Emmy Blotnick on swapping beer for tea interview

As the programme explains, Emmy Blotnick's show explores themes of anxiety, depression and neurosis alongside unlikely spirit guides Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Beyoncé, Andre 3000 and Swedish pop songwriter Max Martin. Let's find out more...

What's the biggest lesson you've learned so far about adulthood?

I imagined that there would come a day where I finally felt solid in my understanding of adulthood, but that day probably won't come, and the reality is that we should all be out there trading tips and tricks with one another for survival. For example, my brother set up my international phone plan for me, and I warned him that peppermint-scented soap makes your butthole sting.

You've recently joined a tea reviewing community, what sparked this?

I decided to stop drinking and thought tea would be a good replacement for beer, but it turns out nobody wants to talk about tea, so I joined this website called Steepster. How it works is, you write reviews of the teas you like, and then nothing happens. If you want to connect, my user name is SteepDoggyDogg.

What your best pop culture fact?

Ugh, how do you choose just one? Okay, how about this: At the bar in the Trump Tower, if you order a martini, it comes with one olive and ice cubes in a goddamn wine glass, as if it was specifically designed to upset James Bond.

How have you been preparing for your Fringe show?

I've been writing and rehearsing lots of new bits in New York, and I've also been Googling for Scottish references. For instance, in my neighbourhood in Brooklyn, we have a grocery store called C-Town where about 30% of the inventory is expired, so I'm researching the Scottish equivalent so the bit still makes sense.

What are your tips for coping with anxiety?

If you'd asked me this question anytime in the last 6-8 years, I would've said some variation of "smoke weed every day" - but now, at 31, I've finally admitted to myself that what works is deep breathing, aromatherapy, and masturbation.