Law and disorder tickle the funny bone

You don't usually expect a guy with a law degree to go in for stand-up comedy, but that's exactly what Mark Palmer has done.

Those familiar with Mark will remember him from his 2006 show, Not Quite Billy, a tribute to Scotsman Billy Connolly, but more people will perhaps have seen him without realising it: most have seen that advert on television for an energy drink in which a chap gets kicked by an ostrich. That's Mark.

Mark was born in Cape Town but grew up in Durban. He returned to the Mother City in 1996.

He worked for the Department of Justice and obtained his law degree through Unisa. He then entered the world of high finance.

The big change in his career came when he performed at the now defunct Comedy Warehouse in Green Point.

The bug had bitten. Mark figured he would rather talk a lot of waffle and amuse people instead of talking big business in dry and sober tones. He was never really passionate about it anyway.

Besides, he had been encouraged to go into comedy by veteran comedian Joe Parker, who opened the Comedy Warehouse.

"I'm still talking nonsense now," he says, "but at least it's a lot of fun.

"Stand-up is now my passion."

Doing stand-up can be difficult, he says. His secret?

"Someone catches your eye, so you focus on him and make him laugh."

Mark says he won't joke about religion or paedophilia, "but I try to cover everything that's going on in society.

"I test-drive an audience to see what works and what does not. I like dark humour, not slapstick. I see myself as a social commentator."

Mark believes "we need a spiritual home for comedy" which, he believes too, is "an ego-driven industry".

He is an enthusiastic reader, a great fan of Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Tom Clancy - and then by contrast JRR Tolkien.

And what is it with comedians going in for big American muscle cars?

Cokey Falkow drives a Mercury Cougar, Kurt Schoonraad has two Chevrolet Bel Airs and Mark has a Ford Mustang - but he's selling that because he's importing another one from the US.

Who knows? Maybe Soli Philander or Marc Lottering will buy the present one.

But if you aren't familiar with Mark's brand of comedy yet, you can catch him in his new show, Doing It Standing Up, Wednesday to Saturday at Baran's in Burg Street, from June 6 to 30.

Palmer is being directed by no less a personage than David Newton, arguably one of the funniest comedians in the business.