so...

It's been bloody ages since last I blogged, so I thought it was about time to pop some thoughts down on here.

I think the reason I haven't blogged for months is that nothing really interesting has been happening. I've still been playing gigs all over the place; some very cool, some very rubbish. I've still been whiling away the days in between gigs by playing golf, lazing around and getting smoke blown up my arse by my management, who insist that big things are happening just on the horizon. And I'm still occassionally dating girls, very briefly, with whom I have no future.

So that pretty much gets us up to speed on what's been occurring for me since my last blog. It's depressing I know, but really nothing worth reporting has happened in my life since my last blog. I won't bore you with the details of these fabulous things which may or may not be happening with my career, because until they are actually contracted and sorted and definitely going ahead, it's a waste of both our time.

I know this blog is has been very downbeat and woeful, but it's difficult to get excited about monotony. Don't get me wrong, I still love what I do and played a gig the other night which had the best crowd I've played to in ages. It's just that until something new and exciting comes along, I'll continue to be slightly underwhelmed by the whole thing.

disillusionment passing through

I suppose it's true of all things that familiarity breeds contempt. I'm sure there's an exception to that rule, but I just can't think of it right now.

So, by that rationale, the same can be said of my job. I've been working full-time as a gigging musician for about 10 months now (full-time in the sense that I have no other job, rather than it keeping my busy full-time), and the cracks are beginning to show. It's not that I haven't enjoyed myself and learnt a lot from the experience, it's just that I feel it may be about time to start thinking about other challenges. My thinking is basically, that while I'm still in a position to gamble with my career without the repercussions of failure being too great, I think I should try my hand at other things.

With this in mind, I think I need to start being a little more proactive in finding work in other areas - maybe some musical theatre, or just straight acting work - who knows? For this however, I will need to really apply myself, get an agent, headshots, go to countless auditions, etc. Basically, become another wannabe actor, scraping round London for jobs. Not that I have any desire to move to London, unless I absolutely have to. What I'm slightly more inclined towards is to see if I can get a job with a touring repertory theatre company and really cut my teeth that way, going round the country doing a new play every few weeks. But even to get into that kind of work may be difficult as I have had no formal training, nor do I have any kind of showreel for prospective employers to look at. So this could prove a difficult road to follow. Nonetheless, I shall follow it.

I think it's a case of the grass always being greener. I've been making a living as a singer for a little under a year, and so now I'm really keen to try acting. I've little doubt that when/if I have been acting for a while, I'll yearn to start singing again - so maybe musical theatre is a happy medium?

All this implies that I'm not happy doing what I'm doing. That's not true, I am. But I just feel that while (as I mentioned above) I'm in a position to try different things, work-wise, I should take the opportunity. It won't be long before I have a mortgage, wife, kids, pets, etc.. and won't be able to take these kinds of luxuries with my career.


I shall leave you with this thought:

"If you took all the Kinder toys out of all the Kinder eggs, you could make yourself a Kinder World!" Mr Metler, Plume School, 1998

feliz navidad

Well first of all, merry christmas and a happy new year to you all.

I don't know about you guys, but I fucking love christmas. I get on pretty well with my family, and most of my extended family, so christmas day and boxing are usually a fabulous time with much frivolity and drunkenness (and this year was no exception).

I may not have blogged today, but for two reasons: Firstly, I'm quite drunk and a little tired of shitty telly. Secondly, Ben was telling me the other night that I hadn't blogged in a while. I disagreed, but having looked at my previous posts, it has been over a month. So, for that and that alone, I am truly sorry.

I know that there are many of you (almost two) who depend on my blog for a regular update on how my life is going and how I am feeling about the whole situation. To that end, how am I feeling during this festive season? Well, the answer to that is that it's been a bit of a mixed bag: for the most part I have felt brilliant and have had a great time with my family. However, there have been moments of quiet reflection when I've thought about friends who have had a hard year and those who have lost people. One of my friends having lost their mother, another having lost her daughter, both quite recently. This is obviously a sobering thought and if those friends are reading this, then my thoughts and love are with you both. Perhaps selfishly however, this has lead me to think of my grandad (the only close relative I've lost) which has resulted in both laughter and sadness. It's strange how remembering someone we've lost can bring such a mixed bag of emotions, from laughing about their antics while they were still with us, to crying over the fact that they no longer are.

Anyway, this blog has become a little too deep and emotional for my tastes, and as I'm sure those who know me well will be fully aware, I am rubbish at emotional stuff. They will also be aware that around this time of year (and especially in the coming few days) I will be beginning my seemingly annual lament on the continuation of my apparent inability to find myself a woman with whom I can share my life, and the reasons behind this: my weight, the amount of time i spend away from home, my complete emotional paralysis, or perhaps just the fact that I'm a cunt? Who knows. It's one of lifes great riddles.

So, with that, I shall leave you all to continue your festive frivolity. I wish you all a happy and prosperous new year.

shaking the dust off and knocking the rust off

Forgive me Blogfather for I have sinned - it has been a month since my last entry (well, ish)

Anyway, not much has been happening in my little world since then, so I haven't really felt the need to blog. Not that anything dramatic has happened to inspire todays entry, I was just checking other peoples' and realised I hadn't done one in a while.

So, the big news this week is that I've received a letter inviting me to a 'Come Back For Christmas' thingy at the Plume. Basically, they've written to lots of ex-pupils, who were involved in shows, choir, music things etc and invited them back one Sunday in December (the 17th, I think) to have a bit of a reunion and put together some choir & band stuff to perform to friends, family and eachother in the evening.

