There’s a version of comedy history where Ian Edwards gets remembered as a footnote. Instead, he became the answer to a trivia question: first comedian ever signed to Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco Records. Before that, by his own telling, most of the industry acted like he didn’t exist.
He walked us through what it actually feels like to reframe a bit that’s older than commercial air travel itself, the airline peanuts joke practically predates the Wright Brothers, into something that still kills today. We got into his complicated relationship with cursing (it’s a seasoning, not the punchline), the jokes he’s had to retire not because they bombed but because a room made him second-guess them, and why three different continents each left a fingerprint on how he tells a joke.
Buckle up, this one’s got layovers.
You were born in Hammersmith, England, raised in Jamaica, then moved to New York and eventually LA. Which of those cities shaped your comedic voice the most — and is there one you can hear in your jokes that audiences would never guess?
They all shaped my voice evenly, England gave me that dry sense of British humor, Jamaica made my humor more direct, New York made me bold, and LA made me calm down and deliver my message is a soothing way.
Do you remember getting your first laugh on stage? How did it feel? And does every laugh you get still feel the same?
The first time I killed I floated off stage it was a true putter body experience. I watched the whole performance from somewhere outside of me. Then I rejoined myself after. Laughter still makes me feel good. That’s why I still do it. There’s nothing like making people laugh.
You’re the first comedian Conan O’Brien ever signed to Team Coco Records, where you released 100% Half Assed. What did being “the first” actually feel like — a vote of confidence, a weight, or just a really good business call?
it was all the above, great validation from a great comedy entity like Conan. Before I’d felt mostly ignored by certain segments of the comedy industry or show biz period. So being given an album definitely made me feel acknowledged.
The way you use misdirection in your jokes, along with multiple tags and yet you pull it off seamlessly. How much work actually goes into a single joke for it to land that cleanly?
Nah I work at it with every joke. Sometimes I’m lazy and beat myself up because I know I could do better. My fear is becoming complacent. Can’t wait for the World Cup to be over so I can get back to being my best and stop being distracted.
This might just be my own observation, and I could be completely wrong — but your voice has a certain pitch and tone that makes audiences want to lean in and keep listening. Is that something you’ve consciously developed over the years, or does it just come naturally to you?
I hope my voice has that. I don’t know what is going on. I know yelling doesn’t work for me. I wish it did. It’s fun yelling. But I’m trying to be who I am to the max. There’s only one me and if I lean into me it makes my identity different from everyone else.
You’ve written jokes for others too. And it must have happened that someone absolutely butchered your joke while delivering. How was that feeling?
Sometimes I butcher my jokes. It’s a part of comedy. Sometimes you have to say it wrong to say it right. That’s just comedy. It’s all information and a data gathering experience.
Has there ever been a joke you genuinely believed in but had to retire — not because it bombed, but because the room reaction made you reconsider whether you should be saying it at all?
Sometimes jokes get old and don’t pop like they used to. Sometimes they just get stale or the topic isn’t relevant anymore and the subject doesn’t resonate with an audience anymore. And sometimes it’s because of the room
Define observational comedy in 8 words or less.
That’s a tough question. It’s just something I do. It’s the way my mind works. It’s almost go to survival instinct for my Brain to work that way.
Your first TV appearance, or Bill Burr introducing you as one of the best comedy writers. Which moment are you more proud of?
They’re all big moments. And one leads to the other. And each accomplishment adds up to a complete career and encourages you to keep going.
Wright Brothers only invented the airplane because two stand-up comics did the airline peanuts bit at them — that’s how ancient airplane material is in comedy. And yet, your bit about airline reservations, paid seats, and luggage fees brought a completely new angle to it. You took a topic comics had been doing since the ’50s and reframed it in a way that hits for this generation. How did that bit come together?
It came about because I hate getting ripped off and i feel like airlines take advantage of their customers. And when something pisses me off I feel compelled to write a joke about it. It’s my way of, “asking to speak to the manager”.
A lot of comics use cursing as a shortcut to the laugh. You use it as a tool — “motherf—er” especially shows up as a setup amplifier in your bits, never as the actual punchline. How much craft goes into placing those curse words exactly where they need to be?
I use curse words just for emphasis. When I first try a joke sometimes I might cheat and curse to sell it. But after a while when I’m working on the joke, I’m like that’s not good enough. I have to come up with a real punchline.
Have you ever felt nervous about writing any joke? The fear of offending someone or anything? Like your reincarnation joke is one of my favourite bits of yours, was there any backlash to it?
Can’t worry about backlash for a joke like that. I don’t try to offend people on purpose but I do feel the need to be a contrarian and push the envelope a little bit. What else am I here for.
Who are your standup idols?
Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, Patrice O’Neal, Keith Robinson, Kevin Hart taught me things. Chris Spencer, JB Smoove, there are too many to name.
What are you currently up to? New specials, new tour, new show?
I’m currently working on a new special, follow me on instagram for comedy clips and tour updates.
“Sometimes you have to say it wrong to say it right.” That’s about as close to a thesis statement as Ian Edwards gave us, and honestly, it tracks with everything else he said. Decades in, three continents deep, and a Team Coco record deal behind him, and he’s still treating every joke like a draft that isn’t finished yet.
That’s the whole interview, really: a guy who refuses to get complacent, even when he’s earned the right to.
Follow him on Instagram for the new special updates, and keep an eye out, because by the sound of it, he’s just getting warmed up.
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