And so I've come to the end of a busy year's travelling round schools teaching kids in my Comic Art Masterclasses, with them continuing to produce comics which they take home, each containing a strip by every one of them. Here's the last few of the year, and some that didn't make the cut in recent montages (possibly for obvious reasons)...
If anyone wants my Comic Art Masterclass to come to their school (and I will try and get them to come up with nicer titles next time) phone, email or tweet (details below).
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre play The Garden Of Unearthly Delights, Rundle Park, Adelaide Fringe 2012 every night at 7.45pm from Feb 17 - March 18. Tickets only $15 and ON SALE NOW!
Anyone with any friends or relatives who might be heading for Adelaide, please spread the word. Let's make this a great big biggie (and a sellout, if we can please thankyou).
We're off to see some punters, some wonderful punters in Oz!
The Sitcom Trials is about to return to Bristol in 2012, would you like to be part of it?
Vince Stadon (author of one of 2011's winners of the Manchester Sitcom Trials, Checkpoint Dave) has taken hold of the reins of Producer for The Sitcom Trials spring season in Bristol and is interested in hearing from actors who would like to perform comedy, and writers who would like to see their comedy performed.
Contact Vince at stadonclan@hotmail.com and he'll be in touch about planned meetings and shows in Bristol. Oh, and I'll be involved too, how could I resist?
Sitcom Trials ITV series
The first Sitcom Trials took place in Bristol (and very shortly after in London) in 1999, and our ITV series was broadcast live from the HTV Studios in Bristol in 2003). The last Bristol Sitcom Trials was way back in September 2005 so, following the success of the recent London & Manchester seasons, it's ripe for a revival.
The cast of Checkpoint Dave, Sitcom Trials winner 2011
If you need reminding about the fine work of The Sitcom Trials in the past, check out the videos and details at sitcomtrials.co.uk
Vince and I look forward to meeting a new team of comedic talents, welcome on board.
As I continue travelling round schools teaching kids in my Comic Art Masterclasses, they continue to produce comics which they take home, each containing a strip by every one of them. And it wasn't until I'd stuck together this latest montage of the front covers they've come up with in the last few weeks that I realised how wholly inappropriate many of their ideas are...
For the record Shut Up Pig Terrorist, Death To America By Battering To Death, Oh My God It's Jerry, and Sgt Diarrhoea were all created by year 9 pupils at Portland Place School in London, an independent school. You have to pay to go there. Just saying.
Mickey Mouse Is A Gangsta and Nooo! You Killed My Dad were dreamed up by the loveliest Year 7 pupils at Carnforth High in Lancashire; the rest are by pupils in Bushey, Dublin, Sheffield, and Caton & Wray in Lancashire.
If anyone wants my Comic Art Masterclass to come to their school (and I will try and get them to come up with nicer titles next time) phone, email or tweet (details below).
I've done a fair bit of Youtoobling in recent weeks (stringing pop vids together, surprising myself with what comes next) as well as joining in with hashtag gags. For posterity, because sometimes posterity can be a little bit too interesting, here's what I've filled the air with...
Nov 11, Party Down Youtoobling
My Struggle, Kyle Party Down #youtoobling (see also Mel Brooks Hitler Rap)
Lizzy Caplan (Casey) Mean Girls Party Down #youtoobling
Ken Marino (Ron) pop stardom Party Down #youtoobling
Nov 24: There's a rhino in the corner of the room, plugged into a mains adaptor... oh no, it's charging! (Fave gag I wrote this week)
I so rarely use this blog to just bring my diary up to date, and yet I so love looking back on past entries to remind me of what the hell I've been up to. And my it's been a busy time.
In the last couple of weeks the domestic scene has been unlivened by a big plus and a big minus. The big plus was that the downstairs neighbours, a notorious couple who've been a thorn in our side for the last couple of years by dint of being the noisiest, most argumentative (between each other, it sounded like an episode of Eastenders turned up to 11) neighbours we've ever had, in the many years we've lived in our otherwise perfect flat. I won't rake over old ground, suffice it to say it is a delight that we'd almost forgotten to be able to sit here in bed of a Sunday morning and not have to listen to hacking cough in the garden, smell and pall of smoke rising up, then have to listen to the sort of domestic row that is the reason we don't watch Crimewatch.
On the minus side, the flat above started leaking again. Back in 2009 our flat was destroyed by a leak from above, causing over £10,000 of damage. That was all put right, we thought. So when Hev, left alone at home while I was away in Ireland for the week, had to contend with bucketloads of water streaming through the light sockets in the suspended ceiling, you can imagine it didn't lead to the calmest time. Hopefully it is all sorted now.
My being away in Ireland is indicative of the amount of travel I've being doing this year, and the reason my personal diary doesn't get attended to as much as it should. I just totted up how many visits I've made to Ireland in 2011. Nine. In all,how many journeys by plane I've made? 23. Well, no, those are all return flights, so in fact I've made 46 flights this year. So far. I apologise globe, that cosy warm sensation you're experiencing is entirely down to me, sorry.
I'm sure it'll calm down next year. After all the Socks 2012 tour only has 14 dates so far. Plus a month in Adelaide performing every night, and the same again in Edinburgh. And I'm sure I won't do over 100 days teaching comics in schools as I've done this year. Surely there wouldn't be enough year for all that. God I've been busy.
Here are some random notes from Twitter, summing up my recent activities and thoughts:
Nov 26: Caricaturing at Bat Mitzvah in Hampstead last night, good fun. 1st since I got into Party Down. So not like this:
Nov 25: New exhibition by Heather Tweed opens Bristol Dec 16. Check it out (& try try try to get an invite to the Private View)
Nov 24: There's a rhino in the corner of the room, plugged into a mains adaptor... oh no, it's charging! (Fave gag I wrote this week)
Nov 24: I keep thinking I'm an obscure 70s record label that featured The Moody Blues. I'm living the Deram. (Runner up, less good gag)
To celebrate Doctor Who's anniversary, 50-year old @steven_moffat gets his own Radio Times cover via jonnymorris1973
Nov 23: Amazon email to suggest I would like books by Jason Manford, Miranda Hart, James Corden & Louie Spence. What the hell have I been buying?
Nov 22: Dublin. Feel a little dicky, thought I'd be sick overnight. Wasn't drinking. Cold tap in this hotel makes hot water (so does the hot). Coincidence?
Heather Tweed has a brand new exhibition taking place in Bristol in December, and you must go to it. Here are the details:
Chapmans Monkey - Artefacts Of The Apocryphal, opens on December 16th and runs until Dec 21st at Centrespace Gallery in Bristol. If you would like to get an invitation to the Private View on December 16th from 6pm - 8pm, contact Heather by Twitter @heathertweed or by Facebook here. I'll be there and would love to see you there too.
If you're not familiar with Heather's work, here are images from some of her recent shows.
So, that's Heather Tweed's exhibition, Chapman's Monkey, on from Dec 16th-21st at Centrespace in Bristol, and you could come to the Private View by contacting Heather. See you there.
