" One of the best things about watching live comedy is seeing a comedian get his second wind of inspiration. Sometimes an established comic suddenly finds something extra, and one of these comics is John Moloney. He's been a headliner at top clubs like the Comedy Store for years - yet his comedy has acquired more depth, as well as an even sharper edge. "
William Cook - The Guardian. (1)
With over twenty years in the business, JOHN MOLONEY is a multi-award-winning British Stand-Up Comedian, Comedy Writer and After-Dinner Speaker, best known for starring on the groundbreaking BBC's The Stand Up Show, The Just For Laughs Roadshow, Comic Relief, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Bill Bailey's Part Troll, The Comedy Store, Gag Tag, Call My Bluff, Edinburgh Best of the Festival, Live at Jongleurs, The World Stands Up, Grumpy Old Men, Good News Week, They Think It's All Over, The Sydney TV Gala, Saturday Live, Space Cadets, One Hundred Greatest Stand-Ups, WowFabGroovy, Night Fever, The Wright Stuff, Richard and Judy, Spicks and Specks and numerous others.
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John Moloney was brought up in Ilford, Essex, of Irish parents, who both worked for the NHS. After passing his 11+, John attended Ilford County High School. John then obtained a BA honours degree in German at Royal Holloway College, followed by a PGCE at King's College, London.
Always keen on music - he plays seven instruments - John spent his teenage years listening to The Jam, and still remains a huge fan of Paul Weller. He is also a huge fan of The Sex Pistols and The Smiths.
John Moloney started his Stand-Up career at the tender age of 20, one of his first gigs being at the notorious Tunnel Club, hosted by the infamous Malcolm Hardee. Unlike may others - he was invited back. Malcolm encouraged John at this early stage, and a few years later they performed a show together for a month at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, when Malcolm famously managed to get a self-written magnificent review into The Scotsman. The rest of the run was sold-out.
John quickly established himself on the London comedy circuit - and has been a regular at the world famous Comedy Store for over 20 years. He was nominated for " BEST LIVE STAND-UP " at The British Comedy Awards. John was also voted "BEST STAND-UP" two years running at The London International Comedy Festival.
John has also appeared at many prestigious International Comedy Festivals, including Edinburgh, Montreal, Melbourne and Sydney. He is also much in demand as a guest comedian/speaker at Corporate Events and Awards Ceremonies.
Reviews of John's sell-out show "Butterflies with Stretchmarks" at The Edinburgh Festival
* * * * * - The Glasgow Herald
It is hard to imagine how John Moloney could improve on his intimate hour at Stand 2. Talking about everything from the fecklessness of modern youth to modifying the rules of darts to suit the abilities of the participants, he casually controls the room without ever leaving his high stool. This is all about delivery and timing, and Moloney keeps the pace like an orchestra conductor. After 20 years at this game, he knows when to be droll or when to get dirty. There is not much new to say about flatulence and its role in relationships, but he manages to make the subject eye-wateringly funny all the same. He uses his experience as a languages teacher for some sophisticated linguistic laughs, and the catalogue of learning difficulties that riddle the education system gets suitable short shrift. Moloney is the Bentley in the comedy car lot.(2)
* * * * *
Usually housed in Balham with his stressed cat, John Moloney has travelled north to present this gem of a show. With twenty years' worth of experience, Moloney is one of the most relaxed and effortlessly funny comedians I have seen; his natural charm, innate dry wit and casual delivery style make almost anything comic. He tells tidbits from everyday life - things that would ordinarily make for a dull narrative but in this case seem extremely funny - like the joys of darts, having nothing to say to long-term friends and the noises that posh people make at dinner parties. This comedian won't change your life, but he will make you laugh.(2) John Moloney – Butterflies with Stretchmarks
* * * *
Dressed in a black suit and black tie, John Moloney looks more like a somber undertaker than a comic. Indeed as he notes with a wry, ironic look, he got into to stand-up precisely because it meant he didn’t have to wear a shirt and tie. Nevertheless the appearance does compliment Moloney’s style - dryly deadpan, slow, deliberate and a stark contrast to the chaos and cacophony of the Fringe. It’s a strangely relaxing hour of stand up, even if two people in this audience didn’t find it so, claiming Moloney was ‘boring’ when they finally got up to leave – apparently finding it less rude to sit and mutter through half an hour of Moloney’s show rather than pushing past a packed roomful of people to get out. But when their talking became loud enough to reach the rest of the room Moloney dealt with it with aplomb, not breaking out of his laidback demeanour for a moment. It was a great display of his experience as a stand-up. He has been on the circuit for 20 years and once appeared in a three-way show with the late, great Malcolm Hardee and a drag act. That’s two decades of honed gags from which to pluck the material for this show. Many of the topics are familiar ones, material about dogs and his cat, about relationships – in particular his own marriage – and even plenty of gags about the Germans. But they’re all carefully crafted, meticulously delivered and ultimately get a laugh even in the packed-out sauna that this room turns into with a full house. A masterclass in laid-back humour from a seasoned pro.(2)
