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I have too much stuff to do to fit into the hours that I am awake (even though I seem to be getting by on 5 hours sleep most nights), but of course that doesn’t stop me taking on more. I was asked to guest on the “Strong and Stable” podcast this afternoon, which takes a satirical look at the week’s events. And as you can imagine that was a barrel of laughs today. Marcus Brigstocke was in the host chair and around the table with me were heavily pregnant Camilla Long from the Sunday Times and handsome MP for Norwich South, Clive Lewis. We had a lively, if not hilarious, chat about Brexit, the Grenfell Tower fire and the Liberal Democrat leadership contest. I am still too angry about the fire and Brexit to be anything but a bit gobby about them. But it was an interesting chat. Politicians and journalists have a bad rap, due mainly I think to the few high-profile pricks in both professions, but I don’t think it’s very fair. All the politicians I have met have been clever, hard-working and compassionate and as much as I don’t agree with Long’s views, she is, like much of the mainstream media, dedicated to journalistic principals. Brigstocke too is always impressively knowledgeable and eloquent about current affairs. I was conscious that I needed to try and inject some humour, but also wanted to listen in to what all these people had to say.
I should have been trying to write stuff for tonight’s preview, but there was lots of admin to be done and as usual I left it until the very last minute. I sat in the bar of the pub I was performing in in Kingston making notes and trying to corral my thoughts. I managed to come up with one completely new bit that went down very well when I said it out loud for the first time about 30 minutes later. If I can write one joke a day from now until the Fringe starts I will have a brand new show. As it is, I have about 45 minutes of stuff, at least half of which has some promise. Luckily there are lots of gigs to come and most of the work will be done on stage or in the white hot heat of the 20 minutes before. Deadlines are a great inspiration for me.
I was at Outside the Box, which I don’t think I have played for about eight or nine years, which just seems impossible. It’s in the Fighting Cocks pub where loads of cool people with tattoos and beards (and that’s just the women…. oh no hold on, I got that wrong, it was actually just the men on this occasion). They looked tough and scary but all jumped up to help when a gust of wind blew my script on to the floor. The venue itself is a tiny sweat box at the back. It looked a bit smaller than I remembered, but that’s probably because I was smaller ten years ago.It’s the perfect place to try out new stuff in front of a small but enthusiastic crowd. But it brought home to me how quickly the last decade has gone. As with every time I have played here I had to go round Kingston’s one-way system twice before I found where I was meant to be. Some things never change.
Maff Brown, who runs the gig, was a brand new comedian when this venue started and in my head he’s still pretty new. But he’s been going for 12 years. How terrifying. What a time it was a decade or so ago when I was single and back on the circuit. A horrible and depressing time most of the time, but I still miss it (without ever wanting to go back to being that guy).
Most comics look at me with a face of terror when I tell them I haven’t really started working on the new show yet, as most of them seem to work up a new show for a year or two before taking this leap. I have always worked quickly (or at least last minute) and the pressure is off to an extent as I am not hoping for anything from the Fringe except a viable show to tour. Not to say that I will be satisfied with something shoddy, just that there are no concerns about reviewers or awards weighing me down. A month of gigging almost every night and cramming for the 30 minutes before the show should do it. A new joke a day and a new routine a week and I could have enough material for next year’s show too - “Oh Fiddle-di-dee, i’m 51!"
Not long left in
this week’s eBay auction, with the last chance to own one of the Emergency Questions proof sheets and another chance to own a signed limited edition book with a bonus EQ in it. All the money goes toward filming the podcasts.
I am going to start work on volume 2 and hope that that can pay for next year’s shows! Because I am an idiot who has one good idea and then doesn't get paid for it. But I have plans that might make that work out too.
