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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Standups on their entrance music: ‘I play it loud to drown out the screaming in my head’ | Standups on their entrance music: ‘I play it loud to drown out the screaming in my head’ |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Sara Pascoe | Sara Pascoe |
| I have songs on shuffle that subtly allude to the themes of my show, but of course the crowd are all gabbling and chatting and ignorant of my subtle musical allusions. The show is about history, so there’s Michael Jackson’s HIStory, which contains excerpts from old speeches and is very atmospheric. Then I come on to Holland, 1945 by Neutral Milk Hotel. It’s a very upbeat number but is actually about Anne Frank. The album it’s on, In the Aeroplane over the Sea, was inspired by dreams singer Jeff Mangum had after reading her diary. I would recommend the album to anybody – I have never had such a long, intense and exciting relationship with any piece of art. And it makes me feel fuzzy and slightly emotional just as I am about to speak to the audience for the first time. When I am finished, Prince’s Get Off plays. The show has a large portion about the evolution of human mating, so “get off” is a jokey allusion to that. Prince does a high-pitched scream at the beginning which pierces the mood – it’s very clear the show is done, and then I can bow and say thank you with some sexy, grindy music on. | I have songs on shuffle that subtly allude to the themes of my show, but of course the crowd are all gabbling and chatting and ignorant of my subtle musical allusions. The show is about history, so there’s Michael Jackson’s HIStory, which contains excerpts from old speeches and is very atmospheric. Then I come on to Holland, 1945 by Neutral Milk Hotel. It’s a very upbeat number but is actually about Anne Frank. The album it’s on, In the Aeroplane over the Sea, was inspired by dreams singer Jeff Mangum had after reading her diary. I would recommend the album to anybody – I have never had such a long, intense and exciting relationship with any piece of art. And it makes me feel fuzzy and slightly emotional just as I am about to speak to the audience for the first time. When I am finished, Prince’s Get Off plays. The show has a large portion about the evolution of human mating, so “get off” is a jokey allusion to that. Prince does a high-pitched scream at the beginning which pierces the mood – it’s very clear the show is done, and then I can bow and say thank you with some sexy, grindy music on. |
| Sara Pascoe vs History is at Assembly George Square Studios from 5-10 and 12-25 August. | Sara Pascoe vs History is at Assembly George Square Studios from 5-10 and 12-25 August. |
| Kerry Godliman | Kerry Godliman |
| I’m coming on to Jack White’s I’m Shakin’. I love Jack White, there’s a touch of anarchy to him that cheers me up no end. It’s a song about being so attracted to someone it makes you a feverish mess. It has nothing to do with my show but I like it. | I’m coming on to Jack White’s I’m Shakin’. I love Jack White, there’s a touch of anarchy to him that cheers me up no end. It’s a song about being so attracted to someone it makes you a feverish mess. It has nothing to do with my show but I like it. |
| Kerry Godliman’s Face Time is at the Stand Up Comedy Club V from 12-25 August. | Kerry Godliman’s Face Time is at the Stand Up Comedy Club V from 12-25 August. |
| Pete Johansson | Pete Johansson |
| I used to choose songs from artists who I thought were poor in the hope that they’d benefit from the royalties: I’d imagine the 30p cheque lighting up the eyes of Color Me Badd. This year I’m using a song that inspired me to get the hell out and meet people who don’t want to spend their lives selling real estate. It’s a track from the late 80s called Backwards Town by the Grapes of Wrath, and is written about my hometown of Kelowna, Canada. I reference it in my show to give an insight into what kind of place I come from and the people I was raised with. When you hate a place, and other people have gone to the length of writing a song about how much they hate the same place, it makes everyone feel pretty good. Also I’m pretty sure they’re poor now and need the royalties, unless they eventually went back and started to sell real estate. Which would be sad, and kinda funny. | I used to choose songs from artists who I thought were poor in the hope that they’d benefit from the royalties: I’d imagine the 30p cheque lighting up the eyes of Color Me Badd. This year I’m using a song that inspired me to get the hell out and meet people who don’t want to spend their lives selling real estate. It’s a track from the late 80s called Backwards Town by the Grapes of Wrath, and is written about my hometown of Kelowna, Canada. I reference it in my show to give an insight into what kind of place I come from and the people I was raised with. When you hate a place, and other people have gone to the length of writing a song about how much they hate the same place, it makes everyone feel pretty good. Also I’m pretty sure they’re poor now and need the royalties, unless they eventually went back and started to sell real estate. Which would be sad, and kinda funny. |
| Pete Johansson’s Several Jokes is at Pleasance Courtyard from 4-10 and 12-25 August. | Pete Johansson’s Several Jokes is at Pleasance Courtyard from 4-10 and 12-25 August. |
| Tom Allen | Tom Allen |
