Video - Tete a Tete with Busty Rhymes, aka Penny Ashton

Penny Ashton travels the world with her one-woman shows, spreading smart feminist wit and thought, often in rhyme. She is in Montreal these days for her show Busty Rhymes, and we scooped her up to host our Marathon Mess show going down this Friday, June the 13th. We sat down at Casa del Popolo to talk about the show and ended up test running the new indyish computer’s webcam for what may become a new interview series (see note below).

Penny talks about her show, and what she thinks of Montreal, and about her Friends Brett and Jemaine who created and star in Flight of the Conchords, and how disorienting it is to see your friends suddenly be famous, and how heartening it’s been to have them supporting New Zealand constantly, booking Kiwi bands to open for them on tour, and making jokes aimed squarely at the back home audience. Off camera she told me about going to see them live in LA, they sent a car to pick her up and she hung out back stage, but couldn’t quite wrap her brain around the 3000 screaming fans. Fair enough, but Penny has seen her own share of incredible crowds, selling our her Fringe show in lots of cities around the world, including Winnipeg! At the end of the interview below she gives you a taste of her show’s flow, and if you’ve even been irritated by all-tits-and-ass-all-the-time music videos, you’ll dig where she’s coming from.

Click play to meet the lovely young lady!

(Side note - the new computer is my new best friend, but an offhand choice during set up has led to some interesting keyboard language issues I’ve yet to sort out, which is why Tete a Tete is missing those little hat accents, which is too bad, because those are jaunty and enjoyable, but let’s roll with it and pronouce it Teat a Teat, ok?)

In 2005 her solo show MC Hot Pink in Busty Rhymes was a critical hit in New Zealand and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and she also performed a solo season in Singapore and various gigs in Australia and England.

In 2006 Pinky performed at the Christchurch Busker’s Festival, The Adelaide Fringe Festival, the Gisborne Autumn Festival, The Nelson Arts Festival, at various gigs throughout the UK, as a member of the New Zealand Team at the World Theatresports Cup in Germany and in the Australasian Team in the Four Continents Slam Poetry tour of the UK.

In 2007 there was the World Busker’s Festival, the Wellington Fringe Festival, The NZ International Comedy Festival and a five centre tour of Canada, and in 2008 Penny will be whoring herself all over the place as per usual! Stand by for details.

Busty Rhymes
Venue 5 - Studio Juste Pour Rire
2111B St Laurent
Bookings - Montrealfringe.ca
Hotpink.co.nz