A "love letter to heroes, hedonism and everything in between" is the description for Jack Docherty’s newest stand-up tour which comes to Glasgow this weekend.
Following a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe, the Bafta award-winning star of Scot Squad and Absolutely is bringing his critically acclaimed show Jack Docherty: David Bowie & Me: Parallel Lives to the Oran Mor on Sunday and Monday.
Jack uses his time spent with Bowie when he hosted Channel 5’s The Jack Docherty Show in 1997 as a jumping-off point to get into stand-up about his family, growing up, first love, jealousy, jobs and drugs.
"It went really well [at the festival] so when you do shows that go really well you always think ‘well I’ll do them again’ so I thought I’d take it out on tour," he says.
"It’s a show about my relationship in inverted commas with David Bowie from being a fan when I was a kid through him soundtracking my life up to meeting him as a chat show host and his death."
Jack says he came up with the idea for the show after coming across the interview he did with David Bowie on YouTube and then started to think about when they hung out for a couple of hours after the show.
He explained: "If that’s the centrepiece I thought where can I take it from there?
"I went right back to seeing Bowie on television for the first time, and there was a girl I was obsessed with when I was 13 and I thought I could get off with her if I got her the Ziggy Stardust collectable card.
"And then it goes through his androgynous phase, my androgynous phase, his drugs phase, my drugs phase.
"It’s contentious and funny to go parallel lives as if my life is in any way comparable to Bowie, one of the undisputed geniuses of the entertainment industry."
As someone who grew up as a big fan of Bowies’ music, Jack says the experience of getting to spend time with him in 1997 was "really crazy" despite the number of famous people he had met, with the singer also telling him he was a "big fan".
"In my business, I meet a lot of famous people and when I was a chat show host as well.
"I met George Clooney and when you’re sitting there with someone like him you think ‘you’re one of the most famous people in the world’, you’re kind of detached from it.
"But if it’s somebody you loved from when you’re 13 you never lose that feeling of ‘f***ing hell’.
"There’s always a teenager inside of you screaming to get out.
"So it’s a little bit about that as well."
Although the show resonated with audiences in Edinburgh, Jack says he is looking forward to getting it in front of a Glasgow audience.
"If you’re on form and the audience are into it there really is no better audience," he says.
"It’s insane. They just get it, the audience is sharp.
"I think people are just naturally funny in Glasgow. Edinburgh is great but it’s just a wee bit more reserved."
As well as embarking on a tour, Jack has also been filming for Scot Squad spin-off The Chief which follows his character Chief Commissioner Cameron Miekelson and the senior management team of the Scottish police force.
"It’s a leap in the dark for us because Scot Squad was semi-improvised but this one is written more," he says.
"But hopefully there’s enough of the old stuff to bring the audience with us and they’ll enjoy the new show.
"But I like the character, I don’t get bored of playing him – he’s fun to play."
Jack Docherty will be at the Oran Mor on Sunday, May 12 and Monday, May 13.
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