mostly david ephgrave

I don't have much to report today, which will sometimes inevitably be the case, when you write a daily blog.  You can't always have something novel to share. That's not to say I haven't been doing things; I just don't feel they'll be of interest to the casual reader (or a sports-casual one, at that).  One thing that did happen today was we decided to add an extra Mostly Comedy in July, to accommodate an Edinburgh preview or two. A couple of days ago, I was approached by an act that I know, who asked if it was possible to fit in a preview at the club that month. To cut a long story short, I said yes. It will happen the day before the July show that's already booked in, making it the first ever Hitchin Mostly Comedy to take place on a Wednesday - and the first example of a Mostly Comedy two-day stretch (though we did have a couple of London dates in the past that directly preceeded Hitchin ones). If it goes well, we may even entertain the idea of doing a fe...

Tonight's been mostly 'off duty', catching up on recorded episodes of The Simpsons and The X Files, with a cat on my lap. My cat, to be specific; not just any old cat. If it weren't for the technology I'm using to write this, you'd be fooled into thinking it was the early 1990s, thanks to my viewing habits. I may be behind the times, but I don't care, as I enjoy it. It's nice to switch on my TV and switch off my mind. I'd hoped to work on some new material today, but try as I might, I couldn't get into the right mindset. It didn't help that I didn't get started until mid-afternoon, as I met parents for lunch. I'm not complaining - I had a nice time - but I'd hoped to get more done. Frustratingly, it wasn't until minutes before I left the office that I had a small burst of inspiration, which I quickly made note of before I walked home. At least this gives me a checklist to work through over the weekend and into the week. I...

A man in the audience at tonight's Joke in the Box told me he'd seen me play Buddy Holly in the theatre across the road; IN WOKING, NOTHING IS FORGOTTEN. In a way, I hope that some of what I did tonight will be. I was on first, and while my set started well, it tapered off towards the end. I kicked off by remarking on how the harsh spotlight I was performing in made me feel like I was recreating the cover of 'Band on the Run'; a niche, yet appropriate reference that at least hit the ground running. This spotlight ended up conspiring against me, however, as it was very hard to judge where on stage I was properly lit. The emcee had unwittingly stood in near-darkness at the top of the show, so I tried to compensate by moving further stage-left, but couldn't get comfortable. The sound was also a little muddy; I spent the whole set trying to find the sweet spot on the mic that enabled me to be heard. I got so caught up in working out how to purse my lips that I lost e...

When I visited my dad's house today, I made the executive decision not to sit on the noisiest chair. Most people don't own a seat that's noticeably more audible than the rest, with the exception of CJ in the Seventies sitcom 'The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin', but he's less relevant on account of being a fictional character who was played by an actor who's long dead; he didn't get where he is today without shuffling off of this mortal coil. My Dad, however, does. It lulls you into a false sense of security by 'sitting' next to another one that's identical in every way, save the silence. It's leathery, Mastermind-style opulence has no aural accompaniment. Meanwhile, the noisy chair does everything it can to lower your status; creaking and farting practically every moment you're on it, irrespective of how little or often you move. It's the most sensitive and volatile surface on the planet: capable of picking up the subtlest bu...

Today, I was responsible for two household energy-based fails: (1) I left the iron on while I was in the bath, and (2) the heating's been on for most of the day. It seems I’ve become lackadaisical with electricity in my mid-thirties. When it comes to power these days, I just don’t care. The melting of the polar icecaps is nigh on inevitable, so why not speed up the process? I'm not going to sit and wait for it to come of its own accord. In reality, I was annoyed on both counts. I’ve lost track of the times I’ve been out and about, worrying that the iron was still plugged in ; on this occasion, I was only in the next room, getting clean. Not only did I have a bath; I also washed my hair - so it must have been on for over an hour. I’m lucky my kitchen didn’t wind up resembling a sauna steam room. I had a better alibi for forgetting about the heating. I spent the morning tumble-drying bath towels, which always raises the h...

