Sunday, October 23, 2005

20/10/05 Oh dear...

The last time I'd done a gig at "The Three Tuns" was on the 7th July. I rmember this clearly, as it was the day of the tube bombings in London.
At the time I wasn't in the mood, but ironically had a great gig in front of an extremely rough crowd.
That wasn't the case this time.
One pissed idiot shouted at me all through my 15 minute set.
I'd worn a t-shirt which was a bit on the small side for me, and this prompted the pissed man to call me "fatso" repeatedly and at high volume.
This is a ridiculous assertion, as my current regime of cycling to/from work, 3 games of football a week, 3 runs round the Meadows a week, a blanket ban on fast food, and a weekly delivery of organic fruit and veg, have left me sleek and giselle like.
It also helps that I bought a collection of second-hand mirrors from a fairground's "Hall of Mirrors" booth. I look really slim, but unfortunately my head is 4 feet wide.
But it's a worthwhile compromise I think.
I think it must be that being seen on stage puts 10 pounds on you, as is supposed to happen when you appear on TV.
"Fatso" indeed!
This was one of these nights where you wonder to yourself why on earth you are submitting yourself to this very public ritual of torture and humiliation.
If it was one of my first few gigs, I would definitely have sworn never to do it again in the aftermath of this debacle.
However, experience is a wonderful thing, and I realise that this is just an occupational hazard, and is an integral part of this wacky business.
The problem is that this is a "free" gig in a bar.
There is no audience etiquette apparent for acts.
You get some nights when the random crowd in the bar are really up for comedy and are appreciative of the acts.
And then you get nights like tonight where you have people who look like they've been drinking for 3 days continuously, baying aggressively at all the acts, as some form of blood sport.
I won't be back!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

you'll always be "Slim Jim" to me...!!