Comedy makes the world smaller and when Edinburgh is approaching or upon us, the world gets smaller still.
I tried to go into a detailed explanation using planetary alignment as a metaphor, but decided against it when I realised I didn’t know the correct terminology. Looking it up to make myself seem cleverer would be cheating, but that’s not something I’m always opposed to.
Anyway, on Monday, I was one of two support acts for a comedian who has been a hero of mine since I was 13-years-old, Richard Herring.
I’ll admit to a ridiculous amount of luck in getting this booking, but there was no way I could turn it down.
It was down in Brighton at a pub we did our Snigger Happy show at in 2011. It’s a good little room that seats about 60 and I was booked to do 25 minutes of Edinburgh stuff. There was no two-ways about it, it was the biggest gig of my short comedy career. Even bigger than the new act final in Worcestershire that had an audience of 12, which for the record is the second biggest gig of my short comedy career.
However, it was on one of the hottest days of the year and this particular room felt much like a sauna. Well, perhaps a very weak sauna. My point is, it was hot.
Clammy conditions are never the best for an audience as the heat can make them feel tired and less likely to laugh.
I wouldn’t say I had a stormer of a gig, as quite a few of the newer bits fell flat. But I managed to get some good sized laughs out of the hot room. It could have gone better, but it also could have gone a lot worse.
I had some really positive feedback from audience members afterwards, so I can take a lot from the gig. I also managed to get in a Lee and Herring ‘moon on a stick’ reference, which gave me the most pride. Plus I got paid, which is always a wonderful thing. In fact, it was my first paid 20+ minutes, which is a milestone in itself.
Unfortunately, Mr Herring did not get a chance to see my set and possibly recoil in horror about what his influence had created. But I did have a quick chat with him on the stairs, mention my moon on a stick bit and get a picture that was photobombed by a woman coming out of the toilets.