Tell us about your show. Why should we go and see it?
It’s a collection of my best bits pooled from ten solo shows plus material from my cancelled show ‘Twonkey’s Custard Club’, which did not happen because of Covid. It left me with a lot of songs about Custard, too many in truth. That’s what started to eat away at me, I got cold feet while writing a song called ‘Sloppy Custard Sandwich’, it just felt wrong, I was really pushing myself to the point of madness. My mind was going Custard yellow and had started work on a cardboard Custard factory ran by Custard bears, small monkey like dolls that could only excess the set via a narrow greasy shoot. It was my brother who finally said to me STOP IT!
What are your hopes and dreams for the Fringe?.
That it fixes itself. That the money-grabbing landlords are put in a shoebox and kicked off a cliff and the money-grabbing council and the money-grabbing venues could slip over the edge too but most performers wish that, why would you not?
Last year was hard work for a lot of people and people were put off from coming and it would be nice to see people coming back. I played David Lynch last year and it was a sell-out show, so I didn’t feel the pinch as much but it was tough for a lot of people.
What makes you laugh?
Not enough recently but hopefully I will find something to chuckle at as the sun comes out and I wander about the Fringe. I am looking forward to finding something new. I like things that are from a different world and seem broken in some way, well to most people that is.
What three words best describe your performance style – and why?
Clumsy chaos Custard…. Why? I am quite clumsy and my show is almost impossible to perform so that leads to funny stuff and real chaos quite often. Plus, as I have already covered I have too many songs about Custard so I need to use them and this year’s show will be the platform for Custard capers.
How will your audience think/feel differently after an hour in your company?
No idea, I hope they feel the love, that’s it you see you need to love what you do and then people will love you.
What kind of shows – apart from your own – are you looking forward to seeing at the Edinburgh Fringe?
I don’t know yet but that’s the whole fun of it, finding stuff that’s the real joy of the Fringe. I like shows that are full of imagination and a little bit mental.
The cost of living is a big issue this year – will it make this Fringe more challenging?
Yes it will but all we can do is try and have as much fun as we can with the pennies we have.
What do you predict will emerge as the big themes of this year.
A.I. will be a big one I think. At moment it appears to largely make really horrible adverts for cheeseburgers staring Biden and Trump but I guess this is only the start. A.I. seems to be really good at costume design, a lot of the costumes are really beautiful, I watched a Soviet Wizard of Oz, which was mind blowing and showed real imagination. It seems fairly clueless in many areas at the moment but in time that will improv. At the moment it seems to think people enjoy watching food pour out of eye sockets and ears – I’m not sure why that is, it’s really horrible to watch.
Who is your showbiz idol and why?
Lillian Gish, She was cute, clever and emotional.
What is your idea of a perfect Fringe moment?
When you can feel it peaking you can almost smell the buzz and feel the heat!
Twonkey’s Greatest Twitch
18:30
The Voodoo Rooms
August 4 – 27
