Smile (in Both a Comedic and a Beach Boy Sense).


Today’s show, while only having four people in the audience, was easily the most enthusiastic reaction of the whole run; so much so, I jokingly asked them if they'd popped some form of medication.

From the beginning, they were in hysterics, and didn’t stop giggling throughout. It was lovely, if a little concerning, as when a reaction’s that good, you don’t want to get in the way of it, or do something wrong the mess things up.

It goes to show you needn't be busy for things to work; you only need a handful of people who are on board with it, which was as it was today. I’ve actually been pretty fortunate throughout, with rather typically the most stilted reaction so far being the day The List reviewed it (which so far is the only write-up I’ve got) and that was most likely due to me being thrown slightly by the technical issues that delayed our start that day.

Things were going so well today it didn’t even matter when my guitar cut out towards the middle of the show, which I suspect was due to the battery going in my tuning pedal. Thankfully it occurred to me to bypass the pedal and plug straight into the DI for most of the second half, so normal service was quickly resumed, though to be fair my voice is on the verge of getting a little tired too; my day off on Monday will come not a moment too soon.

This afternoon my wife and I made our traditional pilgrimage to see Phil Kay, who was quick to say he was pretty tired himself too, though as ever, there were still moments of white-hot inspiration of the sort he's the only one capable of; he has such a beautiful mind and I’m always happy to be in his company; hopefully we’ll entice him back to Hitchin Mostly in the autumn, as it’s been almost exactly a year


We had intended to go and see a friend’s show after Phil’s but changed our plans as I was feeling dizzy and exhausted and needed a bit of a break; this is all part and parcel with feeling a little overworked by the whole thing; again, another reason to be glad for my day off on Monday, along with the second luxury of another Monday off the week after that; I’m so glad I put that extra one in. What will make the latter day off even better is today I booked to see Brian Wilson, who’s gigging in Edinburgh on Sunday week, as a little treat; it will be the second time I’ve seen him, having watched him premiere the infamously aborted album Smile at Royal Festival Hall many moons ago. This time he’s playing Pet Sounds, which should be another treat and a bit of a warm up for the other gig watching another bass playing Sixties titan Paul McCartney in December. Macca’s got a new album out early next month, which is perfectly timed a post-Edinburgh treat; September draws ever-closer, which is good (not that I’m wishing the way the rest of my Edinburgh run).

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