Days without alcohol - 80. I could have been round the world in this time. And refused a drink in every country.
Up to Cambridge tonight for the penultimate official tour date (though there is the DVD record and a few later gigs dotted around til June). I had managed to go for a swim at lunchtime and so had't consumed too many calories, so decided to go to Nando's for my pre gig meal.
Nando's is the perfect restaurant to go to on your own, because it is rather enjoyable to flout social convention and make sure you get every single bit of meat off the bone by whatever means necessary. Such piggish behaviour would be embarrassing if you were with company, but alone what does it matter if your fingers and face are covered with grease and extra hot sauce? Of course, other people in the restaurant might see you making a spectacle of yourself, but who cares about them? You are being a medieval king and enjoying your banquet. For a moment I was self conscious that someone who was coming to the gig might see me acting like a chicken-smeared glutton. But then I decided I didn't care and carried on. It was most enjoyable. Solitude can be a great thing.
And the gig was lovely too. This week I seem to be finding little new ideas to explore and I hope this sense of naughtiness and fun will come across in the DVD record on Friday. And that I remember all the new bits. As always I find myself slightly perturbed by the how well crafted this show is, as I face the prospect of writing another one. It all knits together very nicely and all the routines have come on during the last month and a bit. But it's good to know that every year as I embark on a new show I feel a bit in awe of the last one. I think the shows have been getting better each year since Hercules. Let's hope that continues.
I watched more Seinfeld in the dressing room beforehand, including the classic "The Contest". What is particularly enjoyable about this excellent sit-com is the way that regular viewers are rewarded with excellent running jokes, that don't in any sense get in the way for the casual viewer. By Season 4 it has really hit its stride and whilst the earlier episodes are good, it starts to get much, much better as it goes along. Which is a lesson to TV executives that good things should be given a chance, as it takes time to create something this good.
Not only has the Collings and Herrin podcast overtaken Nuts in the iTunes chart, but when I got home tonight we were at 25 in the overall chart (and a new high of 16th in the comedy chart). Well we were 25th according to the chart on the podcast page, but then if you clicked to look at the top 100 we were in 31st, but I am going to take the 25. We are going weekly with the podcasts, which means recording the next one on Friday morning in between my Brighton gig and my DVD record. It's all go. I suspect there might be something about Heather Mills in there! Do subscribe if you haven't already and spread the word. Let's see how high we can get!
