Next week, I have decided, is make or break for the book. I have a clear five days with nothing else on and I am going to try and put my head down and try and get the whole thing done, at least at a first draft, rough attempt to get the whole story down, without too much care about making it make perfect sense (or what's known in the trade as a "Ben Elton Final Draft"). Though I have snatched an hour or so here or there in dressing rooms and service stations, being on tour and writing a book are not things that go hand in hand. I think even if I had someone else doing all the driving it would still be too difficult. My head is in tour mode and it's hard to get into book mode. I have managed to get a surprising amount done in spite of this, but once the gig in Clacton is done (if I have not been lynched for mocking the Essex Princess, Jade Goody), I can turn the Headmaster's Son off and turn on the - whatever the book is going to be called. At the moment it's "The Boy Who Never Grew Up". Hopefully by this time next week I will have a better idea of whether that fits or not.
So I gave myself a bit of a break and stopped beating myself up today and just relaxed in the afternoon, watching the latest episode of "The Inbetweeners" which I really like (and auditioned for a couple of parts in this series), though thought veered a little bit too far into gross out comedy in this episode (still really funny though - excellent performances all round and utterly correct that I did not get the parts - which were the paedo teacher on the field trip ep and the garage owner in the work experience one).
Yesterday on the way to Brighton I had felt so tired and tense and stressed out that I feared my Tommy Cooper moment might be upon me (and literally dying on stage would not be a bad way to go, but I'd like to get at least another ten years in before that happens), but I chillaxed today and felt much happier and less like my heart was going to explode. Which can only be a good thing. Unless you'd paid to see the show tonight, as witnessing an exploding heart would have made a great anecdote. So apologies for the people of Aldershot for not paying off on that one.
Every time I go back to the West End Centre I inevitably end up reminiscing about
this gig, so let's take that as read. Though as usual, I told Jules who has worked at the arts centre all the time I have been coming here, I did go through the whole tale again. She corrected my exaggerations, telling me she thought the guy was not actually a squaddie from the SAS as I now always claim. But don't listen to her. What does she know?
Despite being in Aldershit, this is an amazing venue and has quite probably the best staff of any place I have played (who might well be recognised at my non-existent end of season awards ceremony). It's great to come back somewhere and see the same people and they're all very friendly and efficient here. They were all very excited that I had sold out (a few weeks ago) and rewarded me by sending out for a Domino's American Hot pizza for my dinner (they might thus win best catering as well).
Eating a pizza in the small, cold dressing room in this tiny theatre in Aldershot I felt almost as happy as it is possible to be. Who would have thought it?
And I am really on top form with the show at the moment (just as the thing is ending) and this time no one threatened me or walked out in the first few seconds. In fact the laughs came long and loud right from the start.
Even better Aldershot is less than an hour from my house, so I was home for a beer by midnight.
Please come and see me in Clacton if you are in the area. It's a big theatre (over 500) and I've currently sold about 65 tickets. Ring 01255 686633 for tickets. Come on Essex. I promise to not bottle it and do the Jade material as promised. I might even sing it and preempt the brilliant new musical that is coming out about her.
