Simon K. 


Welcome to another exciting episode of the Collective Whisper podcast, where we delve into the world of comedy and entertainment, music, science, ufology, you name it, with the industry's most fascinating figures. I am your host, Simon K. We have an amazing guest this evening. So we want to thank you for coming along. 


But before we get to that guest, please subscribe to the show. Please share the show. Please tell us what you think of the show. We'd love to know your opinion. And let's get into it. 


Simon K: Today, we're thrilled to have a special guest who has made a significant mark in the Irish comedy scene, [00:01:00] Owen Colgan. Owen Colgan is an Irish actor, comedian, and writer, best known for his iconic role as Buzz McDonnell in the wildly popular mockumentary series Hardy Bucks 


for those who may not be familiar, Hardy Bucks is a hilarious exploration of the lives of young men in a small Irish town capturing their misadventures and dreams. with the raw and relatable humor. 


Simon K: As one of the co creators of Hardy Bucks, Owen has played a pivotal role in bringing to life a series that began as a humble web project and grew into a beloved RT television show. 


His character, Buzz McDonald, is a naive yet endearing figure whose antics and optimism have resonated deeply with fans. But Owen is not the only star in Hardy Bucks the series is rich with unforgettable characters, each adding their own unique flavor to the show. There's Eddie Durkin, played by Martin Maloney, who we've had on the show before, and great guy. 


As well as many other characters on the show, as Salmon and Cowboy, there are so many characters to choose from on the Hardy Bucks in addition to his work on Hardy Bucks, Owen has made a name for himself in stand up comedy, captivating audiences with his sharp wit and relatable humour. 


Simon K: Currently he is on tour with his latest show, Futuristic Farmer, where he explores modern themes such as AI, aging and family life, all delivered with his trademark comedic style. 


Today we'll be diving into Owen's journey from the streets of Ireland to the comedy stage, exploring the creation and evolution of Hardy Bucks and discussing his latest endeavors. So sit back, relax and get ready for a laughter filled ride as we welcome the incredibly talented Owen Colgan to the show. 


Simon K: Welcome to the show, Mr. Owen Colgan. 


Owen Colgan: Thank you very much for having me. Nice to meet you. 


Simon K: It's lovely to meet you . 


Owen Colgan: Simon. 


Simon K: Simon K. The stage name. 


Owen Colgan: I like it. It's a good stage name. Yeah, I like it. 


That's all it was. 


Owen Colgan: Oh, I see. They charge you by the letter do they in Alicante. 


Simon K: So it's stuck. 


I think that's how a lot of DJs get their name, you know? They're like Paddy Fitzgerald and then they can't fit the Gerald and then they're just Paddy Fitz. Because there's not enough letters in the form. Do you know what I mean? 


Owen Colgan: I see what you're saying. 


Simon K: Yeah, 


Owen Colgan: I get you. Also, the tax man might be after them either. 


Simon K: Exactly. That's another reason. That was the first reason, but I didn't want to say that, you know. I didn't want to 


Simon K: So, we're talking to Owen and he's in the car and on the way from Drumshambo and before any of the PC Brigade get on, he's not driving with his lad or anything. 


His hands are, you can see them, but he's still motionless, you know. 


Owen Colgan: Those days, those days are long gone. Simon. 


Simon K: Those days are gone. Those days. Yeah. As you're a Mayo man and I'm a Galway man, Leitrim is kind of exile, isn't it? It's like where Napoleon went. 


Owen Colgan: I think so. Yeah. I think there's, I 


think 


he 


was 


buried up there, wasn't he? 


Drumshambo. 


Owen Colgan: It's, oh, it's, it's happening. It's like all the stag dudes go there. All the, all the hen parties. Oh, whoo hoo. 


Simon K: That's Charlie McGettigan country. 


Owen Colgan: Yeah, that's right. That's where he was born and bred, isn't it? 


Simon K: He lives up around there. So I had him on the podcast a few seasons ago and that's his country, Drumshambo. 


So he's like Joe Dolan there, you know. Is he really? Goes around shaking hands all day. Well, Joe doesn't do that anymore, but Charlie still does. 


Owen Colgan: He's going around, going around heaven shaking hands. Yeah, fair play. You know, it's a lovely spot though. 


Simon K: It's lovely. And the weather looks, it looks like it's, It's quite dry, there's no rain. 


