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13 Questions: Simon Minty
16th September 2009
At first glance, Simon Minty is a mild mannered, London-based business man with restricted growth, who does a bit of disability commentating every now and again. In fact, he lives a bit of a double life. As well as running a disability training and consultancy business called Sminty Ltd, whose clients include Buckingham Palace and the BBC, by night, he co-runs, and stars in, Abnormally Funny People. They're a comedy group who run a regular evening at London's Soho Theatre, featuring well-known disabled comedians such as our very own Liz Carr and Laurence Clark.
Abnormally Funny People have teamed up with ATOC, the folks behind the Disabled Persons Railcard, and have made some rather hilarious videos. These are to promote a shiny new leaflet about the card and a new run of Abnormally Funny People shows which kick off in early October. Simon features prominently in both, so we asked him our 13 questions.
Abnormally Funny People have teamed up with ATOC, the folks behind the Disabled Persons Railcard, and have made some rather hilarious videos. These are to promote a shiny new leaflet about the card and a new run of Abnormally Funny People shows which kick off in early October. Simon features prominently in both, so we asked him our 13 questions.
Uppermost in my mind today is ...
Getting ready to meet the top news media organisations in America and making sure I know what I'm talking about when I do. I am working on a project to change the way in which disabled people are portrayed on US news and to stop the media being scared of us.
I want to ban ...
People talking on their mobile phones while walking on the pavement. I can't get past them when I'm on my scooter. They are oblivious to the rest of the world and wander all over the place.
Not a lot of people know that I ...
Get very nervous and have panic attacks when addressing a big crowd. It is an absolute anxiety, an adrenalin rush so overwhelming I want to run. I can't physically run which makes it even harder. The confusing thing is, I love talking to people.
The best piece of advice I would pass on is ...
Try to understand the other person's point of view if you want them to come around to your way of thinking. In the work I do , unless I understand the concern of the other person, it is hard to lead them away from it.
I struggle with ...
Surgery. I should have a hip operation but have avoided it for six years so far. I wouldn't change my height or anything like that but I'd change my pain levels immediately. Sometimes, when I'm in very severe pain, I come across as a bit angry. It really affects your mood.
My ideal dinner guest would be ...
Four people. Obama, Eddie Izzard, David Mitchell and my ex girlfriend. That would be delightful, if a bit confusing.
I couldn't live without ...
Travel. It's the sheer excitement of the unknown. I just love meeting new people, and different people if you see what I mean. I get what I call reverse homesickness.
If I didn't live in the UK, I'd live in ...
San Francisco because I've never felt more comfortable, Sydney because I love the lifestyle, and Hong Kong because it is the most exciting place I've been in the world so far. It has the most amazing mixture of people. They don't get the social model but would do anything you ask them to to help.
Where do you spend most of your time?
At my desk working, sadly. I've finally got my weekends back though and they are sacrosanct. For about eight or nine years, I would work six and a half days a week. It took a year or two to change it, but I'm pretty good now.
My first job was ...
Counting money in the cash office in the depths of Bentalls, a big department store in Kingston upon Thames. Every Saturday when I finished work, I'd go to Millets and buy a new album. The first one I bought was by The Smiths .
Being a disabled comedian is ...
The same as being a non-disabled stand up, scary and fun. Maybe at the beginning you have to work a little bit harder to get them to relax. My stand up is disability focused. I once had a polite heckle about whether I bought my clothes from mother care.
What hasn't been invented but should be ...
Smaller Segways. They are machines with two big wheels which you stand on and lean forward and it whizzes you along, but the handlebars are always too tall. I would also like to be able to click my fingers and just be in Hong Kong or Sydney.
The thing I get asked most often is …
Whether my house is adapted. Yeah, I have three plastic steps.
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•Catch Simon Minty as part of Abnormally Funny People, in a 6 month run in the Soho Theatre, beginning on the 9th of October.
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