The world’s largest performing arts festival returns to the Scottish capital for three weeks – and over 4,000 shows – from this weekend. Brian Logan is answering your questions about it now
-
Ask a question: log in or sign up here.
Wateroffaducksback asks: If populism is so popular, why is there so little comedy about populists? By definition it is not niche but they all seem to be comedians and tick all the boxes – exposing hypocrisy, pretension, injustice, absurdity, irony…
Brian:
If by this question you mean, ‘where’s all the right-wing / populist comedy?’, well, there’s plenty of it around – although the Edinburgh fringe isn’t the best place to find it. Jimmy Carr, Ricky Gervais, Dave Chappelle – some of the biggest comedy acts in the world pander to populist sentiment. And that’s before you even mention the Jim Davidsons and Roy Chubby Browns beloved of the Reform brigade.
Even on the fringe, there’s an upcoming generation – the likes of Vittorio Angelone, or his slight senior Geoff Norcott – whose ‘saying the unsayable’ material knowingly flirts with populist ideas. And there are regular visits by old-school comics (Bobby Davro was one recent example) whose shtick would be right up Nigel Farage’s street.
I don’t believe that’s the case. I grew up in Fife, my family are still there, and I’ve got family and friends in Edinburgh too. They all go to fringe events every year, as I did when with my pals when I was a teenager.
In my experience, it’s an unhelpful myth, usually propagated by people with little love for the arts, that Edinburgh residents don’t like the fringe. Some don’t, I’m sure. But many do, and are proud and delighted that their city hosts the biggest and best performing arts festival in the world.
