08-03-2025
Meet the Possilpark man behind the Glesga Da podcast
'I'M just a guy that canny say no,' Raymond Mearns says ahead of his seven shows at this year's Glasgow International Comedy Festival.
The comedian is returning to the festival with his solo show Looking For A Great Audience on Sunday, March 30.
It will take place at the Stand Comedy Club after being shortlisted for the Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award in 2024.
Raymond says it was 'amazing' to be shortlisted for the award. He added he's lucky to be in comedy despite never setting out to become a comedian but says it was a 'very happy and joyous accident' that he did.
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(Image: Glasgow International Comedy Festival) 'It's already a joy and a gift, it's amazing to be paid for something you love,' he said.
'It must be one of the best things in the world.'
Raymond says Looking For A Great Audience is 'just me doing my thing'.
He explained: 'I always do a solo show. I take elements of that and I take it to The Fringe.
'I'm fortunate I sell it out every year.
'That's just me doing my thing, all my madness and mental ideas and maybe roasting some of the audience in the front and that sort of thing and that's great.'
(Image: Supplied) A show Raymond feels particularly passionate about at this year's festival is Raymond Mearns Fool on Comedy Crew which will take place at The Flying Duck on Saturday, March 29.
Fool On is a Lanarkshire-based charity which seeks to improve mental health and emotional well-being through artistic engagement.
Raymond, from Possilpark, runs a Comedy Club workshop with the charity.
He explained: 'It's brilliant.
'There are people with disabilities and people who can't work for various reasons, people who've got mental health problems.
'What I try and do is point them towards telling a good story, a few jokes, maybe understand a wee bit more about how they could take some of the negative aspects in their life in a situation and turn that into positive and optimize it into passages of great beauty.
'People take themselves really seriously and comedy lets you laugh at yourself, and I think that makes the world a better place.'
The group previously did a show in Hamilton which he says got a 'phenomenal' response so they decided to bring it to the comedy festival.
The show is described as a 'brilliant hour of original stand-up and sketches'.
'Its going to be an amazing thing, it's the product of all the hard work of the people in the class,' he added.
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(Image: Supplied) Speaking of why he works with the charity Raymond continued: 'I think your mission in life is to find out what you're good at and then once you've done that you've got to give it away, you've got to share it.
'With every word, thought and action you just try to make the world a better place.'
On March 26, Raymond will then be starring in Celtic Da's: A New Play By Phil Differ alongside Bruce Morton at the Oran Mor.
'As well as being stand up for the last three decades, I have done a bit of theatre and made a few films and TV shows,' he says.
'I'm not a brilliant actor but I think I've got some chops as an actor and I'm always keen to do something that's interesting and challenging.'
'It's about these two fellas and in the play, they're discussing things in their life.
'It's about friendship, football, Celtic, their place in the world and they're questioning that and the challenges you face when you're getting older.
'I think a lot of people will like it. You're always hoping you strike a chord with a lot of people.'
Raymond will also be doing three Laughter Fest shows at Cathcart Bowling Club which he describes as a 'pick of comedians' from the festival.
There will be three shows which will take place on March 14, 21 and 28.
'We're looking to get acts over to Cathcart and give them a wee bit of extra money through their act and it entertains the good people of Cathcart and the surrounding areas who might not be able to get into the city.'
Podcast Glesga Da, which Raymond does alongside Stuart Mitchell, will have a live show on March 13 at BAad.
Glasgow International Comedy Festival 2025 will take place from March 12 until March 30.
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