Rob Auton

The Edinburgh Interviews 2017: Rob Auton

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Rob Auton has a unique approach to the writing of a stand up show, working around an abstract theme, spring-boarding off something as simple as a word. Auton’s style of comedy is a playful and sentimental take on performance poetry, unlike anything else you will see at the Fringe this year. He will be performing The Hair Show at Just the Tonic at The Caves throughout August.

1) What excites you most about the Edinburgh Festival?

I’m not sure if it’s excitement that I feel but it’s somewhere between excitement and dread. I got excited about a gig once and really regretted it after so now I just go into gigs and try to focus on doing my job. I am pleased I will get to to test myself as a performer though. Learning stuff on stage from doing things I shouldn’t have done or remembering new ways to say things. Finding out what the show is and if my instincts have screwed me over or not. I’ve got the material that I want to perform and I’ve done it in previews but doing it day after day is great because by the end of the Fringe it’s normally a different show from the first day up there. Going into the room every day with the same plan but not knowing what the audience is going to be like. Will it be a good show that I remember or will it be a nightmare that I remember? All that stuff fills me with the same emotion. Makes me shut my eyes and swear quietly.

2) What was/is your first Edinburgh show about?

My first Edinburgh show was about the colour yellow. It was called ‘The Yellow Show’.   It was the first of my themed shows that I’ve been doing. I’ve done shows on yellow, the sky, faces, water, sleep and this year is about hair/hairs. I did them in the Banshee Labyrinth and I enjoyed it in there but have moved venues this year.

© Julian Ward

3) Does your comedy attract a certain type of audience?

I don’t know to be honest. The people who like it seem to come back and the people who don’t like it don’t come back and probably tell their friends not to come. It works both ways though. I’m just trying to find people who are up for looking at the world and being confused/amazed by it. When I started I wanted everyone in the room to like it but I learnt quite early on that that is not what is going to happen with my stuff. I’m alright with that and just want to say my piece. If people are into it then great, if they are not then that’s alright too.

4) What is the worst experience you’ve had with Edinburgh accommodation?

I had one that was so bad that I can’t talk about it for fear of getting my head kicked in. I got out alive though so it can’t have been that bad. Another was in 2015 when I was staying with my old uni mates who live in Edinburgh. They have a nice clean flat. I got food poisoning one night and was in the bathroom after it gave me a good going over and I couldn’t find anything to clean up with. It’s alright when you’re in your own house because you can kind of let it take you and get in the foetal position in the bath but when you’re in someone else’s house it’s a different story. Well, it was for me anyway.

5) What is your most treasured memory of your comedy career so far?

Vanessa Feltz calling me ‘Just sad’ live on Radio 2.

6) What show will you definitely be seeing at the festival this year?

Kriss Foster’s show. The Mug Tree. 6pm at the Globe Bar. I went to his show four times last year. He’s a funny chap.

7) What do you hope to gain from the Edinburgh Festival this year?

I want to gain a bit of knowledge of how to be a better at what I’ve chosen to do with my life. Will that happen? I don’t know. Can I make that happen? No. I’ll get on stage and take it from there. I also want to see a load of shows that I know nothing about and I want to order some Indian food I haven’t ordered before.

8) What do you imagine your last ever show will be about?

It could be about hair. We will have to see how it goes.

BOOK TICKETS FOR ROB AUTON: THE HAIR SHOW, AT THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2017

A Guide To Edinburgh 2015

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That time of year is upon us once more; thousands of performers, reviewers and audience members are preparing to visit the holy grail of comedy that is the Edinburgh Festival. Here is a quick run through of everything MoodyComedy would be attending if only I could get there this year. Do get in touch if you attend any of these shows, or see something else that you think should be featured. You can also catch up with the past week’s exclusive MoodyComedy interviews.

Stuff That’s Gold

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Katherine Ryan

Katherine Ryan is performing her latest show, Kathbum, currently riding high on her phenomenal rise to fame in recent years and showing no signs of stopping any time soon. With every new show, Katherine only increases in her wisdom, experience and cutting sass, similar to that of Irish charmer Aisling Bea who brings her second show, Plan Bea, to the festival. Another name to watch out for is that of Luisa Omielan, who will perform a very limited run of her second show Am I Right Ladies?!. Omielan is a performer that cares about her audience to an extent I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed before: her show is empowering, lively and not to be missed.

James Acaster presents another whacky hour of surreal yet surprisingly dramatic story-telling stand up in his show Represent and Joe Lycett returns, with possibly the best show title of the year: That’s The Way, A-Ha A-Ha, Joe Lycett. And it would frankly be a mistake to miss out on seeing Bridget Christie‘s latest show, A Book For Her, which sees the launch of her debut novel, and showcases her trademark blend of feminism and spectacular comedy.

Stuff That’s Odd

Tony Law, the king of surreal comedy, is performing his new show Frillemorphesis where he explores ideas such as shouting, moving and talking, absolutely standard. A live show from the Tone Zone is an opportunity not to be missed, or forgotten in a hurry, and his being in this category is by no means a suggestion that this show will not also be Gold.

