Matt Berry- Man of Many Talents

Tonight heralds the comeback of comedy show The It Crowd and with it the return of Matt Berry as psychotic sex deviant and corporate head honcho Douglas Reynholm. What has this got to do with music? Well, in addition to being an actor, Matt Berry is also a musician. Around a year ago he performed a gig at Glasgow King Tut's to a rapturous reception, laying down some funkadelic beats and synth-heavy grooves. In terms of sheer entertainment it was probably one of the best I've been to, and while there were plenty of comic moments, the music could stand-up on merit alone. I talked to Mr Berry before his gig, and I've posted the finished interview below. It's a year old but hopefully still of interest, particularly with the It Crowd returning to our screens! In the interview Matt mentions that he plans to release a new album called Witch-hazel but it's yet to surface. However, a quick perusal of his myspace page indicates that the album is 'coming soon' and features a rather delightful track from it called 'Take My Hand'. Hopefully it'll see the light of day soon, but in the meantime enjoy the interview!

There’s something disarming about the first time you speak to Matt Berry. That rich, booming, dramatic baritone he displays on ‘The IT Crowd’ is conspicuous by its absence. Instead there is a soft, laconic North London accent. Lounging on a settee in the backstage area of Glasgow King Tut’s, the actor is the definition of self-assured composure. Not only is he a fast-rising comic talent, but also an increasingly popular musician. Later this evening Berry and his band will play to a rapt audience, but for now he is happy to talk.

Matt Berry is something of a rarity these days; an actor who also turns his hand to music. In doing so he joins an elite group which includes such diverse names as Denis Waterman, Steven Segal, and William Shatner. Indeed, Shatner’s version of the Elton John classic ‘Rocket Man’ is so bizarre it has to be heard to be believed. Berry, however, is dismissive of the Star Trek legend’s talents. “I don’t think he covered that song with the intention of being funny” he says. “I think he thought that was good. Now I think he realises he can make money out of it so he sort of plays along.”

Berry is familiar to most for his portrayal of Douglas Reynholm in The IT Crowd, but he first appeared on TV screens in the cult hit ‘Garth Marenghi’s Dark Place’. Berry played the part of actor Todd Rivers, who himself played the part of Dr. Lucien Sanchez, a charming doctor who has a habit of losing lip-synch. Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace was essentially a show within a show. Mathew Holness played horror writer Garth Marenghi, who penned the script for Darkplace, a show from the 80s that was so ‘ahead of its time’ that it was withdrawn by Channel Four before its first episode was aired.

During the show there are frequent cuts to Garth giving commentary on various scenes. They often include his character Dr. Rick Dagless, who has to combine his fight against the forces of darkness with the day-to-day demands of running a modern hospital. While Darkplace didn’t attract huge audiences, it became revered amongst those who did tune in. Word-of-mouth spread, and in October 2006 Channel Four repeated the show, whilst simultaneously releasing it on DVD. Darkplace is close to Berry’s heart, but while he is delighted with its rise to prominence, he wasn’t surprised by its lack of initial success.

“It’s like Only Fools and Horses” he says. “The first series of that did absolutely nothing. I’m not saying anything I’ve done is as good as Only Fools and Horses, but when something’s completely different people don’t know what to think. If you’ve come back from a day at work and just want to sit down and watch something which makes you laugh immediately, then you’ll watch someone like Catherine Tate. You don’t need to use your brain, you just sit there and enjoy it. But if there’s a concept behind the comedy then only a certain number of people are going to be interested.”

However, Berry is slightly reticent when asked whether Darkplace was genuinely ahead of its time. “Well, I don’t know” he says, “But I am really proud of it, because we weren’t told what we could and couldn’t do. We were all unknown then so Channel Four just left us to it. I think they just thought- ‘If it catches on we’ll look like geniuses. If it doesn’t- fuck it, just forget about it.’ Because it didn’t come back for a second series and it didn’t get that many viewers, they just wiped their hands of it.”

After Darkplace Berry played the part of sinister villain Dixon Bainbridge in ‘The Mighty Boosh’, but left after the first series. Since then the show has garnered strong viewing figures and much critical acclaim. However, Berry has found mainstream success of his own in The IT Crowd alongside his old Darkplace cohort Richard Ayoade.

A third series of the show is due to start filming in March. For both men it’s a far cry from their offbeat beginnings. Indeed, with viewing figures of four million for the second series, there is no doubting The IT Crowd’s mass appeal. “When you compare it to the things Rich and I did before, you couldn’t get more mainstream” Berry admits. However he is quick to point out that the show itself is not typical comedy fare. “It’s written by Graham Lenehin, so the comedy’s never going to be that broad with him involved. He did Father Ted, which I love. I love Graham as well, he’s such a nice guy.”

