A big catchup
It’s been ages since I last wrote. Of course I’ve been very busy but also there
has been only really excellent news to report and somehow it feels as though
this makes a boring and repetitive blog, so I will try to make the good news at
least readable. You could always skip
this episode and run forward to the up and coming one that I may have to write
later today. SOMETHING has
happened. It may blow over and all may
yet be well but watch this space. I will
tell you about it either way in the next chapter.
Meanwhile all the good news. The launch event of the DVD at Wallingford’s
charming and wonderful Corn Exchange Theatre was an unbounded success. The
theatre was full and the reception at Wallingford was warm and welcoming, as it
always is. My good friend Ralph, having
superbly managed all the publicity then ran the evening’s considerable
technical challenges from his perch at the back of the auditorium with aplomb,
accuracy and acumen. I am very grateful to him and to all the volunteer staff
at the theatre for all they did to make the evening such a success. Maff and the band were brilliant as they have
always been, providing me with original accompaniment to a number of
routines. The new pieces of magic I had
prepared for the night on the whole went to plan. We sold quite a few DVDs and
CDs so financially we were able to say it was worth doing. The edited version of the film that Rhys and
I cut for the night met with universal acclaim, and the introduction
section which showed me unicycling at the Great Pyramids, the Eiffel Tower,
Sydney Opera House, the Golden Gate bridge and then down Wallingford High
Street into the Corn Exchange Theatre was a great way to start the evening. So
with such a great filmic start and finish, the night was a sure fire
success.
It took me a while to recover but I had to
do so pretty quickly as I only had a week to prepare for the Llandudno
Victorian Extravaganza. There was still
a lot of painting and varnishing to finish so I had very little spare time in
the week leading up to the Bank Holiday. Finally I finished the list and loaded
it all into the trailer and down the road about 25 miles to Llandudno.
I have always loved this event, though for
the last couple of years my pitch has felt a little isolated from the rest of
the event. No sign (again) of the George
Formby Appreciation Society, so I suppose they will never again be on the grass at Bog
Island (named from the location of the toilets) in Mostyn Street. They are missed. My specific pitch is pleasant enough, but
without another live act to alternate with, it feels rather lonely.
The first day, the Saturday, it poured with
rain all day, as I think it did across the whole country. I tried to do a bit inside the dry part of
the stage, but by lunchtime I gave up and watched the World Championship snooker (which was
gripping).
On Sunday the sun emerged, despite being
rather cold, so I did shows and on Monday it had become a little warmer making the
final day a Llandudno classic. Lots
of people, excellent feedback and a healthy hat. It needed to be I was down to
the final penny and twopenny money bags from last year and an overdraft was
looming.
I also only saw one member of the committee
all weekend, which didn’t bode well and when I went on the Monday to collect
the cheque, there was no cheque and no treasurer. This is always a danger sign. I don’t like waiting for the cheque and my
terms are always payment on the day.
(You wouldn’t buy a bottle of milk and expect to pay next week, so why
is it that certain trades have to wait to be paid?) Anyway I spoke to a man in
the booth who promised direct payment by the end of the week and he was a man
of his word. I have been paid so all is
well. My feeling though is that I may be
somewhere else next year. There is a cycle
in these events and I’ve reached the end of a cycle there and possibly in other
places this year. We will see. Watch this space.
All the best from a road near you,
Mr Alexander