mostly david ephgrave

Today was one of those ‘chasing your tails’ days, where I kept jumping from one thing to the next. It started with me meeting Glyn for breakfast, ostensibly to discuss work, but really to catch up more than anything. January's always the worst time of year for us to get together as he concentrates primarily on company-managing the Adult Panto tour, which has more dates this year than ever; it’s due to this that he’ll miss the first Mostly Comedy of 2018 next week. After that, I headed to the office to chase up a few potential line-ups for the forthcoming season and to order the artwork for my show in Leicester next month, which I edited last night. Once again, I find myself spending more time on admin than anything; I’d hoped to rehearse today, but everything else conspired to get in the way; hopefully tomorrow will be different. The main job I'd wanted to squeeze into today was getting a few posters and flyers for Phill Jupitus’ to...

The person who stole a suitcase containing half of my Edinburgh flyers from the stairwell of my digs gained a disappointing loot. It was due to my never-ending Wednesday (which ended eventually) that I’d left the case around the corner out of the way. I’d already carried one caseload of flyers up three floors to my flat, and as weedy as it sounds, I couldn’t manage a second one. Actually, it isn't weedy when you consider how much I’d already carried that day by myself (FEEL SORRY FOR ME). When I left for my first (no)show yesterday, the case was still there, and it was my plan to take it upstairs when I got back; that’s where I fell at the first hurdle, as in the sixty minutes I was sweating my little Jagger-like bum off running my show, someone decided to claim it for themselves. I find this surprising on two counts, as (1) the case was a cheap Wilkinson affair, and (2) it was heavier than dark matter. They must have lifted it for a m...

To say yesterday was exhausting would be an epic understatement. The day started with me checking out of my temporary accommodation in a youth hostel (I’m not sure the first word is still applicable to me), leaving my luggage there to go and meet one of my new flyerers for this year. The best way to describe the hostel is “functional”. It was made up a series of mini-flats in a typically many-floored Edinburgh building, with me staying in the forebodingly named Flat 13 at the top of eight (count them: eight) floors. As I walked towards the entrance, one of the people who worked at the hostel asked if I’d like a hand with my luggage, which I politely declined like a typical Brit. It was about five floors in that I knew I’d made a mistake; note to self: next time, say “Yes”. "Cosy." I arrived at City Café at midday to meet my new flyerer Cameron, who’s a nice chap and very keen. It’s so important to have people you can trust f...

This morning, I made use of “the nation’s favourite adhesive tack”. Who am I to dispute their impressive boast? The reason I was armed to the teeth with sticky blue stuff was I was out distributing posters for July’s Mostly Comedy Summer Special around Hitchin. Sticking flyers in shop windows has been a monthly job for the past seven years. It’s not something I enjoy – I have to initiate conversations, for a start – but it’s a necessity. It helps spread the word about the club and give us a presence in town. Some people are very nice about putting up posters and others aren't. I understand why; who’s to say you should advertise someone else's event within your own business? That said, it helps give a suggestion of community; something Hitchin is keen to create. The time we most evident in town was when we had a banner up in the Market Place. This was just after we moved to the Market Theatre. It was only a small thing (well, it was...