One of the advantages of my venerable age is the build up of contacts. In particular I have collected a lot of ex-trainees. One of whom now runs our Edinburgh department. A particularly valuable contact at Festival time!
So I got a midweek, mid morning train from Kings Cross - because I can - and made my way up for a long weekend visit.
Thursday night I joined the Edinburgh office social evening to a night at the fringe (with wine and pizza in the office beforehand).
You do get some pretty impressive venues at the Fringe - this was at the Assembly Hall...
...to see Jason Byrne. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but I really like him. Madcap humour. He doesn't seem to have much real material - although clearly there are the bones of a show. But so much is just riffing off the audience.
Friday I went off and did some shows on my own before meeting up with Jae for some evening shows (he having got in a babysitter for the evening for his kids)
Now the irony was not lost on me that the first three comics I went to see are all, like me, from North London. A long way to go for locals - but everyone goes to Edinburgh. First up was Ian Stone mid afternoon. Part of the free festival, ie where the comic doesn't charge and you don't book, but you make donations at the end.
Then onto the Pleasance which is a conglomeration of small and large venues around a very busy courtyard. Saw the excellent Hal Cruttenden with his show about his recent divorce. Was extremely good, so I intend to see him in the autumn in London - his Edinburgh show was a cut down version of the show he is touring (all Edinburgh shows are approximately an hour). I want to see the full work!
First evening performance with Jae was Simon Brodkin. He was good, but his show was somewhat marred by the audience - people arriving late, leaving early, trying to go to the loo and in one case, sitting in the front row with their mobile phone going off every few minutes! Possibly the issue with a show on a Friday night. Too many partially inebriated types.
We finished with Al Porter, an Irish comic I had seen with Jae about six years ago at the Fringe when he seemed likely to be the next big thing - a new Graham Norton. I had said that I was surprised we hadn't heard anything about him since but maybe his career in presenting had taken off in Ireland (when we saw him he was about to present the Irish version of Blind Date).
At his show, in a converted church hall, he explained why we hadn't heard from him - he had been involved in some sex scandal in Ireland. I mean nothing too awful by the sound of it - some inappropriate groping but I don't know any details beyond what he explained. Anyway, his comedy was brilliant - in fact the most natural comic of all of them I saw at the Fringe - the gift of the gab as my mum would call it. A stream of consciousness - he barely paused for breath. But this was his comeback, having virtually been cancelled in Ireland.
Saturday morning started with watching Jae's son play football. I hadn't appreciated the dynamics here but his sister wasn't keen to watch, but Jae thought the boy would like knowing someone was there, so Jae ended up taking his daughter for a cookie and I was left watching the little games. Actually this suited me fine - I can watch football endlessly, the lad was one of the best players, it was a nice morning and Jae brought me back a bacon roll. What's not to like?
In the afternoon we all went to a circus show that was primarily aimed at kids, but was actually very good. And as a director of a circus charity myself, I like to get in a bit of circus!
Back out in the evening - babysitter duly installed - we went to see Canadian Tom Stade in an underground bar venue. The place was rammed. I found stools near the back while Jae got us drinks. By the end it was standing room only. Very popular show - deservedly getting full audience.
We then did a late night show with Mock the Week favourite from back in the day - Andy Parsons.
Sunday we did a kids show - Olaf Falafel - which wasn't bad although quite heavy promotion of his kids books! Then Jae took his son to rugby training while I took his daughter to another sort of kids show - an improvised Shakespeare play. The ten year old was not very impressed with this one. The thing is, improv is really quite hard to do. And this was more "suitable for kids" than really a kids show. I feel the assumption is that if something is silly kids will like it. It ain't necessarily so. That is not to decry the performers - they (well the blokes much more than the two women) were very good - just the art form itself is the issue. A few bits of inspired performance, a lot that wasn't. You admire the effort more than enjoy the product.
I rescued the little girl's afternoon with a huge brownie, and then Jae collected her while I went off for more comedy on my own, taking the opportunity between shows for a bit of sightseeing.
St Giles Cathedral
My afternoon slot was Garrett Millerick - you won't have heard of him, but can definitely recommend. As you can gather I was right at the front (and you can't take photos of the acts while performing, hence the empty stage shot!)
More sightseeing
And finally, on the last night of the fringe, one of my favourite comics, Simon Evans.
And he finished the show with a video of his 16 year old playing guitar admirably well.
Was playing at a purpose built venue - the Spiegel tent
And then a nice 40 minute walk back to Jae's house for him to cook me a steak dinner - not a bad life!
Monday morning with kids packed off to school Jae took me out for a walk in the Pentland Hills, just 20 minutes outside Edinburgh.
Jae even brought coffee!
We had a little diversion to an Iron Age earth house
And to finish we had lunch at Edinburgh's Botanical Gardens
A brilliant weekend. And 12 shows and a morning hike all packed into a long weekend
