The UK’s one and only rap comic, Amelia Hamilton, joins Pepper&Salt to talk about her new show, ‘Moral Support’, the key to writing a second as well as satirical fringe hour and exploring the Wild West of morality.
How would you summarise your new hour?
Good girl gone bad. Welcome to the wild west.
Was there anything in your writing process for this show that you hadn’t previously encountered when writing your debut?
So much! For the first time there is a blank page. No tried and tested jokes. No faithful bits of solid material. Just empty space for you to fill with an hour’s worth of comedy. It has been incredibly freeing, sometimes frustrating and mostly joyful. I had an idea of what I wanted to write about but as I started the process of creating it began taking a very different shape. Relinquishing control over what I thought it should be and letting it evolve into what it was meant to be has been very new and fun.
What are the main themes and throughline that you explore over the course of this hour?
Morality. Right and wrong. What it means to be a good person. I hope you leave with more questions than you came with.
If you don’t mind a spoiler, what is a favourite lyric of yours from this year’s show?
Ohh there’s loads I love. The one that comes to mind right now is:
‘Seize the assets of the boy-geois
Carpe their DMs and give em to me’
What are you particularly looking forward to about doing your show at the Fringe this year?
The audience’s reactions. I have not positioned myself as the good guy. I am very curious as to what a month’s worth of responses might be to this. I really like this show and I have worked very hard to craft it carefully and so far reactions have been really good so we’ll see what happens.
What was the biggest challenge you had when putting this hour together?
Lack of restriction. As I am sure any creative knows, having complete free reign to do anything can initially be very intimidating. Without any anchoring points, getting your teeth into something requires a lot of inertia.
“Relinquishing control over what I thought it should be and letting it evolve into what it was meant to be has been very new and fun. “
What do you think is the key to writing satire?
Be mindful of the key players. Be considerate of social rankings. Don’t try and please everyone.
If you had to pitch a new term to use instead of ‘Wild West’, what would it be?
Confusion Canyon, Fog Frontier, Predicament Prairie, Second-Guess Saloon, Reckoning Range, Trouble Territory.
What songs are on the pre-show playlist this year?
It’s a country/rap mix and I have been loving putting it together. Some particular favourites on the list are: Cowgirl by Shaboozey, Lasso by Jake Banfield, Yippee Ki Yay by Joseph David-Jones.
What steps have you taken in order to become a comedy outlaw?
I’m exposing myself, not literally, but specifically my thoughts and actions that are not approved of. Also I have the cutest cowboy boots and little corduroy skirt which is the perfect outlaw outfit.
What is your favourite perceived wisdom and subsequently can you critique it?
Ohh one of my secret talents is knowing the second half of popular sayings and all of them essentially critique themselves. They all mean the opposite of what you think anyway. Let me give you three:
‘Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back’
‘Jack of all trades but master of none is still infinitely better than a master of one’
‘Blood is thicker than water’ actually is ‘the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb’
Apart from your own, what shows would you recommend?
Chelsea Birkby’s show is brilliant. She is the beautiful blend of so smart and super silly.
By Katerina Partolina Schwartz
Photo credit: Dylan Woodley
Pepper & Salt 
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