Strangely I am more tired and distracted this weekend than I was two or three weeks ago when I had that nightmare four days of radio shows and podcasts to complete. I sat upstairs in my office trying to think of things to do in the last AIOTM (AIOTM) of the year (or ever), but my brain had transformed from being sluggish into being a full blown slug. And it was an unfunny slug who had no ideas about how to make anyone laugh. I worried that I might have finally broken what little funny I had, but thinking about it, it has been a bit of a full on week, even if by recent standards it felt relatively relaxed. I have done a lot of driving and a small amount of crashing and maybe I should have just slept. It seems that every time I do AIOTM (AIOTM) I think that this is the week that I will just turn up with a single piece of paper with a crayon drawing on it and have to stand in front of the crowd with nothing to say, but my brain was not responding to the urgency and by the time it came to head to the Lyric I had nothing, apart from imagining there would be something in the Deluxe Pussy sign that I had seen in Prague.
Tonight's Lyric show was a joy though. I am as much a comedy fan as a comedian and we had another blisteringly good line-up, which seemed like an actual steal with tickets from just ten pounds. Zoe Lyons, Tony Law, David Schneider and headlining Tim Minchin (who you are already aware I have a bit of a comedic man-crush on). It was lucky that I had such strength behind me, as I was still feeling comedically weak and the tiredness remained with me even when I was on stage. I muddled through and did an OK job with my audience interaction, but I wasn't flying. This is the nature of the beast. All the acts were great, but Tony Law was a particular favourite of mine and has the ability to make me laugh just from the tone of his voice. But he was also wearing a unitard, which wasn't going to make him less funny. Dave and me worked out in the interval that it was 24 years since we had first performed in the same gig - he was one of the stalwarts of the Oxford Revue Workshop during that fecund period that included Armando, Stewart Lee, Al Murray, Rebecca Front, Emma Kennedy, Ben Moor and many more impressive names. Someone should write a book about that generation of students. They've had a fair bit of influence on the direction of comedy in the last 20 years. Even if we were unfashionable and derided if we dared show our face in the real world (of Edinburgh) at the time.
Minchin was trying out some new songs and the comedy fan in me was delighted to be amongst the first to hear these new gems. There's a very good song about religion. His piano as I observed maybe once too often was getting paid the most of anyone on the stage tonight, but Tim had kindly agreed to do the show for no fee, appreciating the night for what it is and grateful for the opportunity to try stuff out. He is working towards a tour of bigger venues, with an orchestra backing him and I think the whole thing will be mind-blowing, so book now if you want to see him.
I walked home afterwards, passing the detritus of Halloween. I saw pumpkins lined up on walls and I suspect like all listeners to As It Occurs To Me, this year they had a slightly different meaning and significance. If nothing else I have ruined these carved lanterns for 30,000 people for the rest of their lives. That is something. I have achieved. Let the cumpkin be my epitaph and my bequest to the world.
