Metropolitanly Monged.


The sudden rush of air as I stood on the escalator yesterday, combined with the strong smell of weed, turned the exit of Camden Town tube into a massive bong.

You don’t expect using public transport to lead to an impromptu forced drug-ingestion, but apparently in NW1, that’s the way it goes. It calls to mind when Shredded Wheat used to have a factory next to Welwyn Garden City Railway Station; passing through at speed would result in the distinct odour of Ian Botham’s favourite breakfast cereal clouding the air. It was akin to balancing a thin line of crushed wheat on the side of your index finger and snorting it like snuff.

(…the things you do when you’re a student.)

I wasn’t particularly happy about the sudden hit of the dreaded herb. Being stoned is the last thing you want when you’re about to do a show, either in the smoking or the rock-based punishment sense; both add an extra, stressful layer to proceedings; I have enough of an internal monologue going on when I’m mid-performance, without adding the need to listen to mid-Sixties’ Dylan too, or the work of that other pot-addled Bob figure, Bob Marley.

Being forced to passively-smoke marijuana on your way out of Camden Town station is one thing, but it could have been worse: I could have been on London’s longest Underground escalator at Angel tube. If so, I would have left my clothes in a pile by the door and danced away to the tune of Tide of the Season by The Zombies (which is a very niche Simpsons reference.

Popular posts from this blog

Shakerpuppetmaker.

Image
Have Parker from Thunderbirds and Noel Gallagher ever been seen in the same room? The resemblance is uncanny. So much so, I think something’s afoot. If my suspicions are correct, I've stumbled across a secret that will blow the music and puppet industry wide apart. In the mid-60s / mid-90s at least. It doesn’t take long to see the signposts. There’s the similarity between the name of Oasis’ first single, Supersonic, and Supermarianation, Gerry Anderson’s puppetry technique. The Gallagher brothers would often wear Parkas . Live Forever was clearly a reference to Captain Scarlet and Standing on the Shoulder of Giants to the size difference between Noel and his bandmates. The more you think about it, the more brazen it gets. It’s fishier than Area 51, Paul is Dead and JFK's assassination put together. The only glitch to the theory is scale . According to Wikipedia, Anderson’s marionettes were 1’10” and Gallagher is 5’8”. How does he maintain an illusion of avera...
Read more

Stevenage: A (Tiny) River Runs Through it.

If ever a river was mis-sold, it’s the Roaring Meg in Stevenage. I just walked past it on my way to the retail park that has taken its name. They’re similarly uninspiring. The river is less of a roar and more of a dribble; cystitis sufferers produce greater flow. The retail park is soulless. What was once a thriving enterprise is nearly devoid of atmosphere, save an underlying essence of emptiness and despair. With a Toys R Us. When it was first built I was excited. Back then, the thought of a bowling alley, an ice rink, a Harvester and a Blockbuster Video within a small surface area was enticing. I celebrated many birthdays on site. There was an indoor cricket pitch there for a while where I once had a joint party with a friend. Why someone with an almost pathological fear of sport would agree to such a venture is beyond me, but I did it. Now, there’s very little at the Roaring Meg of note. The river would be a metaphor for the shopping ce...
Read more

Hoo-ray and up She Rises.

So much has happened since my last post in March that this blog risks sounding like an itinerary. The main news is that Hitchin Mostly Comedy will return in the summer at a new venue, the Queen Mother Theatre . The road to this decision was convoluted, though enough fell into place en route to leave me optimistic about this new start. The catalyst was a survey I ran via our mailing list a few months back, in which I asked, "If the club returned in the current climate, with tickets still around £15 (and with similar line-ups), would you still attend?"; the response to which, in simple terms, was a resounding yes. Nearly 250 mailing list subscribers responded in a single week, with around a hundred also taking the option to leave some feedback. And only two people were abusive, which counts as a win when you consider they posted their comments online anonymously. Imagine how many more insults we would have received if the comedy club was a woman. Particularly if she was Diane ...
Read more