Patrick Monahan: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019
Who? Patrick Monahan
What? Started From The Bottom, Now I’m Here
Where? Gilded Balloon Teviot – Nightclub (Venue 14)
When? 20:00
What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?
Excitement, hunger, sleeplessness, and tiredness. But this is all because we’re moving house just before the 2019 festival. Which is probably one of the maddest things you can do at this time of year. Normally a couple of months before Edinburgh Festival I’d be travelling around doing previews, and getting myself rested up ready for a month long marathon in Scotland. Instead i’m moving around boxes of notes and comedy ideas for my new show from one house to another. It’s actually a great way to distract yourself from worrying too much too.
What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?
It’s a very personal show this year. Each year I always try to reveal a bit more of my upbringing and life, flashing back to my immigrant roots and comparing it to today’s world. This show looks at how we not only were immigrants, as outsiders, we were also poor immigrants coming from the Middle East as kids, growing up in a small working class town in the north of England, living in a caravan for most of my teenage years. I could probably make about 10 separate one hour Edinburgh shows out of just this part of my life.
What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?
When you start to open up and reveal more of yourself to the audience you have got to be careful that you don’t scare or alienate them. But I think we’re so lucky in the UK that we have the best comedy savvy audience that they love to hear about every aspect of life. Also, it’s important when you’re doing a show like this at the festival that you get the balance right between observational comedy and personal routines.
Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?
No, the Fringe does a great job, in that it allows performers to bring a new show and let it live and breath and take shape amongst one of the greatest audiences in the western hemisphere.
Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?
See as many shows as you can. Theres no point spending hours on a train, and £100’s on hotels and food and only see one show. But don’t try and see more than 5 shows a day or you’ll be heading to the festival on a train and leaving in an ambulance.
Where would you like to be in a year’s time?
I’d love to be settled in my new house, with all my new notes of my new show neatly organised in folders in my filing cabinet instead of in crates and shoe boxes in the back of a truck or warehouse, which is where they are today.
GET YOUR TICKETS FOR PATRICK MONAHAN: ‘STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM, NOW I’M HERE’ HERE