Instead of writing my Edinburgh show - there's a week to go, that's plenty of time, right? - I spent today working on an article for the Sunday Times about
Kidults. It's one of the bits of publicity I have been asked to do to promote the show (why bother? Surely I get all the publicity I need from my blog - please buy tickets for my show
from here. If the show you want seems to be sold out then ring 0870 745 3083, where tickets should still be available- you know, if you're quick). To be honest though it was close enough to the themes of the show to be worth working on for a day, though I was making slow progress during daylight hours.
I was interrupted at 6pm to have my photo taken for the article. I thought it would be apt to have me with the skateboard I was given for my birthday, which surely sums up the Kidult phenomenon as well as anything. So I spent half an hour out in the road (literally the photographer wanted me clear of the cars and the pavement) larking around with a child's toy. He got me to flip the skateboard and jump in the air so it looked like I was doing a stunt. I think it might have worked quite well. God knows what the neighbours thought. Though I would have quite liked to have been doing it at 3am in an attempt to
avenge my direct neighbours. I felt foolish, but then writing the whole article has made me feel a bit silly. I am having to admit that I am 40 and still behaving like a teenager, like some kind of emotionally stunted buffoon. Which wouldn't matter too much, except that I realise that is exactly what I am.
Ah well it was fun leaping around in the road, though one thing about being 40, your joints do start to ache when you jump up and down on tarmac.
It was a long article, 1500 words plus and I needed to construct a valid argument as well as having some jokes. As I worked into the night so that I could hit the deadline of tomorrow morning, it all felt very reminiscent of having an essay crisis at University (though this was something that didn't happen to me too often as I tended to copy most of my essays so that I could spend my time doing comedy and acting - I was an idiot even back then. Good to know nothing changes). It's been a while since I have had to work into the night - I maybe did it a little with You Can Choose Your Friends, but since then I haven't really had that many night times when I haven't been gigging. Once you can get over the fact that you're not out having fun it becomes quite a good time to work. There's something satisfying about being at your computer typing away after midnight (I finally finished at about 1.30am), though also annoying that stuff wasn't coming to you earlier when you were dicking around playing Scrabble on the internet It was a big relief to get it finished. You will be able to read it in the News Review Section on Sunday. Or if you are a cheapskate (which you are after all, reading this blog every day for no money, some of you don't even like it, but keep reading it because you just love the idea of getting something for free) just wait til Monday, when I will doubtless have put it up in the press section of the site.
I am pleased with the way it turned out, even though I am suspicious of those social trends that people suddenly come up with. But I have had a good crack at trying to explain it from a personal perspective.
Now hopefully tomorrow I can do the same for my actual Edinburgh show. Or will I just remain true to form and do it all the night before.
I am a twat. For those of you who don't get it, I realise that. That's pretty much the point of the blog. No real need to reiterate it.
