Eddie Izzard Stripped Too in Winnipeg!
On Sunday (to my Mother's dismay) I got up early, wished her a Happy Mother's Day* and was off on the road to Road Island Winnipeg! Well, first I filled the car with gas, picked up Jeremy from town, then we went to Tim Horton's, THEN we were off on the road to Winnipeg!
*I was really tired, so I actually wished her a "Happy Smothers Day!" and smothered her in hugs to pretend I hadn't misspoken.
8 hours later we were there. We managed to get there at about 4 p.m. local time, so we hung out at the mall and visited a few friends who work at the Apple Store (OMG so pretty! We don't have one where I live.) before heading to the friends' apartment where we'd be staying.
It was a pretty nice area of town, but we had to park the car in the Visitor's parking. I was required to put a paper in my window basically saying "I'll be parked here from this date to this date, and I'm obviously from out of town so please be kind to me!" or something along those lines. It didn't really work:
The first night we were there some thief broke into my car, took my Dad's GPS (that was in the glove box), took a few dollars I had saved up for coffee and all of my Canadian Tire money I had been collecting for years. At least they were kind enough to leave my window in the back seat. I noticed it right as we were leaving to see Eddie, so we had no time to clean up... what a great surprise. That's Winnipeg for you, though. I was told afterwards that people there usually just keep their doors unlocked and nothing inside so thieves can rummage around at will without having to break a window. What a lovely city. *cough*
I was almost immediately cheered up, of course, because:
The Eddie Izzard show was AMAZING! I went with the friends I was staying with, along with one of their buddies who had bought my extra ticket. Rachel, who was my hostess, was just as excited as I was! She's from Scotland, you see, and had the chance to see him years ago but had to turn it down. She was my giggle-partner when Eddie referenced bees, and Mrs. Badcrumble, and did Sean Connery impressions... and pretty much anytime he said anything. She admittedly almost threw up she was laughing so hard. The Burt isn't a huge theatre, so every seat was a good one. We were seated up on the first balcony for half the show, but during intermission we found 4 seats down on the main floor even closer to the stage!
He was so pretty, guys. So. Damn. Pretty. Hilarious, too, of course... but mmmm. Maybe I'm just weird, but he's sexy. Rachel and I were very pleased with our new seats.
I was too afraid to bring my camera, so I have no pictures of my own. All I could find from the show was the one to the right. Yes, he's holding the microphone in a strange way.
He had on lovely eyeliner, and that jacket was badass with a pink lining (that you can sort of see at the tails.) The show itself was 3 hours long! I had a beer beforehand, so I did have to run for the quickest pee break I have ever had for fear of wetting myself. Seriously. The whole time I was grinning and laughing and swooning and WISHING I'D BROUGHT MY CAMERA! I had held off watching the Stripped Live in London DVD until after the show. Having now watched it, I have to saw that if you get a chance to see him live DO IT. The DVD was only an hour and a half -- so whether he kept the show short or they edited it for the DVD afterwards I'm not sure... but it's such a joy to hear him go off on his tangents. Some of the funniest moments of the night weren't even in the London DVD, so I will just cherish it in my mind forever. <3 To help me remember, I will write my favourite parts in short form that no one else will understand: Bazooka, badgers can't be choosers (ie: Fuck off, Winnipeg.), Shirley Temple's left eye "The horror!", giraffe charades, the whole show. His comedy is ever-evolving, though, as he adlibs and adds new things at every gig -- wo who knows, maybe the show really did have 1.5 hours more material than it did when he shot the DVD a year ago.
After the show I could have hung around in the rain and met him, but I didn't speak up and ask my friends if we could stay... and I obviously wasn't driving so I got in the car and away we went. I regret it. Years of being a fan, 8 hours of driving there, and I didn't have the guts to ask if we could hang our for a half hour more. Ugh. I think that part will bug me for a long time, but alas... I guess I'll just have to buy tickets to another one of his shows and meet him then! I just want to shake Eddie Izzard's hand.
All in all it was an alright trip! The car window & stolen things were cancelled out by the show. That's how much it meant to me.
Oh, and I bought merch!
Jeremy and I were able to fashion a pretty good cardboard window the next morning at a gas station an hour outside Winnipeg. Duct tape is great. It lasted all the way home, and is still working its magic right now until I can find a new window.
Cheers!
- Linds.