Owen Colgan: Ah, there's a bit, it's coming in flashes, you know, but it's not too bad at the moment, no. 


Simon K: This is not one of those kind of, uh, you know those Hollywood movie cars where it's driving, it looks like it's driving and you're, like, doing your lines. It's not like that, is it? 


Owen Colgan: No, it's not rigged up to anything. 


This is just an old fashioned Opel Astra car. 


Simon K: It'd be on the back of a trailer on a Massey Ferguson, but it's not that. 


Owen Colgan: No. I'm not at that level yet, though. Ha ha ha! Collective whispers. Are we, we're meant to be whispering here, are we? 


Simon K: Only when there's more than two, so we can shout, you know? 


Owen Colgan: Where are you from? Galway, is it? 


Simon K: I'm from Galway. I'm from Corofin You know, that famous footballing country. You know it. 


Owen Colgan: Oh, I know it all too well, yeah. And Hurling is well there, no? 


Simon K: No, no hurling, no. There was a few lads beat there a few years ago with hurls, but nothing for sporting, you know? 


No sporting goods. 


Owen Colgan: Oh yeah, that was just a, that was just a random Saturday night. 


Simon K: That was just Saturday night coming out of the church, you know, yourself. But no, Corofins a footballing place. I'm from there, but I'm, I've been in Spain now for 10 years, so I'm in Alicante. I don't know if you know that part of the world. 


Owen Colgan: Oh Jesus. Mmm. Muy bien. . 


Simon K: I'm five meters from the topless beach, you know, so I kept it local, you know what I mean? 


Owen Colgan: Is there many other topless people on there or is it just yourself? 


Simon K: Mainly me and a few ould lads, no? 


Owen Colgan: It's like that unofficial nude beach in Mayo. It's only myself that's on it. 


Simon K: Someone said it was a gay beach, but I don't know, like, none of the lads when they're near me have the hard on, so I'm not sure if it's gay, it's gay beach, you know? Could be. 


Owen Colgan: You gotta look, keep looking, that's what I would say. 


Simon K: Keep looking, as the fella says, keep stroking till you get movement, you know? 


Simon K: Oh, it's beautiful. It's lovely up here, you 


know, untill the police arrive. Are you living in Dublin now, or are you living at home, or where are you? 


Simon K: How does it feel to be back in the sticks 


Owen Colgan: Do you know what? I love it. I love the countryside. It's, it's hard, like, it's, it can be quiet enough at times, but I do like it. It's my favorite place to be, the countryside, because, , when you're in the city, you feel like you have to be doing something, or buying something, or drinking something, or So I'm nearly as well away from all that, because if, if it's out of sight, it's out of mind, you know, that kind of way. 


Simon K: It's the temptation, isn't it? You've turned upside down there. I don't know what I'm talking to you upside down now. I don't know what happened. The phone flipped or something, did it? Sorry, but I don't know what happened there. That just flipped for some reason. Jesus, you gave me a shock there. It looked like the car turned upside down, went in the river. 


I was like, what? 


Owen Colgan: I have the full insurance anyway. 


So I might even do it on purpose to clean a bit of money off them. 


Owen Colgan: Exactly. Yeah. 


Simon K: And Owen, as a former hardy buck, have you quietened down a bit or are you still a bit mad? 


Owen Colgan: No, I'm very quiet now. Yeah. I'm living a spiritual life now. I do a lot of meditating and praying. 


Simon K: Right, 


Owen Colgan: I'm a part time priest. 


Simon K: Oh, that, well, that's a good one. Do you do weddings as well? Like, do you marry people? 


Owen Colgan: I do weddings, 


but I don't like to see people happy, so I prefer a funeral really, so I would. 


Simon K: Yeah, it's like a wedding with poison tonic wine, so you're waiting for the funeral. 


Owen Colgan: Yeah, I like the misery of a funeral. 


Simon K: That's brilliant. 


Owen Colgan: Exactly. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, but am I calmed down? Alright, I probably am, I probably have calmed down a bit. Because, you know yourself, when you turn 40, you kind of have to slow things down a bit. 


But, every once in a while, the dog comes out of me. And I have to put him back into the kennel again. 


Simon K: Yeah, don't put him down, but put him back in the kennel, in the doghouse. 


Yeah. 


Owen Colgan: Yeah, you don't want to put him down, no. 


No, you 


don't want to put him 


Simon K: No, no, no. 


