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Not drinking and doing some exercise seems to be paying off. Usually on the day after a long RHLSTP (and we were going for over three and a half hours last night) I am zonked out for most of the rest of the next day. Today that wasn’t a choice as I had to head up to York to do an hour of stand up, plus another two interview podcasts. Yet somehow I was full of energy and didn’t even dip by 10.30 when I’d once again been on stage for three and a half hours, with a couple of breaks. I suppose it might have been all those cocaines I ate, but even so I was impressed with myself and my newly regained energy.
And what a treat it was to perform at the White Rose Rotunda, a spiegeltent put up right in the heart of York’s parliament square. Better still both shows were sold out, meaning I sold nearly 600 tickets in one night, which is obviously awesome for all kinds of reasons.
York is a beautiful city, home of the rubbish football team I support and only a few miles from my birthplace (the hospital I was born in has been demolished to be replaced with a 500ft tall statue of me, in honour of this momentous event). As I seem to be doing everywhere I go now, I thought that this might be a nice place to move to: full of history but only two hours from London by train, fairly well placed in the middle of the UK for relative ease during touring (though wouldn’t like to have to do the drive back from the South Eastern or South Western gigs). I don’t think we’d do it, but there’s a brilliant vibe in this peaceful city and I do love the people of Yorkshire who are much more friendly than the rude Southern pricks I find myself living amongst now. I hope none of them read this.
But it is magical to walk through the Micklegate Bar and think of all the York residents and visitors who’ve been through this gate over the last many centuries (as well as the traitors’ heads that once adorned it). I love the fact that cars still drive through its arches.
I was having the first crack at the genealogy of Christ for almost a year tonight, although I do most of it at nearly every mic check I do. I was more worried about remembering the actual routine than the memory feat that forms the main part of it and flew through most of it (apart from the tricky bit at the end of the 2nd third) really easily as I practised. But on the night I unusually screwed things up at the start of the easy second third (I think momentarily distracting myself by wondering if I’d done an earlier bit correctly) and I floundered a couple of times. Which was annoying. Especially given I did the acronym (which I am convinced will be the last thing I remember when I have Alzheimers in the hospice) and the rapid reverse order list without any problems. I don’t know how I know these things still, but it seems that it only goes wrong when I start to think about why I remember it. The routine went really well though (and perhaps looks more impressive when things go wrong) and will be a definite fixture in the tour show. I already have well over 90 minutes of stuff that I want to do and I haven’t even listened back to all the shows yet to remind myself of the stuff I’ve got.
The podcasts went really well too. I was talking to the inverse Mohicaned Lord Mayor of York, Dave Taylor and the star of the Flintstones: Viva Rock Vegas, Mark Addy. I have talked to a few non-comedians, but Dave, although an eccentric, amusing and outgoing character is the closest to a civilian that I have interviewed. Though admittedly a civilian with a big gold chain, a tricorn hat and as it turns out little to no actual powers. Given this is an intimidating experience for many seasoned comedians, Dave did extremely well to cope with my ridiculous questioning, but it was a friendly environment and the room seemed packed with podcast fans and it allowed me to be cheekier and take the heavy lifting on the comedy front.
I was really looking forward to meeting Mark Addy, who I have always liked and who seems like he’d be a lovely bloke in real life. I was worried that he might turn out to be starry or (as he put it) “a cunt”, but my worries were for nothing. He was very down to earth, a proud son of York and not put out at all when I concentrated on talking about some of the less successful films he’s been in. It’s worth it alone for the amazing insight into the life of Sean Bean. Though you won’t get to hear this for a few weeks (I don’t think) as we will probably put them out at the end of the current series. Really nice to have a couple of bonus podcasts and it did make me wonder if I could do something that I’ve always said was impractical and tour the show. We certainly couldn’t afford to film the shows as well (unless we did a huge kickstarter campaign), but it might be workable if I found local guests and a producer who could double up as a tour manager! It’s weird how much fun it seemed to be for people to hear the emergency questions in their hometown environment (with people even shouting out the ones they wanted to have answered). This is the first RHLSTP I have done on the road where people have turned up in significant numbers, so it’s hard to know if that’s just down to it being part of a well organised festival. But maybe we should give it a go some time.
