8291/21210
Staggering towards the end of this ambitious 12 day run, but so lovely (and hot and not in a sexy way) to be playing to a full room for these last five. Today's guest was Nina Conti who is arguably a better ventriloquist than me and is such a good writer/director/actor that I don't even resent the fact that she's in Spinal Tap II. I do resent Chris Addison being in it though. It should have been me.
Nina has made an extraordinary movie, along with her partner Shenoah Allen, in which she spends 98% of the time inside a full size Monkey suit (not a monkey suit, but a suit of her pal Monkey). It's very funny, but it's dark and emotional and moving and covers some big subjects and I finished watching this morning in awe of her and Shenoah's talent. It's called Sunlight and will be out soon and is a film that an infinite number of AIs with an infinite number of typewriters could never come up with.
I hope it's not too late for me to start making independent films, but the bar set by Sunlight and the Ballad of Wallis Island is incredibly high. I am lucky enough to talk to a star of each of those films on two consecutive days.
I am feeling knackered and a bit down in the morning, but it's maybe the first Edinburgh where I have not experienced full on depression at some point (still time) and I am definitely approaching the end of my tether, but the shows are lifting me so I am able to usually look after the kids til bedtime.
Today though I was running out of juice when I took them late to St Andrew's Square to blow some bubbles. I sat down on the stone seating and watched them play, hoping they wouldn't fall off the big lion statue they were climbing on.
A man eating beans or spaghetti from a tin started talking to me. He was a little bit crazy, but I am not able to see shows this year, so was happy to get a solo performance in real life.
He had worked in the scouts for 50 years and his daughter works for Bear Grylls and he'd been visiting a 92 year old friend on the isle of Lewis. This guy must have been older than he looked because he had great grandchildren too. I heard a lot about his life story and he asked me where he could see some drumming (I thought the Royal Mile was the best bet). The kids were hungry and he said he had some crisps, but I've always believed that you shouldn't accept food from someone eating cold beans out of a tin, so we politely declined.
We were heading home and looking for food but Edinburgh was full of Oasis fans, stag and hen dos, an Orange March, Festival goers and people just wanting to get drunk. I wished I had a tin of beans and a tin opener.
The Red Arrows flew past and we went to the flat and the kids ate pitta bread with tomato ketchup and a bit of cheese on it and I had crunchy nut cornflakes. It was tragic, but we need to eat the stuff up before we leave.
I got the kids to bed and fell asleep at 8pm before Catie was back from her post-gig drinks. I am not the force of nature that I once was.
