Performer: Kiri Pritchard-McLean Photograph by: Kayla Wren Show: Victim, Complex Venue: Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker 2) Promoter: Live Nation in association with PBJ Management Online: Box Office Facebook Website
Tell me about your Edinburgh show.
This is my third solo show, it’s called Victim, Complex and it’s about the last few years of my life, they’ve been quite spicy and I usually keep that stuff off the stage but I’ve decided to mine my personal life for material because I’ve run out of fresh new angles on Trump’s hair.
Tell me about your first gig.
It was the King Gong at the Comedy Store, I lasted the five but absolutely didn’t deserve to. It gave me a sense of confidence I absolutely didn’t deserve.
Do you have any rituals before going on stage?
None whatsoever. I try to avoid superstitions of any kind – says the girl who won’t go on stage unless she’s wearing sequins.
Tell me about your best and worst review.
Hmm, I don’t read them because I disagree with the good ones so I avoid. The first time my Dad saw me do stand-up he said “I don’t find you funny but I’m sure what you’re trying to do is very funny” which felt as brutal as it reads. He’s my biggest fan now though.
During this Edinburgh run, do you plan to read reviews of your show?
No, and I will try and avoid other people’s reviews too. I have a deep level of mistrust for people who read other people’s reviews, especially bad ones.
How do you feel about reviewers generally?
I don’t know. I’m sure they’re well-intentioned but the dream is to never be reviewed. As soon as I can sell tickets without favourable reviews I will have a press embargo like I’m a new iphone. I find it adds a layer of stress to the show that doesn’t make it better.
In April 2018, YouTube comedian, Markus Meechan (aka Count Dankula) was fined £800 for training his girlfriend’s pug dog to do a Nazi salute with its paw, in response to the phrase ‘Gas the Jews’. Do you believe Meechan committed a criminal offence, and why?
I love that you’ve written a list of questions when in reality you just wanted to ask this one.
I think he’s an idiot, I can see he thought it was funny. I don’t think it is particularly, I think when you add to that the rise of anti-semitism globally it’s at best tone deaf, and at worst a nasty little shit passing off his views as a joke. The judge said there was no context in which it was ok, and I know people countered that the joke was the context. I would argue Meechan speaking at far right events with Tommy Robinson and joining UKIP is additional context. Many a true word said in jest and all that.
Are there any subjects that are not suitable for comedy?
No, there’s definitely comedians who aren’t suitable for comedy though.
Have you ever gone too far?
Absolutely. Especially when I first started. It’s about finding audience boundaries as well as your own. You also grow up a bit and get to the stage where you don’t feel like certain views resonate with you anymore, basically, I’m fine with gingers now.
Looking back over your time as a comedian, tell me about the best gig of your career.
I did my first tour this year and I really loved it. There were two particularly fun gigs; Bangor (my hometown) and Salford (my second home). The audience were just amazing and it’s so lush when people turn out to support you. I feel genuinely honoured, that people are going to spend their hard earned cash on your words, proper special that.