Tell me a little about your show and what audiences can expect
It’s a deeply personal, very silly show about how we use humour and meanness as a defence mechanism, and what happens when that armour stops working. It’s got Cher, a baby that ruined my personality, and a bathtub full of wigs. I’m hoping audiences can expect big laughs but also big feelings. There are also a bunch of Cher song titles just dotted throughout the show for anyone that’s clever enough to spot them…
Looking at this production, how would you say it links to previous work personally and thematically?
Well all my previous work has referenced Cher in some way and despite my one aim for this show at the start being to include no Cher at all, she features in the show again. A lot of my previous work has dealt with past events and feelings in my life whereas this show is about stuff that is going on right now. It feels deeply personal in a way that I hadn’t expected. That said, I think all of the work I’ve done ends up being about how we move through the world and how people see us while we’re doing that, so I think that is probably the link.
What is the best or most inspiring show you’ve seen at the Festivals?
Lou Wall’s The Bisexual’s Lament. No question.
What’s next for you and how are you feeling about the future in general?
How am I feeling about the future in general? I think we’re on the cusp of world War 3, irreversible climate change is already happening and minority groups rights are being rolled back slow enough for other people not to notice so I’d say I’m feeling pretty bad about the future in general. I’m playing some dates in the US opening for the incredible Sarah Hester Ross on her US tour after doing the same on her UK tour earlier this year and then I have a bunch of other festivals and dates lined up. So I’d say if I can get all of that in before the earth turns into a fiery ball then I feel pretty positive to be honest.
What do you do to relax in August?
Oh it’s so cute to put in a joke question for us! Relax in August? Honestly I have no clue. My policy is I sleep in September, except as I say I’m off to the US to tour in September so that probably won’t happen. I have four shows a day at the Fringe this year (Married at Fringe Sight, Gag Race, Best of the Queer Fringe and Am I Mean?) so I don’t get much rest. However, this year I have a big focus on looking after my voice. I’m very aware that I play a bit fast and loose with it and if I’m going to get through this I need to think of myself more like Mariah Carey. So I will be having my dancers carry me around on a sedan chair and won’t go anywhere near strip lighting.
David Ian: Am I Mean?, Gilded Balloon Patter House, 30 Jul-24 Aug (not 11, 18), 4.20pm