Shouty extraordinaire Bobby Mair brings another dark and bitterly funny show off the back of his recent television successes, entitled Filthy Immigrant; Tom Allen performs Both Worlds with his signature sinister calm and endearing flamboyance and Harriet Kemsley, who spent the first part of this year supporting Katherine Ryan on tour, also performs her debut hour, Puppy Fat, which has got the critics excited. If you like a bit of audience interaction, Jonny Awsum’s show Everything Is Awsum will be another unforgettable experience, as will Patrick Monahan’s seventies-inspired show The Disco Years.

Stuff That’s Free

Now any Edinburgh Festival-goer will be able to tell you that ticket price does not necessarily dictate quality; free shows are on the rise as they are a great way of ensuring the trip is more affordable for comedians and fans alike. There are some real gems performing shows this year that rely on kind donations alone.

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Lou Sanders

Rob Auton has prepared another delightfully off-kilter, poetical concept show entitled The Water Show where he considers everything surrounding the theme of water, much like his previous shows which have centred around themes such as Yellow, Sky and Face. Elf Lyons‘ Being Barbarella is a high-octane adventure, discussing science fiction, liberation and sharks. This lady is a true one-off, who’s surreal form of comedy is often likened to The Mighty Boosh. And Lou Sanders, being the wonderful shambles of a performer that she is, brings her insane show about her efforts to get accepted into Eton College For Boys, of course entitled: Excuse Me, You’re Sitting On My Penis Again.

Stuart Goldsmith will also be recording episodes of The Comedian’s Comedian Podcast where he interviews everyone that is anyone in the world of comedy, delving deep into the psyche of the performer and having many laughs in the process. The line up for this year is stellar and although the recordings are free to attend and non-ticketed, the venue will undoubtedly fill up quickly on the night so plan ahead.

You can purchase tickets for all shows mentioned on the Edinburgh Festival website.

READ EDINBURGH PREVIEWS HERE

Seven Questions With… Rob Auton

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Rob Auton

Photo: Julian Ward

Rob Auton is truly one of a kind. He performs comedy, writes poetry, and is even an incredible painter. He once wrote an entire show based around the colour yellow which shows just how different his approach to the performing arts is. Auton plays with metaphorical concepts as though they are physical things, which opens up a whole new realm of incredibly thoughtful comedy. If comedy is to be considered an art form, Rob Auton is truly one of its leading young artists.
I asked Rob these seven questions to learn a little more about him…

1) When did you first encounter comedy?

I can’t remember. I guess it was when I was little I must have laughed at something. It was probably something such as a dog existing. Or the sun. Stuff like that was hilarious to me. Still is really. Comedy has to be something you find funny doesn’t it? I remember when I was about 5 or 6  I had a bike that was black and it was called a Raleigh Wildcat. It had a sound effects box on the front. In the village where I grew up there always used to be this old man called Bill who stood at his gate, when I went down the street pressing the sound effects he would shout “The Daleks are coming.” It isn’t that funny now but when I was a child I would nearly fall off my bike from laughing at him because I really believed he thought I was a Dalek.

2) Where in the world would you never go?

Paintballing in the snow near Newcastle. I went paintballing in the snow near Newcastle once and I remember looking down at my hand and it was dripping blood onto the snow. Someone had shot me from close range and the paintball had cut my hand somehow.  The paint from the paintball was mixing with the blood so it was like some sort of crap Damien Hirst spin painting that hadn’t been spun yet.  I would never go there again.  I always give the enthusiastic guys at the camouflage netted tables in shopping centres a wide birth when I see them.

3) Do you have any weird talents?

I’m quite good at making scrambled eggs in a pan in a kitchen and chicken drumsticks outside on the barbecue. What came first the scrambled eggs in a pan in a kitchen or the chicken drumsticks outside on the barbecue? I’ll start with the scrambled eggs. I don’t want to tell people how to suck scrambled eggs but the key for me is loads of butter in a pan, really low heat, put the eggs in and stir it for ages (3-4 days) put in loads of salt and pepper and take it off the heat before it is cooked as it keeps cooking on its own. With regard to chicken drummers on the barbecue the key is to get loads of that division one pepper powder. What is that stuff? The stuff that has been ground down into dust and put that on until you’ve got enough on and then put more on and then put salt on in the same way. Basically so the chicken drummer looks like a chicken drummer that you’ve dropped on a beach and the beach is made from salt and pepper. Quite a chicken themed answer that I’m afraid, sorry to the none chicken eaters. You can use the same techniques with any food really.

4) Something you wish you believe in?

Magic tricks. I would love it if a person could be sawn in half and then put back together and be perfectly fine.

5) What is the best item in a sweet shop?

The chewy bits in the middle of Cola Cubes.

6) Does being a comedian feel strange to you?

I don’t know what I am but whatever it is it feels strange sometimes yes. If you are calling me a comedian then yes it does feel strange to be called that. The idea of doing gigs feels strange but when I get up on stage and just try to say my piece it doesn’t feel strange to me at all. It feels good for me to try and get my ideas out of me and into other people.  Sharing them to see if other people like them or not. If I have an idea and it makes me laugh and I say it on stage and other people laugh at it too then it makes me feel like I am part of something and not completely crazy.

7) What kind of people do you surround yourself with?

It is very rare that I am ever surrounded but I try to spend time with people who aren’t going to walk past a fish tank without looking in.

ROB AUTON’S SHOW: THE FACE SHOW IS AT THE SOHO THEATRE FROM 5TH-7TH MARCH. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SHOW, THE WEEKLY STAND UP POETRY NIGHT HE RUNS AND HIS BOOK.

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