Vikki Stone

Written by: Si Hawkins
Published: Monday 29th July 2019

One random comedian, eight random questions: it's the ultimate test of funny person and fate.

This week that person is Vikki Stone, who has burst free of Sly and the Family to forge her own successful music career, but on the comedy scene, with added talking in between. And often in the proper music world, too, presenting classical music things and composing her own stuff, notably Concerto for Comedian and Orchestra, which the Royal Academy-trained Stone premiered at the Glastonbury Festival in 2017.

Today though we're talking comedy, as she's back at the Edinburgh Fringe with Song Bird, her first full Fringe show for five years. We at BCG saw a recent London performance, and it's as thumpingly enjoyable a Fringe hour as you'd expect - it's already won an award in fact, Best Musical Show at this year's Leicester Comedy Festival. So that's a good start.

So how would Stone explain it?

"This year's Edinburgh show is dead easy to describe: songs and stand-up," she says. "When I started working on the show, I decided that I'd keep it simple this year, but I didn't quite manage that. I don't want to tell you why, as it's a spoiler."

Indeed. And does she have any clever plans for negotiating the ups and downs of that lengthy fest, this time?

"My tip for surviving the fringe is; there will always be something cool going on, that you are not a part of. Forget about it and do your own thing."

Stone-cold logic. Vikki Stone, your Random 8 await:

What's the best thing you ever bought a ticket for?

A couple of years ago, I decided that there were a couple of shows on Broadway that I just HAD to see, so after much deliberation, I decided to just bloody do it. I crossed the Atlantic to see Bette Midler in Hello Dolly, and Hamilton (which wasn't on over here at the time).

It was an extremely expensive venture, but worth every penny.

Who was your childhood hero - real or imaginary?

I spent most of my childhood focused on playing the flute (!) and so my childhood hero was James Galway. I got to interview him a couple of years ago, and after the interview I asked him to sign one of my 90's flute books (which had his face on the cover).

It was only after he left the interview that I realised that James Galway took the book of mine that he signed away with him. Oh well!

What's your karaoke song?

My favourite thing to do at karaoke is play 'karaoke roulette', where you just type in a random number, and have to sing the song that comes up. Whether you know it or not.

Which TV show would you love to have been in, and which part?

I would have loved to have been in dinnerladies, and I've had played any part. It's one of the only great, female led ensemble comedies.

What's the finest thing you ever wrote?

Well, it's not this.

Ever met a surprisingly great or awful celebrity?

A few years ago I worked on the BBC Proms, and got to interview loads of bona fide stars, from the likes of Sir Tom Jones and Sir Michael Caine to Quincy Jones and loads more, and in two years of working there, only two interviewees were rude. I shan't name them, but it was really eye-opening.

What's the most interesting thing you've been bitten by?

Sadly, I don't think I've ever been bitten by anything interesting. But now I've written that I'm going to get some horrible bites, of course.

Which place you've visited was the biggest anti-climax?

Whilst on holiday earlier this year, I made my boyfriend drive us along the Santa Monica coast looking for Barbara Streisand's house. I was eagerly reading online forums for clues, and we even walked along a stretch of beach looking for it.

We did not find it.