Trigger Happy Comic: Not Your Parents Candid Camera a Comedy Ave Exclusive Interview

Rock legend Alice Cooper is being interviewed by a faux TV reporter regarding a benefit concert he is on his way to perform at. Everything is going smoothly until the reporter answers a cell phone call. From his mother. Cooper thinks it's all fun and games and continues his side of the interview alone until the phone conversation veers toward the serious--apparently someone, possibly mum, has fallen down a ravine. Seconds later the reporter rushes off to his mum's aide, leaving Cooper standing in his wake befuddled--a common expression for those duped by comedian Dom Joly's hidden-camera show Trigger Happy TV on Comedy Central.

Q: Where did the idea for Trigger Happy TV originate?

DJ: An old man in a park slipped a piece of paper into my pocket and when I got home I found it. It contained the whole concept of Trigger Happy, even down to what music to use and where to find certain costumes. If only I knew who he was I could give him some of the enormous royalties we've earned but I don't, so tough.

Q: Where does your comedic sense stem from?

DJ: I was raised in Lebanon in the middle of a particularly brutal civil war so there weren't many laughs then, so I guess I'm just trying to catch up.

Q: Other than the civil war, what were your major comedy influences growing up?

DJ: I always found Motown very amusing. I used to sit in front of my television and laugh and laugh, especially at Otis Redding. I also used to find humor in things that others didn't-such as cheese and streetlights.

Q: Do you have a team of writers helping you with gags?

DJ: No, I'm not a big team player. I prefer to hang out with myself and try to make strangers laugh on busses. If two rows laugh then it's a winner.

Q: Do you need permits in England to do the stuff you do? Or do you just setup guerilla-style and run for the hills when the bobbies come.

DJ: Firstly, only an American would use the word bobbies, no-one calls them that. We prefer the "Fuzz" or "Bacon." We never get permits because if you ask people they say no. We managed to set up an entire series of scaffolds and backdrops blocking the whole view of Buckingham Palace from Trafalgar Square and no-one ever asked us why or whether we had permission. It stayed there for three days before anyone moved them.

Q: Have you been tapped for anything big since the airing of Trigger Happy TV?

DJ: Oh yes....I sang the national anthem in the half-time section of the semi-final of the World Soccer Cup. Unfortunately it was in Korea and I had food poisoning, but it was a real rush.

Q: What is your assessment of American hidden camera shows?

DJ: Pretty awful, lacking in any form of subtlety or style, but hey what do I know?

Q: And how about the mother of them all, Candid Camera?

DJ: Terrible. The Funt family are a particularly odd bunch. They made a film once called Things to Say to a Naked Woman or something like that, and it was simply an excuse for old men to ogle young women in a fairly creepy way. Stop it!!! Time to retire to the nineteenth hole.

Q: Have you ever really pissed someone off while filming?

DJ: We once made a nun cry in a supermarket when we accused her of shoplifting over the P.A. system. When we told her it was a joke she got really vicious and kicked me hard in the shins and threatened us with legal action.

Q: Did you play a lot of practical jokes on people growing up?

DJ: I used to dig big holes in my garden and cover them with leaves and bamboo and wait for people to fall in. Unfortunately, my grandmother paid us a visit and she fell in breaking both her legs and her collarbone and nine ribs. I didn't play any more pranks for some time.

Q: What's the craziest thing you have ever done?

DJ: I once tried to pee on a trout and it bit me. I still have a scar to prove it.

Q: Is the thought of invading America something you fancy?

DJ: No, but I've often wanted to turn Canada in to some sort of theme park. I'd call it Mooseworld and get people to drive through the place laughing at the locals.

Q: On the subject of animals, you have a lot of skits with people dressed in animal costumes. What's with the animal fetish? DJ: I like sweet cuddly things, they keep me safe from harm in this big horrible world.

Q: Speaking of cuddly things: Any gorgeous celebrities that you would like to perform for? DJ: I'm obsessed with Jennifer Capriati. There is something about a woman who looks like a horse and can give me a good game of tennis-that just does it for me.

Q: Do you find that comedy is an aphrodisiac? Or is that just a load of crap women like to tell us matters most to them?

DJ: I find that pornography is more of an aphrodisiac, but everyone gets turned on by different things. Certainly I have never been aroused by Robin Williams' chest hair.

Q: What is the prime difference between American and English women?

DJ: English women have a third nipple, which I find much sexier than the classic dual- nippled American lady.

Q: What is your ultimate goal in entertainment?

DJ: To make a movie called Nude Celebrity Look-alike Deliverance. Basically it would be a remake of Deliverance but using nude celebrity look- alikes.

If you want to squeal with laughter, Trigger Happy TV currently airs on Comedy Central 10:30 Thursdays or check your local listings.