Interview with Glenn Moore

Glenn Moore takes some time to talk to Voice about the show, inspirations, and to give advice to young people.

Interview with Glenn Moore

Could you first introduce yourself to the reader?

My name is Glenn, I'm a comedian, and my favourite food is cake mixture.

How would you describe your show?

I tried to solve a missing person mystery when I was 15, and living with my grandad. I never managed to do it, so 12 years later I moved back in with him and tried to solve it again. I really hope nobody else is doing a comedy show specifically about this as well.

Why do you want to perform at Edinburgh Festival Fringe?

Everything you could need for a comedy show, as a performer or as an audience member, is there at the Fringe. All the shows are there, the venues, the audience, the nerves, the crippling debt. All there.

What differentiates it from other festivals?

Having been booked for the Ditchling Festival, where my stage time competed directly with Samantha Mumba, and a child threw Skittles at me, the Edinburgh Fringe is a vastly different experience.

Do you think the Fringe has changed over the years? If so, how? Are these changes positive or negative?

Enormously so. A kebab shop that I frequented a drastically unhealthy amount of times is no longer there, but at the same time I've since become a regular customer at Mosque Kitchen. So yes, the landscape has changed significantly.

What first motivated you to enter the industry? Who were your inspirations?

I was forced to do my first gig, which is absolutely the worst way to start. Some friends of mine were running an open-mic night. A lot of the acts eventually dropped out, so the organisers asked if I could go backstage for an hour, write some material and then do a set. I did, and it was HORRIBLE. Like, absolutely awful. So, then I did it again and again after that until it became a job.

If you didn't have your current job, what would you probably be doing?

Getting in touch with distant relatives and seeing if they could help their long-lost great half-nephew twice-removed out financially.

If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?

Millionaire. Just, what a great job.

What is your earliest childhood art memory?

Smearing lipstick - and I mean, like, a whole stick - across my face at the age of about two or three, for no reason. In many ways it was similar to a piece of performance art I sat through at the last Fringe.

Do you ever feel any pressure to be a social commentator, or constantly update material to respond to events?

If I'm writing for a TV show or another comedian, I'll make sure the material I write is fully up to date, and as topical as possible. For my own material, I couldn't be less of a social commentator, unless society needs to hear more about disco-balls.

Equally, do you think there has been a shift in public sentiment that has affected your work?

I think the more uncertain everyone has been feeling with regards to current events, the less serious my material has become. I personally watch comedy entirely for escapism, so I'm absolutely determined for my show to be for that purpose as well.

Describe the last year in 5 words or less?

I've been watching Love Island.

If you could work with anybody, from any point in history, who would you pick and why?

I'd work with the creator of Pizza Hut, and say 'hey maybe don't invent this - you will ruin Glenn's life and diet for years'.

Why would a performer opt to do either a ticketed event or participate in the free fringe? What are the benefits and limitations of both?

This feels like a rare subject that I feel even remotely qualified to have an opinion on, as my show is both ticketed and free. The benefit of having a ticketed show is ensuring no sneaky rapscallions watch your show, then hotfoot it out before you've come offstage, leaving with their pockets brimming with assorted coins and treasures, and you empty-handed. If you're doing a Free Fringe show, you can make more money than a ticketed show from the bucket at the end. The downside is you have to do an awfully passive aggressive speech at the end where you ask for money.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to take a show up to the fringe?

There's a cheap way to do everything, but don't do it the very cheapest way. Do everything the second cheapest way. Also, there are plenty of compilation showcases at the Fringe, which are worth taking part in - if the audience likes the 10 minutes of your stuff that they see, it can be more effective than a flyer.

When and where can people see your show?

People can - and hopefully will - see my show from August 3rd - 27th (except 14th) at 6.20pm at The Tron. Its called 'The Very Best of Belinda Carlisle' I shall see you there. For tickets go to www.edfringe.com

And where can people find, follow and like you online?

I'm on Twitter, @TheNewsAtGlenn. I post jokes every day for free, a bit like my show that you should see. I'm also on Myspace and don't know my password, so that's a horrible, permanent snapshot into what I was like when I was 18.


Glenn Moore: The Very Best of Belinda Carlisle is performing at Just the Tonic at The Tron at 18:20 on 3rd - 27th August (not 14th). For tickets and more information visit the Ed Fringe website.

Author

Tom Inniss

Tom Inniss Voice Team

Tom is the Editor of Voice. He is a politics graduate and holds a masters in journalism, with particular interest in youth political engagement and technology. He is also a mentor to our Voice Contributors, and champions our festivals programme, including the reporter team at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

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