In April 2019, Daniel Fernandes took on the colossal task of performing a six-hour-long (?!) crowd work show titled Talk To Me: Iron Man. Seems like it went quite well, because three years later, he’s set to do it again. The comedian will be performing the comedic version of a marathon on 25 November at Mumbai’s The Habitat, before repeating the feat in Bengaluru on 16 December. And this time, he’s taking it one step further by performing for a record-breaking seven hours. International comedians Dave Chappelle and Dane Cook currently hold the records for the longest single set at a club—running 6.12 and 7.34 hours respectively—and Fernandes is gearing up to give them a run for their money.

We caught up with the comedian ahead of the shows in order to see how he was prepping for this feat of comedy endurance. Read on to know more.

Why are you doing this to yourself all over again? Do you have masochistic tendencies?

The reason why I’m doing this is because I’m trying to replace the seven hours or so of pain that we all experienced during the World Cup final with more pleasant memories.

What did you learn from the first ‘Iron Man’ you did?

I learnt that you should sit down once in a while or your back will cancel you.

What’s going through your head right now?

Absolutely nothing. I’m thinking about nothing right now. Just keeping my thoughts in a peaceful place and then I’m going to go up on stage and get into the flow of things.

How do you keep the audience engaged for SEVEN hours?!

By just being me. And hopefully being entertaining enough for them to be like, “Yeah, this was money well spent.” I’ve done this before and it’s gone well. So I’m backing myself to pull it off again.

A lot of Indian comedians are doing crowd work now. Do you have any new favourites since the last time we spoke?

I don’t like crowd work videos. I think comics should stop posting them on their reels.

What’s your elevator pitch for ‘Iron Man’? Why should someone come watch it?

Why enjoy for seven seconds what you can enjoy for seven hours?

How many hours of grooming do you go through for a seven-hour show?

The same number of hours I take to groom myself for a regular 90-minute show.

Did anybody (other than you) get through all six hours last time? What do you have for these Avengers this year?

Yes, the first Iron Man had a few odd people in the audience who sat through all six hours. These guys were on the guest list for all my shows for the following year. I’m making that same offer available for ticket holders for tomorrow’s show as well. If you sit through all seven hours then you get to be on the guest list for any and all of my shows in 2024.

What happens when you have to pee?

Kegel exercises.

A Crowd work show could also NOT go anywhere. What’s your fail-safe?

There is no fail-safe. Success is my only motherf*ckin’ option, failure’s not.

LEVEL WITH ME. WHAT KIND OF DRUGS WILL THIS INVOLVE?

Ayahuasca.

INTERNATIONALLY, DAVE CHAPPELLE AND DANE COOK HOLD THE RECORD OF THE LONGEST SINGLE SET AT A CLUB. THINK YOU’LL BEAT THE RECORD?

Yes, by the time I’m done with Iron Man 2 in Mumbai and Iron Man 3 in Bengaluru before the end of the year, I will have surpassed both these records.

Which sneakers do you trust for this marathon? Will Rick and Morty sneakers make an appearance?

Rick and Morty are off on an adventure in some other galaxy, they haven’t been here for a few weeks now. So, hopefully they’ll come back before the next Iron Man. But for tomorrow I’m bringing out a couple of bad boys that haven’t visited Mumbai in a while. If you want to see which sneakers I’m wearing, buy a ticket.

Excited?

A little bit.

Get your tickets for tomorrow’s show here.