| This year, for the first time, I’m playing myself on to the stage. No, not like that. I’m playing the piano as people walk in. The audience seems to get straight into the mood and aren’t awkward like people who dance on their own at weddings. I announce myself on to stage from the piano, which feels sort of homemade – like we’re putting on a show in someone’s parlour during the war. Personally, I don’t enjoy the self-aggrandising anthems that some big comedy clubs use – they seem to suggest some kind of hyper-masculine, dominating force is about to appear. And that doesn’t really work if you’re about to talk about how your mum and dad arrange the furniture. | This year, for the first time, I’m playing myself on to the stage. No, not like that. I’m playing the piano as people walk in. The audience seems to get straight into the mood and aren’t awkward like people who dance on their own at weddings. I announce myself on to stage from the piano, which feels sort of homemade – like we’re putting on a show in someone’s parlour during the war. Personally, I don’t enjoy the self-aggrandising anthems that some big comedy clubs use – they seem to suggest some kind of hyper-masculine, dominating force is about to appear. And that doesn’t really work if you’re about to talk about how your mum and dad arrange the furniture. |
| Tom Allen’s Life/Style is at the Stand Comedy Club V from 4-10 and 12-24 August. | Tom Allen’s Life/Style is at the Stand Comedy Club V from 4-10 and 12-24 August. |
| Natasia Demetriou | Natasia Demetriou |
| I choose the Katy Perry song Roar. I’ll be so ridiculously terrified it’s nice to have something so loud because it drowns the noise of the screaming in my head. I definitely play it for far too long but it gives me a good few seconds to properly comprehend that for some disturbing reason I have decided once again to put myself through an hour of humiliation and sweat in front of a group of strangers. What would be truly ideal is if I was a talented enough singer and dancer that I could just be Katy Perry and I was actually just performing my smash-hit song Roar at the O2 as part of an awesome, sexy and properly impressive international arena tour. | I choose the Katy Perry song Roar. I’ll be so ridiculously terrified it’s nice to have something so loud because it drowns the noise of the screaming in my head. I definitely play it for far too long but it gives me a good few seconds to properly comprehend that for some disturbing reason I have decided once again to put myself through an hour of humiliation and sweat in front of a group of strangers. What would be truly ideal is if I was a talented enough singer and dancer that I could just be Katy Perry and I was actually just performing my smash-hit song Roar at the O2 as part of an awesome, sexy and properly impressive international arena tour. |
| Natasia Demetriou’s You’ll Never Have All of Me is at Underbelly, Cowgate, from 4-10 and 12-24 August. | Natasia Demetriou’s You’ll Never Have All of Me is at Underbelly, Cowgate, from 4-10 and 12-24 August. |
| Carl Donnelly | Carl Donnelly |
| I’m walking on stage to Highway to Hell, which may suggest I’m much cooler or edgier than I really am. The song features in one of the key stories of the show so I thought it would be good to plant it in people’s minds. The playlist that is on while people are coming in is far more representative of me, as it’s a mix of cheesy glam-rock such as Sweet and Mötley Crüe. These upbeat songs create the atmosphere I’m hoping to achieve with my show, which is a very silly hour. | I’m walking on stage to Highway to Hell, which may suggest I’m much cooler or edgier than I really am. The song features in one of the key stories of the show so I thought it would be good to plant it in people’s minds. The playlist that is on while people are coming in is far more representative of me, as it’s a mix of cheesy glam-rock such as Sweet and Mötley Crüe. These upbeat songs create the atmosphere I’m hoping to achieve with my show, which is a very silly hour. |
| Now That’s What I Call Carl Donnelly Vol 6 is at Pleasance Courtyard from 4-12 and 14-23 August. | Now That’s What I Call Carl Donnelly Vol 6 is at Pleasance Courtyard from 4-12 and 14-23 August. |
| Phil Wang | Phil Wang |
| I scoured the internet for something that would fit a show called Mellow Yellow and I stumbled across Mary Ann Hurst – an American living in China who made an entire album’s worth of jazz covers of Chinese folk songs. East meets west. Perfect. However, once the show is ready to start, my tech goddess Niamh fires up Givin Em What They Love by superstar genius Janelle Monáe – an ultra-cool soul/funk number that begins with a teasing bassline and crescendos into a rousing repeated refrain of “It’s time to give you what you love!” when I reach the stage. All good shows should start with a little subliminal messaging. | I scoured the internet for something that would fit a show called Mellow Yellow and I stumbled across Mary Ann Hurst – an American living in China who made an entire album’s worth of jazz covers of Chinese folk songs. East meets west. Perfect. However, once the show is ready to start, my tech goddess Niamh fires up Givin Em What They Love by superstar genius Janelle Monáe – an ultra-cool soul/funk number that begins with a teasing bassline and crescendos into a rousing repeated refrain of “It’s time to give you what you love!” when I reach the stage. All good shows should start with a little subliminal messaging. |
| Phil Wang’s Mellow Yellow is at Pleasance Courtyard from 4-24 August. | Phil Wang’s Mellow Yellow is at Pleasance Courtyard from 4-24 August. |
| Nick Mohammed (Mr Swallow – The Musical) | Nick Mohammed (Mr Swallow – The Musical) |
