Reader, I Married Him
Lord fuck a duck, it's been ages since I wrote anything here. I suspect the reason for this is because the gigs I have been doing have been going along steadily with not much to reflect upon - but more honestly, I've probably been watching too much Buffy. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to. That's a quote from A Few Good Men.
So, the gig at Atticus immediately lead to a paid support back in Birmingham next week, so that's all good. After that I found myself doing another Rant & Rave Improv spot at The Hatchet in Bristol. It was over a month ago, so forgive me if I'm a bit vague on the details, but I was given the topic of Boredom by the audience, which I thought was a Godsend. I cheated a bit, and began with some pre-written material that I hadn't performed more than twice before, which lead into an extended gob vomit about Star Trek and the other detritus that swamps my brain. All in all, good fun if I remember correctly.
Then either side of Christmas I had to gigs in similar venues but with outcomes at the opposite end of the spectrum. Somewhere in Hereford was a pub that had been stripped of all it's character in an effort to make it seem more friendly, the resultant abhorrence being an incredibly bland piece of chud. The compere was piss poor beyond comprehension, sucking all the energy out of the room within seconds of walking on stage. This left the support act, Mr John Robins, to drag it back up into something workable, which he did with admirable aplomb, leaving an audience laughing and wanting much much more. Then the compere went back on and sucked that all back out with an industrial Dyson. To be fair to the audience, they soon learned that they would enjoy the acts, if not the MC, and when I went on to a smattering of applause, they quickly woke up and gave me lots of energy. I was worried that the blue rinse lady in the front row would be offended by some of my stuff, but she laughed more than anyone, which was lovely. Then Mr Paul Kerensa closed the evening with great success.
And so to a similar pub, run by the same chain in fact, this time in Gloucester. I nearly cancelled my gig actually, as I had a full blown stomach bug, which meant I could hardly move, and all my body wanted to do was shut down. But by the time it got to the decision point, I was fed up with lying on the sofa with my eyes shut and groaning, so I stumbled into the car and somehow managed to make my way to Gloucester. I shouldn't have bothered.
I had more fun on a 400 mile round trip to Brighton and back though. Rabbit In The Headlights is an odd gig - it's in a nice pub theatre, and has an appreciative crowd, but it lacks verve. I did my time, felt a little off and rusty as it had been a fortnight between gigs, and talked through some new ideas to see where they could and couldn't work. Ideas which I then refined for an airing at The Reckless Moment, which is always my favourite gig. Made doubly so because Anna Keirle was there, and she is good company and an excellent act (plus she has a great new coat). The new stuff was fleshed out, and I re-aired a piece I wrote a few months back, which seemed to work nicely enough - and since I had indulged the audience with over ten minutes of brand new thoughts, I then told them a joke about a man with a massive orange for a head.
I got the bonus opportunity to try all the new stuff again, this time back at The Hatchet, and then we did some actual improv games to close the show. That's us all caught up, now go away.
So, the gig at Atticus immediately lead to a paid support back in Birmingham next week, so that's all good. After that I found myself doing another Rant & Rave Improv spot at The Hatchet in Bristol. It was over a month ago, so forgive me if I'm a bit vague on the details, but I was given the topic of Boredom by the audience, which I thought was a Godsend. I cheated a bit, and began with some pre-written material that I hadn't performed more than twice before, which lead into an extended gob vomit about Star Trek and the other detritus that swamps my brain. All in all, good fun if I remember correctly.
Then either side of Christmas I had to gigs in similar venues but with outcomes at the opposite end of the spectrum. Somewhere in Hereford was a pub that had been stripped of all it's character in an effort to make it seem more friendly, the resultant abhorrence being an incredibly bland piece of chud. The compere was piss poor beyond comprehension, sucking all the energy out of the room within seconds of walking on stage. This left the support act, Mr John Robins, to drag it back up into something workable, which he did with admirable aplomb, leaving an audience laughing and wanting much much more. Then the compere went back on and sucked that all back out with an industrial Dyson. To be fair to the audience, they soon learned that they would enjoy the acts, if not the MC, and when I went on to a smattering of applause, they quickly woke up and gave me lots of energy. I was worried that the blue rinse lady in the front row would be offended by some of my stuff, but she laughed more than anyone, which was lovely. Then Mr Paul Kerensa closed the evening with great success.
And so to a similar pub, run by the same chain in fact, this time in Gloucester. I nearly cancelled my gig actually, as I had a full blown stomach bug, which meant I could hardly move, and all my body wanted to do was shut down. But by the time it got to the decision point, I was fed up with lying on the sofa with my eyes shut and groaning, so I stumbled into the car and somehow managed to make my way to Gloucester. I shouldn't have bothered.
I had more fun on a 400 mile round trip to Brighton and back though. Rabbit In The Headlights is an odd gig - it's in a nice pub theatre, and has an appreciative crowd, but it lacks verve. I did my time, felt a little off and rusty as it had been a fortnight between gigs, and talked through some new ideas to see where they could and couldn't work. Ideas which I then refined for an airing at The Reckless Moment, which is always my favourite gig. Made doubly so because Anna Keirle was there, and she is good company and an excellent act (plus she has a great new coat). The new stuff was fleshed out, and I re-aired a piece I wrote a few months back, which seemed to work nicely enough - and since I had indulged the audience with over ten minutes of brand new thoughts, I then told them a joke about a man with a massive orange for a head.
I got the bonus opportunity to try all the new stuff again, this time back at The Hatchet, and then we did some actual improv games to close the show. That's us all caught up, now go away.
