Barry Ferns: Barry Loves You, is on at Just The Tonic at The Tron, during August (except 13th)
- What is your Fringe show about?
It is a personal show about communication, family, love, trying to stay alive, and confusion in the modern world. It is a genuine attempt to share my own life with people within 55 minutes. It touches on everything I’ve experienced from the beauty of connection to the darkness of abuse.
- How many times/many years have you appeared at the Fringe?
15 times since 2000
What’s your most memorable moment from the Fringe?
I did a gig at the top of Arthurs Seat in 2013 and David Hasslehoff was in the audience. It was hard to do the show, because people kept looking at him to see if he was laughing. He was really clearly David Hasslehoff - as he was standing there on a rock with his legs wide in a power pose. He didn’t sit down. He laughed distractingly loudly too. In the end I had to bring the fact that David Hasslehoff was in the gig into the show - and we ended by all singing the Nightrider theme tune as he ran down the hill.
- What’s the worst thing about the Fringe?
With so many shows and performances, there is so much on offer that you stop being able to appreciate it any more. Festival fatigue. Edinburgh is the few places you’ll hear sentences like “Oh, not ANOTHER fire juggling sword swallowing albino” The extraordinary becomes ordinary.
- If you were not a performer what would you be doing?
I would be in a forest silently meditating, trying my best to not have a negative effect on the world and people around me. As strange as it sounds, the only reason I stopped doing that was because I realized I had been a comedian since the earliest time I could remember and I should just accept that.
- How do you prepare for a performance?
I do some exercise and try to empty my mind as much as possible and take the audience in – person by person.
- Favorite thing about being in Edinburgh?
One of the amazing things about Edinburgh is you have an idea and you can make it happen. So from a performers point of view it’s totally open - anyone can come and do this. For one month you can immerse yourself in the life of an artist. You hear declarations such as “No longer am I just John from accounts – for this month I am John – The Juggling Transvestite! Yeahhh!”
When you’re 19 and it’s your first festival you see John and you think “Awesome. A juggling transvestite!”. Of course as an adult you just think “Wow, that’s somebody’s Dad”, hang on…Is that John from accounts???!!
- What’s the most Scottish thing you’ve ever done?
Dated a stonemason from Glasgow Cathederal and had sex in the McIntosh museum. (Fact)
- Favourite Scottish food/drink?
Vegetarian Haggis and a Jacket Potato.
- Sum up your show in three words
Barry Loves You
Show summary
An hour of entertainment on what it is like to be the human being Barry Ferns living life in the 21st century
Barry Ferns: Barry Loves You, is on at Just The Tonic at The Tron, during August (except 13th). For tickets, please visit www.edfringe.com
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article