INTERVIEW: A Digital Pint with… Fab Goualin, on Growing Up Mixed-Race, Middle-Class, and Misunderstood

Fab Goualin’s upcoming Edinburgh Festival Fringe comedy hour Mixed Messages explores what it means to be mixed-race, middle-class, and misunderstood. Growing up in London with a Nigerian mother and French father, Fab was often the only person of colour in the room, which meant a lifetime of awkward assumptions, accidental anthropology, and people confidently explaining his own identity back to him. We caught up with Fab for a pixelated pint to find out what’s inspired him to bring his story to the stage, and where he finds the funny.

You can catch Fab Goualin: Mixed Messages at Gilded Balloon Teviot (Wee Room) from 17:40 (60mins) on August 5–17 & 19–30. Tickets are Available Through the EdFringe Online Box Office.

Shay: Hi Fab, tell us about Mixed Messages and why you have decided to bring this to the stage now?

Fab: Mixed Messages is about all the misinterpretations that come with having an intersectional background, and what they’ve taught me about identity. I’m bringing this to the stage now because I feel like I’ve got something to say, and when I’ve got something to say, no one can stop me.

Shay: Tell us about your process for putting together this hour – what do you do to get yourself motivated and what challenges have you found with this material?

Fab: It started out as a collection of all the jokes I’ve ever written, but slowly it’s evolved into being more tailored to the core themes I wanted to cover which I’ve actually really enjoyed because I didn’t know whether I could/would do that or not. What motivates me is deadlines, I put those in deliberately and they give me something to work on – Edinburgh has kind of been that for me. What’s been equal parts challenging and rewarding has been writing to a (personal) brief, because in order to build an hour show, the material can’t all be a product of serendipity.

Shay: Tell us about your comedy icons – who are they, and how have they influenced your work?

Fab: For my sins, I’ve been mostly influenced by American comedians like George Carlin, Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy which I know is so clichéd but it’s true. I kind of had to adapt in retrospect in the early days, because British audiences usually have a different taste to Americans. But I love stories really – that’s where I enjoy comedy most and how I model my own stuff.

Shay: Do you have any pre-show rituals?

Fab: A glass of red wine. Merlot for the win.

Shay: What do you do when you’re faced with writer’s block?

Fab: It’s never writer’s block I’m facing to be honest, it’s laziness, hence why I need those deadlines.

Shay: Will the show be performed anywhere ahead of EdFringe?

Fab: I’ve got four WIPs/previews left, one at Park Theatre in London with Rachel Galvo on 14/7, Tringe with Milton Jones on 16/7, Berlin Fringe on 18/7 and Telford on 28/7.

Shay: With EdFringe now just around the corner, what are you most excited for?

Fab: I’m excited about seeing the other shows. Lots of my peers/friends are debuting this year like Madeleine Brettingham, Alfie Dundas, Dane Buckley and Dominic McGovern, and they’re amazing.

Shay: Given the themes of Binge Fringe, if your show was a beverage of any kind (alcoholic, non-alcoholic – be as creative as you like!), what would it be and why?

Fab: A glass of red wine obviously! Full-bodied, layered, and guaranteed to leave a mark.

A reminder, you can catch Fab Goualin: Mixed Messages at Gilded Balloon Teviot (Wee Room) from 17:40 (60mins) on August 5–17 & 19–30. Tickets are Available Through the EdFringe Online Box Office.