RILED by the ‘level of incompetence in the world’, American Rich Hall still has a soft spot for the UK.

Step away from your mobile phone. Put away the tablet.

Comedian Rich Hall is about to come on stage – and he would like your undivided attention.

In a world of social media and instant messaging, the comedian, writer, musician and presenter loves stand-up more than any other part of his job as there is no barrier between him and his fans.

Rich, who is at the Parr Hall on May 29, said: “What I love about stand-up is the immediacy of it.

“Having run the gamut of TV panel shows, after a while you know how to do them and they are not so much fun anymore.

“But going on stage is really exciting. For those two hours, no one is looking at their phones. It’s a true non-media event.

“Those sorts of occasions are rapidly disappearing, and that’s why I value them so much.”

Rich’s plain-spoken and sharp observations have won him fans all over the world.

And the American comic, who grew up in North Carolina and now lives in Montana, has no problems lampooning his homeland.

His biting and thought-provoking comedy has helped earn him a Perrier Award in Edinburgh and a Barry in Melbourne.

Rich, who was the inspiration for barman Moe Szyslak in The Simpsons, says he still gets a kick out of touring this country.

The 59-year-old added: “By the time I’m a third of the way into the tour, it will be spring, and as I get older, I’m really starting to like that time of year.

“I may have become overly familiar with the motorway service stations of the UK, but I really like discovering new places.

“It’s important to visit out of the way towns because it gives you a new perspective.”

One of the aspects that distinguishes Rich’s live act is the way he can craft on-the-spot songs out of the smallest items of information that he gleans from the audience. The comic, who won two Emmys for his work as a writer on The David Letterman Show, said: “I do what Americans call ‘crowd work’. I really enjoy that because I can turn it into improvised songs, which is a big thrill for me.

“I always have a guitar beside me on stage in case something happens.

“If you told me I would have to listen to anyone – apart from Richard Pryor – on stage for two hours, I’d think, ‘Oh God’. So it’s good to break up the show with musical interludes.

“It’s funny, the less information you get from people, the more you can improvise. Nothing is out of bounds.”

Musical interludes help provide some light relief because Rich enjoys the odd rant.

He added: “I get riled by the level of incompetence and amount of crap in the world.

“I’m also incensed by the fact that we are all turning into button-pushing squirrels.

“That has brought about a serious loss of personality in this impersonal, digitised world.”

A regular panellist on QI, Have I Got News For You and Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Rich is also an accomplished documentary-maker.

He has fronted five programmes focusing on US popular culture and the Wild West, including Inventing The Indian, Continental Drifters, The Dirty South, How The West Was Lost and You Can Go to Hell, I’m Going to Texas.

And he has enjoyed particular success in the UK, where his trademark downbeat, grouchy style really strikes a chord.

Rich said: “British audiences are always very appreciative of the spoken word.

“People here also find it refreshing that I’m very detached from America.

“I’m not waving a flag or pretending that I’m hipper than you because I happen to be from the US. You get that a lot from American comedians.”

Just make sure you do not send a Tweet or update your Facebook status during the show.

Rich added: “To have someone’s complete attention is almost impossible nowadays.

“You can’t go to a sports event without someone Tweeting about it every five seconds.”

“People don’t even listen to President Obama speaking without looking at their phones all the time.

“So maybe those two hours when I’m up there on stage provide a respite from all of us slowly turning into gadget-pedalling robots.

“If that’s the case, then it’s pretty cool!”

* Rich Hall is at the Parr Hall on May 29. Tickets are £16. Visit pyramidparrhall.com or call 442345.

DAVID MORGAN