Samsung Article 3 - Markus Birdman

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Markus enjoys using his Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 laptop as a sketchbook, and to create his animations. “It’s brilliant to be out and about and take photos of anything that I find visually inspiring, or take little videos of interesting scenes, or of myself if I've got an idea. I use the laptop as a tool to gather information that I then use to make art.” The S Pen is a tool for his creativity. “If you press hard, you get a thicker line and if you press lightly, you get it lighter. In terms of someone who is used to a paintbrush, or a pencil, that kind of property is lovely.” When animating a character, Markus typically takes photos of someone’s hands and face, and then changes their clothes and background. “I can put you in a tracksuit or a ballgown, I can put you in the Tower of London, or on Mars… it's a mixture of taking actual footage, and then the connectivity that you've got when you use software like Photoshop or After Effects.”

Markus uses his Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 as a creative scrapbook. “It’s brilliant to be out and about and take photos of things I find inspiring, or take videos of interesting scenes.”

Tech is important for the comedian to retain an online presence, stay connected on social media, and handle bookings for his gigs and courses. He also likes how it looks. “I’m a very aesthetic person so I love how elegant the Samsung laptop is. It’s really light, as well, so that's helpful for doing stuff on the hoof.” Markus also uses tech to stay fit and healthy, doing yoga classes online and researching healthy food, like nuts and “good fats”. Looking to the future, he is keen to start touring the world again. “When the pandemic hit, we were half-way through a tour of Australia, and had to come back. “I'm going to Norway at the end of the year to do a mural, which, fingers crossed, will happen. Things are starting to open up. That's one of the things I really enjoy about this job, so I hope I can travel again soon.”

Markus' visual stand-up breaks new ground in the comedy world. For one show he rewrote and re-illustrated Grimm’s fairytales and had these projected behind him

In 2018, he did an animated version of the stories, and then during the pandemic took some time to learn After Effects, the motion graphics software. He’s had several commissions, including one for an arts organisation, and one for a musician who wrote an album about his mental breakdown. “He was going on tour and wanted a video. He sent me his tracks and I made video animations out of that, which was great, as it was a chance to be more ‘arty’, rather than comedic,” he reflects.

"With the S pen, for someone who is used to a paintbrush, or a pencil, it has a lovely property."

Markus birdman

Markus has a passion for art, and before becoming a stand-up, wrote poetry, created graffiti and worked for a sculptor. He often includes a visual element in his shows. “I rewrote and re-illustrated the Grimm’s fairytales – Cinderella, Red Riding Hood and Rumpelstiltskin. Then I had the illustrations projected behind me, while I did storytelling and stand-up around the chapters of the story.”

Markus was 40 when he had his first stroke. Since then, he has worked with the Stroke Association to raise awareness and understanding. “I don’t want to be over-earnest, or glib or flippant. I really hope I can talk about strokes in a way that’s funny, and evangelical. People don't realise that it affects everybody. Not just people with one foot in the grave, it can be a condition that affect kids and young people.” Markus lives in Leigh-on-Sea with his daughter Clementine and cockapoo George, who has been a great companion during the lockdowns, and in aiding his recovery. “He’s like a walking teddy bear,” he laughs. A comic for the past 20 years, Markus also teaches stand-up. “My students are a mix of people from the corporate sector who do a lot of public speaking, to those where their partner has said ‘Go on, you’re always cracking jokes’ and it’s supposed to be a birthday present, through to bonafide lunatics, which I've always really enjoyed.” He has helped several fledgling stand-ups with their writing, and co-wrote Jayde Adams’ Amazon special last year.

Bit's of collages he is currently working on and his skethcbook full of iades for his perfomances

Close up of one of his pieces of art

Or sometimes he uses the laptop to draw and doodle ideas

He mixes real photos with his drawings

Markus' comedy shows often feature illustrated and animated elements. A talented artist as well as a stand-up, Markus draws on paper, takes pictures of his sketches using the Samsung Galaxy S21 phone then transfers them to his Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 laptop

The art of being funny

This portmanteau career of many talents is all the more impressive and inspiring given that Markus lost half his eyesight when he suffered his second stroke five months ago. He can no longer drive, and now sits down when he does gigs. However he has embraced the changes to his life and work, and says it gives his comedy a more thoughtful and intimate feel, allowing him to quietly connect to his audience. “I used to be really energetic on stage. But I’m still quite wobbly, and I get dizzy too. So, it's quite helpful to sit, because that way I don’t just run off the end of the stage,” he says. “From a performance point of view, it creates a nice dynamic, sort of calms everything down.” Though Markus, 51, admits it’s a “pain in the ass to be half-blind”, his recent stroke has inspired him to start writing again. He is preparing for the Edinburgh Fringe, in August 2022, where he will do a mixture of stand-up, storytelling and visuals around the theme of strokes. “A few people have said to me ‘How could you write jokes about this?’. But it’s everything I'm thinking about – the trauma, the hospital, ‘Wow, brilliant I'm alive’, the recovery... So, to me it would be disingenuous not to write about that.”

When it comes to creating, comedian Markus Birdman is a jack (and a master) of all trades – writing and teaching stand-up, illustrating and animating, and creating shows that are as visual as they are verbal, ticking both comedic and arty boxes at once.

INSPIRING JOURNEYS

'Tech lets me gather inspiration then I use it to make art'

Looking to the future, Markus is keen to start travelling again. “When the pandemic hit, we were half-way through a tour, and had to come back. That's one of the things I really enjoy about this job, so I hope I can travel again soon."

Produced by Independent Ignite Project Manager: Lauren Sandiford Words: Tim Cummings Senior designer: Loraine Fajutag

Produced by Independent Ignite Project Manager: Lauren Sandiford Words: Ruth Emery Senior designer: Loraine Fajutag

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