17/05/05 I'm Still Stand-ing

I've come up with some fairly ropey titles, but I think this one is definitely the naffest of the naff. I thank you.
I did "The Stand" in Glasgow last night. It went very well. Nice to bounce back after last week's disappointing inaugural (and likely last) "Toecurler Comedy Nite" in South Queensferry.
I did a new piece about recently getting the sack as an assistant in an Old Peoples Home. This was because, to alleviate boredom, I devised a game of "Human Snakes and Ladders" involving old ladies on wheelchairs in colour coded cardigans (to represent the counters).
The board was made out in chalk. Landing on a ladder was then followed by the old lady/counter going up an appropriate stairmaster, and landing on a snake was followed by the old lady/counter being shoved down a refuse chute, and so on...
I'm pleased to report that it went down very well, even though it was far from honed...so that's good. A little victory. I only did about half the material I'd intended to do in the timeslot. This is also good. It means I'm not garbling as quickly as I have done in the past.
There were a couple of new guys taking the plunge for the first time. You tend to forget how terrifying that first performance is, but seeing the look of apprehension in their faces brought it all back to me.
The compere introduced the first guy. He then didn't appear, and the compere had to go onstage again and re-introduce him. I'm not sure what was going on backstage, but it certainly added to the tension. One of the new guys was good, the other wasn't. But such is life...
What a stunning performance from George Galloway yesterday at the US Senate hearing. In the run up to his appearance, I figured that the Senate boys would booby trap the hearing in such a way that GG wouldn't be given a license to spout on uninterruptedly about all things Iraq. I was wrong. They gave him an open platform to deliver some home truths. Michael Moore must have experienced a mixture of elation and jealousy. He could never have come up with such an impromptu critique of US foreign policy.
GG is confusing. There's a whole load of reasons to dislike him and his policies, but you can't deny he's a consummate orator and knows his stuff.
(I have the same problem trying to get an overall stance on the great Tony Benn)
The US Senate has the atmosphere of A Gentlemen's Club in which everthing is settled politely in hushed tones. Not yesterday. Pow!