What happens in Scotland
One of the many distinctive things about last year's Edinburgh Fringe was the story of one stag do, told by several different comedians. It wasn't done on purpose, like one of those arty Fringe experiments. In this case one very successful Scottish comic had taken a bunch of his comedy mates over to Las Vegas, it turned out, for a week, which is a long time in Vegas. No wonder they all ended up talking about it.
As many of these chaps are now settled down with kids, this was clearly the most interesting event that happened to them all year, so when it came to writing their Edinburgh shows, that became the big set-piece. And you can understand it. While you can recreate much of that Vegas experience online these days, with a British spin at one of the top 20 casinos licenced by the UKGC, rolling the dice from the comfort of your own armchair probably won't end up as material. What happens at home stays at home.
A week in Las Vegas with a big group of comics is likely to throw up some novel stories, on the other hand; well, novel unless you heard another of the comics tell the same one earlier in the day. Knowing how comedians work, they probably liaised beforehand about who was telling what story - although it's not definitely the case that they'd all know each other well, even having been away together; anyone who has been on a big stag do knows that there are always a few random people where you never quite work out how they know the groom-to-be.
If they did liaise, you'd imagine that conversation would be quite intriguing regarding how far they would actually go, in revealing stories from that trip. Stag do's by their very nature can involve activities that are actively a bit salacious and best kept in-house, and particularly ones in Vegas. The whole feel of that city as a vacation location has thrown up a Fight Club-like rule: 'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas'.
Although ironically enough, the other place with a similar ethos is Scotland's capital during the Fringe. The often-heard term 'Edinburgh rules' basically suggests that the city is such a wild and stressful environment during that month, the usual rules of behaviour don't quite apply and you can get away with a lot more, just to get by. Nothing wildly dodgy or illegal, of course, just stuff you wouldn't want people back home knowing about, perhaps.
Then again, those Edinburgh rules presumably don't work for everyone, and surely only really apply to comics who are away from home for the duration. If you're a comic who actually lives in Edinburgh, without all the travel and the expense of renting a room, then that's a very different story. Even if your show isn't going well, you can hardly go off on a debauched bender or find momentary solace in the arms of another, when the wife and kids are waiting at home with your dinner.
Save that stuff for Vegas, and we'll say no more about it.