Jake Yapp talks about his new stand up show, One In A Million.

Tell us about your Fringe show

I sat down to start writing it, and starting wondering what brilliant, unique insights into humanity I had to enlighten the world with, and realised I didn’t really have any. (Wow. Now that’s a soft sell).

But I started to get interested in the whole idea of uniqueness… And come to hate it. I realised that the whole idea of uniqueness is a brilliant construct, peddled by big business.

Massive companies mass-produce goods and sell them to millions of people, all on the premise that ‘you deserve this product, because you’re unique’. What a brilliant illusion that is.

I’m not really saying people don’t have some unique characteristics to them, but too much emphasis is placed on that aspect of us, and not enough on the commonalities between us. Which is what leads to racism and other rather awful things.

Er, there’s jokes, too, honest. In no particular order, I draw upon Trump, Tempeh, Adam Curtis, Sex in WW2, hipster bicycles, Guess How Much I Love You… and Len Goodman. I also start the show by attempting to do the whole Edinburgh Fringe in 5 minutes in the style of my Charlie Brooker Weekly Wipe pieces.

Best thing about the Fringe?

This sounds a little sycophantic, but the audiences are usually really great. Really engaged. The nicest thing is when you get audiences who sort of forget they’re watching a show, and do those conversational sorts of heckles. I love that. The last two times I came here I did PBH’s Free Fringe, and the nice thing was that you’d always get some wildcards - people who’d just come in because it was (invariably) raining and it was a nice, warm, free place to come and have a sit down. The challenge was to bring them into the show and make them feel included.

Worst thing about the Fringe?

It takes stamina. If you have a good Fringe, it can buoy you up, and the audiences’ enthusiasm can build as word spreads. But, if you get a lousy review from a dud show, and find yourself standing in the rain flyering, seeing pictures of your own face being ground underfoot up the road… It can be hard to keep going.

How many years have you been coming to the Fringe?

I did 2008 and 2009. I think doing the Fringe can be a little like camping - it takes about a year to forget what it’s really like, and think to yourself ‘Hey! I know what would be a really fun idea!’ - The fact that it took seven years to forget how bad it was tells you how my last Edinburgh Fringe experience was. I’m kidding. It wasn’t bad, but it was gruelling - I was still writing and performing on the 6 music Breakfast Show six mornings a week, doing two one-man shows a day, and guest spots. My working day was 6am-Midnight and it was too much. I am not going to make that mistake this year.

Favourite Fringe venue?

I will always have a soft spot for the Dragonfly, on Grassmarket. It’s where I did my first Edinburgh show, and it was a really happy experience. It’s a lovely venue, too - really intimate.

Best Fringe memory?

I was doing an improvised sea-shanty, and I had to ask the audience for a woman’s name to use in the song. Simultaneously, one person shouted ‘Fanny!’ while another shouted ‘Ophelia!’ So we went double-barrelled with Ophelia-Fanny. You cannot manufacture such charmed moments.

Best heckle?

I used to do a song called ‘I’m The Man Who Puts The ‘Yapp’ Into Priapic’, which was about wanting to do classy jokes about Fermat’s Last Theorem or whatever, but that what people generally wanted was more, ah, bawdy. And I had a line about the delocalisation of light particles… I sang it, and a guy in the audience blurted out something about ‘Well, actually, light behaves more like a wave…’ so we got given a mini-lecture about the properties of light and it was fascinating. Although it didn’t win Best Joke of the Fringe.

Craziest on stage experience?

This wasn’t on stage, but I played an alternative rock festival once (which I don’t recommend) and I camped there for the night. The next morning, when I went back to my car, even though it had been LOCKED all night, somehow, someone had got into it. They hadn’t stolen anything. They’d just done a poo in the passenger footwell. I mean. Come on.

What’s on your rider?

This goes against every principle I hold dear, but… Pepsi Max. It should be a controlled substance. It’s rammed with caffeine and phenylalanine, which is an antidepressant, and I have a moderate to severe dependency. I have sworn to myself i will get off it before my son turns 5 in two years’ time. But my God, it helps with parenthood...

How do you wind down after a show?

My general feeling after a show is ‘I got away with it! Let’s GET OUT OF HERE’ - I do love talking to people right after a show, but beyond that, I like to get away and get some fresh air. I’ve been cycling to venues a lot, lately, and exercise helps burn off the adrenaline. God. How boring. Ok, I do several lines of cocaine, and then go clubbing and do bodyshots off massive German blokes. Haha.

What do you love about Scotland?

This sounds like such a cliche, but I have always been made to feel so welcome. People are so nice here. And you have to love the landscape. It’s just stunning. And, obviously, it’s great climate-wise. Who doesn’t want a little bit of November-vibe injected into their summer?

What do you like about Edinburgh?

It’s a handsome city. I think the people of Edinburgh are amazingly patient with the huge incursion of needy exhibitionists every summer.

What’s the most Scottish thing you’ve done?

I fry everything. I’m also looking forward to my annual dosing of Irn-Bru. I bloody love that stuff.

What kind of jokes do a Scottish crowd seem to respond to?

Well, in Edinburgh? Jokes about Leith. In Leith? Jokes about Edinburgh…

Favourite joke?

I can never remember jokes. Bodes well for the show, doesn’t it? I think Tim Vine is a genius. And I can’t remember a single joke of his. I like things that build. I think one of the funniest sequences of all time is Stan Laurel bottling wine in The Bohemian Girl.

Favourite Scottish food/drink?

I have to say, I love Glasgow for the food - it’s the vegan capital of Britain. Try the buffalo cauliflower at Mono - you’ll NEVER GO BACK.

Jake Yapp performs his new stand up show ‘One In A Million’ at the Underbelly Wee Coo on Bristo Square for the month of August for tickets go to www.edfringe.com