Is Guy Montgomery the problem? interview

Guy Montgomery has titled his Fringe show I Was Part of the Problem Before We Were Talking About It. Is he the problem? Let's find out...

At what point growing up did you realise that you had been living in the 'fog of privilege'?

I noticed I was lucky quite young, but the first time I realised just how lucky didn't really cut through until I left high school and Christchurch. I didn't realise what an alien experience my schooling and upbringing had been until I was outta there, and the older I get the more it hits me.

How has your life changed since moving to New York?

Well, the thinking behind moving was to anchor myself in once place and have a genuine crack at breaking in the New York scene but what I have learned (and no-one else in the world is aware of) is that New York is prohibitively expensive. So since moving I have wound up traveling more (back to New Zealand and Australia) to earn the money I need to support myself in the States. Also, one year in ordinary time ages you ten years in the greatest city on earth.

What is the hardest thing you've had to 'unlearn?'

The books were actually called the Berenstain Bears.

What do you think should be done to ensure that more people try to unlearn ignorance?

The challenge is that the desire for change needs to come from within. You can't shout someone down from an opinion or try to force a lesson on them that they aren't willing or ready to learn and this happens at different times and moments in different lives. I was a late bloomer and writing this show has helped me make peace with taking ownership of mistakes. Instead of burying them in my subconscious I can look at them and learn from them.

You will also be performing as part of improv show SNORT. What's your favourite thing about that format?

Ho-ly shit; even answering this as an interview question I can feel a palpable wave of relief come over me. Whether you have completely and utterly bombed the room or torn the roof off the ceiling earlier in the night, knowing that you can skip across town to go and have some improvised, consequence free, fun with a very funny and supportive group of friends is the ultimate treat on any night of performance. They are the not only some of the funniest people I know but a group of my best friends.

See Guy Montgomery: I Was Part Of The Problem Before We Were Talking About It at the Assembly throughout the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 31st July to 25th August 2019. For tickets visit www.edfringe.com