3rd August 2013 Pleasance Court Yard
4th show in the run
Length 55 minutes.
Before Gig
A number of problems before the gig.
I am egged outside the Pleasance. Eggs were thrown near the main entrance of the Pleasance just before my show. There is a crowd of people standing around. Myself and a flyer, who is coincidentally (or not?) flyering my show take a direct hit. It remains unclear whether I am the intended target of the egging. It is possible it is a random protest and I happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time or it may be anti-Stephen Carlin forces. There is insufficient evidence at this stage to determine the motive. My white shirt, which I wear on stage without a jacket, is covered in egg stains. I debate whether to address the stains when I get on stage.
The stage microphone in my venue has a tinny sound tonight that doesn’t seem to be able to be resolved. Vital minutes are lost trying to fix the problem. The problem is only partially resolved.
I didn’t have time for a vital toilet break before the show and thus I urinate into a plastic cup backstage (I later dispose of this cup. I am not an animal) I am neither proud of this action nor am I am ashamed. I feel like Attlee commissioning the UK’s first atom bomb after WW2. It just had to be done. The location of toilets at the Pleasance is not optimum and microphone issue took priority.
The audience are quiet even as they come into the venue. They are so quiet I don’t hear them coming in from behind the curtain. An omnious sign. I debate whether to discuss the eggs stains. In the one hand the audience should be aware that I am aware of them. On the other, it fits the character and the theme to be slightly down at heel and shabby. The stains are drying and fading to an extent.
During Gig
I do not mention the egg stains. The audience seems tepid even at the hello stage. As the intro section “we all gamble” the sound quality is very bad on the mic. About two thirds of the way through this routine I feel I have to address the mic issue. I joke about it sounded deliberately echo to recreate an auditorium environment - gets little. I joke about the Pleasance being the best venue and immune to such cock ups- nothing. The audience are going to be hard. If they don’t enjoy a good old British cock up then what?
I go back i ‘Gamble Gamble’, yes now I am getting traction. ‘Lottery’ stuff yes. ‘Scrathcards’, no back to little. I try the extended new version of ‘We are all lucky’ it goes less well than usual. It is difficult to tell whether it is due to the changes or because they are a hard audience. There is noticeable silence at the end. I let it hang. I am determined to loose the timing because of their reticence. ‘Professional Gambler’ -”The Wife had four jobs” gets a massive laugh - biggest of the gig - the other follow up stuff as discussed earlier today doesn’t really work. Maybe it needs more positive points to intersperced his weaknesses? ‘Bookies’ needs decent end but start good. ‘Bad addiction” works well but the “thats the opposite of what women are looking for in a man” doesn’t land (didnt yesterday either).
‘Possessed by Demons’ works well and I tried some of the new stuff about how sometimes celebrities should shut up about their problems and this has traction even with a low energy audience. I now wish i had pushed this further.
‘Mirapex’ routine worked very well. It is becoming a stalward of the set.
I deliberately choose to reset after this this routine. “Vicious circle of debt/just a number” works well but something else happens too. The audience really buy into me here as if they finally understand the seriousness of the problem and my attitude to gambling, the self delusion of it all. AS I end it. I deliberately pause and there is a pause and they gasp. I feel that I need to go dirty here. I think they are disappointed when I appear to pull back and go into “Understanding Addiction” this routine feels particularly rambling and flabby and it really shows tonight with a tougher audience. It is the single longest routine and one that should be edited down and punched up
‘Dentist’ good and “Hairdresser’ works well again.
Dad Embarrassment -damp squib tonight. It needs more jokes before the pay off at the end- which is strong.
Scrapyard works well at start but needs better ending.
‘Adults are weak’ works well and into ‘Kid with sweets’ which underwhelms tonight and is usually a banker.
‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’ new ending not quite working yet. I don’t think tonight is optimum night to try out new stuff.
Tipping point doesn’t work tonight.
Probability works well. This is a strong routine and is proving to be reliable.
Nate Silver needs stronger out. I think I need to rant more, but perhaps I need to rant earlier in show to set this up.
Ending isn’t yet strong enough to end on although the new direction is essentially right. Denying that Edinburgh is gambling works well. So it is a case of building on this.
After Gig
A tough crowd tonight. I kept trying to get them up the hill but they never quite made it. There were moments when they came on board but never for long again. I had to keep trying to win them over like when somebody goes out with you not because they really like you but because they are waiting until somebody better comes along.
I do not mention the egg stains. I think on the whole this was correct. I think anything that would further confuse the audience was a bad idea.
No momentum in gig. I had to remember everything tonight. No rounds of applause breaks or rolling laughter to buy me thinking time.
I should have swapped the off stage mic with the stage one during the show. It would never have been a brilliant gig but I think the bad sound detracted things further.
I am sometimes a bit stooped and i need to remember to stand up even in such a low ceiling venue.
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