The Scotsman Sessions #386: Zara Gladman

The Scotsman

Transcript

00:00 (upbeat music)

00:02 - Hi, I'm Zara Gladman, zoologist, comedian,

00:12 and one of the oldest people on TikTok.

00:14 I downloaded TikTok during the lockdown

00:17 because I didn't want to be left alone with my own thoughts.

00:20 And now I do most of my comedy online.

00:23 There's just something amazing about making jokes

00:26 from the comfort of my own home or bed.

00:28 Some might call this approach to comedy lazy or antisocial,

00:33 but I'm a 38 year old aging millennial

00:36 and it's a weeknight, so why would I go outside?

00:39 On TikTok, I have experimented with a variety of characters.

00:43 I am a tween Scottish man.

00:47 Hi there, I know it's quarter to five on a Friday,

00:52 but I work in television.

00:55 Yeah, yeah, so could you drop everything?

00:57 (laughs)

00:58 Of course I'm working class.

01:00 I'm from Glasgow, Glasgow.

01:03 I'm from Glasgow.

01:04 Any resemblance to real life people is purely coincidental,

01:08 but by far my most popular character is Aileen,

01:12 the Glasgow West End mom.

01:14 Glasgow, G12 is the postcode.

01:16 Living my best life in my West End board.

01:18 Coffee?

01:19 I'll have a skinny oat latte.

01:20 Catching up with friends in a Highland cafe.

01:22 Like Aileen, I stay in the deeply unfashionable

01:26 West End of Glasgow.

01:27 I did try to move Southside,

01:29 but I don't have enough stick and poke tattoos,

01:31 so they didn't let me in.

01:33 Actually, I don't have any tattoos.

01:35 I've got a really low pain threshold.

01:37 I have always gravitated towards musical comedy,

01:40 especially parody.

01:42 And through the years, I have done a Katy Perry parody

01:46 of "Last Friday Night" about a night out in Glasgow.

01:48 ♪ Last Friday night ♪

01:50 ♪ Yeah, we did the wholesome show ♪

01:52 ♪ Oh, the hateful show ♪

01:54 ♪ Then they made me go home ♪

01:56 I made it onto page three for that of the Glaswegian.

01:59 In 2014, I parodied Lady Gaga

02:02 with my character, Lady Alba,

02:04 who got pretty involved with the indie ref.

02:07 ♪ You know better ♪

02:08 ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪

02:12 ♪ Caught in a bad romance ♪

02:15 And then during the pandemic,

02:16 I did a parody of Mystique's 2003 banger, "Scandalous."

02:21 ♪ A year deprived of human touch ♪

02:23 ♪ A chat on Zoom just ain't enough ♪

02:26 ♪ A little conversation, baby ♪

02:29 ♪ First person that I've talked to lately ♪

02:31 ♪ You got me oversharing like crazy ♪

02:33 ♪ Wanna be my bubble ♪

02:35 Which was described by the band's Alicia Dixon

02:38 as absolutely hilarious.

02:40 Career highlight, much?

02:41 One thing I have had to come to terms with recently

02:44 is the fact that people probably like my characters

02:46 more than they like me.

02:48 So with that in mind, I am gonna hand over to Aileen now,

02:51 who has prepared a special feature just for "The Scotsman."

02:55 Enjoy.

02:56 - Hello, readers of "The Scotsman."

02:59 Now, I understand that "The Scotsman"

03:02 is headquartered in Edinburgh, my deepest sympathies.

03:06 And so I feel it is my duty as the cultural ambassador

03:10 for the West End of Glasgow to give you a little tour.

03:14 For any day out in the West, you'll need three things.

03:18 A golf umbrella, suitably branded.

03:20 Mine is from the Glasgow Youth Choir.

03:22 Sunglasses, I'm a well-kent face around these parts.

03:26 And a skinny oat milk latte.

03:28 Let's go.

03:29 First stop is Ashton Lane.

03:31 It is chock-a-block here on a Saturday night

03:34 with footballers and real housewives of Hill Head.

03:38 I'm more of a weekday glass of sov

03:40 on the chipped rooftop kind of gal.

03:42 The Botanic Gardens.

03:44 I come here to de-stress after a busy day

03:47 of briefing the cleaner and doing hot yoga

03:50 and playing Wurdle.

03:52 Life is so hectic.

03:54 Great Western Road, the Fifth Avenue of Glasgow.

03:58 Oh, there's Carol.

04:00 Hello.

04:01 Her conservatory is a crime against humanity.

04:04 My alma mater.

04:06 First-class honors, if you're wondering.

04:08 And yes, I did run for student president.

04:10 And yes, all the rugby boys did vote for me.

04:14 No trip would be complete without a pilgrimage

04:17 to the Oran Moor.

04:18 I met my husband Daniel here at a play, a pint, a pint.

04:23 No pints for me, of course.

04:25 Hendrickson Slimline, tall glass, no ice.

04:28 Excuse me.

04:29 Hello?

04:31 She's parked where?

04:33 That's my space.

04:34 I'll be there right away.

04:36 Sorry, I've got to go.

04:37 I'm a parking attendant in my spare time.

04:39 Bye.

04:40 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Category

Transcript

Recommended