‘I was massively influenced by early Burton when I was 17 or 18. ‘I guess this is his take on Buster Keaton,’ says Wills. Instead, he has looked to Tim Burton for inspiration. It’s the sort of clowning that hits all the right notes but, surprisingly, Wills isn’t a devotee of silent comedy. There’ll also be lots of gracious audience interaction, the kind where the crowd wins the day. I once got sent a comment from YouTube which was 'Tape Face would only be funny if he set himself on fire.' I always loved that.But it does overflow with playful warmth: oven gloves might perform love duets or there might be a Wild West shoot-out with staple guns and balloons (‘I’ve got so many props – my latest acquisitions are four new horses’ heads’). The most memorable review, heckle or post-gig reaction? We live in such a disposable society that whatever you need can always be found if you really need it wherever you are. What's your best insider travel tip, for gigging comics? It was a little much for some people but it always made me laugh. I used to have a routine where a sock puppet went inside a shoe to the music of Barry White. Is there one routine/gag you loved, that audiences inexplicably didn't? He said the gig was going to be great exposure for an international audience and it was when I turned up to the Cafe Nero in Terminal 4 I knew it was going to be awful. He once booked me for a gig with another act called Joey Delaware who had a phobia of wolves. I worked briefly for a guy called Vinyl Burns. Who's the most disagreeable person you've come across in the business? He took off the costume and then carried on and took off his own clothes. I did a show where I dressed the volunteer as a stripper and then played the music for him to remove the costume. The audience were very confused and it made for an incredibly awkward hour. I ended up having to wrap a large piece of tape over my face and around my head through my hair which was a joy to remove later. I was booked to do an hour and after five minutes I felt the tape sliding off my face. What I discovered onstage was that the slightest bit of sweat would react with the smallest soap residue and then it would cause the tape to slide off my face. I was at a festival and I had forgotten my shaving cream so I improvised and just used soap. As an act that requires me to stick tape to my face it means that I need to shave every single day. The worst gig I have ever done was completely my fault. It will probably be the last one, as that's what I'm working towards. I am actually still friends with the first Tape Face volunteer I ever had! They were and still are popular nights and it was a full crowd who saw the very first incarnation of the character. It was a night called 'Big Wednesday' where comedians got five minutes to try out new ideas. My first show with tape on my face was in 2005 in New Zealand at The Classic Comedy Club. Speaking of backstage, let's take him back to some older stages. The classic favourite routines as well as some new little treats taking place on a beautiful set that places Tape Face in his natural environment, backstage." "It is the best of Tape Face and has all the bells and whistles that we could never add to a typical Fringe festival show. "The London show is what I consider my best work," Tape Face tells us. And now he's back for a lengthy stint in the UK, a seven-week run at London's Garrick Theatre. Actually he'd come a long way before that, having started out in his native New Zealand, and the jet-setting is certainly working: last year he made an impressive (if silent) impact in the States by reaching the latter stages of America's Got Talent. Tape Face, aka Sam Wills, has come a long way since breaking through at the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe.
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