Who is your favourite cartoon character and why?
I loved Asterix and Obelix comic books growing up and still do, to the extent that when I went to Paris, my girlfriend and I got tattoos inspired by France. She got a beautiful French phrase, “bonheur”which means “love and laughter”. I got a portrait of Asterix!
What’s one of the best compliments you’ve received and what was it that made it significant for you?
Aside from my mum or loved ones telling me they thought I was funny, whenever someone comes up to me after a gig and tells me I was funny. That is still the greatest compliment to me because they’ve paid to see you so the goal is to make them laugh as much as possible.
How old were you when you started telling jokes and can you remember the first one?
I quickly realised I wasn’t the tallest or fastest or best at football or anything like that and the way to deflect from my perceived failings was to make people laugh. There’s an old VHS of my 7th or 8th birthday where I takeover a joke telling section to tell joke after joke.
Describe your ideal front row audience member?
I love when people are engaged in the gig and everyone forgets about their problems and the room becomes a theoretical front row, a community, and everyone is just invested and involved in laughing as much as possible without any feeling of being self conscious. I once made a guy spit crisps out of his mouth because he was laughing so much. That was a personal highlight for sure!
Which comedy routines have you watched until you know them by heart?
Anything Billy Connolly, Richard Pryor or Bill Hicks has ever done. My parents introduced me to them on TV when I was really young. I remember being 10 years old and watching Billy do the routine about the posh guy who was a professional toboganner and seeing my mum helpless with laughter and being amazed that one person could create that reaction.
What did you miss most about comedy in the last two years? What do you value more now because of it?
I missed being on stage and hanging out with my mates at gigs. The thing I value most is that audiences are coming out and really need a good time after such a strange few years. People want to laugh and I value that. That, and the money.
Which podcast(s) can you not live without?
There are so many podcasts that are incredible but the one I couldn’t live without is my podcast. I started doing it during lockdown and it helped keep me sane. It’s called ‘Starts Monday with Robin Grainger’ and I try to learn something new each episode and it descends into silliness. It’s available on all podcast platforms and to watch on YouTube.
What is comedy’s greatest benefit for the world?
Comedy’s greatest benefit for the world is that it brings people together and makes them happy and hopefully makes them forget about the stresses of life and not take things too seriously for a bit. The world is mad so go to your local comedy club and distract yourself for a bit.
Which shows do you have a great feeling about at this year’s Fringe?
The Scottish Comedy scene and circuit in general is on such good form right now, audiences are spoiled for choice. Check out clubs like The Stand, Monkey Barrel Comedy Club, The Beehive, The Glee clubs, and support local nights as well. There’s someone for everyone so take a chance on someone you might not have heard of. Chances are they will be ace!
Tell us about your Fringe show.
I did my debut show ‘Dog Complex’ at The Stand in 2019 about how getting a dog as a surprise birthday present changed my life. It was an amazing fringe run and I sold out a bunch of shows. I was all geared up to do my next show in 2020 about my own procrastination and how I, and perhaps we, always put things off. Then, hilariously, a global pandemic happened. So I got some extra time to write so the show is about using time wisely because you never know what might happen so it’s vital to be kind and not waste time. It’s really, really funny, there’s no serious stuff and the show is designed to make you laugh for as long as possible. I’m really proud of it.
Anything else you want to tell us?
Come and see my show! It’s on at The Stand Comedy club at 6.40pm from the 4th-28th of August and it will make you laugh a lot. Also, be nice to each other 🙂
Click here to buy tickets for Robin Grainger: Robin Time
6.40pm | The Stand | 4-28 August (not 15)
Punchline 