It’s the only sunny day of the Fringe so far and So So Gay is in the darkest, dingiest coffee bar in Edinburgh. We’re waiting to meet a man who’s intent on bringing yet more sunshine to our lives through the medium of song with his show, Doris Day Can F**k Off; not an irreverent rant at the Miley Cyrus of yesteryear, but a homage to the concept of living every day like a musical.
After being removed from Facebook for abuse and described as ‘funny, charmingly haphazard and at times surprisingly moving’ (Micheal Jones, Bristol Theatre), Greg McLaren, the man behind the madness, has brought the show to delight the audiences of the Edinburgh Fringe.
So, why Doris Day? What precipitated the use of the F-word? ‘You can say it - it’s just a word,’ says a passionate McLaren. ‘Look, it’s not telling her to fuck off. If it was, it would be Doris Day Can Go F**k Herself and that would be a very different show. Its fucking off the stereotype that Hollywood gave her. That image of the perfect, subservient housewife.’
‘I think I identified with Doris. My mother was always a huge fan and it was something we could share together.’
The piece is adapted from McLaren’s personal experiences of recording bystanders’ reactions, Jeremy Beadle-style, as he lived a week of his life as though in a musical.
‘It’s funny how people are stuck with that mould. I had to be very careful not to have anyone around, or near me, or people just assume it’s a hidden camera. People are very reluctant to be caught singing. Why? It is just the extension of a vowel sound. It feels good. It feels good to have the sound resonate through your body. I’m trying to detach from the idea that you have to own a stellar voice, like Doris, to sing.’
Facebook clearly didn’t agree. After a page was set up promoting the production it was swiftly removed and reported for abuse. Does he think social media is hampering the joy of the spoken word?
‘It’s developing it. Before, they said people didn’t communicate enough. Now they are communicating constantly. And the language is changing. People are using slang like OMG and LOL in actual speech. It’s just a new form of wordplay. Every kid makes up a code between their mates at school: it’s just an extension of that. It never did any adult any harm.’
It’s clearly a topic with which McLaren has a deep connection. He has a clear mission: to get people singing. But is it succeeding?
‘Well, it is being well received. For some it is a bit alienating. It’s strange that something so natural should be an alienating process but it can be, even for me. Especially studying the small chunks of dialogue I have acquired of people.’ He plays these on loop through his performance to act as backing for his songs. ‘I work on them over and over and you gain a really intimate relationship with a small part of that person.’
Obviously, the best known place to share a song is the shower, but what gets him reaching for the shampoo bottle?
‘At the moment a Prince song, “Jack U Off”. It’s weird.’ He sings, ‘I’m gonna jack you off in the cinema, I’m gonna jack you off in my car, then, when we get home you’re going to jack me off.’ Romantic. ‘Usually, I’d go for some big ballad aria. Something you can do this too…’ He shakes his shaved head like Willow Smith at the Grammys.
Thoroughly seduced, we leave to fill our souls with song. Just maybe not out loud.
Catch Greg McLaren’s show, Doris Day Can F**k Off, at Zoo Southside between 5 and 29 August 2011 (excluding 16 August) at 18:15 or visit his website.
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