We sat down for an exclusive interview with comedian Jessie Nixon, a recent winner of the Chortle Hot Shots Awards, about her new show “Don’t Make Me Regret This” directed by Lauren Pattinson at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year.
Running from July 30th to August 24th at 7:20 pm at Assembly George Square Gardens – The Crate.
- What made you decide to turn your most chaotic, messy, vulnerable moments into punchlines—and then share them with a room full of strangers?
A problem shared is a problem halved I guess? And I love it when people come up to me and say ‘that happened to ME!’ or ‘I feel the same but never realised before!’ and if I wanted people to think I was perfect I would nooooot be doing standup!
- Is there ever a point in writing comedy this personal when you think, …maybe I should have kept that one to myself?
Hahahahaha, is it bad that… no? I think I sometimes have to make sure I protect people’s anonymity in my stories but that’s the only scruples I ever seem to demonstrate.
- How do you know when you’re joking—and when you’re accidentally telling the truth?
Woah… deep! I think maybe good standup is when you’re doing both, but certainly I’ve been known to go on long rants in my sets which are more truthful than funny. Luckily I have a director who can say ‘cut that waffle out’ which saves everyone a lot of time.
- What does it take to stand onstage and laugh about the things that used to break your heart?
It’s the classic equation: tragedy plus comedy equals time! But I also think that discussing something on stage trivialises it pretty quickly (Hannah Gadsby’s nannettetalks beautifully about this) I’m not fully against making the traumatic into the trivial but I think you have to make sure you don’t just commodify all of your darkest hours.
- Is this show a cry for help, a love letter to the unhinged, or both?
Certainly the latter, possibly the first? I’ll have to wait and hear what people say, but I think my show might be an acceptance that help isn’t coming and that that’s ok…
- What do you hope the changing-room criers and glitter-covered weirdos in the audience hear in your story that they haven’t heard before?
I hope that they feel like I’m reaching out to them and that their weirdest and darkest and most contrary thoughts are not sinful and bad and that so many people feel the same as them. I hope they take the show home with them and mull it over and it makes them feel seen and inspired and energised.
Jessie Nixon’s debut comedy hour ‘Don’t Make Me Regret This’ will be at the Assembly George Square Gardens Crate at 7.20pm for the entire fringe for tickets go to www.edfringe.com