My Festival: Salty Brine

In my show, How Strange it Is (The Neutral Milk Hotel Show), we take a peek inside Anne Frank’s diary. (Which sounds like a dangerous thing to do, I know! But trust me.)

In Anne’s diary, amidst the fear and the hatred and the violence — all of which we find reverberating through our current reality— we are reminded that love can find its way even in the darkest moments; a love that is silly and passionate and young and beautiful. A love we recognise from our own lives. And when we see that silly, wonderful love— in the pages of Anne’s diary, and in the corners of our own memories— we start to see it all around us. And then, maybe, just for a moment, together, in the dark, we can find a little bit of hope; something to hold onto; something to keep us going. I think we could all use that right now. I know I could.

What will we learn from your show that we didn’t know before?

During the course of the show I read my own early diary entries aloud from the days when I fell in love for the very first time. What you’re going to learn from my show is a lot of deeply embarrassing information about me. Which will, hopefully, make you laugh very hard. Being young and in love is wonderful. And, in retrospect, absolutely humiliating.

Who or what was the biggest inspiration for your show?

The marvellous Anne Frank is a big inspiration. But I want to also say, so is the whole entire universe even existing at all; the fact that any of us are even here walking and talking and breathing. That’s really what the show is about. And that’s pretty huge. As inspirations go.

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What’s the best review you’ve ever had, and the worst?

The best review… maybe Time Out New York. “Outrageously talented.”

OUTRAGEOUSLY!?! That made me feel very good.

The worst review… My mother: “That was great, honey. Where can we get a glass of wine?”

Devastating. I love her but… devastating.

Who or what are you most excited about seeing this year?

The post-show late night walk. The cool air. The lights from the castle. I’m a hopeless romantic. Ooh maybe I’ll fall in love! Could happen. Does your publication have a personal ads section? I’ll look into it.

What are the best and worst things that have happened to you at a festival?

The best thing was performing on Reuben Kaye’s The Kaye Hole. That audience was on fire and I will never forget them lifting me up for that ten minutes I was out on Reuben’s stage. What a magical world he builds.

The worst thing I would say was having to be in full drag at 8:30am to be the musical guest on a stand-up comedy show. Nobody should be in drag at 8:30am unless you’re just getting home.

READ MORE: Five Fringe shows about Vincent Van Gogh? We are all ears

What’s the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night?

I hum. When you sing for a living you live with a terror of losing your voice. It’s never happened (touch wood) but I’m in the ridiculous habit of checking to see if my voice is still there with a tiny, funny hum.

Thanks for the interview! We’d like to buy you a drink. Where are we going and what are we drinking?

You’re so welcome! Thanks for the questions! I’d love a drink. We are going anyyyyy place that will serve me a gin and tonic. Some say gin and tonic drinkers are psychopaths. I don’t disagree. Bring me one.

Salty Brine: HOW STRANGE IT IS (The Neutral Milk Hotel Show), Summerhall, 9.30pm, until 30 August.

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