Michael J Dolan lives up to his miserable show title for this year's Fringe as he answers our 10 questions.

1. Tell us about your career so far. Are you happy with where you're at?

I'm reluctant to call it a career exactly. I don't think it should be a viable thing to be able to make a living doing this, it's too stupid. I'm not somebody who pushes for success particularly, I just want to do the shows, to the chagrin of my wife who very much supports us. I make next to nothing.

2. Describe your show in exactly 23 words.

It's a show about everything, from self-loathing all the way up to all the other kinds of loathing. Is that enough words?

3. Why are you putting yourself through this famously stressful experience?

There's no other opportunity to do this sort of thing really, you get to perform 24 shows in a row to people who are keen to see something interesting, who want to enjoy whatever it is you do. Makes a tremendous change from performing to people who want the thing they like and NOTHING ELSE which is how the rest of the year goes.

4. Any cunning plans to get more punters in?

No, no, I'd rather play to six people who give a shit than a capacity crowd who were tricked into coming.

5. How much money do you think you'll lose/make this year?

I'm very lucky to be playing at The Stand this year so hopefully I won't lose anything as they don't charge the performers for the rooms. It's the only model that makes sense to me. I love what the various arms of the free festivals have done in shaking things up but ultimately to run a festival show you need to pay people. You need to pay box office staff, you need to pay bar staff, you need to pay techs, for me that's what the ticket price is for. You're not paying me, you're paying to see a show in a competently run, properly staffed venue. I'd rather the tickets were cheaper but you have to pay people for their work which is something we're increasingly trying to duck out of as a society.

6. What's your weirdest past Fringe experience?

This is going to disappoint but I don't really do much with the month when I'm there. I spent most of 2013 in the flat playing videogames. I did get hammered drunk on the last night one year, which is something I very rarely do, with an American comedian called Danny Bevins. I vaguely remember him telling me horror stories about jail and the army and grabbing me by the throat to demonstrate how Sgt Tate had tried to stop the bleeding of a soldier who'd shot himself while I protested that "I'm from Timperley, I don't know these things. Who is Sgt Tate?"

7. What other shows are you hoping to see?

Again, mostly going to stay indoors probably. I've already got tickets for Kyle Kinane. A few of the acts I'm keen to watch aren't doing full shows, they're on at showcases. Kiri Pritchard-McLean who writes and directs Gein's Family Giftshop is a fantastic comedian, she's MCing the Funny For A Grrrl showcase at The Stand in The Square. Dalia Malek is brilliant, she's on at The Lunchtime Show at the Tron. I saw an early preview of Lou Sanders's show and it was great when it was half done so I imagine it's phenomenal now. My wife's always got good recommendations, I usually see stuff that she suggests. Maybe you'd be better off talking to her.

8. If you took over programming a venue, what would you perfect line-up of comedians be?

I'd rather see new people than old people or dead people I think. There's something about stand-up that the methods of delivery can date terribly. Something that was incredible twenty years ago can often look pretty shoddy when you go back to it. I'd have Maria Bamford on for sure, I think she's probably the best comedian currently going. I'd have Chris Stokes on, I've never once seen him be anything other than brilliant, and Katherine Ryan whose tour show last year was the best thing I've seen in a very long time. If you'd asked me this six months ago I'd have said Louis CK too but obviously there's now a very real risk that he'd whip his dick out in the green room so he's off the list.

9. Name the one person you'd rather not bump into during the festival.

Phil Ellis from Funz and Gamez. What a prick.

10. Why should audiences pick your show over the 1,700+ other comedy offerings at this year's festival?

Oh fuck, they absolutely shouldn't. Have they not seen enough white men this year? See anybody else for crying out loud.

'Michael J Dolan: Miserable Guts' is at 4:50pm at The Stand Comedy Club III, IV on 6-16, 18-30 August. Listing