You'd be tempted to sometimes, but 


Owen Colgan: Just give him a few treats, you know. You've got to 


hand feed him the the odd time. 


Simon K: Yeah, . Throw a big stick and hope he comes back with it, you know. 


Owen Colgan: Exactly. 


Simon K: And tell me, and we've had Martin Maloney on the show Eddie before, and it was [00:08:00] gas because he was all the way , from Stockholm 


yeah. And you know, he spoke great things about you and all the rest of the crew. And it was an interesting conversation, you know, because I think a lot of people would love to see the Hardy Bucks coming back sometime. Cause it was a great show and, it captured that kind of time and that age in Mayo, didn't it? 


It was perfect for that time. 


Owen Colgan: it was perfect for that time. Yeah, definitely. And it was just like a. . A good meeting point of all friends getting together and, , good topics to talk about. We're all living together at that point, living in Galway actually as well. So there was a lot of chemistry there, you know? 


A lot of chemistry between us. So you'd nearly want all that again. you'd want us to be hanging out for maybe two or three months before we did anything again together, just so we can get a feel of each other, just so we can get a taste of each other. 


Simon K: Yeah. And it's amazing, isn't it? 


Because if you were to try to revive that show. It mightn't work unless you had that , you know, retreats in the mountains or something together with 50 crates of Buckfast. 


Owen Colgan: That's it, yeah, but you might come out a different man if you had 50 crates of Buckfast, 


Simon K: you might, 


Owen Colgan: exactly, but you know what? Ten crates will do. The monks, knew something about the Buckfast, so maybe there's something in it. 


Simon K: I 


think so, but, like, did you used to consume a lot of Buckfast, or what was your drink of choice that time? 


Owen Colgan: Well, we lived in Galway a lot of us at the time, myself and the boo, and Eddie Durkin and French toast. 


So Buckfast was the thing we drink because you see the Buckfast give you the confidence when you went out. you think you're more confident than you were. Maybe that was the caffeine that was in it. So we definitely consumed plenty of Buckfast. 


Men of the world. 


Simon K: It's like when you'd be in the off license, looking at the expensive French wine, and then , the price part of you, like the money jingling in your pocket. You kind of filter it down to the Buckfast and you go, lads, this is wine too and it's dirt cheap. That's kind of the way it worked, wasn't it? 


Owen Colgan: Do you know what though? It's 14 quid now. 14 


Simon K: 14 quid a bottle. 


Owen Colgan: And you can buy naggins as well. I know, yeah, it's too much, but you can buy naggins and everything too. So, and the flavors change a small bit. I had a bit there about three weeks ago. A couple of mouthfuls, and it's as good as it's ever been. 


Simon K: It's an acquired taste though, isn't it? It's like flat Coca Cola. 


Simon K: I think I only drank it when I was really drunk. We used to drink the Mad Dog 2020 and all them. 


Do you remember that? 


Simon K: That was the first flavored vodkas and all that, you know? When you couldn't afford the, , the vodka, the tequila, or the rum. You'd buy that and it was like a teenager drinking as a 13 year old, you know, flavored vodkas and stuff. 


But the Buckfast, yeah, it came in handy at the end of the night when there was nothing left. 


Owen Colgan: It did. . That's right. Yeah. Our port. Do you ever drink port? 


Simon K: Oh Jesus. 


Port is a killer. 


Owen Colgan: Yeah. We used to drink the port as well. that was cheaper again. So we'd have the odd bottle of port here and there. 


Simon K: Oh, that's like raiding your granny's press looking for the last bit of alcohol. 


Owen Colgan: It's like reading your granny's mind. 


Simon K: Yeah, for sure. The port would bring back some bad memories. But whereabouts were you living in Galway at the time? Were you in, , Foster Court? Were you in around the city? 


Owen Colgan: No, we were living in Foster Court. 


Simon K: I 


had some friends that lived in Foster Court and it was a great spot for drining and parties and everything. So I had a good guess that you were there, you know? 


Owen Colgan: Oh, yeah, 


Well Galway 


the whole city is a good place for parties. 


Simon K: Oh, 


it's a great place for, yeah. 


Owen Colgan: I'm sure it's the same now, like, but Wednesday till Sunday, it's always busy. But we were living in Renmore as well and Lakeshore Drive, Father 


Griffin Road. 


Simon K: I lived in Lakeshore Drive. 


