Interview: Neil Hamburger

America’s funnyman Neil Hamburger, has been in the biz’ for over twenty years playing to sellout crowds, and opening for bands like Faith No More, Tenacious D, and NOFX. Known as the comic people love to hate, Hamburger has garnered a major record deal and a large cult following, and is now taking his act to the Fringe for a limited run at Assembly George Square.

We caught up with Neil in his hotel room, as he took a break from his tour in the US.

What can people expect at one of your shows?

Well, we do our best to try and get people laughing, so they forget their cares and their worries and just enjoy themselves, because there is so much pain and misery in people’s everyday lives. It doesn’t always work - I have to admit. Sometimes it just doesn’t pan out. But you have to keep fighting the good fight, you know?

Have you had any shows recently when it didn’t pan out?

Well, we’ve had a pretty good run of shows recently, but I did a show up in Calgary Canada, where a girl had a bit of a tantrum and assaulted me during the show. The police were called - it was a real mess. But then there are other shows where I am given a bouquet of flowers afterwards. You never know what you’ll get. 

You obviously respect the entertainment industry as a whole, but you do make rather cutting/borderline offensive jokes about actors, musicians and other celebrities. Do you see any conflict there?

I wish we lived in a world where entertainers would put out good quality products. When you see something like the ads for the Smurfs movie, all bets are off, you know? You just can’t be quiet. It is our duty as part of the human race to protest these sorts of things that really could disrupt life as we know it. Something like the Smurfs movie has the possibility to lead to mass suicide among children. It is a very unpleasant way to enslave a kid for a couple of hours by making watch this shit. And I’m trying to help, you know? It’s a crusade. 

You have quite an old fashioned look – glasses, comb-over, tuxedo. Have you thought about updating a little to perhaps bring in a younger crowd?

Of course I would like to get a younger crowd, but we get people with all kinds of diseases, disabilities and problems – we’ll take them all. We want everyone. I think the people that only want a young crowd are the crass acts, the garbage acts, the Britney Spears, that type of thing - where they come out in a dirty g-string to try and get 10 year olds interested.

What advice would you give someone trying to be a comic?

Don’t do it. There’s too many of them already. You’ll be cutting into our business. Do something else. Learn to drive a bus. Bus drivers are always surly - we need some friendly ones. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Do you have a message for the people of Edinburgh?

There are only so many shows you can go to, and we really do think we have a special one. I have taken the trouble to get dressed up, but you don’t need to. Come in work clothes. I once had a guy come to my show in a delivery man’s outfit, straight from work. And no the jokes aren’t for everyone, some of them are rather risqué, but if you like that sort of thing, I believe we have the best of it that is on offer anywhere in the world, and we do think you’ll enjoy it.