Berry entered the show in the second series as Douglas Reynholm, the son of Denholm Reynholm. Douglas takes over Reynholm Industries when his father commits suicide after a scandal involving the company’s pension scheme. Denholm was played in the first series by notorious satirist Chris Morris, and Berry admits to being slightly daunted by the prospect of stepping into his shoes.

“Everyone must have been thinking ‘Who the fuck is this guy, I thought it was going to be Chris Morris’” he says. “But you can’t let it worry you, you’ve just got to do your thing and do it as best as you can.” While he concedes that taking on the role was “scary”, Berry is remarkably frank about his lack of reverence for Morris.

“I don’t hero-worship any comic to be honest. I never have.” he states. “I don’t go- ‘Oh man, it’s him, shit, what am I going to say’ I don’t really care enough about the genre. I was more concerned about the fact that the audience was looking forward to seeing Chris. Y’know, how fucked off would they be when he died and they get the guy from Darkplace instead?”

He needn’t have worried. Berry has been embraced by The IT Crowd’s audience and was nominated for Best Male Newcomer at the 2007 Comedy Awards. While he lost out on to James Cordon from ‘Gavin and Stacey’ for that particular award, there’s no doubt Berry is in the ascendancy as a comic actor.

However, while being better known for his TV work, he is adamant that his first love is music. In 2005 he released his second album ‘Opium’, the belated follow-up to 1995’s “Jackpot”. Berry describes Opium as a spoken-word concept album about “the horrors of the city.” He is unwilling to elaborate much on these sketchy details, but says the album is semi-autobiographical.

“When you’re writing certain things happen to you which give your songs similar themes” explains Berry. “For me there were two or three large themes that affected most songs.” When it comes to identifying what these themes are, Berry is intriguingly vague. “Just degradation” he says. “Over-doing things. Horrible things.” It would seem Berry is no stranger to the libertine tendencies he often portrays on screen.

In addition to recording and performing live, Berry was able to combine his musical and comedic talents in the show ‘Snuff Box’. He wrote and starred in the show with his friend Rich Fulcher, and took it upon himself to write all the music. “I loved it because it was quite quick” he says. “I cheekily used one of the songs from Opium as the theme tune and did a variation on that for the whole show. The new songs I wrote came together quickly as well, because I wrote them all with a particular scene in mind.”

Set in a ‘gentleman’s club for hangmen’, Snuff Box aired on BBC Three in 2006. While it was not to everyone’s taste, Berry says the BBC have commissioned Fulcher and himself to write another show. “They’ll be more of a narrative this time” he says. “We’re not going to be hangmen anymore but they’ll be a similar dynamic between us”

Berry’s solo musical endeavours also continue next year with the release of a new album called ‘Witch-hazel.’ “It’s ninety per cent written” he says. “This time it’s going to be about the horrors of the countryside."

The title of the album refers to Witch-hazel oil, which Berry used as a child to get rid of spots. “It’s an extract from the plant Witch-hazel which you put on your face” he explains. “I always thought it sounded really creepy. But it worked for me, to be honest.” So was Matt Berry an acne-scarred teen? “Well…as much as any kid is at that age” he responds hesitantly.

There was no plan to go into acting in his youth. “I did fine art when I was at college” he recounts. “I got bored of that and then I was in some bands. But a mate of mine was acting and there were a lot of girls involved, so I decided to give it a go. I thought the best way to be a good actor would be to do stand-up.”

With that ambition Berry started performing at an Islington pub called the Hen and Chicken. “I used to play these really horrible rude, childish songs because I wanted to keep the music going” he says. It was there that Berry met his future Darkplace collaborators Matt Holness and Richard Ayoade, as well as Noel and Julian from the Mighty Boosh.

While he has come far from those obscure beginnings, Berry harbours no desire to make the jump to mainstream TV. “It depends, if I go and lose all my money or whatever then I guess I’ll have to” he muses. “You’ve got to be sensible I guess. But I wouldn’t do anything I’d be embarrassed of. You want to die knowing you’ve done decent stuff.”

Compromises have been made however. Most notably, Berry lent his voice to ‘George the Volcano’ in the ads for Evian mineral water. “ I needed some money to buy my first flat” he explains. “It was only my voice! I wasn’t like I was holding the bottle of water and saying- ‘drink this’.”

It’s clear that, while voiceovers are a means to an end, Berry is more motivated by creative satisfaction than commercial gain. “The most important thing is to stick to your guns” he says. “It’s about doing the thing that really makes you laugh as opposed to seeing what the comedy trends are. I think it shines through if you mean what you’re doing.”

Later this evening Berry takes the King Tut’s stage with a sleazy swagger. The relaxed demeanour of before is replaced with Douglas Reynholm’s cocksure arrogance as he greets fans with that distinctive booming voice. Judging by the reaction, they’re pleased to see him. Matt Berry may be an accomplished musician, but he shouldn’t give up the acting just yet.