Wednesday 23 February 2005

I've just spent a convivial couple of hours with a friend and colleague of mine. He is a comedian and dabbles in the comedy circuit where he is very successful and the mainstream circuit where he is just making his way and is building up a nice reputation. He is one of the nice guys in the business, there aren't that many to be honest. Of course there are people I get on with and people I trust but not that many nice people. BW and I are planning a small theatre tour for early Summer. That may sound grandiose but we reckon if we take a small ensemble with us and present a night of good stand up then the locals will turn up.
The weather here in the North West is awful but not as bad as in the North East. A colleague of mine should have been in Whitby tonight but was snowed in! This has got me worrying as I'm in Shropshire at the weekend and my ahem.......erotic dancers are coming from Leeds. I don't quite fancy facing 400 lads at a Rugby Union stag do with no strippers...fingers crossed ey?
That was a fantastic result for SAFC last night, after Saturday's slip up against Brighton we are hanging on in there.
FTM!

Thursday 17 February 2005

I've been asked quite a lot about corporate gigs. Comics on both side of the comedy divide do these shows, whether it's a private do in front of a load of suits or a company has hired a "comedy club" to entertain it's execs. This is becoming more and more fashionable, presumably because the cost of insuring paint balling and the like has gone through the roof. I spent a lot of my "real" working life running conferences for people in business who were training in the art of staff development. They were in short, bun fights. Suits away from their spouses in a decent hotel with an all night bar. In fact I honed my comedy (ahem) skills trying to train a load of hungover "Managers" at 9.00am after they (and often, it has to be said, me) had been on the lash to the early hours of the morning. The corporate gigs can be fun, they can also be a massive pain in the arse. Trying to entertain a lot of drunken disinterested people who are ultimately paying you can be disheartening. However, they do pay very well and as they are never on the listings, some comics who look down their nose at me and the mainstream circuit do very well out of these shows without the discerning punters, or fellow comics knowing that they're even doing them!
FTM!

Monday 15 February 2005

I had a pretty sad experience at the weekend. I was working with an ex: England international footballer who is starting to show real signs of Alzheimers. He seemed a shadow of his former self. At one point in the evening he was convinced that I was Kevin Connelly the sports impressionist. I do bear a passing resemblance to Kev but despite me insisting I wasn't him he called me Kevin all night. He also repeated his storied a few times as the evening progressed. I could see the lads in the audience were sad to see such a shining light struggling like that.
I also did a boxing do in Yorkshire were the audience were shocked when I swore, that was a first! Swearing as part of my act was a lot less rude than talking all the way through my set! That really gets my goat, I don't want to come across all Alan Partridge here, but some people!!!
FTM!

Thursday 10 February 2005

It's been commented on by some kind souls that I haven't updated my Blog for a while, it's nice that you're all reading!
As I said earlier it's been a strange couple of weeks, not all of it good. I've been on the road constantly and God! Have I seen some awful pub grub and even worse B&B's!
There have been notable moments more of those at a later date.
My youngest daughter M. Has had a new plaster cast fitted. It has been commented on (and not published, I'll gladly publish comments that have a real name attached!) that I don't see enough of my daughters to mention them in this blog. Bollocks, despite K and I having our differences (and they are mainly down to me!) that is our business. I've agreed not to mention those differences on here..Just leave us to it ey? I did what all Fathers should, and bought M her first bike last week. No-one told me that it came in a flat pack! In the words of the legendary Bobby Thompson "Why, I'm no engineer!" So I had an embarrassing 15 minutes while K. Put it together! M. Loved it and seemingly had her dinner and tea sitting on it!
A. Has been to another audition today. She seems really into this acting thing and while her Mum may think it's a phase, I actually think she's very committed to it. It's so refreshing to be with my teenage daughter whilst she discusses the relative merits of "Waiting for Godot"!
I watched my colleague JJS on "Wife Swap" I thought she came out of it remarkably well. I don't think she'll have appreciated being described as "someone who does a bit of stand up at her local comedy club" But I'm sure that and the follow up TV appearances will do her career no harm at all.
I've had some lovely gigs recently. Most notably in Coxhoe (my adopted SAFC supporters branch) it was their Chairman's 50th birthday. Despite him shiting himself due to the fact that I turned up at the ridiculously late hour of two minutes to eight! The venue was packed out and that's testament to his popularity. I only did a short set but it was received warmly, despite my misgivings about home town gigs. It was nice to catch up with friends and have a bit of craic.
I also did a lovely little comedy club in Stockton on Tees. www.funnymagnet.co.uk is run by a top geezer who has got a great room there, check it out if you're ever up north.
I'm sorry there's so little detail here.I've discovered if this is not done regularly then the small details tend to get lost in the midst of Vodka. For all the people who have been worrying, there is no need. I haven't been wasting my talent and cash, I haven't been in seedy hotels with hookers blowing coke up my arse. Things are better on the home front, I'm moving house soon to a different part of Lancashire and with a bit of luck things can be done with the minimum of fuss and then we can start maybe rebuilding.
I promise to keep my Blog up to date!
FTM!

Wednesday 2 February 2005

Jesus what a time of I've had since last we blogged!
The gig in Warrington with Ronnie Whelan was excellent, the room was packed with good natured lads up for a good night. The Compere did a sterling job as the sound system was antiquated. He also raise a lot of money for the lads footy teams with auctions and bingo etc. Ronnie was in fine form, since working with him last year his act is now honed to perfection. Some lovely funny stories and memories of his fantastic career. Definitely one to book if you're a football fan. I did ok, I've had better gigs. Maybe I was looking forward to it just that little bit too much and my own expectations were too high. However the crowd seemed to really enjoy it.
The previous night I'd been in Halifax where once again the turn out wasn't brilliant but we had a good night and it was an opportunity to try out some new material.
The rest of the week? I can't even begin to talk about it, so I'll not, for the moment.
I'm in the north east (hopefully) this weekend I'm looking forward to it.