My Festival: Ayo Adenekan
The Scottish SNL UK writer on the romantic summer that inspired his Fringe show, being nominated for a Comedian’s Choice award and throwing up before a sold-out show
There are thousands of shows in Edinburgh this month. Please tell us why we should come and see yours.
First and foremost I’m an Edinburgh local and it’s important to support your local businesses!! Homeland Insecurity is about love in all its forms, my experiences with it and the different ways we see love throughout our lives. It’s storytelling comedy, with lots of laughs and I think it’s definitely worth your time.
What will we learn from your show that we didn’t know before?
Hopefully you’ll learn a bit about me and maybe more about yourself too. I want the audience to think more about love, especially self-love. As the great Justin Bieber said - you should go and love yourself.
Enjoying The Scotsman's coverage of the Edinburgh festivals? For just £2 a month you can get unlimited access to scotsman.com plus 2-for-1 Fringe tickets. For details visit www.scotsman.com/subscriptions
Who or what was the biggest inspiration for your show?
This is a tough one! I’m inspired by so much when I’m writing a show. The biggest inspiration for this one is a woman I met a few years ago while I was working in hospitality in Edinburgh. We had a romantic summer together and this is that story. I’ve also been lucky enough to work with some incredible comics and writers on the first season of SNL UK so it’s been an all-round inspiring couple of months to be honest.
Who or what are you most excited about seeing this year?
Omar Badawy! I met Omar this year working on Saturday Night Live UK - he’s really great and a fantastic, witty writer based in London. It’s his debut show and one you’ll be glad you didn’t miss out on.
Who do you most like spending time with in Edinburgh?
I hang out with Daniel Petrie a lot, a fellow Scottish comedian. He’s a lovely lad, a very funny man and also an actual working doctor so he’s good to have around. I’m lucky enough to be from Edinburgh, so I’ve got a lot of friends and family I spend a good chunk of my time with.
Tell us something about you that would surprise people.
I actually played the French horn a wee bit in school (and no that wasn’t a French exchange student). I was never any good and I had to lug about a big brass instrument for a few years.
What are the best and worst things that have happened to you at a festival?
Last year at Fringe I was nominated for the Comedians' Choice award which was a lovely moment. It felt amazing to be voted for that by so many people I look up to in comedy especially when I was just starting out. Also last year, I got a bad case of food poisoning and threw up a couple of minutes before going on stage for a sold-out extra show I was doing. I got through it on 60 minutes of pure adrenaline.
What’s the best review you’ve ever had, and the worst?
The best review was one from early last year - we took a chance and got a review three weeks before the Fringe had started but it was a lovely four stars and definitely gave me confidence. I tend not to look at the bad reviews…there’s definitely a few out there but I couldn’t tell you what they say!
What’s the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night?
(After snoozing my alarms) I have a peppermint tea and check the weather. A peppermint tea is a top-tier drink and I won’t hear a bad word against it. And checking the weather is an invaluable act when you live in Scotland. Before bed I have another peppermint tea and set 20 alarms.
Ayo Adenekan: Homeland Insecurity, Monkey Barrel, CabVol2, 1.30pm, until 30 August
The Scotsman’s arts newsletter is now sent twice a week - subscribe today
Enjoying the Arts & Culture journalism on scotsman.com? Make it easier to find by selecting us as a preferred Google source
Want the latest Scottish headlines sent directly to your phone? Sign up to our new WhatsApp channel here
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.