There is no place like home.
And, when Larry Dean is in town, there is certainly no place like Glasgow.
Returning to The Blue Arrow on Monday and Tuesday night, Larry Dean has a new Work in Progress show and needs us as his guinea pigs.
"I'm in Leicester, about to get on a train" Larry Dean in a faux London accent.
"I was doing a work in progress show there last night and all voices were out" he explains.
From his Canadian guise, to his Englishman and back to his own, Larry is a comedic chameleon of the highest order.
"I've been doing the same show for a while, but I always get bored and add in new stuff, so I thought it was time for a new work in progress show to start trying some new things out. I have loads of new material but I just have to find out what should go in and go out.
"You see some comedians that don't do new stuff and I always think, 'how have you not gone mental?
"When I go to festivals, they tell you you only have an hour. I always have about 90 minutes of jokes, so that's why i'm always relieved to be back in Glasgow because I can speak at my normal pace - and that usually means being able to fit in 90 minutes of jokes to 60 minutes on the stage" Larry laughed.
With the bendiness and slapstick bodily humour of Jim Carrey complemented by the story-telling ability that is akin to Billy Connolly in his banana boot days, south sider Larry is an award-winning funny man.
He scooped up Scottish Comedian of the Year in 2013 and Best Show Award in 2018 for ‘Bampot’ at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards.
Back at the Blue Arrow for his new shows, the material that he is trying out will be used for a new show at this years' Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and then again in March 2021 where he will have his own tour with a stop off at the Glasgow's Kings Theatre.
"I'm looking forward to the shows, not only just to come home but because Conor Burns and Gary Meikle are going to be playing that night as well.
"We're all doing an hour each, so even if no one else thinks we're funny, at least we have each other".
Not that he needs any reassurance.
The last time I saw Larry at the Blue Arrow, he defended his title as Glasgow's comedy king after a heckler from the stage momentarily took over the show.
"Aye, I remember that guy" Larry laughed.
"The minute I walked on the stage, he was raging at me because I blocked him on Facebook after I wouldn't reply to him on Tinder.
"What a heckle that was. We had a hug on the stage at least, and hugged it out and made peace."
For those who aren't well acquainted with a work in progress show, the answer is that Larry treats the audience like a room of his pals.
"When I have new material, I usually just tell a joke to my mates like anyone else does.
"It's my friends that tell me, 'That's actually a good one, Larry. You should say that on stage'. Any time I make anyone laugh with an impression or a funny walk or something, I end up working a way into getting that into the show.
"I didn't realise I could do a perfect impression of a few cartoons, like The Muppets, and last night I used it in a show and it worked.
"Just because I use something once in a work in progress doesn't mean that I'll use it again" Larry continues, "but it's good to know that an idea works. It's weird, trying to fit all these things my mates find funny into a set, but it usually works out okay."
And has it ever not paid off?
"Oh, that happens all the time" he laughed.
"The audience know its a work in progress, so it's fine. You just go, 'okay, cool, that doesn't work'. It gives the audience more power, actually, because they get to decide what other people watch.
"I think everybody's biggest fear is that they stand on the stage and tell a joke and no one laughs, but I usually am telling a story, doing a funny walk and impression, pulling faces and telling a joke so I'm a bit like... I'm sure they'll laugh at something I'm doing..." he laughed.
"My worst show was a Christmas party in Kent, where I got absolutely nothing back. I got heckled from the stage and the heckle got more laughs than me."
Larry's new Work in Progress shows next week are a follow on from his last show, Bampot, about his failed relationship with his Australian ex.
Will his next show have the same cameo appearance?
"I am talking about him again, but not in as nice a way as I talked about him before. That's redemption. It ended really messy. Everyone is really gutted about it.
"I guess that's inevitably what the next show will be about - I'll be getting revenge with this tour" Larry laughs.
I haven't ever laughed at anyone else's revenge story before. There is a first for everything.
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