Steen Raskopoulos: Comedy Spotlight

What filmic depiction of war comes closest to the Edinburgh Fringe experience: a) Full Metal Jacket, b) Saving Private Ryan or c) Threads?

"d) All of the above. You need the strength of a Full Metal Jacket to have the courage to do the Fringe while Saving Private Ryan reminds me of performing your own show and looking out for your friends at the same time. Threads are the only thing you have left when it's all over."

Sticking with the film theme, the making of Apocalypse Now was so intensely fucked up that a lot of the chaos is real – Martin Sheen almost died. What comedy festival experience took you into your own heart of darkness, and did you end up in a river?

"At the Melbourne Comedy Festival last year there were many days on which I did double performances of my solo show followed by an hour-long improvised Bear Pack show [Raskopoulos' improv duo with Carlo Ritchie], plus a few late night spots here and there. It was intense and took me to a pretty dark place (also known as 'the flu'). Also, one time I ended up in a river but that was because I drank too much Schnapps and love a dare."

People often consider National Service to be a character-building experience that enriches a young person's understanding of the world and their place in it. Can the same be said for comedy?

"Yes, definitely. Comedy is a constant character-building experience. If you have physical and mental strength, the support of your fellow soldiers and the right tools you can travel the world and learn a great deal about yourself. I suppose the only major difference is being in the army puts you at risk of death and injury, whereas comedy puts you at risk of on-stage death and reputational scarring."

There's a famous episode of Blackadder where the soldiers pretend to be insane to avoid frontline combat and certain death. They do this by putting pencils up their noses and underpants on their head. It doesn't work, of course. How would you convince your own drill sergeant you're too crazy to be shot at?

"Wow, you’re really going for it with this military theme. Excellent commitment. Well, I would tell him that mental illness is a serious matter that shouldn’t be joked about. Then rip my shirt off and moonwalk away."

What's the most creative 'punishment' he'd inflict on someone who burst into tears mid-show?

"The drill sergeant in my show is not what you might expect. If someone was crying tears of joy he’d probably make them drop and give him 20 hugs. If they were tears of sadness, he’d probably encourage them to talk about their feelings. He’d then hit them with an air strike of support and a barrage of reassurance."

Incongruously, the theme from M*A*S*H was released by the Manic Street Preachers as a charity record for Scope in 1992. If your drill Sergeant were doing a charity record, what would be his bizarre cover and what's his good cause?

"He would probably cover That’s What Friends Are For to raise money for friendship. He says it’s the most important ship in the fleet."

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Steen Raskopoulos: You Know the Drill, Underbelly, Cowgate (Belly Laugh), 4-28 Aug (not 15), 7.40pm, £7-12.50
The Bear Pack, Underbelly, Cowgate (Belly Laugh), 16-28 Aug (not 22), 10.20pm, £7-12