I've been practicing meditation more and more frequently in the past few weeks, to quieten my frenetic brain. I find it very helpful to slow down my thoughts, which often race ahead at a lick, and to focus on what I'm doing there and then. Like most things that are good for me, I expected to only meditate in fits and starts, but surprisingly, I'm pretty regular with it, though it's harder to commit and concentrate when I'm overtired and stressed. It's become an off/on part of my warm-up routine when preparing for a show. There are a string of vocal exercises I always do before a performance - partly to wake up my range, speech and diction and partly because I'd feel weird if I left them out - but meditation has certainly been added to the list. While mindfulness is currently in vogue and may seem a buzzword to a cynic, there's a lot to be said for it. Anything that helps you prioritise and take stock in where you're at can only be a good thing. On...

Much o f the afternoon was spent trying to pull together a press mailout for my Brighton Fringe show. I got there in the end, thanks to a little assistance from my wife. It's nice to have help, as I've sent so many press releases out over the years that I almost cease to see the point in doing it. It's useful when it comes to promoting Mostly Comedys with high profile line-ups, but there's much less impact when you're just promoting yourself. It's hard to create interest, or to find the time to a publicise what you're doing properly, when there's so much other stuff to be done as well, like writing and rehearsing your show in the first place. Now the mailout's completed for the most part, I can focus on what needs to be done for the show. I was suitably enthused by my Bath 'Work in (Hope of) Progress' dates, as they gave me a positive sense of moving on with my stand-up; to paraphrase a well know 60s song, "It's getting better all ...

I've done nothing of note work-wise today and I feel a bit guilty about it. I have a lot of catching up to do ready for my dates in Brighton next month, but I'm allowed to take it easy occasionally if I see so fit. It's easy to forget that you sometimes need a rest.  Right now, this doesn't seem much of an option, as it's one of the many things I shun, but if I give myself a bit of time doing nothing, I might be more capable of of getting my work done when I'm 'on the case', so to speak. I'm going to have to keep it brief tonight, as I'm literally falling asleep as I write. I genuinely keep catching myself falling under. I'll try to write a little more tomorrow when I'm less zonked. Zonked: now that's a word .

Some might say sharing next month's Mostly Comedy press release in lieu of a proper blog post is a cheat, but those people probably weren't up until 3am yesterday and therefore too tired to share anything else coherent. If it's any consolation, I wrote it myself - plus it's partially about me. So, strap in: Press Release – 18.04.16 mostly comedy a monthly comedy and music club, at the sun hotel in hitchin While 5th May’s Hitchin Mostly Comedy with HENNING WEHN and Red Dwarf’s HATTIE HAYRIDGE is sold out, there’s still a chance to snap up tickets for the 12th May date with stand-up from KERRY GODLIMAN and DAVID EPHGRAVE. KERRY GODLIMAN is an accomplished actress, writer and stand-up, best known for her portrayal of Hannah in Channel Four’s Ricky Gervais-penned sitcom ‘ Derek ’. She’s no stranger to other TV work, however, having appeared on BBC1’s ‘ Live at The Apollo ’, ‘ Miranda ’ and ‘ Our Gi...

Tonight's Mostly Comedy saw a lovely mix of acts doing great stuff, marred slightly by a few audience members deciding to leave early in a ball of distraction and disruptiveness, because they did like the final act. That's the way a comedy night goes; not everyone will like everything. It was just a shame that decided to make their distaste so vocal, pulling focus so much as they left. Outside of that, it was a nice gig. It was always going to be quieter, what with Henning Wehn having to move to a different date - but while the numbers were slightly down, they were a pretty responsive bunch. Overall, I enjoyed it. It was great to have our techie Paul back tonight at the helm. Our get-in was relaxed and completed in good time, thanks to his hard work. Glyn and I had the chance to get ready for the gig with relative comfort, which is in start contrast to usual. This can only be good. Now, it's time for bed as it's FAR TOO LATE. Good night y'all.

