Count Up To Edinburgh #5 He thinks it's all sold out, it isnt

I'm using Sub-headings now

 Greetings. Friday. Bank holiday weekend. Half term. Hold tight all my freelancers though, I see you, all these aforementioned days mean nothing, other than more shoulders and elbows eating from the TK Max troff, I've been there. Solidarity.

Tickets

So, I get a couple of calls Sunday night from two people close to me saying they can't get tickets for The C/D Borderline and that it's sold out?! Sold out, I wasn't expecting that and although I was concerned about not being able to get people in,  I was also pretty chuffed. But the chuffed-ness (sounds like a negative word doesn't it? I dunno, like most things in my life, I made it up) was soon followed by paranoia, suspicion, pessimism and all the usual thoughts and feelings that loiter in my head, urninating on my neurons. I thought loads of tickets might have beeen given away or something, or it was a computer glitch, or it was a syndicate buying them all up like one of these Russian / Chinese conglomerates copping all the flats in London and leaving them empty, leaving me to perform to a room full of chairs (wouldn't be the first time). Anyway. It could be all of the above for all I know, I don't have a scooby-doo who's bought tickets, other than the people who've told me. Either way, I'm really pleased tickets have sold.Honestly. I'm pretty focused now on making this the best show I can.

Mug

Anyway, after all that, turns out it hasn't sold out after all, because one of my brothers belled me up on Wednesday saying he just bought a ticket and that it was no longer saying 'sold out' on the site, so I can only assume Roundhouse have released more tickets. As far as I know, it's pretty standard practise for venues to hold tickets back. Pretty funny though, thinking about it. Serves me right for getting excited about selling out. Bottom line is, there's still tickets and you can purchase them here HERE HERE AND HERE. 

Windows 10 would have grassed you up at school for smoking

Fuck off Windows 10. I learnt what personification meant recently. See the above title for an example. For months now I've had this little box that kept flashing up on the little netbook I'm using, asking if I want Windows 10, for free. Well, I ignored it, like one of them chuggers on the high street, trying to get my attention by calling me 'Fella' or 'geezer.' Then last week, whilst in the middle of working on another peice for the show, my computer just started wigging out, like proper going nuts, more than it normally does. The screen did something I'd not seen since the days of un-plugging the NES from the back of the telly. It kept on doing this and then eventually closed down Windows (in the middle of me writing my bloody piece) and spent the next half an hour re-booting. And it re-booted, yea, but it re-booted with Windows flipping 10. Faaack off Windows 10, I didn't ask for this???!!! It's like someone broke into my house during the night and replaced all my CD's with a years worth of Ok Magazine back issues. Long and short, I didn't loose anything, thank God. 

Need someone to voice a teacher? Ask your Nothern mate

 I keep tinkering with the middle and end bit of the show. I had Gary From Leeds over last week, he did a voiceover for me on a new bit that I added for the show. Thnk it should tie it all togethor. It's gonna come throughout the show, well, tjhat's the idea at the minute. Gary did a splendid job, his northern tones made up for Windows 10 breaking into my PC and shitting all over my files. I wrote about Gary on the last Edinburgh blog, have a butchers here

Paul, stop adding stuff to the show.

This is'nt really a new paragraph, just following on from the last bit on the last paragraph, that one above. Look, I've added some new bits to the show yea  and I now need to go and  learn them, before next week. I keep getting ideas for new stories and it's not really helping right now, what with the show date coming up on Thursday. It's fun though, too much fun  and I hope it will make it a better show, but I do need to go and learn all this bollox.

I've gotta go now

 and make myself some dinner. I'll be back soon for another update. As for this Sunday, 'eff all this show bollox, COME ON YOU LIONS!!!!!!! MILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL 

 

Count Up To Edinburgh #4 House Swap with Gary From Leeds

And here we are. Wednesday afternoon, with a cup of tea, back arched over a small screen, waiting for this netbook to load up my blog editing page, with all the efficiency of a pissed-up piss head trying to get a door key out of his pocket without collapsing on the floor. All this show stuff, plus everything else life throws at me, is taking it's toll at the moment, however,  I had a fairly good kip last night, which seems to have temporarily addressed the balance. All good training for Edinburgh I guess. Needless to say, I'm pretty knackered but good nonetheless...

