The last days of February
Sketch heroes, band practice and booze
Always meet your heroes
I collaborated with one of my comedy heroes - Fiona Allen of “Smack the Pony” fame - to make a wee promo video for Glasgow International Comedy Festival recently. You can watch it here. Fiona has crossed over from acting to stand-up and she’s bringing her debut show to the Oran Mor on 14 March. I’m very excited to see her IRL.
I was obsessed with “Smack the Pony” back in the day. At the time I didn’t think about the fact it was all women, and how quietly radical that was. I just found it hilarious. The “missing child” sketch and “placebo doctor” were among my faves. And the music videos! The whole thing was iconic. So, you can imagine my excitement getting to work with Fiona. She was absolutely lovely too.
I can’t think of an equivalent women-led comedy show that’s had the same success or longevity since STP, which is kind of crazy given it aired 20 years ago. We need more women-led sketch shows. HINT HINT.
Band practice
On Saturday I had my first music rehearsal in Berkeley 2, with drummer Stu and sound tech Stevie. It was my first time at Berkeley, which is somewhat of a Glasgow institution; everyone from Belle and Sebastian to Beyonce has rehearsed there. I booked my rehearsal with Steve Cheyne, who runs the studio.
Sadly, last week I heard the news that Steve Cheyne had passed away. My social media was flooded with tributes, personal stories, warm memories; he was beloved by the whole music community and the scale of his impact is palpable. I’m sorry I won’t get to meet him.
I enjoyed dipping my toe into another subculture for a few hours. I’ve never been in a band (other than a comedy one) so it was my first time visiting a studio. Stu advised “bring some water, warm layers and a snack always a good shout.” Caramel wafers were purchased.
The car park was full when I arrived. I suppose weekends are peak time for amateur musicians/hobbyists/tourists like me. Not to sounds like a grumpy old da but it was £10 for street parking?! Dayight robbery! *adjusts reading glasses* *rustles newspaper* *unintelligible grumbling*
Stevie mentioned that he’d been coming to Berkeley since he was 13. It reminded me of this brilliant (and hilarious) mini documentary, “Heavy Metal Junior: A Portrait of Pre Teen Rebellion”, which follows a pre-teen band, managed by the lead singer’s David Brent-like dad as they prepare for their first gig. I love it so much. Someone should get them together for a reunion.
A moment of sobriety
I’ve been off the booze for 57 days and I’m not going to bang on about it cos who cares BUT I’d like to share my discoveries, which are 1. Guinness zero is tasty and 2. a virgin Campari and tonic in the bath makes for an excellent mid-week treat.
I decided to stay aff it until after the comedy festival because I don’t have time for hangovers (weekends are so precious now) and the anxiety/guilt would probably be too much. I’m already in the the lie-awake-at-night-running-lines-and-imagining-worst-case-scenarios phase of pre-show panic, so I know that introducing alcohol would be fucking stupid.
The constant low-level anxiety has made it pretty easy to avoid temptation. I had the same natural booze aversion during lockdown/my last break up. Anxiety about the effects of boozing on my existing anxiety stops me from doing anything. I guess that’s probably what anxiety is for? My body knows it won’t end well, so injects a healthy dose of fear. And then I spend £14 on a bottle of fake gin. Thanks evolution!
That said, I’m going to an event with an open bar tomorrow. Free booze?! This is my Final Boss.
What else?
I started “One Day”, that thing on Netflix that everyone is talking about. Enjoying it so far. Every episode seems to start with a banging tune which is probably a good formula for hooking me in.
I also saw “Wicked Little Letters” on Sunday. Olivia Coleman and Jessie Buckley are obviously brilliant but the film is a bit cor blimey, here’s another British film trope! And another! Zero subtleties and you’ll guess the plot after about 10 minutes. Still, it was nice to go to the cinema and I had an excuse try those new orange-flavoured mini eggs which I’d rate 6.5/10: nice but I prefer the childhood nostalgia-triggering scent and taste of the originals #HotTake.
See you in March. Gulp.
I never had the guts to park in the actual Berkeley 2 car park, which is small and cramped. I always parked 100 yards down the road and used the walk in to practice looking like a Berkeley 2 kinda guy who had seen it all and knew what cable to use with a Roland SPD-SX.