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Day one of Fringe 26. 35 years after the first one. 43rd show.
I woke up early, but made the most of the time, finishing off reading
Harriet Dyer’s book “Bipolar Comedian” (is there any other kind?) It’s raw, it’s got some horrifying stories, but it’s funny and open and honest and is all about a woman who wants to fit in finally finding the place she fits in. It’s self-published, but I think a middle-class editor would have taken away most of what is great about this story. The conversational and sometimes sprawling style, along with the occasional very well remembered beef with a former friend, is what makes it extraordinary. I had not met Harriet before today (I don’t think), but she is definitely extraordinary and a great first guest for this Fringe run.
I managed a run round the Meadows this morning in an attempt to burn off some of the pizza and fish and chips I’ve been inhaling in the last few days. It was a nice quick two and a half kilometres. Hopefully I can keep up the health kick a little bit.
Then the walk down to George St, which might keep me fit even if I don’t run every day. Leastways the walk back up the hill afterwards might.
I wasn’t sure if I had played the Assembly Ball Room before, but it’s where we did
the Edinburgh AIOTM which was an extraordinary feat, which I couldn’t even get close to doing nowadays.
I had more or less forgotten about that night and day, but it must surely be one of may greatest Fringe achievements. What a difference twelve years makes.
Before today's show I was told we’d sold 189 tickets. This seemed incredible as last I’d heard it had been on 31, but maybe there’d been a last minute rush.
There hadn’t been, but there were between 31 and 189 people in (closer to 31 by some margin it has to be said) and they were a good crowd, who got a great show from a name that some of them might not have been familiar with. Luckily it’s not too important how many people are in the room (as much as I’d like to be full every day) as the podcast audience should pay for our Edinburgh debts.
It still hadn’t quite sunk in that the Fringe was starting for me, but I managed to get the engine running and Harriet with her fountain of a brain was an incredible guest, who wonders if her kettle is being haunted by her mum. This show will be out as a podcast next Monday. You should listen. Though there’s a lot of new RHLSTP heading your way this August.
The nice things about Edinburgh is the way you bump into people you know at pretty much every turn and it was lovely to see Paul Sinha going into Pret as I came out with my lunch. His show will be fantastic, I am sure. He’s as great a comedian as he is a quizzer. And that’s saying something. He said he’d written his show in 6 weeks, whereas nearly every other comic has had three years, but that’s what the Fringe should be. And Paul’s six weeks will be better than most comedians’ one hundred and fifty-six weeks.
I will be announcing the confirmed LST guests on Thursday. Get ready to book your tickets. Some of these should sell out fast (though badgers are not as quick to nab all the best seats these days, so you might be OK).
