Puking, album released, christmas and stuff

On Sunday evening I was sick a fair bit, shortly after the Eureka Stockade gig at the Soul Tree supporting Charlotte Hatherley (the bird from Ash, who didn't bother to watch our set so I made a point of not staying for hers). I actually played really poorly on the night - sometimes the moves just don't really come off the way you planned, and you're forced into labouring any fancy frills in the hope something spectacular comes off. It never does, of course. I was in time though, and the audience probably didn't notice/didn't care that any of the more intracate parts were going slightly tits-up. But I'd like to feel it was actually because I was playing ill as to why I drummed so badly. Or maybe the hangover from Kevin's party the night before? Anyway, tighten up, Richards. Although unproven, I'm pretty sure my random bouts of vomiting was related to the chicken I had for dinner that evening, I hope it was that - just so I know to myself not to ever buy chicken from a garage in Trumpington again, and move on. Being off work for two days is damn-right depressing. Not specifically being off 'work' as such (as much as, weirdly enough, I'm enjoying office life at the moment), but just not doing anything at all with my day. Still, managed to scribble down a few script ideas whilst I was lying there so something good might have come of it at least.

Meanwhile, Matt Corrall Band album has been released - worldwide, and we're all plugging it like crazy. The Eureka Stockade EP is still the biggest seller on my Cracking Tunes label with 27 sales, come on Matt - you can beat this! And make the poor indie label owned by your drummer a few quid in the proccess. People are talking about it on various blues websites I notice, which is good because we've not told them about it, so clearly the word is getting out there somehow. It does still make me chuckle a little the amount of promotion we've done with this one - a fair few hours on myspace and a few emails etc, considering how quickly the album was recorded, but maybe the slapdash route to recording is the way forwards?

Got told the other day I was only allowed to submit one script to this season's programme of new writing at WriteOn in Cambridge. WriteOn is strange but friendly group, with a pretty big following these days. When I first joined, four years ago, it was very much a place to try out new material, but these days the audiences and expectations seem a little bigger and you almost feel bad throwing in just an idea, they seem to want a complete, polished script. Doesn't stop me trying things out though, at the end of the day it is just a Cambridge audience, mostly made up with fellow writers, directors and actor friends who know what you are capable of and accept the fact that not everything is going to work, so in theory I shouldn't care so much. But the thing is, I do - if my work is in front of an audience, I want that audience to be enjoying it, and there's every chance there may be just one person there who will only see one Paul Richards play ever and if he sees the absolute stinker, he may well think Paul Richards is an absolute stinker. And then I get myself into a mess - because I've written 2 new plays, but due to time restrictions this year they can only put one of them on, and suddenly I'm thinking about the potential audience reaction, not what benefit a performance would do for my writing. The plays are 'Sugar Sugar' - a relatively twee, safe comedy with a little twist, or the very recently complete 'Sweden' - which is about guns, and sex, and men who eat other men as a way of disposing the body - the kind of play that shows Paul Richards is willing to push boundaries and isn't just the guy who writes awkward comedies about awkward people in awkward situations, despite what his 4 Edinburgh Fringe productions might suggest. And what did I submit for the new season? 'Sugar Sugar', of course. I annoy myself sometimes. But there was every chance 'Sweden' would have been slaughtered there, and I'm cool with that, for the reasons mentioned above. But with that thinking, how will I ever know if 'Sweden' works as a play after a good few weeks work on it? Will it ever see beyond a folder on my desktop titled 'new projects complete'? Hhhmmmm...

Anyway. Christmas is looming, and I'm now gearing myself up for creatively my busiest one yet. Obviously there's the Christmas show to write - last year's 'On The 12th Day Of Alex' production is still, by some few million miles, the best thing I've written, and I'm keen to top that this year with something along the same lines. Also, I'm keen to develop a panto I put together at short (very short) notice for the Glass Onion in Peterborough last year - 'Goldilocks And The Beanstalk' - I reckon a new draft of that will be nice and tight and should be performable if I can get a few actors together and stick it on somewhere. Also, the cabaret night I'm starting soon (more details very, very soon - just putting on the finishing touches) with award-winning writer/director Gytha Lodge should see the end of the run around Christmas so we'll have a big Christmas special for that. Ah yes, and of course Alister Bunclark and myself are going to have a Christmas hit single with 'I Never Built A Snowman', hopefully, well you never know you're luck, we're gonna try anyway - a good old Christmas jaunty tune with bells 'n' shit, could be a winner with the right promotion, we start rehearsing the song next week and recording a couple weeks later (with hopefully guest vocals from the fantastic Kate Jayne Ward, if she's up for it, hope so because lets face it - neither of us can sing...). Best get some Christmas tune-age on my headphones then and brace myself for a busy old festive season. I, contrary to the song, don't wish it could be Christmas every day, but as a writer/musician type dude I'm getting used to having it for at least 4 months a year.