Say it With Leather.


I’ve been married for three years today; what are you going to do about it, eh?

We’ve marked the anniversary by staying in the same hotel we visited for our second one that’s practically in the same postcode to where we live, which made me feel very suspicious when I arrived alone this afternoon. It felt like I was here for some kind of extra-marital liaison, particularly as I turned up in a taxi with my luggage in a plastic bag - classy - and had to give my wife’s name instead of my own, as the room was booked by her, which somehow compounded the sense of subterfuge; I may as well have said it was reserved under John Smith.

As I got here a couple of hours earlier, I took the opportunity to quickly run my show as it stands, as I haven’t had time to do it for the last few days and I didn’t want Sunday’s gig in Cambridge to be too much of a shock. It went well, but was a little rushed, which gave me a slight feeling of panic, when I haven’t got long left to finish it. I know I’m close to being ready, but it can still feel overwhelming if I let it. All I need is a little gentle encouragement that I’m in the right ballpark, which is hard to get when I either do a run by myself or in front of an audience with nothing in-between.

I’ve resigned myself to not worrying about it too much tonight, as today should really be a day off. At least I’ve got a string of previews ahead in which to hone things; next time, I’m definitely finding a proper director, as it’s very hard to do it without an outside eye.

Popular posts from this blog

Shakerpuppetmaker.

Image
Have Parker from Thunderbirds and Noel Gallagher ever been seen in the same room? The resemblance is uncanny. So much so, I think something’s afoot. If my suspicions are correct, I've stumbled across a secret that will blow the music and puppet industry wide apart. In the mid-60s / mid-90s at least. It doesn’t take long to see the signposts. There’s the similarity between the name of Oasis’ first single, Supersonic, and Supermarianation, Gerry Anderson’s puppetry technique. The Gallagher brothers would often wear Parkas . Live Forever was clearly a reference to Captain Scarlet and Standing on the Shoulder of Giants to the size difference between Noel and his bandmates. The more you think about it, the more brazen it gets. It’s fishier than Area 51, Paul is Dead and JFK's assassination put together. The only glitch to the theory is scale . According to Wikipedia, Anderson’s marionettes were 1’10” and Gallagher is 5’8”. How does he maintain an illusion of avera
Read more

Stevenage: A (Tiny) River Runs Through it.

If ever a river was mis-sold, it’s the Roaring Meg in Stevenage. I just walked past it on my way to the retail park that has taken its name. They’re similarly uninspiring. The river is less of a roar and more of a dribble; cystitis sufferers produce greater flow. The retail park is soulless. What was once a thriving enterprise is nearly devoid of atmosphere, save an underlying essence of emptiness and despair. With a Toys R Us. When it was first built I was excited. Back then, the thought of a bowling alley, an ice rink, a Harvester and a Blockbuster Video within a small surface area was enticing. I celebrated many birthdays on site. There was an indoor cricket pitch there for a while where I once had a joint party with a friend. Why someone with an almost pathological fear of sport would agree to such a venture is beyond me, but I did it. Now, there’s very little at the Roaring Meg of note. The river would be a metaphor for the shopping ce
Read more

Hoo-ray and up She Rises.

So much has happened since my last post in March that this blog risks sounding like an itinerary. The main news is that Hitchin Mostly Comedy will return in the summer at a new venue, the Queen Mother Theatre . The road to this decision was convoluted, though enough fell into place en route to leave me optimistic about this new start. The catalyst was a survey I ran via our mailing list a few months back, in which I asked, "If the club returned in the current climate, with tickets still around £15 (and with similar line-ups), would you still attend?"; the response to which, in simple terms, was a resounding yes. Nearly 250 mailing list subscribers responded in a single week, with around a hundred also taking the option to leave some feedback. And only two people were abusive, which counts as a win when you consider they posted their comments online anonymously. Imagine how many more insults we would have received if the comedy club was a woman. Particularly if she was Diane
Read more