Glenn Wool discusses father time, Scottish inventors and whether there's a God.

Tell us about your Fringe show

Creator, I Am But A Pawn’ is the hightlights of the two years since I wrote This Road Has Tolls.

I actually have a home now so it's sort of like the ramblings of a settled traveller... and whether or not there’s a God.

Best thing about the Fringe?

There are some people that I absolutely adore but I don’t get to see them any other time of the year except during the festival.

Worst thing about the Fringe?

There are some people that I despise with the heat of 1,000 suns and am able to avoid all year except for August where they are simply unavoidable.

How many years have you been coming to the Fringe?

17 (christ, I’m getting old!). Thats actually one of the themes this year. Ageing further than the completion of my goals.

Favourite Fringe venue?

Like everyone, it's the one with Glenn Wool in it. I would go as far as saying that many of them are only good when Glenn Wool is in them.

Best Fringe memory?

Cutting back on the drinking to the point where I’m starting to have fringe memories. I guess it's a natural by product of realising you have unfinished business and the clock of father time ceases for no man.

Best heckle?

I’ve never heard a good one. It's usually just a loud mouth trying to ruin a show. I’m the only loud mouth who should ruin my show! I really try my hardest to discourage it because there is a new form where people heckle in the middle of the joke. If you do that in my show, you're out. You can tell your misinformed theories about banter to the security.

Craziest on stage experience?

I liked the last full mooners. We all did a benefit for Paul Byrne who had cancer at the time. There’s a photo of everyone backstage before we all went our separate ways. Every time I look at it, it feels like the last days of disco.

What’s on your rider?

Enough red wine for 2 people and one glass. (hey, I said I'd cut back. I didn't say I’d stopped. It used to be enough for 4 people.

How do you wind down after a show? 

I like to pretend that for some reason my rider wasn’t put in the dressing room and that I'd very much like one delivered.

What do you love about Scotland?

I love the weather (I’m a recluse). That's kind of a joke and kind of not. I really do prefer the Scottish weather to blazing sunshine. It just gives me headaches. Some of the best moments can be had in front of a fire with a book and raging storm on the other side of the window. It gives you time to think. It's probably why there are so many Scottish inventors

What do you like about Edinburgh?

I like for one month of the year you manage to swindle rich kids out of their parents money and call it a festival



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

I believe making that statement is the most Scottish thing I’ve done. (and the ‘freestylin‘ albums I made with Frankie Boyle. All of them were recorded in sunny Glasgow).

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

Scottish crowds like clever and biting material which makes sense as they are quite a clever, bitey nation

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Favourite joke?

Why did tigger gaze into the toilet bowl? He was looking for pooh. It's not really my favourite joke but it's the shortest one I could think of... or maybe you meant my own. If it's my own then it's all of them. I love them all the same. Are you trying to make my jokes jealous of each other? Enough with the mind games, HeraldScotland.

Glenn Wool will perform at the George Square Studios on August 20-30.