Comedy at the Fringe: W.Kamau Bell

One of US comic W. Kamau Bell's main strengths is his ability to interrogate lazy assumptions, prejudice and sloppy reasoning from constantly shifting perspectives. His Fringe show, The Bell Curve: Ending Racism In About An Hour has been re-shaped and galvanized since its inception three years ago. ' The show is about what's going on in the world.' he tells us on the phone from his home in San Francisco. 'It can change according to news events day by day. I'm looking forward to seeing how Scotland reacts.'

Kamau's brand of engaging, politically resonant humour has earned many Scottish admirers recently, with a recent Facebook post stating that he is more popular in Scotland than anywhere else. Is this true? “I hope it isn't true! No, seriously, I'm looking forward to coming to Scotland. You have great clubs like The Stand, where comedy is the number one aspect. The crowds go there to focus on the comedy, not the drinks offers.”

“Comics have dealt with racism in the past, and then undercut their material by saying 'Man, I hate bitches!' This show isn't a speech – it is designed to be hilarious. I don't want to put forth a big political belief and contradict it. I'm interested in feminism. I'm a big fan of women.”

Who does he want to see himself in Edinburgh? "Stewart Lee – that's the show I absolutely want to see. I've got all the DVDs and videos, but I really need to see him live. I need to look at who's around. A lot of my American friends will be in town, great people like Margaret Cho. I want to explore and see whatever is there."