I actually live in that road. I did exactly right on the lake. Dirty Lough Italia. 


Owen Colgan: Did you? Yeah. I did too. 


Simon K: Yeah. Yeah. I remember we tried swimming in the river a few times and you'd be caked in muck up to your legs in it. Filthy. Lough Italia. 


Owen Colgan: Yeah, exactly. Would you walk 


across the railway line there to get to it? 


You're 


hoping, hoping it was muck. 


Simon K: Hoping it was muck. 


Exactly. No, there were good times. There were lots of good parties in Galway. And you know what? Come to think of it, actually, if you ever did do a Hardy Bucks revival, maybe Galway City would be the place to set it. Like, the boys have moved on, you know? 


You know what I mean? 


Owen Colgan: Yeah, I think so, you know. I think so. Because Galway's got a lot to offer, like, so I think Is it just show that, you know what? They've left the small town. They've moved to 


the big city. 


You need, like, limos and shit. 


know, 


Owen Colgan: you need limos and you need big lakes and you need Buckfast on tap and shop street. 


Simon K: And to have a pier you can walk on. Yeah. And shop street. 


Exactly. 


Oh yeah. You need, 


all those things. 


Simon K: You know, if we look back at, you know, the Hardy Bucks and when it started, Was it something that you were all in favor of doing or was it, was there objections to doing it or how did you all kind of agree to do it? 


Or was it just a bit of craic? We'll start it for a bit of craic. 


Well, it was Eddie Durkin and the Viper that came up with the idea originally. So they were just doing a weekend project for Ballyferm at school some school of media stuff. 


Oh yeah. 


So they just asked us all, all of us lads to kind of get involved. 


So we said, yeah, we'll do it. But it wasn't a case of, we were really excited to do it. And it wasn't a case of. No, we won't do it. We were just like, I don't know, we'll see what happens. It's a bit of craic. You know, it was a bit, you get to perform on camera and you get to perform with your friends. So, it was exciting in that way, but we weren't thinking any further than making a few videos just for the craic. 


Or, cause I know that Eddie Durkin, he went to LA one time and he was like, hanging out with like a few movie execs and a few of those kinds of people, you know? 


Right. 


Yeah. The moguls. 


The moguls, exactly. And he came back to Ireland. Then he goes, we've got to go to America and all this stuff. 


And we're like, just chill out, man. We're just hanging out here in Swinford, you know, just finding out what we're doing with our lives. 


Some of the lads don't know the way our castle town and he's talK about going to LA. 


Exactly. And I, we were saying to him, don't be pulling the rug over our eyes, you know? 


Yeah, . And I can imagine though, when you filmed like the first few episodes and then it was like, we're going to do some more. You were thinking, why are we doing more? Like where, I thought this was for a project. Like where are we going now with it? It's like, cause I'm sure there's a point where you're like, are we taking this seriously or is this going to be a long term thing? 


You know? 


A few hundred quid a weekend of filming So we were like, oh we're getting paid to film. That's great. So, That's when we started smelling blood simon, 


right? 


The sharks were in the water 


The sharks were in the water and they were ready to bite. 


Oh my god when the money gets on boards the train starts moving faster, no 


Oh, it goes too quick sometimes. 


and Buzz McDonald, you know, Buzz, that character was he an alter ego of yours? Or where did he come out of? 


And I was living in Cork as well for a while. So probably people I'd seen around there. And then just a mix of cheekiness and ignorance. 


Simon K: Yeah, it's true, isn't it? Because I'm always laughing, you know. at, there's times I'm here and my kids say to me when, they know when the Irish fella comes out to me, you know. 


And then like, I'm always laughing because with the dog, you'd be like, ah, for fuck's sake. And there's, you know, we can't help it because, you know. You could be the most sophisticated Irishman, but you have to let the bog man out sometimes, don't you? 


You do, definitely, yeah. I was just thinking about that the other day, even when it comes to cursing. 


It's like therapy! 


It is, you have to let it out. Yeah! Cursing, like, that's, I, I've tried to cut back on cursing because I think, when I'm just talking to people, I curse too much, just for absolutely no reason. But then I thought, I was listening to this other guy called Lemmy, you know Lemmy? 


yeah, the motorhead, yeah. 


No, no, no, 


Lemmy from Scottish Comedian lad. 


