It felt like I would never get home. The drive back from East Anglia seemed to take forever. I had had a good sleep in followed by a massive and amazing roast lunch, but was still feeling unsteady and slightly out of it. Somehow I eventually found myself driving into a grey and dingy Shepherd's Bush. It seemed oddly quiet, almost spookily so, like some kind of "event" had just occurred. But nothing felt very real today, so maybe it was me and my illness that was creating these paranormal feelings.
I have been away from home for over a month and part of me felt that everything would have changed or that the house might no longer be there after all this time, but all was the same.
I had been looking forward to a bath. Our flat in Edinburgh only had showers and a ridiculously tiny half bath that was of no use to anyone over two feet tall. I left the bath until late but it was worth the wait. It was great to be back in my own bed, though I still felt like I was jet lagged and it was another restless life. Hopefully I will be back to reality soon enough, but for the moment it's time to relax and get better.
I read Charlie Chaplin's autobiography in bed. I had read some of it before Edinburgh, but then it had become a prop in the show so I had had to stop. But now I can take in the whole life of the great man. I enjoyed one little story about how when touring in the early days in Wales he had stayed in a miner's front room, only to discover eventually that it belonged to the son of the family, Gilbert, who Charlie was eventually introduced to. Gilbert had no legs and the family and his father called him a Frog Man, inquiring if there might be some job for Gilbert in the circus as he could leap high from his haunches. Chaplin had compassion for Gilbert and felt sorry for him being treated in this way and evicted him from his room. What mainly interested me is that Gilbert's story would never have been known or told if Chaplin hadn't happened to stay in his house, yet here over 100 years later people are still reading about him.
Just thought it was interesting s'all.
Just to let you know that there is a phenomenal line up for the first Lyric Hammersmith gig of the season on September 20th. We've got the brilliant Wilson Dixon, Alistair Mcgowan and Al Murray the Pub Landlord, plus me as MC. It should be an awesome night and you can
book here (though the site has just been updated and keeps failing, so you might like to ring 0871 22 117 29 instead). Still plenty of tickets at the moment, but once word gets out about the line up I think it will sell out pretty fast, so book NOW! Please support this great club and I will keep coming up with exciting line ups!
