Here we go again!
That was my opening line of the first show of my 17th Fringe Festival. And it was great to be back.
I had worried all day that no one would turn up. There have been massive fuck ups with the Fringe box office system and there didn't seem to be many people milling around in the streets. In the end though 105 people showed up, which was satisfactory, though I note from previous entries about 25 less than the same show last year and 15 less than the year before. I wonder if that is indicative of a general downturn. I think this might be a difficult year for everyone. So I am still pleased to have got into triple figures.
And the show was pretty good, I think. I had spent the last couple of days trying to find bits to take out, to get it closer to an hour, but mainly tightened up the links and the bits I have been adlibbing and amazingly I managed to come in at almost exactly 60 minutes, even though I added a bit. I maybe went a bit fast, but the audience kept up and it got a good response. Perhaps partly at the relief of having got through it all I again got a bit emotional in the closing bit about my dad. But when the crowd get carried along with the emotional journey I think there is something in the air which makes it a bit more moving. Empathy is a pretty amazing force and it's cool that a show that does jokes about Elizabeth Fritzel and wanking off paedophiles can still leave a crowd feeling heartwarmed and sympathetic. I think this could turn out to be quite a special little show, but what is more positive is that I have reached a stage where I am confident enough in myself not to be anxious about what the journalists will say or how it is received generally. Usually I worry more about there being a duff show which all the important people will turn up at (it's happened many times, most tellingly when the whole Perrier panel came to see "Ra Ra Rasputin" on a Monday afternoon, when they were pretty much the only people in the room and the usually appreciated silly show played to near silence).
But I am less likely to be phased by a quiet audience now and am hopeful that this year the show will work whatever the response. I have an unusual level of calmness too and am just really looking forward to doing the next twenty odd shows. It's lovely to have one out of the way and there was a buzz amongst the people as they left, so hopefully word of mouth will get round and numbers will pick up. Edinburgh is great, but you have to come up about 15 times before you really start to enjoy it. So keep fighting through the pain if you're only on your second or third one. By 2020 you'll be well into your stride.
In other news my health kick continues, though I splurged out a bit after the show and had a pizza at Bar Napoli (where a lot of the Fringe names hang out - saw Arthur Smith, Brendon Burns and Dan Antopolski there - stalking fans!) and a couple more glasses of wine than maybe I should have had. But I am walking everywhere and am trying to see how far through the festival I can make it before I take a cab. I have also resisted chips with salt and sas thus far. Which is an unheard of achievement. I have seen no shows, but am planning to get to more than I usually do. This might end up being a different kind of year all round for me. Things still feel very positive indeed. Wouldn't it be nice if, for once, fate didn't smack me in the face and allowed me to enjoy things all the way through?
Nice for me, but oh so boring for Warming Up. I am sure there will be disasters to amuse you all soon enough.
Through the magic of us having done two podcasts in one go (not that magic admittedly) you can now here Collings and Herrin podcast number 24
at the usual website Why not listen to all the first 24 podcasts back to back. It would take you almost a whole day. It's like a very boring and repetitive episode of 24. Cos we recorded the last two back to back, this one gets a bit giddy and hysterical, but there are some funny moments I think, as well as some quite tedious and almost indecipherable ramble. So same as usual.
