I'm managing to get lots done with my days, but still no further progress on the script, which I want to get finished by the end of April. This morning I went into Avalon, my evil management company, to sign off the budget for Edinburgh. I can't believe all that is coming round again. I have to get the poster designed within the next month too. And I've started looking at flats for the duration too. Looks like we're going to be grown up this year and get a one bedroom flat for me and my girlfriend, so I don't have to share with any shouty, drunken comedians who never do their washing up (well apart from my girlfriend). That makes an already expensive business slightly more expensive. When you take into account the cut from the venue, my management and the Fringe Box Office, a good pounds worth of each ticket goes to paying for the flat. But as I get older there is little more important to me than having a comfortable haven in which to escape the madness of the festival.
I am doing two shows this year, my main stand up show at the Underbelly Cow barn (at about 8.30pm I think), which will be called "What Is Love, Anyway?" and a second podcast one, probably called "Richard Herring's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast" at the Stand at 2.20pm. Collings doesn't want to come up this year, so I am doing something alone (or with guests). It'll be different every day and as always appear on the internet for any of those of you who can't make it along. We might also do an Edinburgh AIOTM
though it might be logistically harder this year as none of the others are up and I am not sure I want to put myself through that Hell again. So a new podcast, which I am seeing as a cross between Collings and Herrin (with the rubbish Collings removed) as the original Edinburgh version of This Morning With Richard Not Judy (without Lee, although with a bit of luck I might get him to guest on a couple). I am looking forward to doing a show at the Stand, which is one of the few major venues that have never hosted me before and who have an ethos I admire (and also give the acts a better deal than anywhere else).
Anyway it's all very exciting and terrifying. It will be the 24th anniversary of my first appearance. What treats will we have in store for the Silver Jubilee next year? You will have to wait and see!
I will let you know as soon as I know when and where you can get tickets.
Then after a swim and a run and a healthy lunch (my weight is dropping at alarming speed - tonight on stage I wondered if some of the fat jokes would actually still work by the time of the DVD record in May) we were on our way to Wimborne.
I last visited here in 2005 and 40 people turned up to see me in this massive and rather lovely theatre. At least, as you'll see from the blog, on the way home I managed to come up with the beginnings of a routine that would be one of the centrepieces of the next show. No journey is ever wasted. And I think the 40 people rather enjoyed the night. In the six intervening years I have not returned, but evenso this time I managed to attract over 200 people to the venue, including humble Dave Taylor, the tour manager who had driven me here in 2005. I didn't see the meeting with Reliable Pete, but imagine they stared each other down with suspicion and envy.
So my audience had quintupled in just six years, which means that by 2017 1000 people will be crammed into this 400 seater auditorium and maybe, if I can live long enough, eventually thanks to exponential mathematics the whole world will be there to see my farewell tour (thanks to whoever it was on Twitter who made that observation).
A lovely lively crowd of mixed ages, including a man who shouted out "Blasphemy" very early on in the show, before I had really been blasphemous as all, so I was able to chide him for wasting his blasphemy card much too early in the run.
Doing the same show so many times has not started to drag as yet, though there are still a fair few to go and I am managing to keep up the energy and amusing myself with digressions, but ultimately enjoying trying to do as professional job as possible each night. I need a lot of energy, so I think it's a good thing that I am keeping up with the exercise and good diet. I really love it when I achieve a crisp performance, that still feels like it's the first time I've said all these things (which in some cases it is). We had a new pyro tonight, after using a rather weak and anti climactic one at the other venues (not all theatres and clubs will let us use it) and it was extremely loud (which is what I wanted) and rather shocked me, even though I knew it was coming. I think some of the people in the front row might have done small wees. Oh yes, there's special effects and everything (at certain venues).
It's cool to have a short three day run and to be able to come home after each show (I was back by 12.15am tonight which was almost unbelievable), because I have to steel myself for the next 13 nights away which starts next week. Here are the details. Leamington is sold out tomorrow and I know that Glasgow is too. Manchester and Sheffield very close if not already sold out. And that London DVD record is well over half full already. So book now!
