Life has had a change for me in the last couple of months.
Firstly I’ve finished directing a show and have returned to my relative normality going out every few evenings to do a gig or two and returning at 1am either bitter and angry that I didn’t do very well or bitter and angry that I didn’t do well enough – there’s really no winning.
Secondly I’ve found myself at somewhat of a creative crossroads. For a while I’ve been peddling my comedic wares, and those wares have been largely of me telling the same story ready from a book to deafening applause. The thing is that it’s all become just a bit tedious. I started (and have nearly finished) writing a new story, but ultimately it’s pretty similar to the last one and although on the arty end of stand up I don’t really get excited by it. I’ve been doing bits of musical comedy at Pros&Coms (the night I used to regularly compere), and have finally started gigging that material more widely. The thing is that again it feels like a cop out. I did the immeasurably fun Hot Water gig last week and realised that I much prefer talking to the audience and riffing than singing songs. That and musical comedy is largely regarded as the domain of twats (it’s not, it’s just what standups seem to think). I have, then, hit a wall, stories are boring me, music feels too easy, and my old standup set I don’t really like. With that in mind I’ve been thinking of what to do a new standup set about…
Finally, Louise has moved in to my house and we’re now living (as she told someone at the job centre), like a married couple. It’s weird as I’ve never lived with someone before (although I’ve shared houses for years) and I expected it to be a massive shock to the system, but so far, touch wood, it’s been remarkably easy and nice. I mean don’t get me wrong, it’s not as if my lifestyle has remained the same, far from it, I tend to go to sleep earlier, eat better, drink less, 100% reduction in porn watching, 100% increase in the watching of Four in a Bed and Grand Designs.
These changes I think are what I want to use as the core of my new set, about romance and change. About how relationships adapt and develop. How we adapt and develop and ultimately how we (or I) have turned into my parents carbon copy.
I’ll pop some audio up of my new set as I write it, see what you think… I’m wanting to go to Edinburgh next year so maybe a year of writing a show will be enough time.. Provisional titles: The Man, The Balloon & The Pin, The Life Formerly Known As Sam Freeman’s and Hope, Happiness and other Grand Designs.
Night x