Dane Baptiste’s new stand up show ‘G.O.D’ will be at the Pleasance Courtyard Above at 9pm for the month of August so we caught up with him to find out a little more about the man behind the mic.
Dane Baptiste by Steve Ullathorne
Please tell us about your brand of comedy.
Observational Comedy; The Serious, Surreal and Silly. If Malcolm X and Malcolm Hardee adopted a child and raised him as a comedian.
What can audiences expect from your new show?
A funnier one than last time hopefully! I’ve done and seen a lot more in the last two years. The last show was about keeping my soul; this show is about being in a world where I have to work out it’s price to at least lease it.
Which comedians have been your biggest influence since you decided this was your path?
Most of the comedians I work with are a massive inspiration; we are all brothers/sisters/gender fluid humans in the struggle.
What random things make you laugh in everyday life?
Compulsive liars, I admire their creative energy. Adults who pick their nose and eat it. People that eat ethnic food and then complain about immigration. You have to laugh. So you don’t cry. Or punch.
Please tell us about your best and worst moment on stage so far.
BEST MOMENT: Can’t pick one, so I’ll say the first time I ever decided to do stand up properly was the best gig I ever did. WORST MOMENT: I did a Gig at Brunel University and was booed so hard the boos condensed into a thin viscose gelatinous “Boo” that years later I still find under my finger nails
Do you still get nervous when you do a gig?
I do! Still get super nervous! And there’s nothing worse than ‘bubble guts’. Apart from toilet doors with no f**king locks!
Why is Edinburgh Fringe Festival such a great platform for comedians?
It’s 24/7 Comedy, so can do a month’s circuit work in 48 hours, and you’re surrounded by every sub-genre of comedy, even including ‘anti-comedy’ so you can’t help but be influenced. Industrially it’s the largest arts festival in the world, so you can meet movers, shakers and decision-makers at their most vulnerable. Unfortunately your self-esteem will as high as snake balls so you won’t be able to take full advantage of them. But you’ll have fun.
Who are you looking forward to seeing at the Fringe?
Kae Kurd, Darren Harriott, Rhys James, Loyiso Gola, Maddy Anholt, Lauren Pattinson, The James Acaster Anthology, Athena Kugblenu, among others. Most of all, Whomever checks boarding cards at departures at the end of August.
What is your advice to aspiring comedians?
Turn and run away! Well if you’re going to be hard headed then, say the things you genuinely think and not what you feel societal or cultural pressure to say. Your observations or interpretation of art is your own; and it’s the only way you can be original and the more you’re honest about who you are the easier it is to look outward.
What is the oddest heckle you've ever received?
At a gig for the Centre for Speech and Drama a woman said “Tell us about you!” I was like “I was before you interrupted!!”
What is next for you?
World domination. Creativity of an unattainable level by most mortals. Staying humble.
Dane Baptiste’s new stand up show ‘G.O.D’ will be at the Pleasance Courtyard Above at 9pm for the month of August for tickets go to www.edfringe.com