Fin Taylor started performing in Edinburgh in 2011 and after two consecutive five-star sell-out shows, he's hoping to make it a hat trick in 2018 as he performs his fifth hour, When Harassy Met Sally.
What keeps you coming back to Edinburgh each year?
Well audiences come now so you feel like you have to keep going back. But also I still feel like I've got stuff to write about. When I feel like that's drying up, I may take a year off.
Do you find it easy then to come up with a new show?
I have done. This year I've been very busy so I'm a bit behind at this point in the year, but it will be fine.
How have the previews been going?
I was doing the Melbourne and New Zealand festivals until about two weeks ago so I've only really just started previewing. I've only done four or five.
Were you testing material out in Australia and New Zealand?
I tried to a little bit, but they're different audiences and I was doing my old show so there was only so much I could sneak in.
How did you come up with When Harassy Met Sally as this year's title?
I don't know if you can tell, but it was a case of it popping into my head and then not coming up with anything when they asked me for my show title.
Have you had to write the show to fit that title?
I knew it was going to be about the explosion of sexual harassment and men's relationship with women and feminism. As soon as all of that started happening in September/October I thought, this will be the zeitgeist.
For the last couple of years I've tried to surf the zeitgeist and luckily for me there is no end it seems to how disgusting famous men have been recently.
Laughter is a release of tension, so by logical extension, the hardest laughs should come from the biggest tension so I just like picking topics that people get tetchy about because it's funnier. It's a bigger bubble to burst.
Are you still enjoying Edinburgh as much now as you did when you first came up?
Last year was definitely the most fun I ever had. It was amazing. I was doing The Tron which is my absolute favourite room to do in the world and I didn't really have anyone to answer to. I was producing it myself.
It basically sold out and all my friends were doing well too so when we met up afterwards, no one was grumpy, no one was battling anything, everyone was having a nice time. It felt last year that people who were doing really well really earnt it.
I feel like last year people were coming to me having discovered me the year before and so they knew a bit more what to expect. You didn't have to do any crowd work to get them going. You could just start.
The whole month was a breeze, I just really enjoyed it.
Who are you looking forward to seeing this year?
Ivo Graham is always brilliant. Mat Ewins is one of my best mates and I already know that his show will be spectacular again.
I previewed with Adam Hess and his show was very funny. Rosie Jones is doing an hour which I'd like to go and see. Pierre Novellie's excellent. I haven't really looked at the programme yet, I just know those people are heading up there.
Are you looking forward to touring after Edinburgh?
I've done bits of touring before and it's weird not having a green room to talk to people, but I am excited about it. I feel like only recently have I been able to do 80 minutes.
The first half will be greatest hits and whatever new has come into my head and the second half will be this year's Edinburgh show. So it's a good chance for fans old and new to come and see me.
Outside of the Fringe, what are you working on?
I'm hoping to go back to Melbourne next year, I really enjoyed my time there this year. I made this series for Comedy Central called Bullshit Bingo and the last episode has only just gone up so I don't know if there'll be any more of that. I've yet to meet with them.
There really is no point talking about anything else because everyone has the same answer, everyone has something in development that then doesn't happen!
Finally, how would you sum up your show in just five words?
Everyone laugh at yourself please.
Comments