No, no, no, and he kind of got me thinK that Scottish people are similar to Irish. We just curse a lot, you know, because it's a bit of the way we kind of express ourselves. So yeah, you have to let the dog out. 


Simon K: So you're living in Spain, are you Alicante?[00:16:00] 


I'm in Spain, with my dog here. he's a therapy dog and he's not the normal therapy dog because people kind of go, I have a therapy dog. When I get a panic attack, the dog comes to me. My dog is different because I don't curse as much. Right. But then when the dogs around me, I'm like, come here, you dirty old bastard, you know, and I call him everything under the sun, but it's all in lovable terms. 


And my wife said to me, You can't talk to the dog like that, and I'm saying, sure, he's only an old bollocks. He doesn't know what I'm saying, but he loves the tone. PETA and probably all the animal welfare groups would probably find something wrong with it. 


But he gets my cursing side out. Like, the fucking bollocks comes out, you know? 


I getcha. I know I have the same thing here with the, I have a cock. I don't know if you can see it there, but like, 


I can't. 


You see him, no? 


This'll be in the newspaper tomorrow. 


Fella from Spain looks at Owen McGonagall's cock. 


Sorry, Owen Colgan. 


Owen McGonagall, Jesus. 


I like that though, that could be my stage name. 


Simon K: you know what I had 


today? 


I had a Stickers duo today. 


Oh Jesus, I was talK about them today with someone. 


Do you know what they are? They're nothing more than a big dirty lie. Because you buy them thinking, you think Two pieces of chocolate, but it's just getting you addicted to the chocolate, you know, and they're much more expensive and they're not as tasty as they used to be. 


Used to be a lot better there about 10 years ago, those Snickers. 


When you got the big fat Snickers, that was the one, do you remember? The big one. And there was no cutting it in half. you nearly wouldn't be able to eat it. 


I do remember. You have to put it in the microwave for half an hour to melt it. 


That's it. you know, stick it in your back pocket and forget about it and find it the following Tuesday. No? 


They've gone downhill. I'm not happy about it, Simon. 


Yeah, or flat. Oh, yeah. Fold it up a few times. Yeah. 


Simon K: With the Futuristic Farmer now, you're doing, you've done some shows around Ireland? 


I have, yeah. I did Limerick and Galway. 


Okay, . And where did you play in Galway? Roisíns, or where was it? 


Roisin's, Dubh, Galway, and then Dolan's in Limerick. 


That must have been a bit crazy to be in Roisíns, and years ago, you're trying to probably get in when you're with all the boys, and You'd be too drunk. And now you're up on stage there. 


Oh yeah. Do you know what, when we lived in Galway, all myself and all the lads, we'd go to Roisin Dubh all the time. Now it's a bit different than it was then, like, but it used to be like a smoking area upstairs. It's still up there, but it's not as big as it used to be. But we used to go in there all the time. 


Like we'd be in there Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, maybe, you know, and then just to go back there now doing gigs. It's strange, but like, I've, Done enough gigs there that, like, it doesn't it's not weird to me anymore. Do you know, do you know that kind of? 


Simon K: Owen, how did you make the transition then from being a comedic [00:19:00] character and turning Buzz back into Owen and continuing that, like, on a live scene? 


Because, of course, when the cameras are rolling, you know, maybe you're not as conscious and you're, but when you were doing it in front of people and you had to be Owen, Slash Buzz, slash every other character. Was it a hard thing for you to do, or did it take time? 


Simon K: Well I'm still working through it, because I don't, like, at least with the Buzz character, it was 100 percent like, character, you know, cause I could, you know, it was much more raw, much more raw, you could say, but like, Because I'm trying to figure out how I am in my own life, so I'm just trying to, trying to kind of like, try to do things that are more real to my own life, you know? 


So it's like, I'm still trying to find it to be honest. I actually, to be honest Simon, I don't actually know because I, I just, like, the Buzz character was, I definitely felt like I could separate myself from the Buzz character, but now that I'm being more myself, but yet I'm still playing a character, I don't know, like, it just depends. 


It's just trying to enjoy my life and find what makes me laugh, you know? 


Yeah, I understand. Right. 


Simon K: And is that when you get something that makes you snigger or laugh is it something that you just, you keep it in your head or you write it down 


If you're out with the cock in the back garden and 


you get a silly joke or something stupid, do you like, does it stay there? 