Speaking of training, since I decided, back last summer now, that I wanted to come up to Edinburgh with The C/D Borderline, I've been getting a lot of help from a good few people, but in particular Gary From Leeds, who this year is doing his new show Garibaldi. Despite having performed at the  Edinburgh Fringe a few times over the years, I still feel like I'm really inexperienced, especially in taking a solo show and doing a full 3 week run with it. Gary's been a great help, with bit's of advice, doing scratches together, sorting me out a brilliant and accommodating photographer in Susannah Ireland and more recently, giving up his living room up in Wood Green so I could run through all my shit, in front of a few of his friends. In return, Gary came to Morden, in my living room and did the same. Gary provided water melon. I provided crisps and pizza. Less is more.

Gary From Leeds in Garibaldi. Photo by Susannah Ireland

I could run this flippin' show several times on my todd, up in my bedroom,  pretending that I'm smashing it to a packed audience, all to little avail, other than learning the words, but just running through the show twice, with a few trusted people in front of me was worth a hundred solo bedroom performances. Since the Wood Green and Morden runthrough's (aka the home and away legs) I've been able to make some changes and additions to the show which I think improves the whole thing. Having done quite a few public scratch performance for the Bedsit show, where the audience are encouraged to give feedback, often on written forms, I think they feel pressured to say something about what they've seen, or suggest things, where there might not be anything much to say, so inevitably a lot of it it is just bollox. I much prefer this model of having a small invited audience, just to listen to what I've got and maybe offer a few thoughts. Really, I just want see if the thing is shit or not and if the material works in front of real people. That's it really. Gary provided me with that. All hail Gary, he's from Leeds.

I've known Gary From Leeds for a few years now, first met him when we were supporting Richard Purnel with his Boobs, Work and Me show. This is his 4th Edinburgh show I believe and from what I've seen of Garibaldi so far, it's the best yet, it's gonna be a banger. It's absurd, funny, intelligent and highly entertaining. Probably shit adjectives to describe a very good show. At the very least,  it's a call to arms for all Gary's around the UK to rise up ad support the cause of Gary. We all need a Gary in our lives. Here's another one. Gary From Leeds. Bring him into yours.

You can check Gary's show dates HERE. He's gonna be doing Garibaldi in Manchester, Barnes (yes, Barnes, SW London, there's a fringe there apparently) as well as a few others. Well worth checking out.

Speaking of shows. I'm doing THE C/D BORDERLINE PREVIEW ON 2ND JUNE AT THE ROUNDHOUSE IN CAMDEN. In capitols because I need to sell some tickets. Tickets £7.50, starts at 7 p.m

Go on, buy a TICKET, or 20. Pic by Susannah Ireland

Count Up To Edinburgh #3 The C/D Borderline Previews ahoy

So I should probably mention at this point, and should probably have mentioned it before this point, several times, that before I head up to Edinburgh I'm doing a few previews of the show. They are all listed on the side on that gigs panel, but you know, they're easy to miss and most people probably get a squillion invites to someones show or whatever on a daily basis, so it's easy to forget and lastly, I'd really like to have an audience so need to flog some tickets, so here I am, reminding / asking / advertising these here dates:

- 2ND JUNE 7PM @ ROUNDHOUSE, CAMDEN - TICKETS £7.50 -

I get to return to the Roundhouse again, for the Last Word festival, 3rd year in a row so I must be doing something right? Anyway, even if you don't want to see mine there's loads, like properly LOADS of banging shows as part of this festival, it's like, a, massive erm, festival? Yea, a festival. There giving a platform to for people like me, big up.

8TH JUNE @BEDFORD BALHAM, PBH FREE FRINGE BENEFIT, FREE YES FREE

Funny story about this one. Couple of weeks back I performed at a charity night for Lyrix Organix (which was banging by the way, check the photo's on the site) - there was a guy performing there called Gecko, who'd I heared of but not seen before. He was brilliant, great singer-songwriter, performer and story teller, really smashed it. Anyway, we got chatting and it turrns out, he's also taking a show to Edinburgh, and low and behold we're both in the same venue! (The Pilgrim, by the way). Imagine that?! He was a really safe guy, safe enough to get in touch and ask if I wanted to come and do a support slot at the above night for his PBH Free Fringe show, what a touch eh!? Geezer's got a blue tick on his name on Twitter as well, cerified bruv!There's 4 or 5 shows happening that night, Jack Rooke, Atillia The Stockbrocker and more, plus the Bedford is a sick venue, all free too. 