Like his comic hero Les Dawson, John Moloney's beautifully crafted gags are rooted in everyday life with a touch of pathos at the core. He might be playing a tiny room at The Stand, but Moloney is a stand-up with years of experience who first came to the Fringe 20 years ago. He sits on his stool like an obelisk, barely even swaying as he negotiates his way through one well-scripted gag after another. A former teacher, Moloney weaves in touches of erudition, throwing in multilingual jokes, chucking in the odd reference to Chomsky, Marx and Hegel. And he's not averse to a bit of blunt disdain for the feckless youth of today. But he's a man firmly grounded in his working-class London Irish roots - and he makes his humour out of universal, everyday situations - an encounter with a charity mugger, a trip to the vet, a game of darts. The situations may be mundane, but the way Moloney observes them is resolutely singular and slightly skewed. Despite the deadpan delivery, the almost expressionless face and the completely static stage presence, you realise you are in the presence of a lively and unusual mind. The title of the show refers to the way life warps as you grow older. And this is comedy which comes from experience, delivered by a man who knows exactly what he is doing.(2)
It is perhaps the greatest injustice at the Fringe that comics who’ve been given a break on Mock the Week are almost guaranteed to instantly sell out whilst the best of the rest are left to furiously fight for the scraps. Moloney very much falls into the latter category, and his riotously funny combination of rapid ones liners and drawn out anecdotes would be as enthusiastically received in the Hammersmith’s and Palladiums as it is the tiny, makeshift Stand II. He is so laid back on stage if was any more so he’d fall over. His immaculate routines are delivered with the dead-panned self-assurance of someone who knows his material is good. His voice has the soothing lilt of a man who could make a fortune in audio books, whilst immaculately dressed and perched on a stool, it’s a tad disappointing that he doesn’t break into a Frank Sinatra medley. A former German teacher his stories about battles with both parents and pupils are hilarious whilst his gags analyzing German grammar and history are real festival highlights. In a comedy world where gross out is so often the currency of success, Moloney is so refreshingly humble and self-deprecating that he’s the sort of guy you’d be delighted to take home to meet your granny and then happily go on to the pub with after. Somebody somewhere might have once said ‘Comedians are like wine, they get better with age’ and if that is the case then with a bit of luck Moloney has the potential to be a real vintage.(2)
The don of deadpan hasn't been seen at the Fringe for the best part of a decade, but his quiet, intelligent and beautifully dry sense of humour make a welcome return this summer. The gags are often packed in wry observations about life, love and feckless youth, but the one-liners are dynamite and the wit is razor sharp. If you're looking for a good laugh with one of comedy's good guys, this is for you. (2)
== Press Quotes ==(4)
“A wondrous array of classy gags. Comedy Scholars, plus folk needing a right good laugh, can choose from a wide range of quality Moloney originals. Take your pick from droll one-liners; coruscating bits of political satire, absurdist observations; gleeful schoolboy puns and observant re-interpretations of everyday phenomena. In addition, they’re all delivered with a measured dryness and quiet understatement, too. Masterly.” THE HERALD
“He looks every bit the professional. And he is. He treats the audience with compassion, tact and intelligence in a performance that has strolling one-liners and hilarious stories.” THE STAGE
“ In the car-lot of comedy – John Moloney is the Bentley “ GLASGOW HERALD
"A triumph of Quality over Hype." THE SYDNEY HERALD
“I think I’ve just wet myself “ AUDIENCE MEMBER, SHEFFIELD CITY HALL, JUNE 2011
John Moloney is a hugely experienced After-Dinner Speaker and Awards Ceremony Host.
" John Moloney is one of the most creative and professional comedians I have had the pleasure to work with - quick off the mark - John will have had the audience laughing three times in the time that it takes any other comedian to say 'hello'.
John is a firm favourite of The Comedy Store - and a firm favourite of mine. "
Don Ward - Owner - The Comedy Store (3)
1. First Quote - William Cook - Comedy Reviewer for The Guardian Newspaper 2. Edinburgh reviews - taken from reviews of John's show in 2010 " Butterflies with Stretchmarks " from The Glasgow Herald, The Scotsman, 3 Weeks Magazine, Chortle, The Sun Newspaper - sourced from John's Official Website. 3. Quote from Don Ward, Owner of The Comedy Store, taken from John's Official Website. 4. Press Quotes - taken from John's Official Website.