What You Need Tonight.

Tonight I went to see Brian Wilson play The Beach Boys' seminal album Pet Sounds, plus a truckload of his other classics at Edinburgh Playhouse, which was just what the doctor ordered at this stage of my Edinburgh run.

I was glad I managed to secure a ticket a week or so after a bit of an online struggle with Ticketmaster as I knew it would be a treat to look forward to, which was perfectly positioned, what with it being the night before my final day off and a short walk from where I'm staying; I’d much rather be watching him than any comedy show or play on the Fringe as he’s a genuine legend and musical genius - to chose two vastly overused phrases - rolled into one. After The Beatles, McCartney and Dylan, I own more of his material than anyone, so to say I’m a bit of a fan is an understatement.

While I was sat the gig and just prior to it, I essentially live-tweeted my experience (although I put my phone down for the duration of Pet Sounds and most of the rest of his set, so I could be free to enjoy it uninterrupted); here’s a record of my evening:

5:38PM: Wouldn't it be nice if my day ended with me seeing Brian Wilson? It does? GREAT.

6:20PM: The same amount of time has passed since I last saw Brian Wilson live (premiering Smile at Festival Hall in 2004) as that between the release of Good Vibrations and my birth date. I'm deeply uncomfortable about this.

7:24PM: To be in the same room as the man who co-wrote the most perfect and beautiful pop song of all time - God Only Knows - and hear him sing it is an emotional thing. I'm excited.

7:24PM: (I hope he plays Revolver.)

7:38PM: Chance of crying? Signs point to yes.

7:39PM: My eyes are already watering, thinking about it...and I've seen him before.

7:40PM: Ephgrave's watery-eye view.

7:41PM: How am I supposed to cope with it at this stage of my Edinburgh run?

7:45PM: Tonight I kick off my 1942-born bass-playing Gemini Songwriting-whizz Appreciation Society outing with Brian Wilson, which I round off in December with Paul McCartney.

7:57PM: The support act are reminding me why I need to invest in a loop pedal.

8:29PM: The support - Beet Root Revival - were excellent.

8:31PM: What if I've made a mistake and I've actually booked for the Mike Love Baseball Cap Experience?

8:32PM: Here's hoping Brian encores with Vegetables, with Macca on Lead Carrot.

8:42PM: Unlikely orchestral version of Little Deuce Coupe on the house music.

8:43PM: If he closes with Love and Mercy I may struggle to cope with it; tired and emotional.

8:50PM: Fuck. You know you've got a great back catalogue to call on when you open with California Girls.

9:13PM: I'd forgotten Al Jardine currently tours with Brian; bonus Beach Boy. Hope he sings my favourite, Lady Lynda.

9:14PM: Surfer Girl and Darlin', making me sad for the loss of Dennis and Carl.

9:15PM: Sail On Sailor. Double-fuck yes.

11:14PM: Home from Brian Wilson gig (which was a handy 20-min walk from digs). To start a set with the likes of California Girls, Don't Worry Baby & Surfer Girl, close with Good Vibrations, Help Me Rhonda & Fun Fun Fun - & stick the entire Pet Sounds album in the midst of it = ridiculous.

11:20PM: My voice caught in my throat as I sang along more than once & I was a mess of tears by the time he closed with the beautiful Love & Mercy; with the world in such a frightening state at the moment, the childlike innocence of Wilson's lyrics in that song couldn't be more pertinent.

Shakerpuppetmaker.

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...

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...

Comedy That's Worth a Letch.

Today, I nipped to Letchworth to meet with illustrator (and one-time - two-time - comedy poet) Mushybees, to discuss an event Mostly Comedy will act as surrogate parents to as part of Letchworth’s Arts Takeover in a couple of weeks. Months ago he got into contact to see if we’d be up for co-organising a comedy stage as part of Letchworth’s weekend of arts-based attractions in July; something I’d provisionally said yes to, before things got hectic in the lead-up to Edinburgh and we didn’t take it any further. Despite not getting down to the nitty-gritty straight away, we managed to pull a line-up together in a back-and-forth of emails yesterday, leading to me getting Glyn’s blessing and us deciding we’d officially go ahead with it (whatever ‘officially’ means in this context). In reality, it’s not complicated: from 12pm until 6pm-ish on the 22 nd July, Glyn, Mushybees and I will host four Edinburgh previews from four acts (including me), before Nor...

mostly david ephgrave

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