Could you first introduce yourself to the reader?
Hi! My name is Nick Pupo and I’m a comedian and actor based out of New York City. I’ve been doing stand-up for about 13 years and acting for about 10, both of which I originally began pursuing in Orlando, FL. Maybe you’ve seen me in TV shows such as Halt and Catch Fire, or Daisy Jones & the Six, or The Offer. Maybe you’ve never seen me in anything or even heard my name uttered or printed in any context, which is also very possible! I’m coming to Edinburgh to do the full run of my one man dark comedy, Addicted. Pleasure to introduce myself in this one sided conversation!
How would you describe your show?
Addicted is a show about young friendship and a curious teenager’s conflicting impulses to either keep a promise with his best friend or try every drug he can get his hands on.
Charlie was my first friend whom I met at 5 years-old during a burping contest. Charlie loved to make promises, and I’d give him my word whenever he asked. But keeping that word? That was a whole other matter. Some of the promises were small and insignificant, others would make or break our bond, but during this period of my life, I couldn’t tell the difference.
I chronicle my life with tales of deceit, cowardice, shame, and, of course, heroin. I’ve woven in dozens of polished jokes and nuanced characters, as I try to reckon with my own addiction, the countless lies I’ve told to everyone I love, and the untimely death of a hamster named Jerry Maguire. You’ll love it, I promise.
What is your favourite part of your show?
Coming from a stand-up background, my favorite part of every performance is the jokes. I love storytelling, which is a lot of what this show is, but I have the most fun when I’m telling jokes. There's one joke in particular I love that references the story of the Trojan Horse, and it's my favorite joke in the show.
If your show had a theme song, what would it be and why?
My show probably can’t have one main theme song, but perhaps two.
One being Heroin by The Velvet Underground, for pretty “on the nose” reasons. My show has a lot to do with addiction (particularly to heroin), and the song Heroin is a great encapsulation of what the drug can mean to someone, how an individual might feel leading up to trying heroin, feeling lost, searching for a way to “nullify” their life.
The other song I would choose is Houses, by Elyse Weinberg. My show also has a lot to do with unlikely friendships, and this song talks a lot about two people’s inability to integrate into each other’s lives. “I could never make it in your house, you could neve make it in mine” is a line that’s very close to my heart. My friend Charlie couldn’t make it in my house, I couldn't make it in his. I think some of the most interesting friendships and relationships are the ones where two people who don’t belong together on paper somehow make it work despite their differences. Why is that? Because they like the challenge? Because of unconditional love? I dunno, man.
What is one thing you hope audiences will take away from your show?
The other night, after one of my shows, I was approached by a guy about my age, and he had tears in his eyes. He told me that after watching my show he immediately called his best friend to tell him he loves him. We hugged and he cried on my shoulder for a minute, and that was a really beautiful moment for me. I hope people walk away with a feeling of strong love for their friends. I’ve also had people tell me that the show helped them better understand drug addiction, and that it made them want to reach out to family members or friends who suffer from addiction and reconnect. When writing this show I really had no idea it would have this kind of effect on people, so the reason for doing the show kind of presented itself to me, which is really wonderful.
If you could add a surprise celebrity cameo to your show, who would it be and why?
If I had to choose, I’d probably make it Tom Cruise. Without spoiling anything, there’s a Jerry Maguire reference in my show and it would be great to have Tom enter dressed as Jerry, even though it would completely derail the show and everyone in the audience would be murmuring “Was that really him?” and I would proceed to bomb the rest of the performance, likely.
Why do you want to perform at Edinburgh Festival Fringe?
It’s an opportunity to run my show two dozen times in a month, so I’ll be able to polish it and get it ready to tour back in the states and maybe the UK as well. I’ve only dreamt of taking a show to Edinburgh, and I’ve been hoping for about 7 years that one day I’d be in a place where I could pull it off, and now I can, so I’m over the moon about this.
What differentiates it from other festivals?
It’s massive size and reputation. There are so many fringe festivals around the world but the one you always hear about is Edinburgh. Anytime you see a great solo show, 90% of the time they’ve taken it to Edinburgh where they honed it and turned it from good to great. Hollywood Fringe was fun, and I did that this year where my show was nominated for Best Comedy, but there were only 300 shows at this festival. It's nothing compared to Edinburgh.
What is one thing you would change about the Edinburgh Festival Fringe?
I’m sure this is a popular opinion for current fringe performers and visitors, but the prices for lodging are out of control. I’ve never seen anything like it, and it’s really a damn shame. This year I have to stay outside of the city because trying to afford something in town just wasn’t feasible. I hope next year it changes. It’s just so unfortunate.
How has your background, upbringing and education had an impact on your artistic career?