It depends on 


like, yeah, if I have the phone with me, I could put it in the phone. But that's, I think that that's nearly one of the worst methods because if you're looking at text on a phone, it doesn't really have much emotion behind it. 


It's just like text. So I think, if you're going to put it into the phone, maybe the best thing to do would be to record it into a WhatsApp. Voice notes, so you can kind of at least hear the tone of it. or else just keep going over it, don't, sometimes it's better not to just put it to paper straight away and just keep it, go over it a few times in your head. 


And I think as well, for people who are funny and witty and like humor, sometimes the humor comes in the moment. But if someone said to you then, Oh Jesus, that's fierce, funny or whatever. The thing is then, if you have to transfer that to the stage, you have to obviously memorize it a little bit, change it to suit an audience. 


Sometimes you can probably lose the humor because it's not that instant, no? 


Oh, completely, yeah. Like, there could be bits where you write them down, you think they're the funniest thing you'll ever write. And not one person in the crowd will laugh or they look at you like, 


yeah, 


they might even give you a look like, what the fuck was that all about? 


So, You know, it's not that they don't get it. It's just that maybe you're not describing it properly. Maybe you're not, 


yeah, 


they don't get it. 


That's taken me years and still taking me more years, but it's a, it's a very enjoyable journey, you know, because it gives you a chance to sort of, you know, like, you might think something's funny and then you might say it to even your friend or somebody and you might not even, they might be looK at you going, what, what, what was that all about? 


I don't, I don't know what you said, but then conversely, then you might, you might be like, you know, I might be recording a video at home and I like in between the jokes, I might be like, oh, that didn't work out or whatever, but that's the bit that might make people laugh if they watched it. They might, the actual mistake might be the bit people like. 


So like, there's a lot to be said for. The vulnerable part of life as well. You know, there's a lot of gold in the vulnerable parts of life. 


Simon K: There's this thing I always describe, which is personal bias, whereas you can do something and you find it funny, but nobody else might find it funny, but like, I always think if it makes you laugh, that's enough because. 


Yeah. It depends what you want to do with it, 


I suppose. 


Exactly, yeah, it's what you want to do with it, but you can either make it better or worse, I suppose, in how you deliver it, can't you? 


Definitely, oh yeah, the delivery is such a big part of it, you know, and you can't, you can write all the jokes you want on a piece of paper, but if you're, when it comes to stand up, you have to be practicing in front of people, they're the people. 


Same with social media. Like you have to put your stuff out to people in order to really understand this. Like, and I know what you're saying. It's if it makes you laugh, then that's great. You know? Well, like my favorite comedian is Norm Macdonald and he used to just try to make himself laugh. 


But like at the same time, if you have an audience coming and they're paying money, then, you know, you have to be thinK, how can I make these people laugh too? So it's, it's very tricky. You know, there's no perfect science behind it. Otherwise. Somebody would just copy it and then they'd make loads of jokes. 


and, you know, so it's just, it's almost like the parts are always moving, but you just have to keep tipping away at it all the 


time. 


also, the more you do something, the more you kind of dig in into it, and then you're like, oh, that's what I was trying to say, you know. So like, we all find it, well, I know I find myself hard to express in, when I'm walking around on my own, I can express my thoughts clearly in my own mind. 


But if I'm talking to somebody, you know, I find it a bit harder to do that. Like, so, you know, I guess when you're on stage, the more times you do it, the deeper you'll get into actually what you're trying to say, if that makes sense. 


of course, yeah, and I suppose for you, you know, you've probably always been a funny guy, but then you got into the medium of recording it on camera, and you delivered it a certain way, and you know, if you had a bad take, it might be a funny blooper or something, but you had a chance to re record it, but then when you move into the live scene, You have to take those social media edits and everything and deliver them on the spot. 


It is. It's a very, very different scenario. But at the same time, I think the audiences they're there with you. Like, you know, they're not there to tear you down. So if you forget a joke, you can be kind of like, you can say, sorry about that. 


I'm just going to repeat it. You can make a joke about forgetting the joke. You know, it's not like the end of the world. so, you know, that's, You can't put the key is don't, don't, don't put too much pressure on yourself. That's the key. 


No, no. And I think that's your kind of humor anyway, is where like, it's kind of like I was going to tell you something, but I've completely forgot it. 


But on that, let's talk about Alzheimer's. Do you know what I mean? You're you, I think you have that kind of humor where you're always ahead of yourself. 


No. 