I had a nice relaxing evening tonight, switched off from thoughts of anything work-related. I feel guilty when I say things like this, like p eople would question what I do as being 'work'. That's a ridiculous mindset for a 34-year-old to consistently be in - or does everybody insecure about this? I shouldn't feel the need to justify what I do; I'm a self-employed performer who has always earnt a living in this field. My CV vouches for this. I've toured the country, appeared on TV (albeit in adverts) and been in the West End (and not just as a tourist), yet somehow my career doesn't seem real or tangible. Not just that; I also feel the need to rationalise why I might want a night off from thinking about what I need to do the next day. ...I'm essentially a bit of a fucking idiot. It helps that I met with Glyn today and we discussed a lot of things that need to be done. It was time well spent. I also phoned our Mostly Comedy technician Paul to talk thro...

If I don’t tidy up my beard soon, I’ll morph into an early-Eighties Beach Boy.  This style choice isn’t intentional; it’s brought about by a 50/50 mix of laziness/busyness. There hasn’t been sufficient time to go about my usual high standard of personal grooming. If I’m not careful, I’ll be buying a sandpit, pushing my piano into it and playing the verse riff of California Girls on it on loop. (This is a very specific Brian Wilson reference.) I’d better knock my untrimmed facial hair on the head before Thursday’s Hitchin gig. Phil Kay’s on the bill, and I don’t want to end up in the crossfire of a high stakes ‘beard-off’. He’s more likely to this battle than me; he’s a professional beard wearer. If nothing else, I’ll buy a beard snood, as I’m not sure our public liability insurance covers hygiene.

Yet again, I've frazzled my brain with admin, rather than focusing on the things I'd rather prioritise on. This always seems to be the case. Tonight, I've written press releases for the next few Mostly Comedys (I never know how to pluralise this) and pulled together a mailout to be sent to our mailing list in the morning. I wanted to get this out at the weekend, knowing it would increase sales for this week's show and raise awareness of the next few dates, but life got in the way. I long for the time when I'm not chasing my tail (in a metaphorical sense, as I'm essentially tail-less). This happened at the expense of the two things I wanted to do this evening, which were (1) apply for the BBC New Comedy Competition (for which the deadline is midnight tonight) and (2) watch The X-Files with my wife (our current brain switch-off of choice). Predictably, neither happened. Bloody bastard bloody linear time. Thankfully the whole day wasn't like this. This morni...

Predictably, I listened to tonight's episode of 'Doggett & Ephgrave: In Your Inner Ear' when it went out; primarily so I could tweet along the pictures that accompanied it. I always feel slightly nervous before the broadcast; mainly because I can never quite remember what was said, or if I was any good on it. The show's recorded so quickly, you barely have the chance to consider it - and when it's a been a busy week like this one, it fills such a tiny fraction of your time for you to barely even consider it as you're doing it. This can be positive, as the content often takes me by surprise when I listen back to it. Tonight, I genuinely laughed at a lot of it; not in a self-celibratory way; more because I didn't know what was coming next, bar the basic outline. There was the odd bit of cross-talk in places, which was frustrating, but funny lines frequently came up. I like the broad scope of our references (tonight's ranged from Pingu to...oh, I for...

I'm currently on the train back from a lovely gig at Guildford Gag House in - yes, you've guessed it - Guildford. It was nice to do a set in a 'club' club, having done a lot of open mic gigs recently, to work up new material. The place was run like a tight ship, which was refreshing, and the room (which was in the back of a pub called the Star Inn) had a decent stage and a proper tech set-up. I suspect it doubles as a music venue, but to be honest, I haven't done my research. I was on in the middle, between Tom Lucy and Mark Dolan, which was good for me logistically, as it meant I could nip off earlyish, which makes for a change after a week of late nights. I felt guilty for missing Mark's set, but I quickly said hello, to hopefully negate my inherent rudeness. I also had a good chat with Tom, who I haven't met before, and enjoyed his set; he's far to self-assured for someone I now realise is half my age; I'm officially decrepit. My set went well,...

