Rosie Wilby speaks to HeraldScotland about synchronised swimming, leaping dogs and smoggy London.
Tell us about your Fringe show
It's a multimedia adventure documentary where I trace a group of women I created a feminist newspaper with at Uni 20 years ago. It's called Rosie Wilby: Nineties Woman
Best thing about the Fringe?
Getting to guest at so many fantastic shows and see so much great stuff.
Worst thing about the Fringe?
The sheer exhaustion of being a one-woman operation. I'm doing my own tech and PR
How many years have you been coming to the Fringe?
I first came in 2006 with a show called Olympic Swingball Champion and I've only had a few summers off since then
Favourite Fringe venue?
I'm loving The Voodoo Rooms where I'm playing this year. It's the first time I've ever done the free fringe and it's a really great vibe. I also have good memories of working with Assembly, Underbelly and Sweet.
Best Fringe memory?
In 2008, my friend Liz Bentley did a show called Edinburgh on Sea in the hotel swimming pool on Grassmarket. I was part of her synchro swimming team. The whole thing was bonkers. One night John Hegley guested in a crisp suit and shirt. He did a poem standing on the side then decided to get into a dinghy to float around telling a poem. Immediately the thing capsized. But Hegley didn't miss a beat and carried on wading round the pool reciting the poem with water dripping from his clothes.
Best heckle?
When I did The Science of sex in 2009, a man asked me for a threesome with him and his girlfriend. I said 'it'll be you that gets left out'
Craziest on stage experience?
One time at a really rough gig in London a rabid pit bull type of dog leapt up onstage and started frantically chasing it's tail. It was a good metaphor for how the gig had spiraled out of control
What's on your rider?
Chocolate
How do you wind down after a show?
Chocolate
What do you love about Scotland?
The fresh bracing air as opposed to smoggy London
What do you like about Edinburgh?
It's compact and you can get around quickly but it's still hilly enough to give you a workout without needing to pay for a gym.
What's the most Scottish thing you've done?
Climbed Arthur's seat for the first time ever the other day
What kind of jokes do a Scottish crowd seem to respond to?
Funny ones. All crowds are different and I don't think it's based on where they live.
Favourite joke?
I met a couple and he was really tall and she was really short. I wondered 'did their eyes meet across a seesaw'
See Rosie Wilby's show Nineties Woman at the Voodoo Rooms during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival until 24th August. For more information visit her website.
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