Well, I'm always trying to think of jokes and I'm always trying to think a little quick little lines and bits like that. 


But at the same time, I'm trying to work so that there's a bit more of a line going through what I'm saying, so I don't want to, but yeah. 


Right, 


right, yeah. 


But yeah, I think it feeds into my personality, like, just to be a bit like, what the hell is he on about now? 


Yeah, of course, of course. 


Simon K: And I mean, with the futuristic farmer, was that something That you had been pondering about for a long [00:26:00] time, like, you know, where does a farmer fit into the modern world? 


And where does the country fella fit into the city? Like, where did that kind of come from? The whole futuristic farmer? 


The name came from, well, I live here in a farm, like close to My father, so he's a farmer, and sometimes I see him and I think that's a lovely life in so many ways. But then I'm like, what will the futuristic farmer look like? 


Will they have space wellies and all that stuff? So just 


Yeah. Will there be robots? Robots cleaned out the cowshed and stuff, you know? Exactly. Possibly AI, a different kind of AI, I suppose, than they're used to. 


AI. Yeah. that's it. Like, cause if you said to your ould fella, I'm thinking of getting into AI. 


He'd be like, we'll get a long pair of gloves, because it's fucking dangerous game, you know. 


They don't bother with gloves around here 


for that Simon. But yeah, then I was thinK, Jesus, like social media, that's taken over for everybody, like everyone's involved in social media and online stuff, so that's kind of where the name came from. 


I was just like, it was almost like my own mind thinK, which side of the coin are we going towards? 


But it's 


Now, if you did that and they'd be like, Oh, tell me more about it. So, 


Oh yeah. 


It's all about the bottom line. So, you know, if it'd be like, I'd never have them fucking robots on my farm. That's for sure. But then someone would say, well, he's half the price of a fella from Mullingar. 


And they'd say, Oh, really, really? And he never stops working?. 


Well, it's like the dishwasher, you know? 


Yeah, of course. 


You know, people would clean the dishes by hand once upon a time, and now it's like, oh, there's a dishwasher there, so that's the first sign of letting tech into the house. 


Yeah, it's crazy, isn't it? 


Simon K: And now it's the air fryer. 


And now it's the air fryer, yeah. And all the farmers with the air fryers and the dishwasher and they said they'd never go near that. And yeah, so I mean, the thing about the futuristic farmer as a whole concept, it's, it's kind of endless because you could have a, you know, a great TV show from that and everything. 


Oh yeah, and you could go back even further to, Hunter Gatherers time, see if we can take anything out of their book. 


Go around with spears, maybe. 


Of course, yeah, there'll be a few spears flying around there and yeah, it is interesting like how we can merge the old with the new, but like for you now with that, as a comedian, you know, slash social media star, slash TV star, do you find then that with material you will work on that material, like you will maintain that material for a while and you'll want to do something different in a year or two? Or how do you feel about material? 


Owen Colgan: I suppose what I'll do is I'll go over the material. I'll go for ideas inside my mind and then I'll roughly try to put them together. 


So that's the goal. 


Simon K: muck spreader. He just comes out constantly. 


Owen Colgan: Yeah, comes out constantly and 


Simon K: It stinks of shit, but people love it because I was even telling somebody today, you know, I was talking about the Irish humor and I was like, we can talk shite about anything. 


And we talk like we're great at small talk. and you know, the thing about it is, the humor is so dark as well that there's levels and you adjust those levels according to the people you meet, because you're like, Oh, maybe it's a bit much for them. Like when I came to Spain. My wife said to me, I don't think they get your humor. 


And I was like, no, I shouldn't know. It's a bit too risque, too dark for them. Like, even if you're speaK in English, they're kind of like, what does he mean? Like what, you know, because you'd be going to dark places and you'd be laughing at these crazy bastards. Do you know what I 


mean? 


but Irish people love that. Like they love that. 


Simon K: They do, but it's more dry. I mean, they have dark humor, but it's, it's more tragedy and love and all of that. But I mean, we, you know, I think Irish people can see something on the road, a plastic bag, and there's something funny in it. 


The way it's sitting, you know, we can just, it's not always that we're drunk, but like we find those moments. And you say to some fella, does that remind you of something? And do you know what I mean? We're just stupid humor sometimes, but it's very good, you know, 


isn't 


it? 


