Day 3: Sunday 21st August
What a day. 7 in, 2 I knew. The gig started quiet- it’s a midday gig and I get it. I got to the first long hexagons and I could feel I hadn’t built up the trust to do a bit of stand-up that deliberately doesn’t work. I added in my Iron Maiden joke from my set here and it really benefitted the gig. As I was doing it I realised the “it all feeds in” refrain of the rockstars imagined shitty jobs and previous lives fits in perfectly. It’s been the energy pump I’ve been missing. I only looked at my notes for the new armadillo stuff. It felt so natural putting them in, and I’m glad I did it a few days in so I could be planning material while talking. Bringing my whole toolkit to the show. It was freeing. I also had my club circuit brain telling me “I wanna do green grocer! I wanna do straight ally friend! I wanna do typewriter!”. I might explore this in a later gig, but I think I was just excited by novelty. The gig bloomed as it went along, I really felt in touch with that audience, it felt authentic.
At the end of the show some people hurried out, said they’d enjoyed it. One of the first was a man who I’d felt was enjoying it quietly. I’d addressed a few of Vlad’s asides to him. He put a £20 in my bucket and told me with glassy eyes it was the best show out of the 15 he’d seen. And then he was sobbing and I held him. I would have cried with him but I was super dehydrated cos my venue is boiling. I’m tearing up writing this in loft bar on my damn phone. It was so important to hold him. He didn’t tell me anything. We were just there together.
When he left with an awkward laugh of crying on a stranger (but we’re not strangers, of course we're not strangers anymore) I apologised for making him cry. It seemed like it had to be said but we both knew it was the wrong thing to say. He laughed and said he felt good. I understood. I understand.
Afterwards. I had a long drink and chat with Wil Hodgson and Janet McLeod. A similar thing, very transparent sharing meant we had an in to talking about all our insides. It was wonderful. I’m kind of dazed by it all. I feel very seen. I feel like I’m doing my job. It’s all an honour. Later on I had a wonderful chat with the audience member from before on Instagram and he posted a really lovely twitter thread about the show. I am just so grateful for being there.
Went to the House Party at Oz House, then the Alternative Comedy Memorial Society which I've been wanting to do for years. I wore heels to the party and on the way, I was googling my destination and a guy asked me "how much?". I had a framed photo of an armadillo with me. I have no idea what he thought I was advertising.
ACMS was fucking great, as always. And it was amazing to be on the bill with comedians I've loved for years. Jon Robertson told me he loved the armadillo bit which rules because I've probably spent more time with him on his stream than I did hours with my family over the last few lockdowns. Stayed out later than I wanted and got a cab. I had a wonderful day.
For my adlibs:
I do like Rockstar jokes being there. Maybe tweak it a little.
Vlad was flat, I had a lot of Eastern European people in and I do feel weird about that accent.