A busy day today where I had enough energy to get out of the house and see some shows.
To begin with though I had to go up to my favourite Edinburgh eatery, The Tempting Tattie, to be interviewed by BBC Radio 7. My support and enjoyment of this baked potato outlet is well known and I always like to publicise them if I ever can, mainly because I have a great affection for their potatoes (which I try to sample at least once every Fringe and have done so ever since I first came up here) and partly because it's a tiny, slightly out of the way concern and it's nice to help them out in any way I can. They have been going since 1972, which, according to the slightly intense man who runs the shop (and who has possibly been driven mad by 37 years of cooking potatoes) might make it the oldest baked potato shop in the world.
He is grateful for the interest I have shown in his business, though it took him years to identify me as the strange man always recommending his shop to any journal that asked me. But this year and last he has started to give me free potatoes whenever I go there. I didn't champion this place to get anything in return though and am faintly embarrassed by this gesture (not so embarrassed that I don't take the potatoes though), though part of me really still wants to go there every day for every meal and see how long his patience lasts.
He also gave me some free cream cakes today. I feel like an MP I should declare all donations, because you might think I am just promoting the place for what I am getting out of it. But I am doing it out of love, nostalgia and a slight sense of mischief.
Last year, after the one live podcast we tried to get as many of our audience to come to the TT with us and a dozen or so came along. We're going to do it again after every podcast this year, but I suspect we won't get the full crowd with us. I would really, really like to break the Tattie one day and get so many people there that they actually run out of potatoes. I nonchalantly asked how many tatties they had ready at any one time and the man told me it was about 100, which is more than I thought. But I think we can still do it.
So I came up with the idea of having an Edinburgh style happening, where we try to get as many people as possible to visit this shop at the same time and see if we can consume everything in the place. It's such a tiny cafe that it would be great to see a massive queue of ravenous potato lovers snaking down the road. I hope that if you are in Edinburgh you will come along and take part in this. The best time to do it would be after the final podcast show on 23rd August. We'd be getting to the TT at about 1.45pm. It would be terrific if you would join us whether you're at the show or not. The potatoes are delicious and filling so you'd be getting something wonderful for your money. And it would be great to see the look of confusion and delight on the slightly insane faces of the people working there. Spread the news. It's at 18 Jeffreys St and I've set up
this facebook events page which you should pass on to anyone you think might be interested. I'd like to see the place look like it has been hit by a plague of locusts (when it will be no doubt a plague of nerds). Obviously if you can't come that day then you're welcome to join us after any of the podcasts or just to go of your own volition.
As I was about to leave a young woman came into the cafe just as I was saying I hoped my promotion had helped the place and she said she was there because of my recommendation.
I really hope you will join me with this one. It could be amazing if it works. And be good to give something back to Edinburgh which has had so little from me, apart from all the thousands of pounds in rent I have paid out and all the people that I and the other performers have brought to the city.
But seriously, it would be amazing to help out this tiny enterprise and I think be a proper vote of thanks for years of baked potato based service.
My baked potato was amazing- cheese and mango chutney of course -which I continue to hope that in Curb Your Enthusiasm style will one day be known as the "Richard Herring" - inexplicably he added pineapple to it today without me asking. Maybe he has forgotten what I like or perhaps he was just trying to mix things up a bit. Surprisingly it worked.
Afterwards I headed down to see some shows, carrying the cream cakes in a box. I was too full to eat them straight away. My sister has directed a musical involving kids from the school she teaches at, so I went along to watch some of the Fringe's youngest performers strutting their stuff. It was an enjoyable hour and a half and the plot of the musical reminded me of a somewhat darker Anthony Neilson play I saw a few years ago. The kids musical is about an imaginative girl who is being bullied, bumps her head and ends up teaming up with the imaginary characters she has created to confront the bully. Anthony Neilson's one was a bit less jolly, and involved a woman in a coma, but it's kind of the same thing. The kids were very funny. I had seen them all queuing outside to go in beforehand and they got talking to me knowing I was the brother of their teacher. They wanted me to tell them a joke, but there wasn't much from the show that was suitable. One girl said, "Is that a real moustache?" and I said it was. She looked confused, "Why didn't you just get a false one?" she asked.
"Hmmm, that's a good point," I replied, "I wish I'd thought of that myself. It would have saved me a lot of trouble."
I then went to see
It's Got Jokes In at the Free Fringe, which built up a great atmosphere given the early time slot and show cased three very funny new stand ups. You should go. It's free. Though then they trick you by asking for some money afterwards.
After a coffee and with half an eye on returning to bed for a couple of hours, I went to see Bridget Christie's
My Daily Mail Hell. I have seen and very much enjoyed her last two shows, in which she plays various historical figures. But this year it was all about her as herself and her time working at Britain's best loved newspaper. It is a massive leap forward for her I think and a really perfect Edinburgh show - a complete story - with very funny sections about her total incompetence as a reporter, but there's also lovely moments of theatre and oddness and it's rather moving in places. She is particularly amusing about her husband, who I know quite well and who she parodies to some great effect. It's definitely one to see if you're up here. It leaves you feeling heart warmed and happy and I was really glad I'd come here rather than gone home. It set me up quite nicely for my show.
And it turns out Brian Logan had somehow got into the venue last night despite not picking up his ticket (I had thought I had seen him sidling in, but my press people were adamant that he wasn't there and so I thought I had just started seeing him when he wasn't there) and his review was up on the Guardian site this evening. It turns out to be a very nice, and quite carefully written piece.
Have a look.
I also got a text to say there was a good mention in the Evening Standard. Which is a relief, because Bruce Dessau the reviewer was also in on that sluggish and hot Monday performance.
Looks like he enjoyed it despite the heat.
It's been a pretty solid raft of 4 star reviews, with the occasional 5 star from internet based reviews and I think it's fair to say that the show is being viewed as a success. It's interesting to me that the reviewers are slightly perturbed by the more serious moments in the show, just as last year they seemed put off by the sentimental and heart-felt bits of "The Headmaster's Son". Because these are the bits that, I think in both shows, the public seemed to like the most. Do comedy reviewers just feel awkward if things are not expressed in jokey terms? To me it seems obvious that Hitler Moustache needs this (almost) joke free speech in the middle about my anger at the BNP victories of none of the rest of it would make sense.
The show tonight was another hot one and the audience was a bit sluggish, but with the electric fan blasting me from behind I did manage to maintain my composure and give them a good performance. A few people needed to go to the toilet througout and it overran slightly, so I was caught in the weird situation that by the time I had stepped off the stage quite a few people had got up to leave (applauding as they did so - it wasn't a very late walk out), so I had to mill behind them as I tried to leave the venue.
But it was a solid enough show and things seem to be moving from strength to strength. Every single show has sold out so far (and the weekend has sold out already - though if you're sharp you might pick up a return), but there are tickets left for every show from Monday onwards. And there's been enough good reviews and positive word of mouth from the audience that I think the good times should continue. So do book ahead if you're planning to come.
And please come and buy a baked potato on Sunday next week. Bring an umbrella in case of rain.
