EDINBURGH FESTIVAL 2009: BWW Interviews Comedian Daliso Chaponda

You say the show, which focuses on panicking Western societies, stems from a moment when you "snapped" and told a clueless group of Brits that this isn't a real financial crisis - is that entirely true or artistic licence?!

It's 100% true. However, the comedy club rant came after weeks of mounting irritation. All the newspapers and TV shows were one pessimistic doom and gloom feature one after another. Every conversation was about the financial crisis. Friends of mine were panicking. And all this while places like Zimbabwe were on the brink of ruin. One day in a comedy club, it was the Comedy Store in Manchester to be precise, I got up on stage and started a monologue which was the first seed of this show.

Brits like complaining about little irrelevancies - which in particular do you rant about in your show?

I cover a lot. I tried to hit get a few examples from the public and a few from the private. The public ones include: financial crisis, swine flu, terrorists and immigration. The most topical is the MP expenses scandal which, when compared to African corruption, is amusing. The private things which people panic about are their weight, whether they will find Mr. Right, whether people think they are gay and so on. I even mention historical sources of panic like the Cold War and Y2K. One hour is not even enough to cover everything. It's such a culture of panic that I can open any newspaper and within five minutes think of another joke I could add to the show.

What do you think came first - Brits' obsession with the little things, or the media coverage? Is it a chicken and egg situation?

I tried to figure this out in writing my show but it was impossible to figure out which came first. The media reports on the things making people panic which makes people panic. But even before the crazy media, the west was a culture of panic. As the year 1900 was coming, people all over Europe were terrified it would be the end of the world. Sound familiar? It is a chicken-egg situation 100%. If some social scientist has figured out when the panic began I'd love him to contact me.

When did you decide you wanted to bring this show to Edinburgh?

I actually wanted to bring a show to Edinburgh last year but I didn't feel the show I was writing was good enough. This is my Edinburgh debut so I wanted it to be a truly zany show. Westerners Calm Down wasn't even the original title. It was just a line I say in one of the jokes. A friend told me, "You know that joke; that's the whole show."

It's your first one-man show at Edinburgh - what did you perform in before, and is having your OWN show much more fun?

I've been a comedian for almost ten years and I perform in comedy clubs every week. I've also appeared in festivals all around the world: Cape Town, Montreal Just For Laughs, Melbourne. However at those festivals I was doing a short 20 minute appearance on a package show. Doing a one man show is better because you have enough time to fully address a subject. You also don't have to be funny every second. A one-man show can be an emotional journey. It's way more fulfilling. I've actually done a few one-man Shows before just never in Edinburgh. In Canada my first was Feed This Black Man and then three years later Don't Let Them Deport Me. Westerners Calm Down is the best one yet because I am a much more experienced performer now.

Are you going to get to see any shows while you're up there? What are your tips?

I watch a lot of shows while I'm up here because with 2,098 shows in one city it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I don't rely on reviews. I usually just ask random people on the street what great shows they've seen. I like getting word-of-mouth recommendations and that way I sometimes hear about really good, strange shows that might not have good publicists or influential agents. Also, if a few random people recommend the same show, it's probably great. The one show I'd recommend so far... hmm, I should probably be self serving and say my own, but actually I'd say Pat Monahan's Cowboys and Iranians. It just made me happy.

Daliso plays The Lot until August 31; doors open 7pm.

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