Ari Shaffir talks about his new show, Ari S-P-E-C-T.

Tell us about your Fringe show

It's my current hour that I'm going to record as a special in the Autumn. It's a lot about alternate ways of looking at social norms. It's anti-children, it's irreverent, and it's a bit polarizing. If you're easily offended, you will most certainly be offended by a lot of this material. If you're cool, though, you'll have a good time laughing for an hour.

Best thing about the Fringe?

All the different comedians and styles of comedian that I never come in contact with in America. It's such a unique experience to grow as a performer, to see new technique, and new form.

Worst thing about the Fringe?


Rain.

How many years have you been coming to the Fringe?

This will be my second year. I did my storyteller show, This Is Not Happening, last year for four nights a week, which is a compere show. It was fun, but I want to do a proper, every day myself run at the Fringe. I'm glad I had last year as an introduction to the city and to the Festival, but now that I'm used to the streets and the grind of a monthlong residency, I'm ready to get into the madness a little more.

Favourite Fringe venue?


I'm not as much a fan of the venues as I am the comics who inhabit them. I don't care if it's a bomb shelter, a bus, or a theater, if I'm watching somebody who makes me laugh, I'm down.

Best Fringe memory?


I hate the word "best" but here's a couple of my favorites.

The last night I was in Edinburgh, I took some mushrooms with my buddy and climbed Arthur's Seat to watch the sun rise. Actually, I took mushrooms with two buddies but one of them thought we had trapped him in a reality show and he kept trying to run away from us. He thought all the streetlights were cameras and he couldn't escape the show. Anyway, at some point he succeeded in running away. Man! What a glorious sunrise. We met some other hikers who needed a lighter for a little grill. I gave them a lighter and a joint because I packed enough for three of us so I had extra. They paid us back with fresh sausage off the grill. It was one of the most delicious sausages I've ever bitten into. Definitely a top five memory.

Around two weeks into the Fringe last year, I needed a night off drinking. I decided that after my show that night, I was going to go right back to my flat without taking a sip to get a good night's sleep. When I got back, my flatmate Ahir Shah greeted me at the door and asked me to come have wine with his visiting parents. We talked until the sun came up. 

Oh, and this might be the best. We were coming down the stairs at the Gilded Balloon. These guys were trying to clear the stairs for what looked like an attempt to jump all the way down one set of a double set of stairs. There were, like, 20 steps. So my friend and I found a place to stand in between the first and second flight so we could watch. The steps went forward on the first flight and then went the other way for the second flight. I'm trying to paint the picture so you can see it. He was only going to jump down the first flight. Anyway, this drunk woman was standing at the top of the steps talking to a friend. They asked her (really politely, too) to move out of the way so the guy at the top of the steps could do the jump. The other guy stood in between the two flights to make sure nobody else came up and got in the way. This woman would not move. She scoffed at the request. Took extra time, and then VERY SLOWLY made her way down the steps. Man, she could not have been more passive aggressive. It's like she was in a contest to see how slowly she could walk. Anyway, when she was finally clear of the first flight and had turned and started walking down the second flight, the man at the top was ready for his jump. He was either going to nail it and it would've been one of the best jumps I've ever seen or he was going to come up short and shatter his ankles. Either way, I was going to witness something awesome. So he revs up to make the jump, but then at the top of the steps instead of jumping, he kicks a full one litre Coca-Cola bottle football style. I guess he was never planning on jumping but only wanted to see if he could kick this bottle and hit the wall at the end of the first flight of steps. And boy, he kicked it good. It almost hit the ceiling, he had such a good arc and velocity on that thing. It hit the way WAAAY at the top and then the most amazing thing happened. It bounced. A full soda bottle bounced off that wall and then went right over our heads down towards the bottom of the second flight of stairs. And who was standing at the bottom? That passive aggressive slow moving woman. At this point she had turned around to see all the fun (that she had been delaying). The Coke bottle hit the steps about five steps above her and exploded, covering this lady in shaken up Coca-Cola. Hahahaha. She was so angry. Man! We laughed so hard at that. What a great kick. No way he was planning that result, but sometimes God takes care of us, you know?

Best heckle?


The only good heckle is the one where the heckler chokes to death while they're coughing up their stupid interruption. All hecklers should be executed. They're garbage. I won't give them any compliments. 

Craziest on stage experience?


I had an old man get in my face and tell me to apologize to his wife for trying to verbally get her leave the room. I was not being kind at the time. I didn't apologise, but I did tell him I felt bad for him for having to live with someone so wretched. He was not amused. The next day he threatened to sue my promoter. 

What’s on your rider?


Water and gummy bears.

How do you wind down after a show?


I'm a bit of an introvert, so after talking for an hour and then shaking hands and taking pictures with the people who came out, I kind of need to be alone for a bit to get away from all stimuli. After that, I can be social, hopefully do some spots on other shows, and share a joint and/or a drink with other comedians. I'm pretty much only friends with comedians. It's a problem.

What do you love about Scotland?


After the Fringe last year I rented a car and drove north with no real direction in mind. All the rolling hills and the farms were just so goddam breathtaking. Everyone was so hospitable. People in big cities (especially in America) are so closed off. So it was really refreshing to be in such a desolate area that everyone you passed waved at you, where innkeepers wanted to talk about what brought me to places they lived. I could've spent a month up there in the north if the weather would have held.

Oh, and the scotch. 

What do you like about Edinburgh?

I like the way all the buildings are carved from the same stones. It's so beautiful. And Arthur's Seat. Since I moved to New York from Los Angeles, I never get to go hiking any more. I was up there 10 times, a few of those with my shirt off, it was so sunny.

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


I drank 23 nights in a row. That's pretty Scottish.

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


Before I got there, I thought Scots were more regal. But I guess that's just the English. Most of the Scottish crowds seemed to love a good dirty joke. Anything dirty, really. I don't have that much filth in my act, but any of my sex stuff hits way hard almost every night.

Favourite joke?

If you expect me to remember any specific lines I heard, you don't know how much weed I smoke.

Favourite Scottish food/drink? 

I genuinely like haggis. Everybody told me I was supposed to hate it, but I really did enjoy it. I had it fried at a late night place once and that was kind of bad, but the other times I had it were all delicious. And Caol Ila was my favorite drink. 

Ari Shaffir: Ari S-P-E-C-T is on at Heroes @ The Hive Cave until August 27, 6.30pm. For tickets visit www.edfringe.com