EDINBURGH 2023: Alexander Bennett Q&A

BWW catches up with Alexander Bennett to chat about bringing I Can't Stand The Man Myself to the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Tell us a bit about I Can't Stand The Man, Myself.

It is a stand up show about self-hatred, from a personal perspective, how I think that relates to a lot of things happening in the world today and my decision to try and overcome self hatred..

 

Why did you feel this was an important story to share?

It was so personally important to me to confront my own negative feelings towards myself and try to begin to do something about it, and the more and more I thought about the mistakes I've made and the mistakes I see people around me making, I saw how many of those mistakes were rooted in self loathing. Also, it's a rebellion against a world designed to make you hate yourself! The moment you go online, all that you get is a relentless barrage of things to compare yourself unfavourably to and 'hot takes' on how you're evil. Why aren't you fitter? Why aren't you on holiday? The thing that you like makes you evil, actually. 

Modern life is like being trapped in a beehive where instead of buzzing every last bee has something snidey to say about you and instead of honeycomb the hive is made from every unflattering photo of you that has ever been taken. All you can eat is the honey which makes you fatter and fatter until you cannot move inside the hive and you are stuck, in one position forever, licking sweet nectar from a bad polaroid of your own stupid face whilst bees slag you off. That's how I feel when I look at my phone.

 

Where else might we know you from?

I've filmed several stand-up specials and recently supported Eshaan Akbar on his tour The Pretender. Last year I launched my new high-concept podcast Born Yesterday with Andy Barr,  which has already had guests including Jordan Gray, Phil Wang and Laura Lexx. I was a key player in Mark Watson's Comedy Marathon, was nominated at the Leicester Comedy Awards as part of Consignia and co-orchestrated a huge charity event at the Pleasance Grand in Edinburgh called Dan Vs Food, in which a cast of 25+ comedians (including Ed Gamble, Iain Stirling, Nick Helm, Sophie Duker and Ivo Graham) watched a man called Dan eat his lunch. I have recently appeared on Radio 4, Shame is Delicious, Insane in the Men Brain and The Comedian's Comedian podcast.

 

Who would you like to come and see it?

Anyone with a loud inner critic. Anyone who finds humour in misery. Anyone who has 59 other mates who will definitely buy tickets to whatever they go and see.

 

What would you like audiences to take away from it?

"That man was very handsome and talented and we should give him money"

 

Photo credit: Ollie Craig

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