Four nights of sharing a bed with Peter Goddard, is not everybody's idea of a fun filled adventure, but sometimes, in the name of comedy... compromises have to be made. This was one of those times... With my baggiest ugliest PJ's packed, I was Festival bound and ready to see some Comedy.
On the 20th August 2009, our Edinburgh journey began. We drove to The Holly Bush, Cradley Heath, on the outskirts of Birmingham, where Peter did a very sound job of compering a lovely comedy night and I mumbled my way through a ten minute set, with enough laughter for me not to feel too miserable after and advice from Peter to watch the rambling in future. Fair enough...
The night ended about 11 and we got back in the Rover 1100 and found our way to the big road (yes, the motorway) Northbound...
We shared the driving through the night and through the nasty rain and no one needs to know who drove which bit and what delightful service stations we refuelled and did our peepees at. It took ages, we bought comedy c.d's and songs of the seventies to keep us chipper, because apparently the bedwetting indie drone of 'Elbow' is not conducive to night driving. By 6 am, we had reached our Edinburgh pad, actually in nearby Leith.
This location worked out ok, Peter frog marched us up the long hill to the City Centre every morning without fail, so at least we were getting some exercise, even if we hardly saw a piece of fruit or a vegetable all weekend. A half hour trek at Goddard Pace certainly gets one ready for a pint and a comedy show...
Day one - and after only four hours sleep, we were off... Looking for information about what to see and where to see it and ready to immerse ourselves in comedy. We walked into the City and after we'd had a pint and quick stop for a Gregg's pasty by some wheelie bins - Yes, this was full on glamour -we were raring to go!
In four days, This is a list of the shows we saw/other notable things we did...
Friday 21st August
It's got Jokes in it -Hannah George, Catie Wilkins, Lou Sanders and an open spot
Alex Maple's Press Release, felt a bit bad for Alex as it wasn't a very full room and the audience seemed a bit quiet. There was free chocolate though and we enjoyed the show anyway.
A gig at the Dragonfly - Toby Brown and several other comics
We ate a pizza.
Get Happy (can't remember who was on, I was very tired, by the time this began at 11 pm)
Saturday 22nd August
City of the Dead Tour (spooky walk ending in Edinburgh Vaults - my choice - a good tour to be fair, but not enough vault action...)
We then had a bit of a gap, mincing about, finding our feet, (they were at the end of our legs all along) buying tickets for other shows over the weekend and drinking beer.
Evening - Dan Antopolski at the Pleasance Dome (Amazing show - Mucho funnies.)
We went to Brooke's Bar and 'mingled' with the stars. Well, we got outed as 'Audience' and asked by anyone we knew who happened to be there: "How did you get in?" - Oh, what little faith!! A fair question - No, we didn't have credentials or connections - we had just walked in, having arrived early, before the doorman clocked on! Easy Peasy :)
Sunday 23rd August
In full swing now, we knew our way around, we had shows to see planned, we were cooking on gas!
North-South Divide, Charlie Talbot and Dave Gibson at the Beehive (still impressed by the lovely funny, charming Dave Gibson.)
Yummy kebab lunch with Alex and Mads.
Robin Ince's Book Club
The Hotel - Amazing experience, look this one up, it was very funny and truly unique.
Glenn Wool - A good show with uncomfortable seats.
Get Happy - with four open spots including William Lee (joking about eating pets - how does he think of his material) Peter Goddard providing a strong(ish) close to another wise shaky open spot section and Adams and Rea headline.
Scary late show, hosted by our buddy David Hardcastle with a whole gaggle of fairly new comics all telling in-jokes and just larking about to a bored audience of "C-Venues" staff. Left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth, this one. Perhaps I was just over tired by that point!?
Monday 24th August
Go Go Go Coffee Show - Caroline Mabey (loved CM's work here - very enjoyable.)
Bussman's Holiday (Jane Bussman) This was gritty, topical warzone comedy - an interesting fixture in our fun packed schedule. Good too.
The Fudge Show, Patch Hyde and Adam Tempest (comedy in a fudge shop - yum yum)
Get Happy, Headline Imran Yusuf, with a very scary t-rex impression.
