Fringe Dog meets Susie McCabe

Edinburgh’s canine journalist talks to one of Scotland’s best stand-ups about her new optimistic show, and her dog Baby

Illustration: Lauren Hunter hallo ms susie !!! i hear you doing great show about trying to be more optimistic as a cynical person. with this in mind i think it very important to ask you, what breed is your dog ??? they say a dog is a “mans” best friend , would baby describe you as their best friend ??? how would baby describe your show ??!

Lhasa Apso.

No. Baby would describe me as her best alibi, that is, when blamed for eating the biscuits she knows she can count on me to take the heat off. Her other mum is definitely her best friend.

She would likely be offended that she’s not mentioned more, but living in the shambles that is my life, she would approve of me trying to make light of the situations that arise. when you come home after a gig, good or bad, how does baby support you ?!? Baby is quite aloof and doesn’t really pick up on the moments I might need a cuddle, and will certainly never accept affection simply on my terms, but she is there to jump on my head at two in the morning, thinking that’s an acceptable time to carry on, and that, to her, must be nice. dogs tend to be happy-golucky as we lack the executive planning skills to think forward, do you think being cynical is just part of being human ??? Yes, absolutely. Expect the worst and anything else is a bonus. However, I am trying to be more positive and keep cynicism to a minimum – you’ll hopefully see this in my show! what is your favourite edimbrugh smell !?! what are baby’s tips to be happy about the world and do you agree ?!?

My favourite Edinburgh smell is probably at the Christmas markets where it’s a mixture of ten thousand candles, mulled cider and pastries.

Baby would definitely say sniff everything at least twice, pee in as many places as possible, always trust your instinct and don’t stray from your pack. I’m quite happy with all of that!! what shows is baby most lookin’ forward to in edimbrugh ?!? Baby loves daftness and has a great sense of humour, but she’s smart and cultured so she’s definitely going to have a diverse Fringe. I think she’s hoping to see Ada Campe (she loves her) and might take in some poetry by Pauline Holmes that is all about dogs.

VENUE:

TIME: 7:45pm – 8:45pm, 3–28

Aug, not 15