(This post is the original of an article I wrote for the Student Journals.)
I’m not going to the Edinburgh Fringe this year. The biggest arts festival in the world and the biggest comedy event of the year and I’m not doing a show because I have to save up for a stupid PhD.
Stupid PhD.
Still, doesn’t stop me venting my woes on here for everyone to see, so here we go: Ten reasons I’m really annoyed that I can’t be there – some of which will tell you why you utterly should be there.
So. It’s over. I’m back home after the second killer train journey, eating fish and being eyed pleadingly by the dog. So I guess now is the perfect time to sum up my final few days of the Fringe. Continue reading
This weekend, our audience numbers picked up again after Black Wednesday. Which was a relief, as I was beginning to panic a bit. Having said this, a defining feature of our audiences seems to be their awkwardness. I wouldn’t say I’m a particularly awkward, antisocial or unfriendly human, particularly not on stage, but even after Dan had warmed the crowd up and introduced me (of which he does an absolutely superb job every time) I had to work stupidly hard to even get one laugh out of them – and what’s more they didn’t build, like they usually do, so every single laugh was as hard work as the last one. Which is annoying if you’ve got any subtle jokes or are trying to build to something. After ten or fifteen minutes of this it really starts to tire you out, and though it’s nice when you get a laugh, you don’t feel you got it for the reasons you feel you should have.
It’s been a busy few days. And I feel a bit of a twat for not keeping up with it because this is going to take a while to write about!
The title for today’s blog comes from this, which I went to see for the first time tonight (image is from their website):
and oh my god it was amazing. A noble failure indeed. I honestly hurt in muscles I haven’t even been aware of the existence of since the last time I went running (it was a LONG TIME AGO). I would suggest you go see it, but the issue is that I’m extremely sure of the fact that it is for a certain type of comedy fan. And thank goodness I’m one of them. Basically, if you’re me, it’s perfect.
But the reason it’s the title of the blog today is not just because this was so brilliant. Continue reading
Show day is always stressful as hell. And weirdly I don’t mind it so much. Today began with reading my set over for the millionth time. We also picked up our flyers and printed our posters, which I must say look AMAZING. Our designer Lee Martin did a really good job and I’m so grateful to him for it.
POSTERS!
We’ve just got back from the show we went to… and I’ve been thinking about it and have decided not to write reviews of anything I’ve seen. Mainly just because I think I’m too involved in all of that. Things that are good make me smile and think “Yes!” but things that attract my displeasure make me extremely disappointed. It just wouldn’t be a punter’s point of view. Equally I’m just not sure I’m brave enough to be honest about what I think because as far as I’m concerned I could be wrong or making a snap judgement. So I think this will just stay as being a blog of my personal experiences. And so I’m going to share with you the thrill of walking out in Edinburgh for the first time at the Fringe.
I was up at 5 this morning… and my poor mother was out of the house driving me to the station at 6. A bit of rushing was involved but I got on the train and commenced my horrendously long journey. TEN HOURS. That’s too long to be doing any one thing, let alone sitting in one spot. However, I did have Dan on the train with me from Plymouth, and more importantly I had music and Minecraft – I built an ice palace! …. and I reeeeeaalllly need to sort out my priorities. I did do other, more useful things as well, bit of writing, updating my CV. I had brought a book for my uni course but, in my usual style, as soon as I have to read something, even if it’s something I like, I will do something else. Like build an elaborate palace of ice and marble in a fictional lego-style universe.
I meant to post something on Thursday, when it was officially one week until I traverse the country to the Edinburgh Fringe… buuuuuut then I was busy, by which I mean that my room was the epitome of an absolute tip and it took me all evening to clean it and by the time I was finished all I wanted to do was collapse and sleep and I will bet anything that it’ll be a total tip again in a matter of days etc etc….
At some point I had to, that much I knew. The thing is, I’d kind of forgotten how.
Somewhat Ridiculous 