Interview: Elf Lyons

Following her sold-out run at last year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 2017’s Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Show Nominee Elf Lyons hits the road with her new show, a surreal tale of love and loneliness.

In August 2018 Elf was planning a physical clown show with dance, tap, rock n roll and the splits. However, a couple of months later, disaster struck; Elf was taken to the hospital and told it was best that she never performed again.

After months lying on her back and in and out of MRI machines, Elf had to rethink what she was going to do and how she was going to perform again. Elf’s new show Love Songs to Guinea Pigs sees the clowning comic embodying her inner Katherine Hepburn on an absurd narrative of heartbreak and love with live music, terrible mime, silly characters, enthusiastic accents and entirely true stories.

Ahead of her Bristol gig (Nov 16, Tobacco Factory Theatres, courtesy of the brilliant Chuckle Busters), we caught up with Bristol uni alumnus Elf for a quick chat about changing her comedy game… and some treasured Bristol memories.

You have had a pretty life-changing year or so. How has it been – how has the diagnosis changed how you a) perform and b) live your life generally?
Without sounding like the most exciting person you have EVER met, I sleep more. Pretty much all the time. I am now 10% human and 90% sloth. My energy all goes on either eating brioche or getting on stage and being silly. Before my spinal op, I was a vampire who never slept or rested and was GO GO GO all the time. Now my two favourite places are the stage and my bed.

Are you as happy performing now as you were before last summer’s events?
Always. Each time I go onstage it is the most kinetic and visceral, endorphin-fuelled form of mindfulness. The moment I am onstage I feel at home and I feel happy. Might sound cheesy, but it is true.

This might be the first comedy show ever to feature guinea pigs. Tell us about your two guinea pigs and how they’ve impacted on your life.
My sleeping has been impacted mostly, as I am now constantly awoken by the sound of Ian McCulloch deep-throating the water bottle like a madman. Clara Cupcakes is the most beautiful little miniature ewok you’ve ever seen and I spend any moment I can cuddling her.

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They’ve solidified the fact I will never own enough to buy a house, as a I had to spend a small fortune at the vet last week in order to be told “Ian is too fat”. Sure,  he is, but it is REALLY hard to put an animal that has no understanding of the risks of diabetes on a diet. I have never met any mammal that eats as much as him. I swear, if he was a human, he would be one of those blokes that goes on stag dos to Prague and spends winter with his top off. In contrast, Clara would be a softly spoken charity worker who likes to crotchet and spends most of her days in Pret.

In answer to your question, they have made me even more weird than I was before.

You studied at Bristol … tell us your memories of that time.
Dancing at Mr Wolfs until the early hours, eating noodles and drinking cider and spending the next day as bloated as a whale.

Spending moments of complete oblivion at the Corrie Tap trying to complete ‘the challenge’ before meandering down to Thekla. Sitting by the harbour having existential crisis in the middle of the night.. worried about the future.

Mayfest at Bristol Old Vic, and seeing every type of performance imaginable. Early morning walks at Ashton Court whilst the mist is still settled in the hills…

It was a really beautiful time. I am really excited to come back.

Elf Lyons’ Love Songs To Guinea Pigs is at The Tobacco Factory in Bristol on 16th November. For tickets and more information go to www.theelflyons.com or www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com/shows/elf-lyons-love-songs-to-guinea-pigs

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