Owen Colgan: All right. Yeah, it is. Definitely. I know, like, probably in Spain, you probably even appreciate it more because, you know, I find when you get away and you come back to Ireland, you're like, Oh, Jesus, there's so many funny things happening here that, You kind of, you take for granted when you're here. 


Simon K: just, you know, we, I think, you know, as Ireland is the land of saints and scholars, we have that mentality and that openness to tap into stupid things. And like, even another nation might go, yeah, but that's not really funny. But it's how you deliver it and how you keep going with it. 


Owen Colgan: Oh, big 


time, yeah. But 


you know who 


K of that is? Norm Macdonald. 


Did you 


ever 


listen to 


that lad? 


Simon K: yeah, he's Very good. 


Owen Colgan: He's so good. 


Simon K: It's just delivery and everything, isn't it? But it's the mind. 


It's brilliant. 


Owen Colgan: The mind that's 


constantly firing up things to you. Normally, it's the dark side of the mind that's giving you the funniest stuff as well. 


Simon K: Let's talk about that because you mentioned there about mental health and stuff. Like with the mental health side of things, because so many people in the comedy world and comedians, they spend so much time like on that bright side of life and, but they're going to dark places that sometimes when they're alone, they're in those dark places. 


So do you find that because you do so much thinking, do you find it hard to keep the negative stuff away? 


It can get overwhelming at times, but I don't think it's anything more than anybody else's job. Like anybody, everybody is like contemplating life in some sort of way, aren't they? Like, even if, if you're working in a shop, it's not like you're just thinK about life all the time. 


Simon K: You're not just focusing on Snickers duos. You're like thinK, What am I doing in the evening? You know, 


Owen Colgan: you think about the curly whirlies as well, like, you know, 


Simon K: the curly whirlies as well. Yeah. But you see, I think though, that's a good point. What you said there is that if you've any bit of creative genius or any creativity, your mind is always going. 


So you're probably watching telly and you're thinking, okay, I'm not doing any work now. And then you're seeing something and you're thinking of something funny about it. And you're putting a spin on it. And you're nearly saying to yourself, I have to stop. I can't be always doing this. But that's where the material comes from. 


Doesn't it? 


Owen Colgan: Yeah, it's kind of like you have to be observant of it 


Simon K: All the time. 


That's what you have to do for the job, but like, again, it's like anybody in any job. It's like a farmer, they can't be like, I'm gonna forget all about the cattle this weekend. they have to think about everything. So it's just like any job really, you know, I don't think it's anything. 


And the creative thing, I think everyone is creative, you know, it's just a matter of whether you turn that switch on or off. 


Simon K: Tell us about, what you have coming up. So you have some shows coming up over the next few months. Have you any big plans for, the comedy 


circuit? 


Owen Colgan: Stand up 


gigs coming up across the country. 


So I'm looK forward to that. I've got some up the north. I've got some in the east, some in the south, I've done some in the west already. I've got a few more and then. I'm, I'm doing a podcast at the moment. It's called Owns Oddity. So check that out. I'm going to have some, some very sensual guests. 


Yeah, that's going to be great. Sensuality. Yeah, that's the key. 


Simon K: Oh, brilliant. That sounds good. Oh, sensuality and chocolate. You need the chocolate Snickers duo for that one. 


Owen Colgan: Yeah. We're going to be eating chocolate live on camera for YouTube. So just check that one out. 


Simon K: It's amazing 


what you can do with two chocolate fingers, you know. 


Like bear that in mind. Do you know what I mean? 


Simon K: Sensuality and Snickers duo. So listen, thanks very much for coming on the show. 


Simon K: You know, it's great chatting to you Owen and we'll talk again some other time. We'll get you on. Thank you very much, Owen. 


Owen Colgan: Likewise, Simon. 


Thanks for having me on. 


Simon K: Thank you very much, Mr. Owen Colgan. That was really nice to have you on the show. It's great to hear about all the memories of the Hardy Bucks and Buzz and Eddie Durkin and Salmon and all the boys. So it was great. I really enjoyed chatting to you and it was lovely to take that trip down memory lane and Also, it's wonderful to hear everything you're doing now. 


And you've taken that great step onto the comedy stage. So we wish you the best of luck. And we look forward to see where your career goes from here, upwards and onwards, we imagine. So thank you very much, Mr. Owen Colgan. It was a pleasure talK to you. OK, to you, the listener, thank you very much as well for being here. 


Take care. Bye bye.