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I play the Gulbenkian Theatre in Canterbury on pretty much all (if not all) of my tours. It's one of the places that when I arrive it feels like it can't possibly have been a year since I last sat in this dressing room. Been a few memorable nights too. I did International Men's day here a couple of years ago and there was a Valentine's show one time. The years are whizzing by- hence this show, I guess.
But if you'd told me it was two months since I sat in this familiar dressing room -where the lights go out if you don't make a significant movement every five minutes - I would have totally believed you. Unless I thought about how unlikely it was that I would play this theatre twice on the same tour.
I played Civilisation II as heavy rain pummelled down on the open windows above me. It's a calming game to play before a show as you can lose yourself in it and not think about anything else. I destroyed all the other civilisations and got my space craft to Alpha Century over a century ago (though that only feels like days - time really is flying by), but I prefer playing the game when there are no other distractions as I attempt to make a perfect world for my citizens and the people that I have conquered. The brief nuclear war instigated by the Indians is hopefully now forgotten. I was disgusted with them for going nuclear, even though I was closing in on the destruction of their empire and got a sad satisfaction about using one of their captured nukes (I would never build one myself) against their own capital. The current inhabitants seem happy with my rule though in spite of what i did to their forbears. I have given them every luxury and irrigated all their land. I am a benevolent destroyer of cities.
I am fascinated by my desire to control the planet and make things peaceful and perfect. I know it's not possible in reality, but in Civilisation II I can more or less create a perfect planet. Thus far I haven't had the patience to see it through to every city having every advance and every land space being at its optimum (it's impossible anyway I think as the land degrades over time), but maybe this time. And if I do it maybe the video game that is our life will be completed and we will be freed from our robot existence.
Weirdly Canterbury is a place where my ticket sales never really seem to go up or down. I always sell about 50 or so less than the capacity. The shows always go well. But then the next year the same number of people come. I suggested tonight that they might have some kind of rota system where they make sure my popularity never increases. It's always a good solid audience of 250 or so, but never significantly more. I have hit my Kent level. I said Kent. You heard me clearly.
It was a good enough gig tonight, but I was feeling wearier than usual. The podcasts do take it out of me and I really need to have the Tuesday off to recuperate, but the last three Tuesdays I have been busy. But I am surprised I am not more smashed to pieces after the run of ten gigs in ten days that I've already had (if you count the podcast as two - and the Murray one was so long that it might even count as three). Let's see if I make it through the next two.
I have started on a healthier diet again and cut out the biscuits and chocolate and bread (and hopefully alcohol too, but I am writing this in the car home - steering with my knees- so let's see if I succumb to a little whisky to put me to sleep [EDITOR'S NOTE - Richard did not drink alcohol, but had some Fruit and Fibre cereal]). Catie made an amazing rice and lentil dish for lunch that was so full of healthiness that it was like being filled up by a nutritious petrol pump. And I am going to get back into some gentle runs too, because I did not like the way that dash to the train made me feel last night.
