Edinburgh II: The Wrath of Khan.

Today saw my second Edinburgh show and my last preview.

I actually felt far better about today's performance compared to yesterday's, which was ironic in a way, as we went up late due to a waiting for five audience members who'd rushed to the door of the venue, thinking they could buy tickets there, to be redirected to the box office only to never come back; I have that effect on would-be punters. This late start meant I had to consciously pace things up and cut the odd line here and there to finish on time, which actually made the whole thing feel more cohesive; on this basis, I'm going to start tomorrow's show next Wednesday.

Amongst today's bijou audience was the technician from Glyn's and my first Edinburgh show The Balloon Debate, with his girlfriend, who we last saw in either 2010 or 2011, when we were up here with Mostly Comedy (and possibly our Meadow Bar show Big in Small Places; it's hard to remember which, as each year rolls into one).

As soon as I saw them in the audience, I relaxed. They're such nice, supportive people that I knew they'd be on-side, which made the show a lot more fun. I'm really liking working in the space, which makes the show feel like a conversation (with the only catch being that one of the people talking has a mic).

I got so engrossed in catching up with the two of them after the show that I forgot I was supposed to be rushing back to my flat to do a radio interview for the Herts, Beds and Bucks station Bob FM about my Edinburgh exploits, with the prerecord booked for 1.45pm. Thankfully, the station forgave my tardiness (not to be confused with my TARDIS), and we did it a little later on.

The rest of the afternoon was spent completing two Q&A interviews about the show in Costa Coffee, then wandering around a few of Doggett & Ephgrave's old Edinburgh haunts, having not had the time to really take in the fact that I'm up at the festival until this point. I walked to Bristo Square (being instantly confused by the lack of Udderbelly), before slipping past the Gilded Balloon toward the Assembly spaces (feeling sad after a flashback of watching Paul Daniels there), then walking onto Nicholson Street and past The Counting House where we did Mostly Comedy for two years with progressively later start times; the second year we kicked off at 00:15, which was long wait to do a show to a largely pissed audience; you make these mistakes so you never have to make them again.

This evening, I haven't done much. I didn't really feel like it. You've got to be in the mood to go out and you don't always want to do this on your own. I also want my show's early start in mind and make sure I don't muck things up due to overtiredness; it's the reason I'm here and I don't want to waste it. Consequently, I'll only take the one dose of Ketamin tonight; I mustn't overdo it.

Not The Bayeux One.

The Carole King album Tapestry has been my 'getting-ready-in-the-morning' soundtrack for the past few weeks. It's been a favourite album ever since I was a student, which makes for a pleasantly gentle way to usher in the start of a day. I've always been a fan of a well-crafted song, which is something of a Carole King hallmark, ever since she started writing with her first husband in the early Sixties. Tapestry may be an unimaginative choice for a favourite LP, as it suggests I haven't delved that far into her career, but it's still an undoubted classic; anything with '(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman', 'Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?' and 'You've Got A Friend' on it can't really fail; if nothing else, it proves she likes writing songs with long titles. Next month, she's set to perform the album live in its entirety for the first time at a gig in Hyde Park, which I would have loved to have gone to, if it weren...

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...

Hitchin is Mine.

As of six o’clock tonight, I take over the Hitchin is Yours Twitter account for a week; a stewardship I’m anxious to get right. I’m proud of my hometown. It’s a great place to live, with so much going for it. I've always sold it to my non-Hitchinite friends; so much so, that a lot have gone on to move here. Any town expansion plans are partly my fault. Feel free to picket outside my house. I love its history and architecture. Take St Mary’s Church, for example. The building is beautiful inside and out, and huge for a town of our size. There has been a place of worship on site since the 7 th Century. Much of the present building dates from the 1300s. You wouldn't get that in America. (Don't forget the British Schools Museum too.) Hitchin is a hive for creative people and a hub for the arts. It boast two theatres, two comedy clubs, a couple of art galleries, a festival for world music and a thriving music scene. This drew...

mostly david ephgrave

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