Lily Phillips is bringing her hilarious debut show Smut to the Fringe, which explores the many trials and tribulations of being a woman today, from birthing your own Mooncup to desperately hiding the fact that you poo from your boyfriend of eight years… We talked to Lily about the title of her show and finding her voice through smut…
Funny Women: Tell us about your show.
Lily Phillips: My show is called Smut and does exactly what it says on the tin! I wanted to be clear that it’s basically an hour of vagina jokes, so people know what they’re in for! The reason I chose the word ‘smut’ is because this word has been used to describe me and my comedy over the years and I find it interesting. At first I thought smut just meant a bit rude, a bit blue, but on further investigation/reading an actual dictionary, I found out that it actually means showing sexual desire/pornographic.
WOW. Yes, I talk about my body, but not in a sexual way and certainly not to get anyone going! If anything, I use jokes to desexualise my body. Telling the audience about my hairy bumhole or uneven labia lips is certainly not to turn anyone on, that’s for sure. It’s to first and foremost make you laugh and secondly humanise women’s bodies so they aren’t always seen as sexual objects. And I find that liberating! Many women come up to me after my show connecting with things I’ve said and that feels amazing. But it’s not just about my vagina it’s also about my dog’s. So there is something for everyone. And she has fast become the real star of the show and my feminist role model, I’ve learnt so much from that little hairy suffragette!
FW: Why do you feel you use comedy to ‘desexualise’ your body and do you think it’s necessary in order for people to find you funny?
LP: I don’t think it’s necessary for people to find me funny, I just think it’s really funny to talk about vaginas in a non-sexual way. Let’s talk about how weird and different they all are. Just like we’ve talked about dicks for centuries, this is the year of the vadge.
After years of being objectified as a dancer, Disney princess impersonator, and of course fish n’ chip shop model… it’s empowering for me to talk about my body on my own terms. I didn’t have a voice then, I was allowed to speak by the way! But now I have a mic and a platform for people to listen and I’m going to use it to tell you about my thrush. You’re welcome! It’s fine for women to be seen as sexual but they also need to be seen in other ways. I’m just saying that’s not ALL we are, we also sometimes poo. Did I mention my show is very profound?
FW: Are you excited to debut at Edinburgh Fringe?
LP: Yes! I’ve been waiting on this for a while, as I was all set to do it 2020, but the old global pandemic kind of scuppered my plans. Yes, I am the real victim of COVID. And don’t get me wrong I’m glad I’ve had the extra lead up, I’ve had time to write even more minge gags, so that’s great, but it kinda feels like I’ve been strapped into the rollercoaster waiting for it to start for ages and now I just want to go! And like a rollercoaster Edinburgh is a mixed bag, scary, exhilarating, and there’s a good chance you might be sick at some point. Bring it on!
FW: Have you got any tips for comedians going up to the festival for the first time?
LP: It’s going to be much colder than you think. Pack as if it’s winter, in the Antarctic. Warm coats, hot water bottle, and it’s absolutely crucial to maintain a diet of cheesy chips to stay warm.
FW: Who are the funny women are you hoping to see in Edinburgh this year?
LP: Catherine Cohen, Esther Manito, and Jessica Fostekew all make me HOWL. I also just worked with an American comic called Mary Beth Barone who I haven’t seen before but fell in LOVE, so will defo run over to her show straight after mine!
Lily Phillips debut stand up show Smut will be at the Pleasance Courtyard Bunker One at 7.25pm for the month of August for tickets go to www.edfringe.com
