mostly david ephgrave

I barely took part in my usual Monday evening tweet-along-to-University-Challenge-athon this evening for a couple of reasons: (1) because I’ve grown a little bored of the show if I’m honest, and (2) I’m feeling a bit less childish of late. I read an article a few weeks back, written from the perspective of a few contestants who’ve appeared on the game show and weren’t prepared for the virtual onslaught they received online as a result of this, literally in a virtual sense. The article was mostly written from the point of view of women who felt the way they looked took priority over their actual abilities, which is something I don’t believe I’m guilty of, yet it still made me think. I’d like to hope what I do is never seen as an attack; I’m not seeking these people out directly and copying them in to my feedback, and the sort of thing I write is meant to be harmless and comedic, but it’s so easy to cross a line so that's no longer the case. This...

If there's one thing a quick flick through my blogs from the last few days reveals it's that I need to stop writing just before bed, as that's when the gibberish bug bites me most often and I end up writing a load of nonsense. It's embarrassing to see the rubbish I've written while attempting to work through my tiredness. I don't know why I insist on doing it as it seldom results in anything good, and it's also not an enjoyable process; if I start writing after a certain point I'll just end up chasing the clock and that's not fun for anyone, be they the reader or the writer.  I find this blog goes through cycles; flitting from being a useful place to vent my frustrations or make positive observations, to just being a weight around my neck. When I was up in Edinburgh, for example, it was surprisingly easy to write every day despite the inevitable monotony of the festival, but since I've been home it's not been fun at all; it's become a...

Today saw another Mostly Comedy pre-sale, with November’s Hitchin show with James Acaster and Alison Thea-Skot selling out in just thirty-five minutes (with 100 tickets going in the first ten minutes). This is particularly remarkable when you consider James made his first appearance at the club almost ten years to the day of November's gig, playing to a fraction of the people he’s now used to, though he was just as memorable back then. He actually criticized his performance that night during an interview for our podcast a few years ago, because he thought he had laid into a heckling audience member a little too over-zealously, but I'd say he judged himself too harshly; he certainly proved he already had the chops to hold his own in a truly individual way; he was special right from the get-go. (That gig also saw the first outing of the Star Trek Porn Letter, so it was a crucial night for us too). In a way, the popularity of today’s pre-sale is indicative of how things ha...

I’ve been feeling low-level nauseous all day today; just enough to make the day generally unpleasant without things coming to a head or me being sick so I could then move on from it. I don’t know why this was the case, though it may have something to do with meeting my friend Steve for a catch-up yesterday, though I only had a glass of wine when I was with him so I doubt it was that, though it may have been the food I ate. Whatever the case it’s just been frustrating, as it’s put a damper on the whole day I could have done without. Despite what may have been some questionable fish and chips I had a good time yesterday. We’ve been fortunate enough to see each other pretty regularly since Steve moved away, though I of course preferred when he was in the area. Steve’s much like me in the sense he’s not on Facebook so doesn’t play that whole game; a game that frequently makes me feel I’m on the outside of the grid just because I’m not taking part. I guess in many ways I keep myself...

While I’m generally rather enamoured with Paul McCartney’s critically acclaimed new album Egypt Station (which is really very good) a song on it that touches me particularly and is an emotional listen is the beautiful Do it Now. What's struck me particularly about the album is the high level of songwriting on display across the board, and Do it Now’s one of the places when it’s most in evidence. Macca has mentioned in interviews how the title stems from a phrase his dad used to say as a positive encouragement, which instantly calls to mind the story about the genesis of the song Let it Be, when Paul had a dream in the midst of the Beatles' break-up where his mother (who he lost to cancer during his childhood) came to him and told him not to worry as everything would ultimately be okay. In many ways, Do it Now is like a companion piece to its hugely famous counterpart, but it still packs a punch. Some of the lyrics are particularly powerful ...

This week was bread week in the Bake-Off tent, which led to a decent handful of different shapes and sizes of loaf to enjoy, though that’s nature. There was plenty to be impressed with during tonight’s of the show; so much so, it put the loaf of Kingsmill in my glove compartment to shame. My favourite of all night, however: was the showstopper put forward by Raoal, which was ornate to the point of being ridiculous; never before has bread looked so pretty. See below for what I said it, ideally while eating a biscuit. 110 + intended to 8:00PM: I never want Prue to wink at me. 8:03PM: Karen's come dressed as a cartoon French woman. 8:07PM: Manon's accessorised with letterbox draught-excluder earrings. 8:09PM: Is a stale Chelsea bun a Chelsea pensioner? 8:11PM: It's THAT week. 8:14PM: This week Terry and Karen are competing for Who's Dressed Most as Like a C-word; the jury's out...

The predictive text function on my mobile mimics my style perfectly, as this suggested reply to a message from my wife illustrates. I always call her “mate” as we’re that comfortable with each other; that’s why she often calls me, “pal”. We went through a brief period where she was “la” to my “duckie”, but we’d just got back from a few days up North so it was unlikely to stick, which was probably for the best, really; I felt like we’d been catapulted into some sort of ill-advised Coronation Street / Brookside cross-over, which was too much of a cultural divide for me. Putting sarcasm to one side for a bit, I don’t know why my phone suggested that phrase when I don’t think I’ve ever used the word mate in a text message even to a friend; it’s not a term I can use convincingly without sounding like I've firmly encased it in out-sized inverted commas. Not to mention the fact my previous text had been signed off with a couple of kisses, which su...