Meet American stand-up Moses Storm

After the success of his HBO stand-up special, Trash White, American comic Moses Storm makes his UK debut with Perfect Cult, the true story of being raised in a profoundly unsuccessful doomsday cult with parents who truly believed God was about to destroy the Earth. As part of the show, audiences will be invited to join Moses in the formation of a one-night-only cult.

We had a chat with our new favourite new cult leader to find out about the show, his views on religion, finding the funny and why he's excited to play at Edinburgh's Pleasance Courtyard...

If you were the head honcho of a cult, what would you call your followers? And what would the initiation ritual be?

If I were the head honcho of a cult, I'd call my followers "Stormtroopers". I wish I came up with that, but it was actually an audience member during my show. This question is exactly what we do in my show Perfect Cult. I was raised in a failed cult so every night I start a brand new cult with the audience's help. I am the de facto leader and together we come up with a name and tenets of our new religion before we take to the streets at the end of the show with bells and picket signs. We have some crazy names. Some of my favourites have been Guns and Moses, Kissing Fathers, and Trickle Nipples, just to name a few.

Our initiation ritual would involve a synchronised dance-off while members are forced to tell the cheesiest jokes imaginable. And this will all be filmed. Because if there's anything I've learned from my research in putting the show together, "successful" cult leaders humiliate their members as soon as possible and film it so they can use it as collateral if any member dares to leave. "You wouldn't want this awkward dance video with 'a rabbi and a horse walk into a bar' joke on the Internet, would you? That's what I thought, Stormtrooper."

Do you believe in any sort of God now?

I'm embarrassed to admit that I honestly wish I did believe in some sort of God. I think it would make life a little bit easier. Sure, some religions have insane beliefs. But if you can do the mental gymnastics around a talking snake and immaculate conception, religion can give you answers for the unanswerable. Makes sense of a chaotic and painful world.

I think that's why most home-schooled kids are raised religious. I don't think the parents necessarily believe in a god. I think they just get overwhelmed. God is a great answer for when you don't know the answer to a question.

"Mom, where does rain come from?" "Well, if I remember correctly there's condensation and-aaa, ahh, precipitation... and um, you know the Lord works in mysterious ways. The rain is God crying. He's crying because he knows what you do in that bathroom when you come out all sweaty and flushed red."

You're doing extremely well in the States right now; are you excited to bring your show to a British crowd?

Oh, absolutely! I am thrilled to bring my show to a British crowd. It's gonna be fun to bring this wild interactive show that works heavily with the crowd to a country that is perceived by most comedians as more uptight and reserved than the United States or Australia. I might need to brush up on my British slang though, so I don't end up confusing "pants" with "trousers" and start an actual comedy holy war!

You've had a somewhat absurd life: if you had to create a survival guide, what would be your top essential tips for finding the funny in any situation?

If I were to create a survival guide for finding the funny in any situation, my top essential tips would be:

Embrace the unexpected. Something that happens live in the moment for the audience is going to get a bigger response than the most well-written genius joke that you spent 15 years crafting.

Find humour in your own flaws. Even if you think your flaws are only specific to you, you'd be surprised how much the audience connects with that feeling. Finding humour in your own flaws will help you be more empathetic and understanding in your material. If you do material that deals with deeply personal real situations like I do, I think it's really important to approach it from a point of forgiveness rather than anger. Nobody wants to see a guy on stage bitching for an hour about how they were wronged.

You released an HBO special last year, filmed live in Hollywood. How will the Pleasance compare do you think?

Walking out on that huge stage in Hollywood to film my HBO special was like stepping into a vortex of comedic energy. It was such an electrifying whirlwind and complete blur, that I forgot to be nervous.

Not only did I edit my own special, but I built my own set, graphics and co-directed. I was actually still putting the final coat of paint on my set while the studio audience was being sat for the taping. If you look closely, you can see white paint all over my hands during the show.

As for the Pleasance, I could not be more thrilled about this venue. This show is interactive and it's really about building something with the audience every night. Because the Pleasance Beneath is a more intimate space it feels like we are all in this together. It's going to allow me to connect more with the audience and push this show to places I've been too scared to go. I definitely won't forget to be nervous this time.