Who puts your pants in the washing machine?
Screw you I wash my own goddamn underwear what’s your problem
Which words make you giggle or give you an inner flip of amusement?
The word ‘corpse’ is great. Also, Pete Holmes I think had a great joke about not understanding the word “non-fiction” and it really makes me chuckle now every time I see it.
Tell us about your favourite addictions.
I’m addicted to the smell of new post offices. You ever go into a new post office? It’s got it’s own type of smell. Also, I love a good view. I will hike to the top of a mountain or pull the car over on the side of a highway for a good view. I also love ice cream from a place in Cincinnati, Ohio called Graeters. If you’ve ever been to it you know what the hell I’m talking about. If I was being given a last meal for my vicious murder of a string of comedy interviewers, than I’d want Graeters.
I’m just kidding. I wouldn’t kill any comedy interviewers unless they asked me to pick a favorite comedy routine.
What’s your favourite comedy routine of all time?
I cannot possibly choose one. If I did a top 10, Brian Regan would be in there six or seven times. I do love Gary Gulman’s “State Abbreviations” bit, Patton Oswalt’s “Physics for Poets” bit, John Mulaney’s “What’s New, Pussycat?” bit, Maria Bamford’s stuff about her mental health, and so much of Steve Martin’s stuff.
Where is your favourite place to go for food during the Edinburgh Fringe?
There’s a chicken wing place in Edinburgh. If you really want to know what it’s called, come up to me in person after my show in Edinburgh and I will tell you. It’s amazing.
What’s the weirdest thing an audience member has ever said to you?
“I thought we were going to have to stab you for what you said about the Waffle House, but I think it’s probably OK.”
What have you learned about life through performing at the Fringe?
There were times in 2014 and 2015 when I felt so exhausted and on-edge that I thought my body could not possibly keep going but I think you always find – in the thirty seconds before you need to go onstage – that you may have this little reservoir of courage you hadn’t previously recognized.
If you could be in a sketch with any two living comedians, who would they be and what would the sketch be about?
Mel Brooks, Steve Martin. They’re having dinner and talking about how down to earth and kind they are. I’m the waiter they keep abusing.
Tell us about a coincidence or piece of luck that led you to where you are today.
A professor in college – Zadie Smith – telling me to travel more and that I should go study abroad in England instead of Australia if I was interested in comedy. Thanks Prof. Smith.
Who are you most excited about seeing this year?
Jacqueline Novak. Ivo Graham. Lou Sanders. Ramon Rivas. Kate Berlant – oh my god, Kate Berlant – Myq Kaplan. So many others.
What can you definitely advise us against doing in Edinburgh?
Seeing cabaret.
Alex Edelman: Just For Us at The Pleasance Courtyard at 8pm August, 1 to 26 August
Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Alex Edelman returns to Edinburgh with his third solo show. It’s about jigsaw-loving Nazis and tribalism. Come. In the last year alone, Edelman has performed on Conan, supported Beck and Ricky Gervais and saw his special, Live at the BBC, released on Netflix UK. A Boston native, NYC dweller, this millennial posterboy is wise beyond his years, remarkably self-assured and at the top of his game. He’s still Jewish. Hope that’s OK. ‘Boasting technical flair and a precocious authority, Edelman’s comedy manages to capture the voice of Generation Y’ (Guardian).
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Tags: Alex Edelman, Best comedy at Edinburgh Fringe 2018, Pleasance
Words by Suzy Romer
