Comedian Lindsey Santoro returns to the Edinburgh fringe with her new show 'It Was Like That When I Got Here,' discussing her unapologetic style, disastrous gigs, and the pressure of following a successful run.
Early influences and heckles
Santoro cites Lee Evans as an early inspiration, admiring his physicality on stage. 'I want to be more like him but I just physically can't. I try to sometimes; I'll move my arms. Now I understand why he was so sweaty!'
Her best heckle came from a drunk woman who told her, 'Don't worry about me, love. You're losing them as it is.' Santoro recalls, 'I was like, OK. Well, that's brilliant.'
Memorable bad gigs
One particularly awful gig was at a motorway service station hotel. 'It was on a flat disco stage in a hall, like a wedding reception floor. They had round tables … If you ever walk into a gig and it's got round tables, leave, because the audience isn't facing you.' She adds, 'The DJ was setting up behind me during it. The lights in the room were on because they were serving dinner, which was hot chicken and chips. All I could see was the back of people's heads, rustling paper, people sucking on chicken. I thought, "Is this comedy?" And it turns out, 80% of it is, yes.'
What to expect from the new show
Santoro describes her new show as a reflection on her unchanging nature. 'The context of it is: I haven't changed. I'm never gonna change. These are the problems that I have. And the problems that I have are my own, because I've caused them. I'm the issue.' She adds, 'It's just me talking about fannies, arseholes and willies. But you can't put that in the Guardian. Well, you can if you want. Knock yourself out!'
Family feedback and pressure
Her nan once advised her to 'give up comedy now and do hairdressing.' Santoro says her nan still follows her on Instagram, though she hides some stories. 'When I did The Weakest Link I thought she'd love that. But I did so badly on it that I was ashamed. She says stuff like, "Oh, you've made your point now."'
After her 2023 show earned a nomination for Best Edinburgh Newcomer and won the NextUp biggest award, Santoro feels the pressure. 'The last time, I was up for the whole run but still working my day job remotely. I was there with my child and my husband and there was so much going on, I couldn't think. So when I got nominated I thought: this is mad.' She compares this year to replaying a computer game, knowing where the hidden bits are, but admits, 'the pressure's still like you have to be the prize pig at the fringe.'
Pre-show rituals and bugbears
Santoro's pre-show routine includes a banana and squats. 'I've realised that I actually have to warm up. But what I've started doing recently is giving people in the room context to what I'm doing, because I was just squatting on the floor and people were like, "Are you OK?"'
Her pet peeve is insincere praise after a bad gig. 'Someone will come up to you afterwards and go, "Oh, that was great." I'm like, "Are you unwell? Were you in the same room as me? I died." If it's bad, just say it's bad.'
All-time favourite gig
A gig in a Redditch social club stands out, despite being bad. 'There was no green room. We were just kind of blocked off by tables … I thought: this is going to be bad, but let's just enjoy ourselves. And then the venue gave us a silver platter of sausages, white bread and butter. There was more food there than anyone could ever eat. Birdie's a vegan, so I sat there for the whole show and ate sausage, bread and chips. And that was my favourite gig I've ever done because each one of us died on our arse … and it was wonderful.'
Lindsey Santoro: It Was Like That When I Got Here is at Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh, 19-30 August.
