Taking an idea and running like mad, taking the piss out of his mates on stage and generally pushing the boundaries of humour – that’s what comedy veteran Paul Ego is keen on doing during
the current 7 Days Live tour.

The live version of New Zealand’s longest-running comedy TV show 7 Days reaches Whangārei’s McKay Stadium on June 30.

“You’ve got seven comedians on stage together riffing together and bouncing ideas around,” Ego said.

“That’s something we don’t have as much luxury to do on the TV show; it’s cut down to half an hour and even shorter with the ad breaks.

“So there’s no time to stay on a funny idea and see if you can take it further.”

The live version of the show is also “much ruder” Ego said.

“You can push those boundaries out a lot more.

“It’s not so much the news stories, it’s more about us as mates taking the piss out of each other.

“Kiwis can relate to that, it’s how we show love in a friend group.

“It’s always done with love, never nastiness.”

Ego has already hit the road with 7 Days Live, which features seven comedians: host Jeremy Corbett, and fellow comics Paul Ego, Dai Henwood, Justine Smith, Josh Thomson, Laura Daniel and Ben Hurley.

The crew perform at 13 centres around the country from June 4 to 30.

Talking to the Northern Advocate from his lounge in Devonport on a grey, overcast day, Ego was “three shows down” and packing his winter woollies in preparation for the South Island leg of the tour.

He and the crew have four shows down south before making their way back north via Wellington, Tauranga, Napier, Gisborne, Hamilton then Whangārei.

“It’ll be a well-oiled machine by the time we reach you guys.”

Ego said the first half of the live show is stand-up, with a seven-minute set from each of the comedians.

The second half was a “punchier version of the TV show”, which airs on Thursdays on Three at 7.30pm.

Ego, who has been with 7 Days from the very start, said the content is changing all the time, but “the bones are still the same”.

“We started doing live two to three years into the TV show, and realised it was something we could do live if we combined it with stand-up.”

This year’s tour was meant to happen in 2021 but was cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions.

“It’s so good to be back,” Ego said.

“We would have been devastated if we couldn’t do it this year.

“I know people are still a little reticent to get into big venues and be around lots of people but you can wear a mask and still laugh through that. We can still hear you.

“We may not be able to see your teeth but maybe that’s a good thing.”

That’s where Ego goes off on a tangent on the benefits of wearing masks, which includes not having to worry about bad breath or having food stuck in your teeth.

“If you’re running late for the show and still eating a meal, we won’t know you’re trying to digest a lamb roast under there.”

With over 25 years of comedy experience and a Billy T Award under his belt, Ego is now a household name in New Zealand.

He is also the voice of the quirky ‘Stickman’ figure on Pak’nSave advertisements, touting their low-cost values for the past 11 years.

The former radio personality started his performing life as a singer in a band, playing pubs and surf clubs around Auckland in the mid 1980s.

It was in London on his OE that he tried stand-up comedy for the first time and became hooked.

Upon returning home in 1995, he soon became a regular sight on the pro-comedy skyline.

Ego said he enjoys the freedom of live comedy and likes that 7 Days Live is “definitely not scripted”.

He likes it even better than pure stand-up, which is quite solitary and involves “months of trying to come up with ideas, and honing the set on stage”.

“We can stay on an idea longer; if someone like Dai or Josh Thomson comes up with an outrageous premise, we can explore that and find out why it’s funny and go somewhere that wasn’t planned.

“That’s where I’m happiest on stage, creating ideas out of thin air.

“It’s the most fun as a comedian, and to be with your mates at the same time.”

To prepare for the shows he’ll read the news a lot and will often use ideas he’s come up with on the TV show which “didn’t make the cut”.

He’ll also go to pub gigs to test new material.

“I’ll go on stage with an idea, and over a number of gigs I’ll expand it and expand it.

“I’ll run material I know works that usually gets a laugh as a buffer at the start and end, and in the middle I’ll run some new gear with the live audience and see if it’s got potential.”

Ego said he’s had his share of heckling, which is all part of the job.

What irritates him is hearing people talking at a low level during a gig.

“If someone yells you can make something of that… you’re always going to win because you’ve got a mic and you’re louder.

“The ones that aren’t invested in the gig, talking together and hearing that, is annoying.

“It’s not as bad as dead silence; I’ve had that and it makes me laugh now.

“I’m a big fan of thinking of something before going on stage, thinking it’s funny, going on stage and getting no laughs and going, ‘literally that was just funny to me’.”

This year’s live show is extra special to highlight the importance of comedy and humour in helping us get through what’s been a really rough time, Ego said.

He encouraged Northlanders to “come along and have a laugh”.

“We all really need to get out and do it, it’s such a funny show.

“It’s so good for your mental health. Everyone needs that.”

* Tickets to 7 Days Live are available at Ticketek.

* Paul Ego is also performing stand-up shows with fellow comedian Paul Douglas on a separate tour from July to September. The Paul Paul Comedy Show is at OneOneSix Whangarei, July 8 from 8-10pm. Tickets from Eventfinda.