It was nice to not be gigging tonight. Today I’ve been feeling brain-dead and overworked. It didn’t help that I had a late night last night, thanks to an exceptionally delayed train home from Brighton to St Pancras. It’s been good to be so busy recently, and to be working towards my goals (primarily next month’s Brighton show and Edinburgh in August) – but it’s also nice to have a bit of headspace. I feel like I’ve been overloading myself a bit. I vaguely ran through my proposed set for tomorrow’s gig in Guildford late this afternoon, but was too tired to make any definite decisions about it. Either way, it will be good to play a proper club for a change, other than just my own one. I’m looking forward to it. I made some rough notes about what to talk about, so I’ll check it again tomorrow on fresh eyes, to decide for certain what goes in and what goes out. On that note, I’ll sign off for tonight, as my eyes are trying their darndest to shu...

There's nothing less dignified than a sweaty Ephgrave running for the train in the rain, after returning to a venue to rescue his neglected umbrella. That's how the evening played out to me. I zoomed from the gig, after the MC had kindly put me on first so I could leave early, to find I'd mislaid my 'portable shelter'. I contemplated leaving it behind, but a quick peek out of the door made it patently obvious that this would be churlish. To make things worse, the room the gig was in was as tight and rammed as a room could be; I had to go back, having already made a painfully awkward, stumbly exit in the first place. The location of tonight's slapstick was the Black Dove in Brighton; a pub I've played before, about a year ago. The room has a distinct opium den vibe that adds character to proceedings. It was a shame I had to leave early as it looked like a good line-up. I got talking to a couple of the other acts before I went on, who were very nice. It'...

Today's been the dictionary definition of jam-packed. (N.B. It's not literally the dictionary definition, but FUCK YOU . This is my newer, reworked, rowdier post Bath-Comedy-Festival self, and you've gotta LIVE WITH IT .) (...I'll now step down from my pedestal.) The day started with meeting Glyn for breakfast, which was nice, as it gave us the chance to catch up on what's been happening for us both in the past few weeks. I filled him in on my Bath Festival experience, which was for the most part good, and he filled me in on his current job hunt. The only slight frustration was we were pushed for time from the start as I had a doctor's appointment, so we resorted to talking in bullet points. Nevertheless, it was still a good thing to do. After my appointment (which I won't relay, as there are limits), I went to the office to quickly look at a prospective set for a gig I was doing this evening (which I'm currently on the train back from as I write th...

I've been exceptionally tired today; so much so that I didn't get much done. I caught the bus to Stotfold this morning to walk my mum’s dog; a visit that was well-timed, as my mum has injured her foot, making it hard to do it herself. It was nice to see Barley and to catch up with my mum, having not seen her properly for a few weeks. By the time I'd taken Barley around the block and caught the bus back to Hitchin, it was 1:30pm. I walked to the library to renew a book, then headed to the office to do some writing.   I settled down to look at some new material for tomorrow’s gig, but couldn't keep focused. This was annoying, as I hate wasting time. I know I’m entitled to a break after Bath, but I'm not very good at allowing myself this. I'm seldom satisfied with what I've done, and woke up today feeling frustrated about the lack of audience I had over the weekend, and the unlikelihood of a review or anything else positive coming from it. I know I'm bei...

Much of today was spent driving back from Bath in the rain. To be fair, I wasn't the one doing the driving, on account of the fact that I can't. Instead, the responsibility fell on my wife, while Steve squeezed himself into the back of the car, with most of the show’s gear. If he fancies a change, he could have a promising career as a contortionist. Thanks to the weather, the journey felt like it would ne ver end. We managed to fill the time with a couple of travel games, which lightened the mood, but by the time we approached Hitchin, we were a little delirious. We laughed a lot, but I think we were all pleased to finally get home. Then followed a lot of clothes-washing and unpacking, before my wife and I went to pick up the cat from her sister’s and settled down for a qu iet, yet tired evening. I'm falling asleep as I write this which is never a good sign. The last thing I’d want to do is just peter ou ...

First off, I'm pleased to report that I had a show tonight and second off, I'm pleased to report that  it went well.  The audience were small but quite responsive, and all in all, it felt that what I did held together. I did find myself going in unexpected directions as I went off on various tangents, but I felt I was just the right side of improvising, while keeping a sense of the show as a whole. It was one of those rare occasions where I felt in control even when things went off in a random way.  All in all, playing the Bath Comedy Festival was a pleasing experience, even if I only ended up doing a short stand-up spot and a full show. I think next time I should be tighter on the PR, so I don't end up in a similar position. Perhaps if I sent fire to myself the public would be interested. It's always worth a try.

