Could you first introduce yourself to the reader?
Hi, I’m Lanessa. I’m a musician, comedian, and clown from Oregon.
How would you describe your show?
My show feels like my birthday party. It’s all my favourite ways of being myself and having fun on stage, and I wear a fuzzy boa! I sing, clown, flirt, and guarantee to solve all your problems by the time you leave.
Why do you want to perform at Edinburgh Festival Fringe?
It’s a really beautiful worldwide artistic community that truly feels like summer camp, and being a part of it absolutely rules.
What differentiates it from other festivals?
Every festival has its charm, but the Edinburgh Fringe is like the hub of so many people I love coming together and showing the things they’ve been making. Like the ultimate talent show. It’s celebratory and communal.
What first motivated you to enter the industry? Who were your inspirations?
I have been performing since I can remember. In some ways, it was a choice to go into the arts. In other ways, it’s just how I knew I wanted to spend this lifetime from the beginning. I was inspired early on by Lucille Ball, Chris Farley, and Jim Carey. I loved big characters and physical comedy and found myself very drawn to doing impersonations and big movements. I always loved to play dress-up and make skits with my friends in my backyard.
How has your background, upbringing and education had an impact on your artistic career?
I grew up in a small town in Oregon as the youngest of seven kids. I think being the youngest made me constantly want to be involved in my older siblings' lives. I was always trying to be “in on the joke” and spent a lot of time listening to and observing their conversations and behaviors, which greatly impacted my comic sensibilities. When to pipe in with a witty comment, when to listen, how to react; I really cared about being “part of the crew”.
Laughter and art making was a huge part of my upbringing, and it was a very welcome experience from my parents to pursue performing arts. I also grew up playing a lot of sports, and the playfulness found in those sports games is very closely related to clowning and comedy.
What is your earliest childhood art memory?
When I was 6, I lost my two front teeth and played “All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth” at my piano recital, bouncing up and down and smiling my toothless smile at the end. I also remember making posters for my dad’s dental office for my “concerts” at age 5 or 6. My biggest core art memory is when I was in the car with my mom, and I said something that made her laugh — I was maybe 7. Then I started laughing, too, and said, “I just love to make people laugh”. She’s reminded me of that so many times throughout my life. Some things don’t change! I still love to make people laugh, and I still put up posters for my shows in my dad’s dental office – just now, I have a full set of teeth.
If you didn’t have your current job, what would you probably be doing
I think I’d probably be a therapist, doula, florist, or billionaire.
Did Covid-19 change the way you create work? Do you approach shows with a different mentality now?
At the beginning of the pandemic, I moved from LA back to my small Oregon hometown with my parents and 93-year-old aunt. It was a bit of a tone shift! During that time, I kind of reverted to my childhood self. I made a lot of music, sewed, danced, and went on long walks. I just did what made me happy and had a real need to create all the time in any way I could. Becoming that sort of renaissance version of myself showed me a lot about how I need to feel when making things: free and light and playful, always following the fun, going where I want to, not judging my idea before I even have it.
Describe the last year in 5 words or less?
Woah, woah, woah, what? Wait!
Do you subscribe to the idea that art should be exempt from ‘cancel culture’?
I think that creating art in any capacity is part of creating conversation. I hate that cancel culture often tries to silence dialogue and discourse by oversimplifying complexity and nuance in our culture by erasing them instead of creating conversation through them. I think it’s easy to write something off because it makes us feel better and holier. But I think it takes more to think deeply about the art you’re consuming, about why perhaps it’s problematic to you.
I think some art benefits from cancel culture, actually. For some artists, cancel culture has almost become a brand, and there are whole followings ready to pick up the cancelled artist and embrace them. Like, “welcome to our side”. It just feels like a really ineffective way to sort through “good” and “bad” art. Instead, I think we’re just meant to feel from art and try to deconstruct why it doesn’t sit well when it doesn’t.
If you could work with anybody, from any point in history, who would you pick and why?
There are a lot of different ways I could answer this question but plot twist: I’m actually going to go with someone currently alive. I’ve gotten comments in the vein of “you’re the female Tim Minchin” or “you’re the girl Bo Burnham” for years. Not because we are especially similar, but people need to put each other into categories for us to make sense to them. A funny girl with a piano automatically gets clumped together with the funny boys who “had pianos first”. Anyway, I think it would be really fun to work with Bo Burnham. With that being said, to play into that dynamic. Like, duelling pianos or having him direct a show of mine. I think we could have fun together.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to take a show up to the fringe?
Do it. Just focus on making a show that makes you excited about going on stage every night, and do it! Don’t compare yourself to anyone who seems like they’re doing more, better, or different. Everyone is trying new things. Just focus on the fun of your show, use who you are, and the rest will work out.
When and where can people see your show?
I am at Just the Tonic at The Caves at The Wee One, August 04-28 (not 15) at 10:50 AM. I’ll be your hangover cure!
And where can people find, follow and like you online?
Instagram: @lanessacherielong
YouTube/TikTok/Twitter/Facebook: @lanessalong
Website: www.lanessalong.com
You can see Lanessa's show at Just the Tonic at The Caves at The Wee One, August 04-28 (not 15th) at 10:50 AM. For tickets and more information visit https://www.edfringe.com
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