2011 Edinburgh Fringe

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From playing Glastonbury and Ronnie Scott's to miming on children's television, musician turned comedian Rosie Wilby looks back at the emotional rollercoaster of chasing stardom at the heady height of Britpop in her new show, Rosie's Pop Diary, at the Tron from 4-28 August this summer.

Mixing stand-up, storytelling and acoustic versions of her songs, Rosie delves into a personal treasure trove of old photos, fan letters, reviews and the original Rosie's Pop Diary (her '90s column in the now defunct music magazine, Making Music) for this funny and touching new show that explores the nature of nostalgia.

Rosie's Pop Diary traces the weird and wonderful story of a singer that nearly made it - from bizarre auditions, supporting Bob Geldof and Jamie Cullum to walking barefoot along one of London's busiest roads just because it would make a good album cover.

As Pulp, Blur and Oasis were making headlines, Rosie's house and belongings were literally going up in smoke, just days before her big album launch, as her house caught fire. Homeless and without any Cool Britannia clothes, Rosie thought it couldn't get worse until a friend donated an old Brownie uniform for her to wear at her own gig...

Rosie says: "This is the first time that I've brought together my music and comedy in a single show. I only really started telling jokes and funny stories as a way of cheering up the audience in-between my downbeat acoustic songs. I had no idea a whole new career would take off. It's funny that things have come full circle, so much so that I now find myself filling the gaps between the comedy with my music!"

"It's an almost spooky coincidence to have been offered a slot at The Tron where I played my first ever Edinburgh gig at the Acoustic Underground showcase a month after my house had burned down in 2000. I hope not to be wearing random borrowed clothes and playing a semi-charred guitar this time. It did affect the tuning slightly!"

Rosie has appeared as a roving reporter on 5 Live and as a guest on BBC Radio 4 Loose Ends and Woman's Hour, LBC and BBC London. She was a finalist at Funny Women 2006 and Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year 2007. Her previous solo show The Science Of Sex won a Fringe Report Award and was a sell-out at Cambridge Comedy Festival, Camden Fringe and Liverpool Comedy Festival. Still a passionate music lover, she writes for award winning website musicOMH.com and has previously written for the NME, Time Out, Ham&High and The Pink Paper. She now lives in a smoke free house.