Robin Clyfan: The Sea Is Big Enough to Take It is on at Heroes @ Bob's BlundaBus - Top Deck, during August.
- What is your Fringe show about?
I had to take some time away from comedy to look after my mum and it's a show about our relationship and that time. The Show - The Sea is Big Enough To Take it - is about what’s it was like to have had a vociferous feminist, ideological and very loving mum.
It's the story of going to the seaside with my family, and my mum screaming at the sea and challenging me to 'do more politically'. My mum was part of a generation who thought they could change the world - and did. She also had a solid public sector job for most of her life - where as I’m a performer working in the gig economy and I have done some pretty extreme things to make a living - including racing pigs, sending someone to space and catapulting people into the sky for a deodorant brand.
So it's about those generational tensions, and how to make money and keep your integrity. It's a story telling show with some fun games thrown in, and, wait for it, partial nudity. I've also just discovered that the venue I’m performing in (the BlundaBus) is 6ft high and I’m 6ft 2, so the show is fast becoming about back pain.
- How many times/many years have you appeared at the Fringe?
This is my debut solo show but I think I've done about eight fringes as part of an ensemble or my double old act Robin and Partridge.
- What’s your most memorable moment from the Fringe?
There are so many!
Finding mad shows that I loved - about 8 years ago I watched a guy called Dr Coca Cola MCDonald play to about 5 people in his pants on a tiny keyboard - he turned out to be a teacher who lived on a barge in the midlands - I loved his show and the fringe is full of stories like that, and doing a show requires a good blend of madness and drive.
I've slept three to a bed (and not in a kinky way), in flats with feral animals (two dogs, a cat, a rabbit and a parrot) and in a bush on Arthur's seat. I helped start a tradition of the under pass party - a party in the underpass at potters row ('you don't need a pass for the underpass party'), made some new friends for life and developed an addiction to lasagne pies.
- What’s the worst thing about the Fringe?
The cost and the inaccessibility that can create. And how fat it makes you.
5 If you were not a performer what would you be doing?
Eating pies and watching other performers or something political.
- How do you prepare for a performance?
1. Lasagna Pies
2. A high octane work out montage to ‘jump’ by Van Halen 3. Whispering ‘you can do this’ over and over again to myself in the mirror.
4. Feeling sick because of the pie and montage.
5. Eight pints.
What I really do is, boringly, stretch.
- Favourite thing about being in Edinburgh?
The Piemaker.
Edinburgh is such a distinctive city. Most buildings you could see out of context and identify as being from Edinburgh. It has really special memories for me, my mum would watch me every year up here, and the last time I came here was to take her to the festival for one last time. I've returned most years and it's been a constant in my life. Also; I love folk music and that you can walk into a pub and still see musicians jamming in the corner is a real joy.
- What’s the most Scottish thing you’ve ever done?
I did a gig at Rockness festival once (by the banks of Loch Ness) where I hosted a haggis eating-whisky drinking-log throwing Scottish relay competition (we'd actually ran out of whisky so people were drinking mouth wash). Whist this was happening we played Runrig's live version of Loch Lohmund and people chanted 'here we, here we, here we f**king go'. Scottish festivals are totally different to English ones, in that people are way more fucked.
- Favourite Scottish food/drink?
Deep fried haggis and Lasagna Pies.
- Sum up your show in three words
Tender. Political. Gothic.
Show summary
A tender account of Robin trying to impress his activist mother. A debut show about loss, growing up and dressing as a massive baby for cash.
Robin Clyfan: The Sea Is Big Enough to Take It is on at Heroes @ Bob's BlundaBus - Top Deck, during August. For tickets, please visit www.edringe.com
You can follow Robin on Twitter at @RClyfan
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