We could tell from backstage this afternoon that it was going to be a good Collings and Herrin podcast. For the first time there was a buzz in the room and the audience sounded excited to be there. They were lively without being boisterous. I don't know why but the crowds have been a little reserved in this run and whilst being perfectly lovely haven't injected that little bit of extra energy into the room that can lead to unimpeded high-jinks.
And it was indeed the most fun we've had up here, even if I heeded my mother's advice (who I had spoken to on the phone on the way in) to rein in the nastiness somewhat. I like the nastiness but it makes it interesting to vary the tone and when you're coming up with new shows every day things are inevitably affected by your own mood as well as the mood of the crowd. But there was some fun as I suggested myself as a perverted step-father to the family of tattooed people in the front row, and for the third day in a row Collings was roundly booed by the audience for overstepping the line with an accidental verbal slip up. I have enjoyed these podcasts for the most part, but it was good to get to a point where both Andrew and me were laughing so much that it was hard to continue. Those are always my favourite moments and we never force them, which is why they don't come round all the time. But what can be better than being paralysed by laughter with something that you and your friend have just made up. I hope that tomorrow will be a fitting swansong to this interesting Edinburgh run. If we come back again (which is not certain as the 45 year old Collings has been getting homesick - This is the longest he's ever been away from his mum) then I think we will aim for a bigger room and maybe a full run. I think we have undervalued Collings and Herrin as a live show, thinking we can only do small and cheap runs in Edinburgh because it's not something we've written. But of course, in many ways it's much more impressive that we can keep this up for so long and keep people mainly entertained (or at least appalled). Not that you'll read about this or AIOTM in any newspapers. They are little secret shows, with real Fringe spirit, that remarkably have an audience with minimal (and in AIOTM's case) zero publicity.
This has been a good Fringe for us and though he must never know I am massively impressed with Andrew for putting together his own show with such aplomb and also managing to pack his room every single day, despite the early start, turning people away. He may be the Rain Man of comedy, but then Rain Man was pretty good at what he did. Hopefully he will do more. Maybe next year his mum can come up to look after him.
Have a listen here.
If you want to catch Collings and Herrin live then here are a few dates. We're doing the lovely
Bloomsbury Theatre in London on 27th September.
Then we're at the
studio at the Bristol Old Vic on 27th October.
And we'll be at the Cardiff Masonic Hall on 3rd November (we will be recording another four podcasts for commercial release that day too - Collings and Herrin: War and Peace, Crime and Punishment)
Do book early for these gigs because tickets are already selling well and aside from the Bloomsbury they are small venues.
I continued to absent myself from the Fringe, apart from my own shows, and I think this hermit-style existence is suiting me. Today I didn't get much done, as I was a little tired, but still got a good session in at the gym (which I only partially ruined by eating a huge amount of chocolate before my solo show). It was another solid COAB show, with another appreciative and unusually not weird and detached weekend audience (Fridays and Saturdays can be a bit lairy and odd at times, but I've had an excellent time for both this week).
I came back home and watched the Masterchef final with Andrew, which he had taped, but somewhat hilariously discovered the result of as we looked through the papers for today's show. It pretty much ruined it knowing the result, but I though it was obvious they would pick the prettiest girl, just like they have done for the last two times. I was surprised when the man with hair wobbled one of the deserts on its plate to see if it would move like a breast then didn't get Lisa Faulkener to proffer her own breast to prove that it was jiggling in the same manner.
