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It's mid-tour malaise (and with the late addition of a gig in Peterborough, last night in Lincoln was the 31st of 62 gigs for this show) and though I hoped when I woke up that it would be 11.30am, it was in fact just after 8. That's still a lie-in by today's standards, but not enough sleep to top up the tank.
I felt lousy all day, but only with relatively minor ailments: snotty nose, mild sore throat, bit of a cough, so I am pretty sure this is all just down to exhaustion. A winding journey with spring sunshine making me feel warm and queasy didn't really help matters (and nor did York City continuing their stone-like plummet into non-league football). But I wasn't debilitated, merely a bit battered and in any case the show goes on unless I am unable to talk. I would like to keep touring for years to come yet, but I wonder if it will become too much for me. Or maybe this is just the combination of long drives when I am on the road and tiny baby when I am not.
In better news we hit the £50,000 mark in the AIOTM kickstarter, leaving us 12 days to try and raise the rest of the cash. Still not sure that we'll quite make it, but am enormously chuffed by this level of support. I always knew this was a big ask and getting this far is almost unbelievable. And the halfway mark came with an unlocked feature. You are now able to view the video version of the motorcycle clothing shop sketch, which will give you an idea of style (if not content) of the new series. Brilliantly shot by Andew Rodger and his small crew and edited by him and Chris Evans (not that one). I am really pleased with how it's turned out. I think we need about another 1400 people to get on board to make this happen, which really isn't many at all. There's a lot of people who liked AIOTM who might not know about this yet, so do pass on the info if you can.
Back to the Slade Rooms in Wolves tonight, which I always enjoy, though I am no closer to my dream of playing the big room at the Civic Centre and getting to get ready in the star dressing room with the 1970s hot tub that must have seen some awful things in its time. In fact if anything numbers were very slightly down as I think I sold out last year, but was maybe 5 or so tickets short tonight.
But a great crowd and I managed to hide the fact that I was battling against fatigue in the first half, but in the second I came on with some Lemsip and then about 25 minutes in had to contend with being sick in the back of my throat (during the bit where I was miming blow jobs weirdly enough) and obviously having to swallow the acidic contents of my stomach back down. It threw me somewhat and I lost my place in the show, but it added some real jeopardy to the rest of the performance, particularly for the people in the front row. The old showbiz maxim (that I've just invented) of “Swallow it and carry on†came into force (it works in most showbiz based situations) and I finally found the thread of the routine and pushed onwards.
I don't know if it was being ill or being in Wolverhampton that had caused the near vomit. But I think it was more likely the Twix that I ate before the show. It had been left by Phil from the venue, who didn't know there was a routine about it in the show, but had read about my thoughts in a blog. It's the first Twix I've eaten for a long time and in truth my routine about no one liking Twixes is a joke really, about the idea that anything could be not minded by anyone. But it is a poor bar and I didn't enjoy it (or hate it). I think the idea of advertising its mediocre position in the world of chocolate bars might actually work. “Don't mind if I do… or if I don't†could be the strap line. Maybe there's not enough coverage for the things that don't get people riled up.
Anyway pleased that I managed to find the energy to perform, even if before and after I was like a walking husk of a comedian whose insides had secretly all burned away. I felt sick all the way home but wasn't sick, not even in the back of my mouth. And I got to see my sleeping wife and be in the same house as my sleeping daughter, who I am looking forward to playing with tomorrow.
Still a long way to go with the tour and terrifyingly only a few more gigs before we record this at St David's Hall Cardiff on 12th April (please tell your south wales based friends - be lovely to fill the stalls).
The tour is gruelling at the moment, but the show is strong, I think. And you might get to see the contents of my stomach (or just my stomach poking through my shirt - I need to get fit again).
