I was drawn to the idea of ‘Old God’ as soon as I heard about it – it’s a show performed by a supposedly ancient being – “a foppish, irreverent oracle; a singer of doom; a weaver of myth” – who nonetheless tackles some very modern themes.

The character, and the show, is the creation of history and clown show graduate Alec Jones-Trujillo. I spoke to him to find out more about him and what to expect from this year’s show.

CM: Will you start by explaining for our readers what manner of show to expect from you?
AJ: ‘Old God’ is both the name of the character and the name of the show. Old God is a highly verbal, high status white faced clown in a super fancy costume.

More of a bouffon than a clown, perhaps – really getting into the weeds here. But with plenty of mime, improv, play, direct address, some dance and even some stand-up. So it’s a “clown show”… but also just a comedy show.

CM: What happens in the show? Do you tell a story? 
AJ:  The basic idea is that Old God is a being so old they have forgotten their own name. This ancient being is here, now, and is telling stories and doing antiquated, Victorian era entertainments while touching on very modern themes. Old God is a bit cracked. Both modern and antiquated. Profound and profane. Familiar and unknown.

CM: What themes are explored through the show? 
AJ:  There is quite a bit of tech talk. Tech in politics. Tech in society. There are comments on greed and power and ego. The human condition. The whole thing exists to have fun and play, but also be a bit of a catharsis for those of us who are bewildered by the rapid unravelling of a world we once knew.

CM: So it sounds like there is a political element?
AJ:  There certainly is, but it’s always fun. Never didactic. I think the show is perhaps “politically adjacent”. There is a set bit about a monster that can just be taken as a fable. Or it can be seen as more of an indictment of modern online culture. 

A big reason I wanted to even make a solo show was out of a desire to digest and express some of my own political concerns and misgivings. To process them and get them out of my head.

CM: What was your inspiration for this show? Where did the idea come from? 
AJ:  During the first Trump administration it just felt like every comic was doing Trump impersonations and telling Trump jokes but nothing could actually cut through.

It felt like all the comedy just made him stronger. He’s very difficult to satirise because he’s already so extreme and such a idiot. And he’s weaponised humor. The man is funny – although most of us have stopped laughing.

So I sort of thought what if a non-human clown in white face tried to comment on things? It felt like there could be more traction there. The show has evolved from that initial spark and is definitely not a Trump show.

CM: Can you tell us a bit about how you put the show together? How does your creative process work? 
AJ: My director, Gabe McKinney, and I worked on this show and character for nearly two years before my first show.

We were both living in Las Vegas performing the same character, The Gazillionaire, hosting of the hit variety show ‘Absinthe’ at Caesars Palace.

We would meet up three times a week for a month and then take a break for a few months. Then get together every Thursday for a while. Then take another break.

Everything was improvised and discovered. Nothing was ever written down. All the language and the mime bits were discovered via improv and remembered afterwards. 

It was very easy for me. Gabe and I had performed together a lot in Los Angeles, so he knew my comedic sweet spots. I would arrive at rehearsals and just commit to playing hard. Try to make Gabe laugh – not easy just two people in a room!

Gabe had the hard job. He had all these notes and ideas and would write stuff down while I just fooled around on stage. Every few weeks we’d meet at a coffee shop and Gabe would bring all these notes he’d compiled and digeste and sort of tell me what was working, not working, where we might go next. 

Gabe worked for free. I always assure him that if Old God ever makes any money he’ll get 10%. I hope to one day write him a one million dollar cheque.

CM: This is your Edinburgh debut, but have you been to the Festival before in any other capacity? What are your expectations of it? 
AJ:  I first heard of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival nearly 20 years ago in clown school. I was determined that one day I’d go there with a show! It took much longer than I expected but I’m so happy to be here. 

My main expectations – apart from how tired I’ll be during this extended run of a demanding show – are very small.

I hope to deliver the best show I can night after night to whoever comes my way. I hope to meet people and have fun. I hope to manage all the emotions that a long run like this can throw your way. And I hope to stay positive about it all.

CM: What will you do when you are not performing? Will you get to know Edinburgh, maybe? 
AJ:  While not performing, sleeping and eating – I hope to go to Arthur’s Seat, spend some time in the Meadows, try a few cask ales, watch some of the Tattoo, and see as many shows as I can.

After the fest I have a few weeks in Scotland before returning to Vegas. I hope to get into some castle tours, some dungeon tours, try a Scottish Egg and possibly take a trip to the highlands. 

