What do your parents think of your job? 

Well I do crypto and I do comedy. They understand comedy. They definitely don't understand crypto. So I’d say they support me with the underlying thought of, “well, Viv will do what she wants.” I should add, my mom bought bitcoin while my dad sat and watched, telling her it was a mistake. She made money! Then my dad was like shiiiiit…..

What’s the worst thing about being a comedian? 

Every time I see my landlord, he says “tell me a joke Viv!” And when I say no, he says, “c’mooooon you gotta have these jokes ready!!” 

I think you are very good at what you do (that’s why I’m asking these questions). What do you think of you? 

I think I have a pretty deep desire to be honest on stage. I actually hated standup comedy for awhile because I thought it was so dishonest that these comedians would get up onstage and say, “last week blah blah blah” and we all KNEW it wasn’t last week. Or that they would laugh at their jokes that they’ve told a million times. I hated it. I wanted pure honesty which is why I was drawn to improvisational comedy. I felt like those shows were genuine and pure. Creating an entire set off of a one word suggestion?! Brilliant. All you had to do was listen to the last line that was said and react to it. But little by little, I got more intrigued with organized comedy (I think that name is fitting for standup / comedic storytelling) because I saw the performance aspect that actually was honest. I’ve tried hard to embrace that. And I like that. Ultimately, I try to pretend I’m just having a beer with 50+ of my closest friends. As for ‘’what do you think of you?”….hold on, let me check if there even is a “you” for any of us. Cue existential crisis. 

How much do you earn and how much would you like to earn? 

I earn 5 fowls per show and I’d like to earn 10.

How important is luck in terms of career success – have you had lucky breaks? 

Luck is kind of the base level for everything. You have to be ready, you have to be focused. And you have to have some luck come your way. I’ve had quite a bit of luck. It was lucky that I knew my friend Hugh who introduced me to his friend Matt who introduced me to my now director, Elizabeth Bennett. That was very lucky. It was lucky that my producer, Jeremy Gardner, decided to take a chance on this show even before I had done my first performance. And I’m very lucky that I have creative folks all around me to bounce ideas off of and talk through the lows of writing and creating. 

Alan Davies has said that comedians fall into two categories - golfers and self-harmers. The former just get on with life, the latter are tortured artists. Which are you – or do you think you fit into third category? 

I would say I'm a runner. I’ve seen golfers play golf and they’re seemingly always having a really wonderful time. They chat, sip a cocktail, take a swing, and either walk to the next hole with someone carrying their golf clubs or they ride in golf carts. It looks pleasant! But I would have a hard time being a golfer. I’ve always said my default action is to run, both for my mind and my body. It used to be a desire to find the next thing and I assumed I could only find the next thing if I was constantly moving my mind and body. But lately, I’ve accepted my lot in life that my mind will always want to run but I’ve tried to fool it by having it run in circles around the same thoughts. It’s the only way to think deeply about a thought but it does take active guardrails to do it. 

Who is your favourite person ever and why – not including family or friends or other comedians? 

Gwynne Shotwell. She’s the President of SpaceX (Elon Musk’s company). Ok ok, hear me out. She is literally the reason SpaceX works and is expanding the bounds of what we thought possible with space exploration. I don’t even know how I feel about space exploration, but any woman who can work with Elon Musk and make shippable technology *work*?! Frick yes. She has an interview where she’s like, Elon will ask us to do insane things that, in the moment, you think are impossible. But you just have to nod and find a way. I worked for a self driving car startup for 4 years (just me and 15 male engineers) and that line really resonated with me. I also think it’s a very powerful way to move through the world. 

Do you keep your drawers tidy and if not why not? (please think long and hard about this question, it's to settle an argument with my girlfriend. The future of our relationship could depend on your response). 

Uh oh, ok...here goes. I hope it's the right response...I keep them untidy. But the rest of the room is tidy because the drawers hide the shame!! 

Viv Ford’s ‘New Kids On The Blockchain’ is at the Just The Tonic Just The Attic at The Mash House @ 8.00pm for tickets go to www.edfringe.com

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