Tomorrow, I head up to Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival and I am looking forward to it. But it will feel very different from previous years.
The main difference is that my comedy partner, Paul Langton Esquire, will not be there. There are also a number of other comedy friends who are not going up this year.
But in many ways, this is a good thing. It will all be new again and I will be outside my comfort zone.
It is all too easy to fall into the trap of doing the same thing in comedy, because you know what to expect and know how it works. But if you only stay doing what you are comfortable with, you’ll never know what can be achieved when you step outside these parameters.
I am quite glad that I didn’t end up doing a solo show this year. Although I think I could have done it, I know that deep down I have more to learn before attempting such a thing.
I am looking forward to my show with Simon, I think it will be a lot of fun. Unlike previous years, I have no idea what my final set is actually going to be. I currently have no ending and have all but scrapped my original idea as I’m bored with it. But this is a good thing. It will force me to come up with something and I have material I can use to fall back on if needs be.
Contrary to popular belief, I do not go to Edinburgh to enjoy myself. I go to improve as a comedian. I do enjoy it in a masochistic kind of way, but I know how tough it is. I am expecting many battles with the weather, getting in audience, and temptations of unhealthy things to consume in large quantities.
I’m going to be writing a daily entry here about how it’s all going. So this site will be substantially more active than usual.
Now, bring on the inevitable highs and lows and biscuits.
- Love and Lilley: Fear and Loathing is on at 6pm from Saturday August 3 to Saturday August24. At Kilderkin, 65 Canongate, EH8 8BT. It is part of the PBH Free Fringe, which means it’s free.