Daniel Sloss has built a career on confronting uncomfortable truths. Whether that is tackling grief, relationships or the absurdity of modern life. The Fife-born comedian has never shied away from the darker corners of the human experience. The title of his latest world tour, “Bitter”, might seem in similar territory.
Except, according to Sloss, it’s anything but.
Daniel Sloss has named his latest show “Bitter” – but the Scottish comedian admits the title doesn’t tell the whole story. “The show should probably be called Insecure”, he laughs. “But I think that would be a bit too on the nose.”
Sloss describes his new show as “an angry man coming to terms that he’s happy”. Being home and grounding himself has been an anchor for his work. Surrounded by family and friends has helped shape his material because “Scotland doesn’t have a celebrity culture”, which is something refreshing for a man who spends much of his time travelling the world.
“I’m just a c*** from Fife who got lucky” Sloss says.
For years, Sloss spent nine or ten months of the year travelling, something he admits became isolating despite the opportunities it brought. Now, he has made a conscious effort to create a healthier balance, ensuring he spends more time at home with his family.
“I want my kids to see me having a healthier work-life balance,” he says. “I don’t ever want my kids to have the question in their heads: what’s more important to me, my job or them? The answer is them.” This shift, Sloss admits, has also influenced how he approaches his comedy. Rather than putting pressure on himself to constantly outdo his previous work, Sloss has learned to accept that every project does not need to be bigger than the last.
“There’s not a single artist in the history of the world who everything they’ve done was better than the last one,” he says. For Sloss, the goal is no longer chasing perfection but protecting the reason he started performing in the first place, the joy of making people laugh.
Now he is back in his hometown, Sloss offered a different perspective, his experience with comedy has changed tremendously and he isn’t the same comedian obsessed with climbing the ladder like he was in his twenties. He has found a healthier relationship with comedy.
“Stand-up comedy was the most important thing to me for the last 14 years, now it’s not in the top five”.
Sloss explains that chasing the next goal relentlessly creates a cycle of yearning for bigger tours, television work and international success which did not bring the same type of satisfaction it had before. He says: “ Success always makes you change your goals… you keep putting the finishing line further away”
Although, Sloss is undoubtedly a giant in the comedy world, onto his 13th solo show and currently on a world-wide tour spanning 60+ countries and with a stop off later this year at London’s Wembley Arena he says “I want to be 50 and still doing this” And now he is approaching comedy as something he wants to love, and he’s focused on longevity and continuing to enjoy performing, not just conquer.
This show is ready for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Sloss describes it as:
“It’s an introduction and a reminder… if you’ve never seen me before, it’s ‘this is who I am’… and for people who’ve been fans for 5, 10 or 15 years, it’s ‘here’s the update of the last three years of my life.”
Sloss will bring “Bitter” to the Edinburgh Playhouse as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with performances on 14 August at 8pm and 15 August at 4pm and 8pm.
Bitter isn’t just another tour; it’s a snapshot of Daniel Sloss at a different stage of life. The sharp humour and anger that people expect are still there, but now they’re balanced by a perspective shaped by fatherhood, a healthier relationship with work and personal growth.
Daniel Sloss: BITTER, Edinburgh Playhouse, August 14 and 15
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/daniel-sloss-bitter