Interesting question. I can tell you how it hasn’t impacted my career! I personally find my background and life to be nothing interesting. Lower-middle class upbringing in a suburb outside of Orlando, Florida. My homelife was pretty boring, other than a regular schedule of “fight nights” between my parents and siblings. Loads of drama inside the walls of the Pupo residence, always something “wrong” with someone, consistent screaming matches. I was somewhat of a latchkey kid, even though my mom was stay-at-home for a good portion of my childhood. I spent a lot of time roaming around my neighborhood being a menace, smoking cigarettes before I aged into the double digits, setting things on fire, looking at nudie mags. I think this freedom grouped with my ADHD, depression, and weight problem is what led me to be a funny person. It also led me down darker paths like drug addiction. I don’t know how these things impacted my career positively, other than it inspired me to write and perform and give my heart to strangers in dark rooms across the world. Nothing about my upbringing, background, or education has helped to springboard me into any kind of success in this business. I think I just have a tenacity that was instilled in me by my idols and father.
What is your favourite thing about performing for a live audience?
Getting a visceral reaction from people. I’m always going for laughs, it’s the most important thing to me, but since performing this new show, I’ve found I enjoy impacting an audience in more ways than with humor alone. I like to hear an audience gasp, or cry, or sympathize, or resent, I like when an audience has an audible response to my writing and performing. It’s affirming, it tells me I’ve accomplished something of value. But nothing is better than a laugh.
What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to you while performing?
I feel like I’ve always been adjacent to strange things happening on stage. Like, I’ve been on a show, but crazy things went down after my set. One thing, I did a house show in Memphis, Tennessee, and during one of the comedian's sets, a dog walked right in front of him and took a massive shit on the floor. The audience roared as the comedian stood and watched it all happen without a word. It was beautiful. I also watched a comedian friend of mine walk off stage, approach a heckler, and punch him in the face. This was before the Chris Rock/WIll Smith shenanigans, so it felt original and exciting, even though he shouldn’t have done it. Put me on the record: I do not condone punching hecklers. I just think it’s fun to watch.
What's the most challenging or unconventional venue you've ever performed in, and how did it impact the overall experience?
Oh man, I always have to mention the cesspool of Trump-obsessed, racist motorcyclists who convened at this actual warehouse called The High Octane Lounge in Crystal River, Florida. I don’t know what kind of reputation Florida has in the UK, but in the states, Florida is a laughing stock, and Crystal River is a shining example of what the rest of the country thinks Florida is as a whole. It’s a biker bar run out of a warehouse, and everyone in the audience wants you to be a blue collar hack, akin to Bill Engvall, or a charismatic minority who they laugh at for just about all the wrong reasons. I used to do 25-30 minutes in front of these animals and they hated me every time. Granted, I was a very inexperienced comedian at this time, but I think even now I wouldn’t have a good time performing for these folks, and I take that as a personal victory.
Is there a piece of feedback you've received from an audience member or critic after a performance that’s stuck with you?
The best piece of feedback I’ve gotten from anyone was for an early performance of my show, and it was from a friend of mine named Toby Huss. This is the piece of feedback I always go back to: He said “This story to you is important, and you’re talking about it as though it’s not important.” Before this statement, I was doing my show as a pure stand-up piece, but the more I performed, the more obvious it became that it required a lot more heart than a comedian gives to a stand-up special, so I started letting the emotional beats land. I tried to avoid being serious in any way because I like hiding behind jokes, but I’ve found the serious moments to be equally important in telling a great story.
What is your favourite thing to do in Edinburgh when you're not performing? How do you relax and look after your mental health?
Considering I’ve never been, I am going to take some guesses. Perhaps load my gourd with haggis. I’ve never had it, and I don’t want to be in the same room as it, but maybe that will change when I visit your lovely city. Sometimes trying new things can be surprising, so maybe my new love will be haggis.
I’m gonna take walks and ride bikes and see shows and spend time with the many friends attending this year. I am anticipating absolutely losing my mind out there regardless of how much attention I pay to my mental health. So, bring it on, misery :)
Is there a show you’re excited to see when you’re up there?
- Avital Ash: Workshops Her Suicide Note
- Claire Woolner: A Retrospection
- Patrick Hastie: My Grandpa’s Grandpa’s Dad
- Chloe Radcliffe: Cheat
What is one piece of advice you’d give to someone thinking about taking a show up to Edinburgh? If you’ve never been before, what would you say has been (potentially) the most useful?
If you can afford to, invest in a PR team and a promotion team. This will help you to get people out to your shows so that you can hopefully make back the money plus a profit. Find housing early, and stay with several friends in order to make it affordable. Make your show as absolutely strong as possible before debuting at the festival so that you can get those good reviews early. It will help you later in the fest.
When and where can people see your show?
My show will be at The Bottle Room with Just the Tonic. This is in their Mash House. It’s scheduled at 6:10 August 3-27, not the 14th.
And where can people find you online?
Follow me on instagram and twitter @nickpupo and on tiktok @nickpupocomedy.
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