Tonight, I didn’t have a show, as no-one came to see it. This isn’t as bleak as it may read at first glance. Firstly, I barely slept last night, so I wasn’t exactly feeling match-fit. Also, I had the chance to run the show in the space, which made me feel more comfortable for tomorrow. I also got to set up at a leisurely rate, which is always good when you have an elaborate tech set-up (the word ‘elaborate’ is a little hyperbolic, but I’m now on the outside of one and a half espresso martinis and a glass of prosecco, after enjoying a lovely meal in an Italian restaurant with my wife and Stephen (who couldn’t finish his espresso martini due to an amaretto allergy; the most middle class sentence you’ve ever read). It made for a nice release after a long day, and a nicely sociable evening. Me, setting up, like. I’m raring to go for tomorrow. I’m looking forward to getting my new material out in the open and trying it out. It’s a shame I won’t get ...

Tonight, I did a spot in the Bath New Act competition, as it felt like a thing to do while I'm here...and still on the fringes of being able to describe myself as a ‘new’ act. It was a nice room and a great line-up of a very high standard. I was on first, which can be a bit of a poisoned chalice, as the room aren't sufficiently warmed up, and you can easily get forgotten in the stream of other acts. That said, I quite like getting it over and done with, rather than having to keep my brain firing asI wait to go on. That said, my set went well and the audience were pretty responsive, which was good, as I took a bit of a risk and did mostly new material, in a slightly different format to what I've done in the past. I didn't get through to the final, which was a shame, but to be honest, it wasn't what it was about for me (but I would say that). I see every gig as a chance to bed in new stuff and settle into working alone again, as I gradually build up my stamina and c...

is it a cop-out to share the press release I wrote for this month's Mostly Comedy today in lieu of a proper blog post? Yes, it probably is...but when you're tired and preparing to nip off to Bath for a few days to perform at their comedy festival, you're allowed to give yourself a little break. It's only so much of a cheat anyway as I still wrote it - even if it wound up being a cut-and-shut of various other press releases in the past. I was pleased to see the resulting article is already displayed on the  Hertfordshire Mercury, plus we've also managed to shift a few more tickets today, which is presumably as a result of this, so that's good. See below for the press release that inspired it, and then visit www.mostlycomedy.co.uk to book. ---- Press Release – 04.04.16 mostly comedy a monthly comedy and music club, at the sun hotel in hitchin 21st April’s instalment of Doggett & Ephgrave’s Mostly Comedy sees a variety of familiar faces return to the cl...

While I’m enjoying piecing together various bits of material for this weekend’s Bath Comedy Festival work-in-progress dates and am happy with how it’s going, I'm in a bit of a quandary as to which direction I should go with the Brighton and Edinburgh Fringe show that will hopefully rise from the ashes of it. (I like a bit of drama in a blog post.) My sticking point is this: should I keep the show personal and use more stories about me and my family, much like last year’s Brighton and Camden Fringe show ‘...and Ephgrave’, or should I go with the material that's more outward-looking than inward, much like Glyn’s and my output. At this stage, I'm not sure. There's a lot to be said for keeping things universal, but it's possible that in doing so, the stand-up becomes more generic and less original. The big, big, big decision I'm faced with is how much I should use projection. It's very easy for me to fall back on it, as it's so familiar a format...

As is often the case when I’ve had a good day working on my show, it is swiftly followed by a less productive one. This was solely due to other things getting in the way. First off, this morning, I had to walk a massive dog; my mum’s dog, to be precise. I caught the bus to Stotfold to take him out, which I often do, as it saves my mum paying a dog-walker for one day a week, plus I get some exercise. Today, Barley - for it is he - was particularly keen to go out, and delighted to say hello to everyone we met on the way; including an 18-week-old sausage dog who didn't quite know what to make of the huge Digby-like beast who was so desperate to greet him; vive la différence. Yes, that's right: ‘French’. After that, I spent the afternoon battling with a mobile phone provider that ironically started life in the self-same village. Or maybe I misremembered that. Either way, it made for an irritating distraction, which ate up far too much time and meant I got a lo...

