Funnyman Mike Rice on being "thin-skinned" in comedy

Mike and Vittorio's Guide to Parenting is a weekly podcast that follows two London-based Irish comedians as they tackle a vast and unpredictable range of topics - none of which involve parenting.

Hosted by 31-year-old Mike Rice and 26-year-old Vittorio Angelone - neither of whom have children or are planning to become parents anytime soon - the title is just a way to catch listeners' attention... or something like that.

"That's absolutely right, yeah," Mike deadpans over the phone, explaining that the "revolutionary" concept of misleading marketing brings a "unique perspective" to the often oversaturated world of podcasting.

"What if you had a guide to parenting from people who didn't have any kids, didn't have any interest in having kids, and don't even talk about them at all?" he poses. "If you listen, you've got to read between the lines, you know what I mean? It's nuggets, it's layers, you've got to really pick these things up...

"To be honest, really, it's just a catfish situation," he laughs.

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Reflecting on the success of Irish comedy podcasts like My Therapist Ghosted Me, co-hosted by comedian Joanne McNally and presenter Vogue Williams, Rice insists that if a show is good enough, no niche is necessary.

"The two of them have a good dynamic and Joanne is hilarious, right? That's it. If it's good and it's funny and you can put out the clips correctly and market it right, it will have a good chance. The cream rises to the top," he explains.

"At the end of the day, people say you better have an angle with all these other podcasts, but you don't need an angle, it just needs to be funny."

As well as being a great creative outlet for a mind that never seems to slow, the Kilkenny comic says that having online channels such as TikTok and YouTube is a way to garner "active followers" who, ideally, go on to buy tickets to live shows.

Podcasts, he says, are fast replacing the appeal and power of TV appearances. (He would like to note that he would absolutely still love to appear on Live at the Apollo and will in fact "start kissing the shoes" of anyone who can make that happen.)

Although viral clips may carry more sway than a TV spot these days, the pressure to create consistent content is huge, and the feedback from people on the internet is as relentless as it is unpredictable.

Surprisingly, despite eight years in an industry renowned for heckling and bombing, Rice says he is "very thin-skinned" and is depending on his co-host to shield him from any negativity.

"The reaction has been really good so far; people are really liking it. I think we got one negative comment and Vittorio he sent it to me. He just thought it was funny but he's not as sensitive as I am. I am very thin-skinned. I can't take it at all.

"It's not a great business. Each day is worse than the next. It's a living hell, I don't know why I didn't just become a farmer," he says, (possibly) joking.

Despite his fear of negative feedback, though, Rice insists he doesn't worry about cancel culture as his "lack of mainstream success" gifts him with enthusiastic freedom of speech - something that has led him to publicly speak about everything from sex and relationships to therapy and politics.

"Any of the podcasts that I like, I feel that they are unfiltered and uncensored and people are being honest. In saying that, again, if someone got onto me, personally, about something I said, I'd probably take it down. I'm not going to act like I'm immune, I just hope that people can tell from me that it's never coming from a bad place."

To support Rice through thick and thin is co-host Vittorio Angelone, a Northern Irish comedian whose star is on the rise. The two have been friends for years, although fans of the podcast would be forgiven for questioning the relationship given the sheer number of insults hurled in every episode.

"I do like Vittorio," insists Rice, "but he does need to be humbled in a lot of ways, you know? He's doing far too well for his age; he has a tour that's selling out, and he's popping off on TikTok with an army of TikTok women that are following him everywhere - it just doesn't really sit well with me.

"I feel like I'm punching up though; he's young, he's good-looking, he's going to be a millionaire. He needs someone to take him down a peg or two, you know?"

"In some ways, it's a bit predatory on my part," he adds. "I feel like a guy going out with a girl that's just too young. I'm saying references and he doesn't get them, like, he hasn't seen Titanic! I don't know where to go from there.

"I do feel a bit like a dirty old man. As soon as he turns 28, I'm going to trade him in for a new 26-year-old."

As well as the podcast, Rice is continuing to gig across Europe as he prepares to record his special, An Irish Disgrace, in Whelan's on March 26th. Live performance, he says, will always be his first love.

"I'll never stop doing stand-up because - and I'm serious about this - I need the love and validation that I get from them and I need people to say they like me. Maybe if I get mentally healthy enough I'll stop, but no, I do love performing."

"There is a chance, with my lifestyle, that I could die in the next year or two," he adds, joking, "so I thought that maybe I should have something recorded, like a special or something, that shows that I wasn't completely wasting my time."

No doubt you'll hear more about it on the pod.

An Irish Disgrace is at Whelan's, Dublin, on March 26th 2023 - find out more here.

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