Shay Mace
Guy Branum arrives at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe next month with his new stand-up hour Be Fruitful, which he describes as a joke-dense slide show journey through religion and science arguing that he, as a clinically obese gay man, in his own words, ‘does not serve any practical purpose’. It’s a story that covers why he’s bad at telling stories, the 1984 Tony Awards, the first and only time he’s been in love, and, of course, the biology and evolution of fruit. We caught up with Guy for a pixelated pint to find out more about the show.
You can catch Guy Branum: Be Fruitful at Billiard Room at Gilded Balloon Teviot on August 5th – 31st from 20:30 (60mins). Tickets are available through the Gilded Balloon Online Box Office.
Shay: Hi Guy! Your upcoming EdFringe hour is a slide show journey through religion and science – tell us about what you’ve learnt and what you hope to impart on the audience through the show.
Guy: The main thing I learned was that dinosaurs couldn’t get fat. Apparently they couldn’t store subcutaneous fat and put most of their energy into getting as big and muscular as possible. You know, like most middle aged gay guys. (Not me, I’m a gay guy who’s AMAZING at storing subcutaneous fat). But the real thing I’ve learned is that even though we have more political and social acceptance of gay lives, we really don’t know how to talk about gay life journeys in ways that aren’t just “isn’t it great, they’re almost like straight people.” That’s impacted my own life, and my relationships, and this show is an attempt to reconcile all of these things with each other and the biology of fruit.
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?
Guy: It started out as a very cerebral hour of jokes about being fat and gay and not understanding the practical purpose of my life. It was an area of jokes that had been coming to me, and I knew I needed to do an hour about it. Then my best friend saw it and he said “you have a joke where you say ‘If straight people honestly understood gay men’s lives, they’d be disgusted,’ then you tell punch lines about what’s disgusting about other gay guys, but not what you think is disgusting about you.” And that broke open the whole show for me. It is a much more revealing and personal show than I’m used to, and it always feels strange to do.
Shay: Tell us about your comedy icons – who are they, and how have they influenced your work?
Guy: Joan Rivers was a huge influence on me when I was a small child, she seemed so bold and scandalous, so years later when I got to write for her, that was a particular thrill. Scott Thompson was one of the first people I saw on TV willing to be that level of bold and insightful from a gay male perspective, and I still worship him. French and Saunders also meant a lot to me. Their cultural sensibility was nuanced and ridiculous, and I love their take on anything.
Shay: Do you have any pre-show rituals?
Guy: Urination.
Shay: What do you do when you’re faced with writer’s block?
Guy: The real answer is I sit at my desk, angry at myself for not being able to produce the right joke. The best answer is once I truly give up and go for a walk, take a shower, work out, go for a drive, or get a massage, somewhere in that magical space where my brain is perfectly relaxed, the ideas start coming.
Shay: Has/will the show be performed anywhere ahead of EdFringe?
Guy: I’ve done the show some in the United States, mostly at the Lyric Hyperion, a little theater in LA, but also a few times in other cities.
Shay: With EdFringe now just around the corner, what are you most excited for?
Guy: Getting to see Sara Pascoe, James Acaster, Jack Rooke, and/or Ruby Wax live.
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?
Guy: This is a show about fruit! It’d be the fruitiest of cocktails. It’s like a Rum Punch meets a Sex on the Beach with a veritable Carmen Miranda hat of a garnish on top. Too sweet, too sour, too alcoholic, possibly with a spicy, salty rim, just to make sure you’re getting all the flavors at once. You’ll feel awful the next day, but it’ll be so much fun going down!
A reminder you can catch Guy Branum: Be Fruitful at Billiard Room at Gilded Balloon Teviot on August 5th – 31st from 20:30 (60mins). Tickets are available through the Gilded Balloon Online Box Office.
Salvador Kent
