i met a man last night who had escaped from a buddhist monastery.
that was probably the best thing about the gig last night. i was compering the jug & jester in leamington. they have a regular comedy night there on the last thursday of every month which is generally well-attended (although for some reason i never wholeheartedly enjoy it), but i was compering a preview of okse's edinburgh show which was a 'special'. it started close to 45 minutes late so there could actually be *some* audience - i think it finally started with 9 paying audience members, in a room that is cavernous at the best of times. i told them at the beginning that i didn't want to go on like a rock star and knock out punchlines as if there were 500 people there, so i chatted to each group, gave them biscuits, had them meet each other and it seemed okay.
when i'm compering i generally ask someone to tell me something interesting about themselves (rather than the standard 'what do you do?'). i love it when, without having to even think about it, someone comes up with something barmy (once, quick as a flash, someone said they had been naked and had their clothes stolen in zurich!). last night this guy said he'd recently had to escape from a buddhist monastery because they had been trying to brainwash him! amazing. he told us the story in quite some detail, and i suggested that his tale was like the shawshank redemption meets the last emperor (looking back, the last emperor meets nuns on the run would have been funnier). i also talked to a guy called adam who worked for codemasters, and gave him his first high-five in 15 years. o took control of the show in the second half with a reasonable degree of hostility which made me feel a bit superfluous and left a bit of a nasty taste (yes i'm not really conventional, but i think that i rarely do a bad job compering) - but it was quite fun to get out there and gig for the first time in a couple weeks. i've got a set coming up in corby in a couple weeks. the only thing i know about corby is that the dreadful metal band raging speedhorn are from there.
here is a final fantasy video, the band i went to see earlier this week. i've ordered their last record (which is amusingly entitled 'he poos clouds') so hopefully that will arrive before long.
when i'm compering i generally ask someone to tell me something interesting about themselves (rather than the standard 'what do you do?'). i love it when, without having to even think about it, someone comes up with something barmy (once, quick as a flash, someone said they had been naked and had their clothes stolen in zurich!). last night this guy said he'd recently had to escape from a buddhist monastery because they had been trying to brainwash him! amazing. he told us the story in quite some detail, and i suggested that his tale was like the shawshank redemption meets the last emperor (looking back, the last emperor meets nuns on the run would have been funnier). i also talked to a guy called adam who worked for codemasters, and gave him his first high-five in 15 years. o took control of the show in the second half with a reasonable degree of hostility which made me feel a bit superfluous and left a bit of a nasty taste (yes i'm not really conventional, but i think that i rarely do a bad job compering) - but it was quite fun to get out there and gig for the first time in a couple weeks. i've got a set coming up in corby in a couple weeks. the only thing i know about corby is that the dreadful metal band raging speedhorn are from there.
here is a final fantasy video, the band i went to see earlier this week. i've ordered their last record (which is amusingly entitled 'he poos clouds') so hopefully that will arrive before long.
Click to view