ALAN’S GOT
ALAN CUMMING is talking politics as he chats during his drive up to Martha’s Vineyard in upstate New York.
The star of TV’s The Good Wife and movies such as X-Men is set to perform his new cabaret show, Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs, which he’ll bring to the Edinburgh Festival.
But first the talk is of politics. When asked why he feels Britain chose to Brexit, the actor doesn’t mince his words.
“I was appalled when I heard the result,” he declares. “And I have three words to sum it up. Stupid. English. People. But you could see it coming. I did an interview for STV news a couple of years ago and I said there would be a referendum on the EU and Britain would vote to leave, but Scotland would want to stay.
“I also said we’d have another (Independence) referendum.
“Now, I hope that people will see the irony in that one of the major reasons the Yes vote didn’t win was people were scared we wouldn’t be allowed in the EU if we were independent. And now we’re not allowed to be in the EU because we’re part of Britain.”
Alan may have left Scotland for London in the late 80s and nowadays he’s a New York-based American citizen (he signed up with Uncle Sam to be able to vote for Obama).
However, it seems the 51-year-old from Aberfeldy will surrender his Scottishness around the same time Nicola Sturgeon scrapes the tartan wallpaper off her bedroom wall.
“What is interesting here is people like you because you are Scottish,” he says of American life.
“The Americans just don’t talk about your Scottishness in a derogatory way as they do in London. And I love this. I love the fact I’m a product of the Scottish education system. I feel I represent Scotland in a way.”
Alan’s upcoming Edinburgh Festival cabaret show will see him perform the likes of Keane’s Somewhere Only We Go and Miley Cyrus’s The Climb.
But in a Scottish accent. “It was totally deliberate,” he says, in emphatic voice. “I’ve always felt it weird that when we sing pop songs we immediately use an American accent. Everybody in Britain does.”
“I guess this is I why love the Proclaimers. I’m so full of admiration for them and the fact their passion and Scottishness is way up there.”
Alan was at one time confused by