It seems odd to wittle down four days of comedy fun and mania into a fairly ordinary looking list and I'm no reviewer, so I've kept the comments to a bare minimum. I just know that Peter and I had a terrific long weekend and looking back over this list, we did pretty well on the amount and variety of shows and performers we saw.
Totting things up - it seems like we got to 15 shows in 4 days and saw somewhere in the region of 40 performers. I'm excluding The Hotel's performers from the count (too many people involved) and the really late Sunday show of no name that I'm aware of (I'd just rather forget that). All in all, I think we did pretty damn well on our weekend of comedy learning and laughing.
We drove ourselves home on Tuesday, tired and weary, listening to more sounds of the seventies and feeling smug at the wonderful times experienced over the last few days. From Edinburgh to Walthamstow, via Battersea, we'd clocked up around 10 hours efforts. It is only a shame that I got a crack in my windscreen - which happened with Peter at the wheel - I dozed off for half hour and he breaks the vehicle, bloody men!!* That will almost certainly blow any savings made from not travelling by train, which would have been a four and a half hour journey, spent snoozing and reading and supping Pimms.
Oh well, Peter says we mustn't think of it like that and I am glad we made the road trip. It was all part of the adventure and I wanted driving practice and certainly got that. I'll take the train next year and leave the car at home, but not even a cracked windscreen can chip my memories of a smashing great weekend.
*Your share of the auto-glass bill will be in the post imminently Pete...
In other news. I have to go the gym now. Blinking heck. I've not been in two months. ARSE!
I love Elbow by the way, (a lot) but some of it is a bit sleep inducing for a long night drive.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteread every entry, but still don't know what your comedy's like. can you describe it at all?
ReplyDeleteHey, come on, at least use the stage name... it's Pete Goddard to the punters. Only friends get to call me Peter.
ReplyDeleteA splendid summary of events I'd say. I'm still so tired, I think my head is about to fall off.
Oh, FYI, I am still using that review of my open spot "You were the best of a bad bunch," to describe it. I think it was a very fair assessment.
Good times!
The Other Day - Would you like to identify yourself? And I'm probably not the best person to describe my comedy. It is anecdotal and self deprecating. Not sure what else to say about it.
ReplyDeletePeter/Pete. Do you want the whole blog edited or just the bit where you are in a listing? Not sure if you are trying to tell me something about us being friends or not.
hmm, not particularly. no one special though, unfortunately.
ReplyDeletenew commenter though. woo + hoo?
New commenters always good :o) Hello The Other Day, welcome to Ogs Blog.
ReplyDeleteOggers, I'm so coming with you next year, you have no choice in the matter whatsoever!!
No need to edit. You can call me Peter. It's your readers I worry about - they could get awfully confused when Michael Macintyre introduces me.
ReplyDeleteOK Peter, I can see why you'd be concerned about the confusion. It must be a worry.
ReplyDeleteYay an Edinburgh Sproglet xxx
Yes, Welcome new reader, you've every right to remain anonymous I'm sure.*
*Sprogs, we just need to be careful that these anonymous types aren't burglars or kitty troublers.
Or fish-ticklers, indeed, this is a worry!!
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a good time. That's my next year's holiday sorted. A week in Edinburgh.
ReplyDeleteNot a burgler, kitty-troubler or fish tickler. I did once warn an old woman that I'd kick her dog, but that was more out of fear than anything else. It's not something I'm planning to repeat any time soon.
ReplyDeleteDog-kicking fish-tickler.....we may have problems Oggers
ReplyDeleteDOG Threatener? I should have known.
ReplyDeleteDid you ever tell that story to me before? or to a room full of strangers, that might have included me?. It sounds oddly familiar.
Perhaps everyone just feels compelled to share their confessions of animal cruelty that they have contemplated at one time or another.
I used to squoosh my hamster so his eyes bulged out....
ReplyDelete....only a little bit
I used to bite the legs off spiders on one side and watch as they ran around in circles.
ReplyDeleteI stopped last year.
What of it?