| The entrance music is written by Ollie Birch, who composed all the music for our show. As this is Mr Swallow’s walk-on tune, in keeping with his persona, we wanted it to feel quite cheesy, fun and fast-paced yet ultimately rather self-indulgent. Essentially, the song is about how good Mr Swallow thinks this year’s show is, so the music sort of suggests this – while poking fun at the audacity of this notion by constantly changing key, making it increasingly difficult for Mr Swallow to sing along to. The overall effect (hopefully) is that the song is way too big for him to manage, and therefore a ridiculous way to start a show that calls itself Mr Swallow – the Musical. | The entrance music is written by Ollie Birch, who composed all the music for our show. As this is Mr Swallow’s walk-on tune, in keeping with his persona, we wanted it to feel quite cheesy, fun and fast-paced yet ultimately rather self-indulgent. Essentially, the song is about how good Mr Swallow thinks this year’s show is, so the music sort of suggests this – while poking fun at the audacity of this notion by constantly changing key, making it increasingly difficult for Mr Swallow to sing along to. The overall effect (hopefully) is that the song is way too big for him to manage, and therefore a ridiculous way to start a show that calls itself Mr Swallow – the Musical. |
| Mr Swallow – The Musical is at Pleasance Dome from 4-24 August. | Mr Swallow – The Musical is at Pleasance Dome from 4-24 August. |
| Romesh Ranganathan | Romesh Ranganathan |
| I come on stage to Blame Miss Barclay by Mikill Pane. It’s about a teacher who inspired him, which relates to part of the show, plus it’s British hip-hop which I love. He’s who I’d want to be if I became a rapper. But the main reason is the song just makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I’m sure I’ll hate it by the end of the run. | I come on stage to Blame Miss Barclay by Mikill Pane. It’s about a teacher who inspired him, which relates to part of the show, plus it’s British hip-hop which I love. He’s who I’d want to be if I became a rapper. But the main reason is the song just makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I’m sure I’ll hate it by the end of the run. |
| Romesh Ranganathan’s Rom Wasn’t Built in a Day is at Pleasance Courtyard, 6-7, 10, 12-15, 17-22 and 24 August. | Romesh Ranganathan’s Rom Wasn’t Built in a Day is at Pleasance Courtyard, 6-7, 10, 12-15, 17-22 and 24 August. |
| Dan Clark | Dan Clark |
| I always have the best intention to come on to something unexpected, such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan or some German electronic music. But I try it once, see how much it wrongfoots the audience and creates a strange atmosphere, and then scrap it. Now I’ve gone for something far safer: Paul Simon’s The Boy in the Bubble. It never fails to put a smile on my face. And I think the audience like it too. And I also find it amazing that the teenagers that come to see me will think of it as ye olde music from 30 years ago. Like I did about Bob Dylan or the Beatles when I was 18. | I always have the best intention to come on to something unexpected, such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan or some German electronic music. But I try it once, see how much it wrongfoots the audience and creates a strange atmosphere, and then scrap it. Now I’ve gone for something far safer: Paul Simon’s The Boy in the Bubble. It never fails to put a smile on my face. And I think the audience like it too. And I also find it amazing that the teenagers that come to see me will think of it as ye olde music from 30 years ago. Like I did about Bob Dylan or the Beatles when I was 18. |
| Dan Clark’s Me, My Selfie and I is at Pleasance Dome from 4-12 and 14-24 August. | Dan Clark’s Me, My Selfie and I is at Pleasance Dome from 4-12 and 14-24 August. |
| Sheeps | Sheeps |
| We don’t care about our Edinburgh show. What really matters is our one-off gig in September at London’s 90,000-seater Wembley stadium. It’s great to see lo-fi whimsy back in the stadiums, and we can’t afford to let anyone down. Especially not ourselves. And especially not the massive crowd, we definitely can’t let them down. In one month’s time, we’ll be backstage at “The Old W”: we’ll have our scenes drilled, our face-work tight, our accents funny; the crowd will be raving with skit fever, desperate for the silly dances and talcum-powder business that they need to survive. What song could possibly play us on to that stage? If you have any ideas, please let us know. We’ve gone for Just Like a Pill by Pink, but we’re not attached to it … | We don’t care about our Edinburgh show. What really matters is our one-off gig in September at London’s 90,000-seater Wembley stadium. It’s great to see lo-fi whimsy back in the stadiums, and we can’t afford to let anyone down. Especially not ourselves. And especially not the massive crowd, we definitely can’t let them down. In one month’s time, we’ll be backstage at “The Old W”: we’ll have our scenes drilled, our face-work tight, our accents funny; the crowd will be raving with skit fever, desperate for the silly dances and talcum-powder business that they need to survive. What song could possibly play us on to that stage? If you have any ideas, please let us know. We’ve gone for Just Like a Pill by Pink, but we’re not attached to it … |
| Sheeps’ Wembley Previews is at Bedlam theatre from 6-10 and 12-24 August. | Sheeps’ Wembley Previews is at Bedlam theatre from 6-10 and 12-24 August. |
| More from the Edinburgh festival | |
| Où est le punchline? The art of standup in a second language | |
| Jim Davidson: provocative, predictable and oh so popular | |
| Liam Williams: ‘I’ve had nervous breakdowns on stage’ | |
| Unfaithful – love and longing in a taut four-hander | |
| The Trial of Jane Fonda – as inventive as the average school play | |
| All Edinburgh festival 2014 coverage |