MONDAY 8TH JULY @KEYSTONE GUILFORD

Anyone that knows the poetry scene in London will probabaly know Janice Windle and Donall Demspsey. Bonafied legends, they're like the Tovill and Dean of poetry. I've known them since I first started doing all this stuff, goingdown to Poetry Unplugged fo the open mike. Theve always been really supportive and have invited me down to their regular gig down in Guilford. I got to feature there last year and had a right laugh, if you're in that area, come down!  

So there you go, these are the pre-views. If you're able to come, please come and come with some freinds perhaps. I'll promise that I will do my best to put on  a good show, afterall, that's what I'm here to do, amougst other things. Here's the Roundhosue link again, just in case you feel the urge to book tickets and yet have read this far down and have forgot to.. LINK TO BUY TICKETS TO SEE THIS BANGING SHOW AT THE ROUNDHOUSE BY PAUL CREE CALLED THE C/D BORDERLINE SICK YEA SICK (THAT'S A LINE FORM THE SHOW)

Nice one, Paul 

New video: Montage

Good / great / sad / shit afternoon. Back in Febuary (I think) I spent the afternoon at a studio over in Docklands filmng with the Muddy Feet crew. If you don't know, Muddy Feet is a new venture from Poet and The Prince of Penge himself, Peter Hayhoe. It's aim is to to make and produce spoken word video's. Simple, but not easy to do, but very easy to get wrong, trust me. So far, they've had two great video's uploaded and will bring out a new one every Tuesday. Today is tuesday, which means another video and this time it's my turn with a little poem called Montage. Have a butchers below and if you like what you see, subscibe to Muddy Feet and support what they're doing. I know they've got a whole bunch of these video's lined up for release over the next few months, including some of the biggest names in the game, as well a couple more from me at some point. Big up Pete, Evie Mahoney, Luke Farley and my good mate Steve Todd. I know they all worked they're arses off on this. Be sure to check them all out. Enjoy.

*MUGGY DISCLAIMER* The idea's behind this peice are based on a version of me in my early twenties, I've moved on since then, (I think, I hope,) both in age, circumstances and general life experiance. However, I still do refuse to wear shoes in place of trainers, watch football, smash lager etc etc

Count Up To Edinburgh: #2 First run through

Hello. Last blog I was a bit pissed off, it happens, it's life, we move on. Even if the moving bit is like Trains Planes and Automobiles, when the car being driven by Steve Martin and John Candy has blown up, but they are still able to drive the thing, all burnt out and just about running but moving none the less. Just did the first run through of all the material so far, with some of the music interludes I've made. It went ok. I'm excited, but also realise there's a lot of work to do. Am playing with a loop station for two of the stories, not 100% confident on it yet but we'll see if that's something I go on to eventually use.

As it stands, there are 8 stories with more to come. In each show there will probably be time for 5 or 6. What I'm aiming for, is to have a whole bunch of material that I'm able to chop and change for each show, depending on the vibe I get with the audience. Each story is written to stand alone but together they all form this wider narrative. When I was a nipper, my big sister had all these Duran Duran 7 inch singles, if you layed them all out together they made this bigger picture, which was also the artwork on the album sleeve, I always liked that idea. So that's what I'm playing with. I'm using the stories form The 90 Sick E.P which are well tested and a few of the others I've preformed at various open mikes and scratch events, so material wise I think I'm in a good place. Just got to learn it all now and work out what I'm doing with each one physically, I have a few ideas..

Putting it altogether was fun though. Whilst doing it, I suddenly felt that pressure to select the right story when the music interludes were playing, it was an odd pressure, the type of which I hadn't felt for a while. Reminded me of MCing in clubs all thoses years ago, anticipating a drop on a tune about to kick in, and I had to quickly work out what lyrics I would use. This is uncharted territory for me, with other shows and spoken word gigs everything is usually pre-planned so I'm a little nervous in that respect, being that it's larlgy unplanned, well sort of anyway.

Gonna have another pop at it today so we'll see how it goes. Enjoy the sunshine