We sat down for a quick chat with Andy Linden ahead of his show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Baxter vs The Bookies.
- What drew you to tell Baxter’s story now, and how does he reflect (or resist) the modern world we live in?
I read Roy Granville’s book of short stories called Baxter vs The Bookies, which is about an inveterate gambler tipster, and since I’m also a keen horse-racing follower myself and love stories about that world, I thought that I could adapt it into a theatre show that would suit me. The stories are both funny and poignant and I hope that I have woven them with my own ideas into an original quirky character-driven piece of theatre.
I especially like that the stories are about an out-moded dying breed of horse racing tipster, one who leave tips on a telephone tipping line. Those tipsters are going right out of date now, what with online gambling and all the flashy computer stats that everyone has at their fingertips on their mobile phones. So, Baxter is an anachronism, lost in the modern computer world, which is something I can relate to, only too well!
- As a performer, how do you keep a one-man show alive and emotionally rich over the run of the Fringe?
I know that most of my audience will be seeing my show for the very first time, so I imbue each performance with as much fresh, in-the-moment energy and zeal, as I can muster. That’s what acting is really, making rehearsed lines and emotions, feel real and present.
- Baxter relies on gut instinct and street smarts—have you ever trusted your gut in real life and it paid off?
Quite a few years ago, when the earth was flat, I was up at the Fringe and there was a pub called The Penny Black that was open at 5am in the morning. I was young and fit enough to drink in the early morning and still do a show back then. I must have drunk a brewery and decided that it was a good idea to lie down in the middle of the road and have a kip. I woke up when traffic was passing, but somehow, my gut had told me to lie in this particular bit of the road, that was closed for maintenance. I survived to do my show and tell this story.
- What’s been the most unexpectedly moving audience reaction you’ve had so far with this show?
I especially love when racing punters come to see the show, occasionally men who wouldn’t normally go to the theatre, but are attracted by my subject matter. At one performance, at the climax of the show, when Baxter desperately needs to win a race at all costs, a group of men in the audience absolutely roared with joy as the horse came in, and I was almost phased for a moment, by the sheer intensity of their jubilation about my imaginary horse winning! After the show, I discovered that they were a group of Scotsmen who couldn’t abide the Fringe and thought it was a nuisance, but they really loved my show. Later, in a betting shop, two other punters called me Baxter as if it was my real name, and asked me for tips as if I was the character himself!
- If Baxter could leave a voicemail for today’s online betting generation, what do you think he’d say?
“I know it’s great winning money on phone bets, but trust me, that soulless digital experience is nothing compared to being at the races. To really enjoy a bet, you need to be at the course, putting on a bet with one of the shifty on-course bookies, watching the race at the rails, close enough to smell the sweat of the jockeys, jostling with other frenzied punters, screaming with joy as your horse wins by a neck, and then returning to your bookie, with a huge smile on your face and forcing them to count out your winnings with a pile of notes into the palm of your hand. There’s nothing like it!”
- You’re performing at the Edinburgh Fringe—what’s the most delightfully odd or unforgettable moment you’ve had at the festival so far?
I was on the Royal Mile, watching a street performer juggling knives. He juggled three comfortably. But when he added a fourth, one came down, point first, straight into his hand. Suffice to say, there was blood everywhere. When I next saw him, he had a bandaged hand. And was juggling balls!
Venue: Gilded Balloon Patter House – Snug (venue 24)
Dates: 30th July to 25th August (not 12th, 19th)
Time: 1.00pm (2.00pm)
SHOW LINK: https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:5394/