Grainne Maguire: Where Are All The Fun Places And Are Lots Of People There Having Better Fun?

What can you tell us about your show this year?

My show is about being paranoid that absolutely everyone in the entire world in hanging out behind my back and having a brilliant time without me. On purpose. It involves me trying to live my life like I’m in a 90s teen movie, my celebrity rift with Kate Middleton and the time I gate-crashed the Labour Party conference in Liverpool – all in the name of being where the fun times roll.

Has the idea for the show stemmed from the regret of missing out on any particular event?

To be honest my entire life feels like one big event I’ve just missed out on. My Mam was a teenager in the 60s and asked her if she ever went to see The Beatles or The Rolling Stones. She said she wasn’t bothered; she preferred show bands. That chilled me. I vowed to never miss out on any of the good stuff. As a teenager in the 90s I was truly tortured by what would my generation be remembered for? Should I be a grunger, a raver or listen to Britpop? I compromised by wearing a check shirt, buying an Oasis poster for my bedroom and listening to 2 Unlimited.

In terms of Edinburgh in August, where are all the fun places to be?

There are too many fun places to be in Edinburgh that is the problem. The never ending possibilities and embarrassment of choices the festival offers past mid night makes me feel physically ill. There are the performers bars, where you think the fun is, the old men pubs you can never find where you know fun people actually hang out, and the secret parties in flats where you suspect the best fun actually is and are never invited. If I had my way I would create a Harry Potter style Marauders Map of fun, so I could keep a track on it 24/7.

One of your goals is to sing ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ with Peter Mandelson. What duet would David Cameron and Nick Clegg perform to rival you?

I think Dave and Nick would probably try to steal our limelight by doing something lame and covering ‘Crazy In Love’ by Jay Z and Beyonce, with Dave trying to be all street as Jay Z and Nick grinding up against him in a bikini. Peter and I would just roll our eyes and Pete would say something mean like, “And people call me a try hard?!” then we’d laugh and high five. Nobody beats me and Peter at karaoke.

What is the biggest mistake people make at the Fringe?

My biggest mistake is trying to condense all the fun I’m sure I’m missing out on the rest of the year because I’m working and gigging into one already stressful month in Edinburgh. So as well as gigging, I feel like I also have to be out every night, go see shows, cement a friendship, create an enemy, have a festival romance, finish the romance but overcome it very publicly by looking amazing in the Pleasance Courtyard, climb Arthurs Seat, meet and possibly become friends with a celebrity, find that Olympic swimming pool everybody bangs on about… and then there’s the International Festival. By the time September comes I just want it all to end.

Whose shows are you hoping to catch while you’re in Edinburgh?

Lou Sanders is always amazing. Holly Burn deserves to become an Edinburgh institution or end up in one, Catie Wilkins is one of the best writers on the fringe and Luisa Omelian’s debut show this year is going to kick butt. Go to any of their shows and relax in the knowledge you are where the fun is really happening…