Initially I thought about not going, just out of self-consciousness really. If I turn up and tell everyone that I'm now a professional singer, they're going to be expecting me to be amazing (and possibly also a little big-headed, which I am). But then I thought fuck it, I'm just going to go and see lots of people I haven't seen for a while and enjoy myself. That said, I won't be doing any real singing, certainly no solo stuff (maybe just join in with the choir) as I'm gigging on the Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday before this thing on the Sunday, so my voice will be in no fit state for any kind of performance, other than possibly a bad Joe Cocker impersonation!

Well, I appear (as usual) to have rambled on sufficiently to turn a brief 'hello' into lengthy prose, so I will bid you all good day.

Stay safe and remember... always recycle - it's good for the planet and your soul

bloody rubbish idiot things!

Right, I must apologise in advance for what will surely turn in to more of a rant than your average blog ramblings.

My powered mixer has decided after several years of faithful service, to go ahead and die. This, under normal circumstances wouldn't be all that terrible, but unfortunately, I have an awful lot of gigs coming up in the next couple of months, which require me to have such equipment. Which means I now have to spend around £750 on a new set-up. This, obviously, is rubbish!

Just as I was planning the next few weeks out. Utilising the only free weekend I have until Christmas to pop up to Liverpool and visit my friend up there, then organising a long overdue lads night out, then going to see Jimmy Carr in London with some mates. All of this requires money, which I no longer have. Add to that, the financial 10 ton Acme anvil which is the purchase Christmas presents, and you can somewhat understand my current malaise.

So, in an effort to claw back some of my dwindling finances, if you or anyone you know would like to purchase a pair of second-hand 300w Carlsboro speakers, please give me a shout. They do show some signs of wear and tear, but I can assure you that they still work fine and have never given me any problems. The sound quality is good and you could pick yourself up a real bargain. The inputs are XLR. Perfect for use with a duo or as part of a band set-up.

I apologise whole-heartedly for turning this into an advert for the sale of my speakers/soul, but I have little choice in the matter.

'tis a singer's life for me

So, this weekend, while the rest of you lucky, lucky people get to be out drinking and having a good time, I will be out gigging Friday and Saturday night. Tonight I'm in Nottingham, which isn't all bad as there is enough money in the gig to pay for us to stay in the hotel we are playing at, which means that as soon as we finish we can start drinking, and have a lovely full english brekkie. Plus, if I use some of my considerable charm on the receptionist, we should even be able to leave our gear in the function room overnight and pack up in the morning. Lovely!

Then Saturday night it's off to near Birmingham, via Bewdley to pick up a MD player I bought from some incompetent on ebay who refuses to post the bloody thing. But hey, as I'm in that neck of the woods-ish, I may as well save myself some spondules and pick it up myself. Then, it's to the nearest pub to watch the footie, then onwards to the gig, then Travel Bin, then home.

Ah, what a glamourous and exotic life one leads when working in the entertainment industry! But hey, I'd still rather be doing this than working in my old office. A bad day singing is still 100 times better than a good day in shipping!

alas, no more

Well, last night I attended what was billed as the last ever gig for a musical bohemoth. My Gary Taylor is said to be hanging up his sticks due to medical contraints, and I for one think this is not only a shame for music in general, but it is indeed a shame for all those who enjoy watching a drummer who is as enthusiastic about making noise, as he is sweaty.

Never again will the world be witness to a conveyor of more disturbing and rotten humour than perhaps any man should be in possession of. I use the word possession, as I genuinely believe that he owns those jokes, due to the vigour and regularity with which he regurgitates them.

Not only that, but Gary Taylor also administers one of the greatest love-hugs I've ever received from a man, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I've received a few. I'm sorry Ben, I know you were hoping for top spot on my list, but I'm afraid you simply don't have the sheer size that Gary utilises to full potential in his hug technique.

Anyway, before I stray too far from the path on which I set out: Let us all bow our heads for a moment and be thankful, not only for what we have enjoyed during the drumming life of Gary Taylor, but also for that fact that although the drummer is gone, the man, the roadie, the legend and the hugger, live on.

God bless you Gary Taylor, and all who sail in you.

new ventures

Well, today I have started the vast yet seemingly simple task of handling the marketing for our theatre production, Sweet Home Chicago, when it eventually goes on tour in September.

It's not a complicated job, simply checking that the theatres have all the print they need from us, then contacting all local newspapers & radio stations to persuade them to, at least, list us in their ents column, and possibly even run a feature on the show, maybe run a competition to give away a pair of tickets, blah blah blah. Basically, anything I can persuade them to do which will raise the profile of the show and get more bums on seats, not least because the larger the crowd, the larger the boost to my ego while on stage, but also because the larger the crowd, the the larger the boost to my bank balance as I'm working partially on commission!

Anyway, wasn't that fascinating for all of you who don'y give 2 shits about my theatre tour. Well, here's a little tit-bit for all you people who were bored by that last section: Jonathan Dimbleby wets the bed.

it's all new to me

Well, having heard such good things from friends and associates about all this blogging lark, I thought I'd give it a whirl myself.

I'm told it is in equal parts, therapeutic and trouble-making, which in itself sounds intriguing. Not that this will be, in any way shape or form, an interesting blog. This is simply a short introduction to dip my toe in the murky waters of blog.

So, that's my blogger cherry popped. Hope you've all enjoyed this post and found it as rewarding and fulfilling an experience as I'd hoped.