The comedian/actor/marathon runner/ “executive transvestite” Eddie Izzard is in South Africa, and I was fortunate enough to meet him at an event that Flow was covering.
Not only is he one of the most impressive comedians in the world, but he has the admirable quality of challenging himself to the most Herculean of tasks.
Far from being a predictable “tea and scones” Brit, Izzard is as cosmopolitan as they get. He was born in Yemen, speaks fluent French and – according to his Twitter page – thinks like an American. No wonder his comedy covers such broad topics, from language, history and religion to Darth Vader, punching gorillas and forgetful goldfish. His humour is frequently absurd but with the kind of comic genius that earned him the title “the lost Python” from comedy legend John Cleese.
In recent years, Izzard has broadened his profile by becoming actively involved in charity work, including running an incredible 43 marathons in 51 days for Sport Relief, a UK-based charity. On his return to South Africa this month he declared he would run 27 marathons in 27 days as a tribute to former President Nelson Mandela’s 27 years in jail.
I met him very briefly at an event where he was being whisked around by his publicist and other press members. I was told he had spent the whole day talking to people and getting a sense of the work being done in the country. I spotted him alone for what turned out to be a very small window and went to introduce myself. He was really friendly and seemed down to earth, and asked me about my work.
Later I asked/harassed him to sign a piece of paper I had brought with me – a visual representation of a joke he had made famous (how looking “cool” is always one step away from “looking like a dickhead”). It made him laugh, which was just about the best thing I could ever ask for!
A few days later I hit the jackpot as a colleague organised for me to go to a special performance by Izzard, seating just 200 people. He went about it in his usual style, talking about South Africa’s history. “It seems we don’t know if Jan van Riebeeck was a good man or a bad man. He was just a man. He just showed up.” He went on to impersonate both FW de Klerk and Nelson Mandela having a conversation (in the most atrocious and hilarious accents) before taking questions about his marathon running.
Unfortunately, Eddie Izzard announced that after four marathons he would be stopping his mission due to “a multitude of factors including severe terrain, humidity and altitude”, but vowed to return to finish the job. Let’s hope he does!
Read more about Eddie’s tribute to Mandela.
