The week before the tour, and other ramblings

My to-do list for this Easter long weekend has some quite important things on there - write the Edinburgh show, learn my lines for the tour, feed my landlady's cats - that kind of thing, but as with every list, not everything gets done. I've been quite inspired this weekend by two rather good shows at the Portland Arms in Cambridge, perhaps I'm going there a bit too much these days because the bar staff seem to recognise me, but some of the shows being hosted there are really worth anyone's time. On Friday I popped down to the Portland Comedy Club - I try to go to this every month having enjoyed the one I went to a few months back, but due to gigs and stuff this was only my second time there. It's a joy to see comedians at a certain level - the level where they've reached the 'just about making a living' stage but haven't quite hit television or anything that resembles mainstream success. They really are the definition of 'working comedians' - these people work long hours for very little reward in the hope that they get the recognition they deserve. The least we can do as audience is enjoy it, which I think everyone did - I certainly enjoyed the quality of acts in relation to the fiver entry.

And then tonight, still a bit hungover from excessive beers with friends last night, I was back at the Portland to watch David Ford. A singer-songwriter I have admired for many years now, this is the first time I've seen him headline a show and it was just littered with moments of jaw-dropping brilliance. The older stuff (State Of The Union, I Don't Care What You Call Me etc) were always going to be highlights, but the new album material works just as well - and I didn't expect to see him with a full band so that was a bit of treat for all concerned. By the time he got to 'Cheer Up You Miserable Fuck' he'd already had a (fully justified) rant at an audience member for talking during the music and had performed with both of his support acts, who in turn became his backing band. Ford is an incredible songwriter, something somewhere has gone very wrong in the sense that he hasn't reached the status he deserves, but he works so incredibly hard on stage, every word is personal, every song blatantly means the world to him. Gigs like that one are a reminder that (CLICHE ALERT) you really do have to believe in what you do.

I needed that injection of inspiration because this time next week we'll be well into our tour. Tickets haven't exactly been flying out of the door (not even for the Cambridge dates, which for a homecoming is a touch alarming) and as a result we've lost one of the dates - the Bristol show, due to poor sales as the venue wasn't confident it is worth their while. I've done everything possible to rectify this situation - we're hassling the local media in each region relating to the tour to the extent we're probably becoming a nuisance, the posters are up in every venue, we've been working hard at social media. Like with every gig, a big audience is a wonderful thing, but can never be expected and would certainly never alter the quality of performance. I'm a little annoyed about the Bristol situation, and have re-written this post a couple times removing my true feelings for the sake of professionalism. Not being arrogant here - but it's a really good little show this one, it's a show I've had for a while, and we can't wait to bring it to the good people of Kingsbridge, Newquay, Guildford, Great Massingham, Cambridge (x2), Galashiels and The Isle Of Skye. The tour takes in over 2000 miles, which is a bit of an ask for my little Fiesta, and for most evenings we (Hind - the wonderful actress who, in a moment of weakness, has agreed to tour with me) will be camping. I'm hoping the weather will improve by then, but also annoyed with myself for writing about the weather on my blog. My lines are one of the few things I've managed to accomplish this weekend (apologies to my landlady's cats), the car now needs to be 'tour ready' (new headlight, back tyre, a complete re-vamp of the CD's available for the forthcoming journey) and we'll hit the road for what will be a bit of an adventure.

During the week of the tour, 'An Embarrassment Of Richards' will be launched on YouTube, and by the time I've finished writing this I'm expecting the e-book of, 'Some Plays By Paul Richards' to be live on Amazon - I lost three full days editing that bastard, but it's looking great now. Having spent the day with family; family who are struggling to understand why I'm touring the play again, why I'm putting myself through this - the struggles, the many hours of driving to do the show to six people, why I'm taking all of August off to bring two shows to the Edinburgh Fringe, why I'm avoiding the subject of getting a 'real job' when my redundancy kicks in at the end of April, it's easy to have doubts. Of course I do. But, in the words of the legendary David Ford himself: I chose this.