mostly david ephgrave

Perhaps the most touching moment at my dad's funeral yesterday was when a member of his art club gave me this sketch of him she drew in the late 90s and had kept hold of all these years. Seeing his face when I opened the folder made me cry, predictably.  I know it's an obvious thing to say in the circumstances and being given the drawing underlined it, but I want him back. The last few years were overwhelmed by his illness and robbed us of time, both during and after it. The breaks in the clouds were few and far between and, while we did all we could to steer him through what we could control, we were ultimately defeated, which is a shit way to end the story, but then that's life. And now I'm trapped in a situation I know would have upset him deeply that I have to navigate in his memory and could do without the pressure on top of the grief. But that's a story for another time. There was a lot to treasure yesterday, despite the difficultness. Firstly, the ...

Perhaps the nicest moment at Thursday's Hitchin Mostly Comedy - aside from the round of applause when I dedicated the show to my dad - was when a woman in the audience stopped me as I sneaked in at the back mid-show to ask if she could give me a hug. It was a decidedly un-British thing to do, but the thought didn't go unappreciated and the conversation that followed was very nice. As well as saying kind, supportive things about losing my dad, she told me she'd been coming to the club since 2008 (so from the very beginning) and how much she loves it. She said her friends even have a Mostly Comedy WhatsApp group, which they use to discuss what shows they'd like to attend and who's paying for it. The fact people take the time to do this amazes me and reminds me our punters are a lovely bunch. I know losing a parent is such a commonality in life that being in my position isn't exactly special or unusual, but the combination of it, my Edinburgh situation and...

Why do some people insist on wearing t-shirts like this? I understand that taste is subjective; one man’s idea of what constitutes fashion may differ wildly from the next. Let’s be clear, though: while style is certainly a matter of personal opinion, if you choose to walk a round with an outsize painting of a wolf on your chest, then yours is the wrong personal opinion . The same goes for having a wolf-themed tyre-cover on the back of your 4x4. I’ve got nothing against wolves, per se. They certainly have their place – but that place isn’t on another man’s chest. I’ve never seen a coyote wearing a t-shirt with a man on it; why would the other way around be acceptable? To be fair, I’ve seldom seen a wolf dressed in anything – save the occasional bit of sheep’s clothing. I’m generally not one for wearing clothing with pictures on it – or worse still, text.  I can’t really comprehend why you’d want t...