CM: What about other shows – will you spend time seeing others perform? Do you already have a hit list of things to see? 
AJ:  I would like to see as many shows as I can. I’m sure this list will grow rapidly as the month progresses but I’m currently excited to see ‘Mr Chonkers’, ‘1 Man No Show’, ‘WINNING winning’, ‘Poems For God’, ‘Underground Monk Show’, and ‘Lady Magic’.

I’m especially keen to find ensemble shows, weird shows – I heard about a show last year where a guy ate cheese? For an hour? And another guy recited Pi? – and some dramatic work. I’m always happy to see some modern dance type stuff if there is any.

CM: Would you tell us a bit about your past now and how you became a creative? Was it something you always aspired to? What steps have you taken to get this far? 
AJ:  I grew up in a tiny little mountain town and all I ever really enjoyed was nature and making my friends laugh. Both my parents were teachers so I figured I’d grow up and do that. So I went to college to get a history major and become a high school teacher but along the way took a class called Mask And Movement cause it sounded cool.

That led to a class called Intro To Clown. Pretty soon I joined an improv troupe and started driving two hours to San Francisco every Thursday to hit stand-up open mics. 

After getting my History degree I moved to SF to attend clown school and to do stand-up and sell hot dogs at a hot dog cart – where I practised whistling!

Coming from such a tiny, isolated town without even a stop light or a chair store I loved selling hot dogs in the financial district and seeing all the tall buildings and the fancy, stressed out rich people running around. I’d ride the escalators in the mall after work and have my mind blown by the billboards. 

I started working with John Gilky – best known for his work with Cirque Du Soleil – and attended mime school, which is the only thing clown school can sensibly lead to.

Eventually I moved to LA and did a bunch of underground, bizarre comedy including the ground-breaking, first of its kind clown/improv hybrid called ‘Wet The Hippo’.

‘Absinthe’ sort of poached Gabe and I from the group – which included Natalie Palamedis – and I’ve been living in Vegas ever since. Rough estimate I’ve hosted ‘Absinthe’ around 2600 times.

CM: What have been the high points of your creative life thus far? 
AJ:Definitely hosting ‘Absinthe’ . I’ve learned so much in that role. The show is a bit “shocking” and it’s uncanny to reflect on all the extreme places I’ve gone with the audiences over the years. In fact, after so many shows it’s nearly impossible to remember specifics. Categorical vibes stand out. 

The show has a Lap Dance Competition where two couples compete to win free drinks. The women sit in a chair and the men do the dancing – changing, of course, for gay and lesbian couples.

I used to bring people who looked out going and eager. This way it would more likely be a successful. Over the years I have gravitated towards pulling up all sorts of “forgotten” people.

This includes overweight people, very old people, deep nerds and even amputees. The type of people society generally ignores. There’s often a certain look in theirs eyes: They want to play. “Pick me” but don’t pick me.

It’s beautiful to see some shy, overweight nerd approach the stage so nervous they are barely breathing. 500 people staring at them. What did they just agree to?! But once the song starts and they maybe move a hip and hear the first positive audience response you see their face light up.

Pretty soon they’re lost in the energy and gyrating and dancing and taking off their shirt and what have you. Inevitably they rise to the occasion and are rewarded by so much love from the audience. It’s beautiful to watch the transformation.

I will often pair people like this with a basic young guy. Inevitably the young guy loses – so boring, so serious – and more often than not the once shy or invisible person will really take their moment and soak up the applause and become the hero.

After the show they are usually surrounded by audience members receiving high fives and even more love. It’s just great. And after so many shows I intuitively pick the right people. At the beginning choosing the right people was so hard. Now I just scan the room and Bingo! There they are. 

CM: What aims and ambitions do you have for the future? 
AJ:  I hope to get back to the nature that sustained me growing up. I hope to have a very human future. And a humble future. I’m not quite done with cities and late-show dopamine hits but the mountains are calling.

CM: What’s next for the show after Edinburgh?
AJ:  I have a month after the fest before I’m back in Vegas hosting ‘Absinthe’. I would love to book something in London, perhaps. But once I’m back in Vegas the show, sadly, goes back in the box for a while. I do plan to book some shows in NYC in the spring. And possibly a grand tour across North America next summer.

CM: Other than ‘Absinthe’, what’s coming up next in general – do you have new things in the pipeline that we should be looking out for? 
AJ:  I’ve recently been posting Old God videos on Instagram. It’s been quite fun and the response has been crazy. So, in general, I plan to keep doing that. Gabe and I have some bigger ideas on building out online Old God material. Maybe some longer episodes on my website. Who knows. 

Alec Jones-Trujillo performed ‘Old God’ at Assembly Roxy at Edinburgh Festival 2025.

LINKS: oldgodshow.com