The Chaos
Chris Kendall is a charming, young and funny man who has recently taken YouTube by a storm with his recent comedy mini-series, The Chaos - created by mobile network giffgaff. We caught up with him to discuss the show and what it is like to be a YouTube sensation.
Where did you get the idea for ‘The Chaos’ from and did you have any input in the show?
Well, it wasn’t my idea – it was from giffgaff. They approached me with an idea for a web show. It was a great script but we were told we could mess around and come up with lines as we were filming so that was really good because lots of silly stuff happened along the way which we could then put into the script and keep it looking fresh so that was cool.
Can you tell us a bit about your character, Carl Nugent?
He’s the lead singer in the band so he’s the one with the biggest ego. He’s kind of really moody and quiet. It was different to what I’m usually used to playing but it was still fun so I kind of just made sure I looked like a moody rock and roll guy.
Were you surprised it became so popular amongst YouTube viewers?
Not really. It was one of the first times I’d seen a web show like that had cropped up but YouTube viewers are ready for this kind of stuff now. I think it’s kind that a lot of companies are throwing their hat off and making these shows, which is cool. I think there is a massive audience ready for this kind of material. I wasn’t that surprised, it’s awesome!
Can you describe ‘The Chaos’ to us?
It’s a fictitious band but it’s about the band being the biggest band in Camden and the attitude that comes with that. They’re pretty rock ‘n’ roll which actually ends up in them killing someone. It’s a comedy basically about these idiots who just make it worse for themselves. It’s packed with songs we’ve written for the show and genuinely, I think they’re amazing. I still listen to them on my iPod so I think that was another bonus for this. Even though it’s a spoof about rock bands and dubstep the music is genuinely great so that was awesome.
What was it like performing the song, ‘Bigger Dan God’ and what was it like creating the music video for it?
That was amazing! I’ve never done anything like that before and that included me taking my top off and dressing like an angel so you can’t complain when that’s what your day is all about. So that was absolutely amazing and that’s all over the internet now, I keep seeing gifs of that on Tumblr.
Obviously you have a lot of interest in comedy but who are your comedy heroes?
One of the reasons I really wanted to do ‘The Chaos’ was because Dan Skinner is in it, who plays Angelos Epithemiou. That was huge for me because I’ve been on YouTube more than on real live TV and acting stuff so to be in the same project as someone like that was huge… and a bit weird at the beginning but yeah, definitely Dan Skinner. He’s amazing!
For anyone who hasn’t seen ‘The Chaos’, what is the show about?
It’s a full on comedy, kind of a mockumentary. It’s a bit like ‘The Office’ meets ‘Spinal Tap’. It’s about rock ‘n’ roll but although it’s about rock ‘n’ roll it’s more about the band and how ridiculous they are and the issues that they get in to. And it’s fun!
You play a character in ‘The Chaos’ but who is the real Chris Kendall?
Well, it was actually quite difficult at the beginning because Carl in ‘The Chaos’ is moody and this really super cool guy and I’m a big doofus. It was difficult at first because I had to calm down to play his character because he’s kind of subtle and cool so that took a bit of time to get round. But I am an idiot! I just had to make sure I didn’t smile, that makes you look cool.
You have your own YouTube channel but do you prefer playing a character or being yourself?
I definitely prefer playing characters because then you can do what you want. The ‘real’ me just sits around playing video games and that isn’t interesting. It’s much better playing characters, definitely!
How did you make your own YouTube channel so popular?
It was by accident really because I’ve been doing it for four years. It’s not something I ever planned to make popular. Back when I started it wasn’t as huge as it is now so there weren’t that many people to be entertaining. Although there was, it was a much different world to what it is now. I basically just kept going and built up an audience and then that audience stays for more videos and then tells their friends, or a YouTuber might tweet out a video. Over time if you keep on doing it and keep on having fun, you just build up an audience and it keeps going. It’s awesome!
How does your own YouTube channel differ from ‘The Chaos’?
My YouTube channel is ridiculous; I just make stuff up and wear wigs. It’s crazy stuff! ‘The Chaos’ was actually acting that I had to do, that was kind of creepy because I had to get use to that. It’s a much bigger thing so I did get nervous at first and I had to remind myself it’s like doing a YouTube video but except there’s just lots more people here.
Where do you get your YouTube video ideas from for your channel?
I usually for some reason get my ideas in the shower. I don’t know why that is! I don’t know whether it’s the water or the nakedness but it’s usually in the shower and then I have to quickly get it down on paper and then do it in the morning or the idea goes old. Other places are movies and TV shows I watch and then steal everyone else’s ideas.
What advice would you give to anyone trying to make it big on YouTube?
I would definitely say just have fun. I think the great thing about YouTube is that it’s a real democracy like that; you can’t just throw money at someone or try and force a load of views, people will only watch things on YouTube if it’s fun or interesting. As long as you’ve got something that you enjoy doing then the world will gravitate towards you, it’s a wonderful system I think.
Do you plan on doing any more episodes of ‘The Chaos’?
I’ve no idea! That’s totally up to giffgaff. It was a success and hopefully giffgaff are interested in making more online content like that, I think that would be a great idea. Hopefully it will make other companies have a go at it as well. I would love to see a lot more scripted comedy content as supposed to crappy adverts on TV. That’d be awesome!
What are your future plans for your YouTube career?
It’s YouTube comedy week this week so everything has gone a bit mental and a lot of comedy is being made. Hopefully after that, I’m going to carry on and make bigger and better content. And maybe make my own web show and stuff like that so… it’s all fun!
‘The Chaos’ is created by mobile network giffgaff, watch the story unfold at thechaosband.com
Watch the first episode of 'The Chaos' here!
By Claire Lancaster