Paul McCaffrey: Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Belly Laughs

Tell us a bit about your show this year.

I love music festivals, have done since I was a kid. Last year me and some mates went to a festival together for the first time since 1991. How can someone go from surviving 4 days on a diet of Lager and prawn cocktail crisps to only eating organic food and owning a matching Cath Kidston tent and wellies? Why are people wearing those ridiculous whacky hats? And is it ok to do pretty much anything you want as long as you say “come on, it’s a festival” afterwards? My show is basically me, asking myself, if I might have been better off watching it on TV.

How difficult is it to reclaim your youth when there are more rules and restrictions at festivals than there were twenty years ago?

I think the restrictions set by my ageing body make it more difficult to recapture my youth than those set by the festivals. The mind is willing but the flesh is weak.

What would a stand-up set by Ian Brown consist of?

Props (well, a tambourine), a lot of nostalgia: “remember white doves? What was all that about?” And some amazing anecdotes about the Hacienda, “So, there were me, Hooky and Bez…”

Is Ian Brown doing Edinburgh this year? I’d go every night

What are your tips for staying healthy during the Fringe?

Stay in England.

What are the biggest pros and cons for performing at the Fringe?

Pros: Get to be much better at what you by doing an hour every day do and hang out with some good people that you might not see much for the rest of the year.

Cons: Miss home, my girlfriend and my cats (Lennon and McCartney).

Who else’s shows are you planning on catching this year?

Matt Forde, Marek Larwood, Roisin Conaty, Joel Dommett, Rob Beckett