Today felt pretty productive. Aside from the odd bit of personal admin, such a dropping off prescriptions and buying bin bags, I spent much of the day running material and starting to piece a set together for this weekend’s show. I felt quite energised and enthused by the results, which was an exciting place to be this early in the week. My only sticking point at this stage is whether to be bold and make my setlist predominantly new, untested (and relatively untested) stuff, or whether to pad it out generously with things I've tried before, such as material from last year’s show. I'd initially intended on doing the latter, but working through my notepads today, I reminded myself of various bits and pieces I'd vaguely worked up, or blogs I thought would be appropriate for stand-up, that I could probably learn sufficiently over the next week. I remembered the reason I'd booked the Bath dates in the first place: as a chance to openly try new ideas out. I don't expect...

Today (Sunday), I reached my secret self-enforced mental cut-off point for writing new material to go into next weekend’s Bath Comedy Festival ‘Work in (Hope of) Progress’ dates . I'm surprised by how much new non-projection based stuff I've accumulated, but I suppose it's no wonder when I think of how few gigs I've been able to use the technology at in recent months. That's not to say there won't be more of it to squeeze into my Brighton and Edinburgh show - there are more than a handful of routines I have in mind for it - though I'd sooner draw a line under what goes into the Bath setlist, than put in too much half-formed half-learnt stuff I won't yet be able to do justice. It’s reassuring though, as it gives me a firm sense of the direction my show will take in the next few months. My Bath ‘Work in (Hope of) Progress’ dates will be markedly different to Brighton and Edinburgh’s ‘Mostly David Ephgrave’ show, but no less free-sta...

I took a couple of photos today when I was on the way to the library.  I only managed one shot before the cat stopped cooperating and started washing. They're all the same; feigning nonchalance when they know exactly what they're doing. They may be my favourite species, but they’re a pain in the arse whenever they see fit. The door reminds me, perhaps unsurprisingly, of the old Big Day Out song ‘Red Front Door’, that we used to play as a four-piece. The song was inspired by the appropriately-coloured entrance to former Labour MP Barbara Follett’s old house on Stevenage High Street, which I used to walk past every day on my way to school. Despite the fact I’d see it the most, I played little part in the writing, but I liked the concept, which was taken from the point of view of someone in the public eye seeking solace in their house when it all got too much: “And I can’t take any more; it drives me out of my shoes. I’m happy hiding behind my red front door; it keep...

I found yesterday’s Mostly Comedy frustrating, though this was probably more to do with my mindset, than the gig itself. James Acaster at last night's Mostly (photos by Gemma Poole) It was an exceptional line-up, with Mostly old-timer James Acaster making his first appearance at the club in a couple of years to preview his new show, and an acoustic set from The Bluetones’ exceptional (and thoroughly nice) Mark Morriss to round things off. It was nice to see James again, having not crossed paths for a while, and my kid inside was all worked up to hear Mark’s distinctive voice ringing out in our venue. When I introduced his set, I made reference to the fact that I have a clear memory of my old band Big Day Out jamming our way through the Bluetones’ song Solomon Bites the Worm in the front room of our then-guitarist’s house, when I was just seventeen (not the magazine). If you told me then that I’d one day play host to their frontman at my own club, I wou...

Tonight (or should that read "this morning") I wrote a long detailed blog about this evening's Mostly Comedy, which I managed to delete without saving. Consequently, I've spent the last hour or so trying to revert to a previous version of the file, to save me having to write the whole thing again. Now, a good sixty minutes into to trying to do this, I'll admit, I've been beaten. It's far too late to rewrite that blog post now - so I'll try and approximate it again tomorrow. It's very irritating, as I was quite pleased with it.  In the meantime, as a space-saver, you can enjoy a picture of me and Mark Morriss sharing an intimate moment after tonight's gig. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. Watch this space. (I'm well aware that this is a cop-out, but it's nearly 4:30am, so give me a break; I'm talking to myself here and not you. Night night. This wasn't the way this blog was meant to be.