Fringe Q&As: Comedian Andy Daly on his debut Fringe show, his grandmother from Greenock and the happy, funny people of Edinburgh

My show is a collection of monologues by characters I’ve developed while guesting on podcasts, most notably Scott Aukerman’s Comedy Bang Bang. The characters, a deranged cowboy poet, a demented children’s theater director and others, will also throw the floor open to questions from the audience, so every show will be different and we’re all bound to learn ridiculous things about these phony people together.

2 How does it feel to be playing the Fringe for the first time?

I’m very excited and really don’t know what to expect exactly. This is something I have wanted to do for years, mostly because I love the city of Edinburgh so much, but also because I’ve often felt that my comedic sensibility lines up well with what British audiences appreciate. We shall see if I am right. I sure hope so!

3 Best live act you’ve seen at a Fringe?

My wife and I attended the very tail end of the 2004 Fringe, as part of our honeymoon. We didn’t choose shows very well unfortunately but the one we saw that we really loved was a one man show by Colin Hay of Men at Work. He sang the old songs beautifully and told funny stories. I think about it often.

4 Best thing about the Fringe?

I think the massive diversity of shows means that Fringe attendees are arriving with an open mind, prepared to see weird stuff and to support adventurous artists. Also, as I recall from ’04, the streets are just teeming with fun and excitement. I like a good teeming street, I do.

5 Worst thing about the Fringe?

I’m gonna go ahead and guess that, for me, it will be the jet lag. I am coming to Edinburgh with my wife and two small children, who can be counted on to take the adjustment pretty hard. There is every chance that they will completely lose their minds for several days. That’s what I’ll be going through so Edinburgh, go easy on me!

6 If you were not a performer what would you be doing?

It would be nice to think that I would have settled into a beautiful bucolic setting and picked up a satisfying trade, like wood-working, and lived a peaceful life full of small acts of goodness. But I’ll bet if I were not a performer, I would still be in hot pursuit of notoriety! Applause! And wealth! I’m a silly person.

7 How do you combat pre-gig nerves?

I keep the script for my show on my phone and I spend the entire hour before I go onstage scrolling through it and thinking ‘I don’t know this stuff well enough! I’m gonna go blank up there!’ I also pound caffeinated beverages and go the bathroom again and again. So I guess I don’t combat pre-gig nerves as much as I just surrender to them completely.

8 Worst on stage experience?

I once did a very conceptual bit where I started out telling the audience that I was going to eat an entire tall stack of pancakes. While I ate, some audio that I had recorded earlier played over the venue’s speaker system. It was ostensibly my inner monologue as I ate these pancakes. Unfortunately, because I stupidly hadn’t timed the thing out right, the recording ended before I could finish the food. That was years ago and I’m still beating myself up for it. The one thing I said I was going to do, I didn’t do. I got booed and deservedly so.

9 What do you love about Scotland?

This might sound strange, but I love the weather so much. My ancestors are from Scotland and Ireland and that is simply the weather of my people. I just feel right when I’m in cool, damp conditions and I love the look of a fog. Puts me at home right away. So it’s really a shame that I live in Los Angeles where every single day of the year is the height of sunshiney summer. A ridiculous complaint, I know. But I mean it!

10 What do you like about Edinburgh?

I love the beautiful old buildings and the gorgeous natural views and the feeling of walking in my grandparents’ footsteps. Also, everyone I’ve ever met there was totally delightful. What a happy, funny people.

11 What’s the most Scottish thing you’ve ever done?

My grandmother, who grew up in Greenock, used to always sing little ditties by her favorite singer, a Scot by the name of Sir Harry Lauder. I recently found his music online and have been playing it for my kids while we drive to and from school and weirdly enough they love it. These are 100 year old recordings and they can’t get enough. So while the other kids are belting out Taylor Swift, my daughters and I are singing “A Wee Deoch An’ Doris”. That feels pretty damn Scottish!

12 Favourite Scottish food/drink?

I will consume dangerous and embarrassing amounts of fish and chips. There’s no avoiding it.

13 Sum up your show in three words

Gonna get weird.

Andy Daly’s debut Edinburgh Fringe Comedy show - Monsters Take Your Questions will be at the Gilded Balloon Wine Bar for the month of August for tickets go to www.edfringe.com