Skip to main content

Comedy Short(s).


I spent most of the afternoon today putting together a slideshow for a piece of material that if it goes into my show will only last about two or three minutes.

It can be frustrating when that much work goes into something so short, but that’s the way it goes. I’m a fan of intricate detail and like the thought that people watching will be amused by the lengths to which I’ll go to illustrate a point. That’s where using projection is good, as you can shine on a light on the tiniest aspects of something and get a laugh out of the mundanities of it; Doggett & Ephgrave would never have had any stand-up material if it weren’t for this, and while a lot of my solo stuff is story led, I still think I’m best when I’m using a projector as I know what to do with it.

As for the piece of material I was working on, I think it has promise, even if it is very short. It may be a little overwritten, but I’ll try it out as soon as I can do it properly to make sure. At least it felt good to be forging ahead and getting something done. I’ve just got to keep it up; part of the problem is I forget what bits I wanted to work on until something happens in my day-to-day life to remind me. That’s why I always carry my little notebook around with me: to jot stuff down as it comes back to me, so I can keep track of what I want to do. At least I have a list of stuff to fall back on then, which is useful when I’ve got so much writing I need to do.

Popular posts from this blog

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...

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...

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...