> Ralph Brown on his first hostage situation and why it's not stopped him from returning to the Fringe - SNACK: Music, film, arts and culture magazine for Scotland
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Ralph Brown on his first hostage situation and why it’s not stopped him from returning to the Fringe

Comedian Ralph Brown was performing at the Edinburgh Fringe last year when a heckler pulled a gun on him and his audience. This year, he is returning to tell the story of that night. I spoke with him about processing a traumatic event through laughter, how the Fringe is changing, and the genre of storytelling comedy

Can you tell us a bit about the show and the story behind it?

It was the fifth day of the Fringe, a Wednesday night, and midway through my show, a guy walked in and started heckling. I could tell something wasn’t right, and within 30 seconds he had pulled out a gun and started saying stuff like, ‘Nobody move, nobody leave!’. You can never predict what’s going to happen during the Fringe, but this wouldn’t have even been in my top thousand. Initially, people seemed to think that it was part of the show and the guy was a plant – people are naturally cynical with Fringe shows – but when they heard my tone of voice they believed me. I don’t want to spoil it but there were five or six really mad things that happened while he was in the room. I hope it’s the craziest thing that happens in my career.

It must have been a huge shock. What did you do then?

Immediately after, we were all standing around outside, and I got to know some of my fellow hostages. It was a bonding experience, in a way. Some of them came back to the show later that week; these guys Mark and Darren from Birmingham even brought me a bottle of rum, which is my favourite drink, and we’ve stayed in touch.

How did it affect you and your comedy over the last year, and how have you recovered?

I’ve had that fear in the back of my mind when I’m onstage, every time someone is late or there’s a heckler. I didn’t know whether the guy who did it was locked up or out on bail or what. I took a night off when it happened, and I was thinking I might cancel the rest of my Fringe shows, but I decided I wasn’t going to let this guy ruin my month. It has definitely helped to get back onstage and laugh about the mental things that happened. 

Is there anything that you think the Fringe or festivals in general could do to make it safer for performers and audiences?

I don’t think so. You’d have to have security in every show at the Fringe, which isn’t possible. I just think I was really unlucky – the whole show I was performing at the time was telling stories of how unlucky I am in my life, so that might have something to do with it.

You mentioned that audience members initially thought that the attacker was a plant, and you’ve said elsewhere you think this might be why this event didn’t make the news. Do you think there is a tendency towards shows that rely on gimmicks?

Yeah, I think people thought ‘ah, just another PR stunt’ – people have become a bit jaded. But it is a small minority of acts; the vast majority focus on putting on a good show. In a way I understand that approach – it’s so hard to stand out at the Fringe, and people spend thousands of pounds to be there. There are also never going to be rules against that kind of thing. But the best PR is having a good show.

Are there any ways that you have seen the Fringe change over the few years that you have been performing there?

I think the quality has gone up, but maybe I just get better at finding good shows. There are people I see every year – Stuart McPherson, Gareth Waugh, Gareth Mutch, Marjolein Robertson, among lots of others – but there are always two or three shows I see a year where I just take a punt. I would encourage people to take a chance on someone like me, who’s unknown. Other comedians have been saying they think my show is good, and if they didn’t think so, they would say!

You describe yourself as a storyteller comedian. What exactly does that mean?

When I first started in stand-up I was really conscious of copying others’ material – I feel like all the angles on all different topics have been covered. I realised I could kind of guarantee my originality by telling a story based on something that has happened to me. As I said, I’m really unlucky, so I very rarely have to change or embellish anything when I tell it on stage – mental things just happen to me. This situation [of being held at gunpoint] was terrifying when it happened, but I see my work as finding the funniest way to tell the story. A personal story is unique, and your individual take on it is unique as well. I gig in Edinburgh a lot, where there are often lots of tourists in the audiences, especially on weeknights, and I enjoy describing things people might not have encountered.

As well as international audiences, at the Fringe there are also acts from all over the world. Is there something special about performing there as a Scottish comedian?

People aren’t necessarily there to see home-grown acts, because there’s so much there, but we do a good job of getting the word out. It’s hard to make an impression at the Fringe, but the talent in Scotland is unbelievable.

My First Hostage Situation will be at Stand 4, The Stand Comedy Club Tuesday–Sunday from 1st till 25th August 

Photo Credit: Trudy Stade

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