My Exciting Life in ROCK (part 2): 4-9 August 2008, Edinburgh

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Just in case anyone that reads my bits here DOESN’T know about it, I’m taking a version of “My Exciting Life In ROCK” up to the Edinburgh Fringe this year. GLAMOROUS, eh?

The original idea to do this came about a few months ago when me and my pal Steve were in the pub comparing Edinburgh Fringe Horror Stories. MINE is thus: In 1991 I decided that, rather than actually do some revision for my degree (English & Politics at Leicester Poly in the early nineties - it’s not as if actually DOING it has ever done me any good!) I’d set up a THEATRE COMPANY and take two shows (a sketch show featuring ME and a musical by ME!) up to the Fringe, along with about 20 people I knew. It was a LOT of work and a LOT of expense - I ran out of money by the third day there and had to BEG for leftovers from everybody else’s plate in order to survive!

Me and my Comedy Double Act Partner Simon got booked to host the Fringe Club the first night we were there - having only played to audiences of our friends we were ill-prepared, and discovered that our dinosaur impersonations weren’t quite enough to avoid getting BOOED OFF. We went back 15 minutes later to the same reaction, and I very bravely said “We must continue!” (the band from the musical were playing last night, and I thought if we ran away then they’d get unbooked) “You go home - I shall carry on alone!”

My BIG BRAVE SPEECH didn’t quite go how I’d hope - EVERYONE we’d come with cleared off home and I spent the next four hours being BOOED off. Some friends turned up about 1am, so I went to sit with them instead, missing introducing the last act, who said “Where’s the compere gone?” “HERE HE IS!” said my friends, who disappeared under an avalanche of chucked beer, damp tissues, beer mats and BOOING.

As if all that wasn’t enough, when we got back we found that the venue had gone “bankrupt” (though it was suspiciously open again the next year…) leaving us without the few ticket sales we’d had. We still owed nearly a GRAND and, as the 20 other people suddenly decided this was MY fault, I was left £1,000 in debt - in 1991, with only a poor degree from Leicester POly to protect me, this was quite a big deal and took me several years to finally pay off. I resolved never to return!

Sharing this with Steve (whose own story involves his entire cast LEAVING, the show being re-written on the way there, sleeping in a PARK, and only just making double figures for attendance over the course of the week) we realised that things had changed in the nearly two decades since we’d last been. For a start, neither of us were STUDENTS anymore, and had accrued significant organisational experience as well as some CA$H in the bank which meant that we would not only be able to book ourselves somewhere leaf-free to stay, but also to pay for it in advance and STILL have enough money leftover for beer!

Our plan began as just a way to AVENGE our terrible experiences, also to get DRUNK, but it all got a bit out of control. We booked “Previews” and a “Press Launch”. I decided to release a single to promote it, and a video to promote THAT. I booked myself busking spots and extra gigs and generally went AT IT like maniacs - the first day I’m there I’ll be playing FIVE gigs, there won’t even be time to get DRUNK!

The other thing I needed to do was work out what the show would BE - I’d originally planned to just do a GIG, but it seems that isn’t quite enough, so, after several pub conflabs, I started sorting through these very entries to find some stories to tell. The final product, ALSO called “My Exciting Life In ROCK” features a few you’ll have read here as well as some we haven’t quite got to yet, and a whole HEAP of songs. If anyone’s around during the Fringe do pop along won’t you? It’d be lovely to see you!

THE FACTS

My Exciting Life In ROCK is on at The Medina & Negociants (venue 205), 45-47 Lothian from August 4-9th inclusive, starting at 6pm. All the details are on the website and you can now buy tickets from the Fringe box office.

And if you’re feeling FLUSH you can also buy the new single, featuring “It Only Works Because You’re Here” and six other songs from the show from our online shop. It should also be on iTunes and Amazon, and you can watch the video on YouTube.

It’s a whole LOT of action!

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