Doing things his own way is second nature to John May. The 44-year-old Walton actor has become one of the most recognisable faces in the city, with viral clips racking up millions of views and thousands of followers. Over the past six years he has popularised characters like Kenny Corona, Craig from Bromborough and, of course, Turkey Teeth. That rise has been built on a do-it-yourself approach carried over from his days as a barber.
The ECHO spoke with John in the Vernon Arms on Dale Street for its new Pub Corner series. Over a pint, he reflected on a lonely lockdown, the moment he knew his videos had connected, and a friendship that led to a Best Documentary award in Beverly Hills.
A lonely flat and a new start
John was living alone in a flat when the pandemic hit, unsure whether his barber shop would ever reopen. He said: "I was on my own in a flat and I was probably a bit lonely myself. And I made the videos as it give me something to do. I had a barbers that I didn't even know if it was going to open again. The world stood still and that's what kicked my creativity."
As the youngest of five children, John used humour to stand out. He said: "Once the mum has had the second, third and fourth kid, the novelty has worn thin. The youngest one is like, 'I'm here. I'll do a Billy Connolly impression for you'. I've got ADHD and ASD as well so I used humour and making people laugh as a coping mechanism as a kid. It's only in hindsight that I understand that now."
From barber shop to Manchester School of Acting
John never expected comedy to become his career. He ran Sweeps barber shop on County Road, enjoying making customers laugh, until a regular signed him up for an acting class. He said: "I thought, 'What are you doing that for?' But I went, loved it and fell in love with it. I got really into it and I went to Manchester School of Acting. I've done acting for 18 years now."
He picked up commercial and TV work, but his career was struggling to take off. He set up his own production company and made short films. When covid shut down the entertainment world, he adapted by creating his own content. He said: "I always do things on my own. I used to be a marathon runner and that was something you used to do on your own. Being a barber is something you do on your own. So I thought I'll create my own sitcom on my own and I'll play everyone."
The wig that made Kenny Corona
A wig left over from his barber days helped John transform into his first popular creation, Kenny Corona. The clip went viral, and John realised how much it had cut through during a trip to ASDA. He said: "There was a huddle of taxi drivers laughing. They're proper laughing their head off and I've got my toiletries and my essentials. I could hear my voice and I realised they're watching my video."
He joked: "It was me and Tiger King. We saved lockdown for the people in Liverpool."
You saved my lockdown
John has been surprised by the impact his videos have had. He recalled a woman breaking down at a cash machine on the Wirral. He said: "I was at a cash machine on the Wirral and this woman turned around and said, 'You're John May'. I said, 'Hiya luv' and she burst out crying. I went, 'Whoa, what's going on?' She said, 'You saved my lockdown. Honestly, John I was going out of my mind and I looked forward to your videos every Friday'. Honest to God [that happened] and these young lads have also stopped me in the street and said, 'You've saved my life'. I was like, 'What?' It's just these little funny videos. They said, 'You've got no idea. I was in such a dark place and you brought light. And it's made such a difference'."
His rise coincided with a change in how comedy is consumed, highlighted this week by the cancellation of Live At The Apollo. John said: "We had a video the other week that got one million views. Some videos on the telly don't get a million views."
Turkey Teeth and recognisable Scouse types
John's characters come from observing people as a barber. He said: "There's only so many types of people and that taught me to make characters that people can recognise." His most popular, Turkey Teeth, is often said to remind people of someone they know. He laughed: "Everyone loves him and everyone thinks he's based on their mate."
He added: "There are like three or four people who I really base him on and them four people come up to me and say, 'John that fella is funny. He's a divvy him, but it's funny though because there are people like that'. In my head, I'm thinking, 'It's based on you'."
An unlikely friendship and a Beverly Hills award
John's proudest moment came through his friendship with Tim Edwards. After selling his barber shop, John walked from Land's End to John o'Groats to raise money for charities tackling gun and knife crime. Tim, whose daughter Elle was murdered, got in touch. John said: "Tim reached out to me, who I didn't even know, and said, 'It is amazing what you're doing'. We stayed in touch. I walked to Cornwall to Worcester which is like 300 miles. As I was getting to Worcester, he said, 'Look, my head is a bit chocca here. I just need to get away. Can I just come and join you for a few days?'"
Tim joined him for the rest of the walk. On the day Elle's killer was sentenced, Tim said he needed to complete the miles he had missed. John said: "He said, 'I feel like a bit of a fraud here. Everyone's saying I walked from Land's End to John o'Groats. But I've only walked from Worcester so I need to walk from Worcester to Land's End'. He asked, 'Will you do it with me?' We'd been off the walk three or four weeks. And two weeks later we were back on it."
Their journey became the documentary The Two Of Us, which won Best Documentary at the Beverly Hills Film Festival earlier this year. John said: "Next minute, this woman said, 'They're calling your name'. I just see Tim standing up and The Two Of Us has been named Best Documentary. I'm like, 'What?' I just ran up, I gave a speech, Tim gave a speech and we got a big standing ovation. I picked up the award in the Beverly Hills Hilton where they have the Golden Globes. I was like, 'Oh mate, this is boss'. There was all kinds there. Eddie Murphy was standing outside and everything. It was unreal."
Even after that Hollywood moment, John's proudest memory is in Liverpool, where nearly 1,000 people turned out at the Pier Head. He said: "Nearly 1,000 people came and joined us in the Pier Head. It was unreal, one of the best days of my life. That was such a proud moment to be welcomed by the city like that."
Grateful and looking ahead
John now has a radio show on In Demand and a number of projects in the pipeline with his production company. He remains grateful for the city's support. He said: "The majority of people in Liverpool want me to win and I'll never forget that. Everyone is so supportive. I very rarely get any nasty feedback. My audience are lovely. As a character in Liverpool, we're tough, we're resilient and we're all comedians. I think people use humour to cope with the dark times. To laugh at ourselves."
He also knows when a video has truly landed: "What tends to happen to me is when a video goes viral, you know it's doing well because you start getting a bit of grief. It's reached Newcastle and it's reached South Wales. And people are saying, 'That's a wig that' or 'You need to sort those teeth out' and I'm like, 'It's not real mate'."
