The Socks Xmas Special was on Zoom on Friday Dec 11th and wasn't without its problems. After 6 months of very successful shows, whose only technical issues were largely of my making (me struggling to cue video clips while wearing socks on my hands, usually), this show hit a new problem. Bandwidth.
The culprit, as far as I can work out, was a piece of software called Speedify, which I'd been advised to install by a corporate client for whom I'm doing a gig next week. It's supposed to speed up your broadband by keeping you attached to the fastest available supply. The thing is, we've got superfast broadband already and never have a problem with it. I use this Speedify thing for the first time and, as the show goes on, I start seeing the words "Your internet connection is unstable" appearing on my Zoom screen. Something I've never seen before. And, though I wasn't to realise it until Hev passed me a note during the show, the viewers at home were suffering. For everybody they were getting frozen images and occasional blank screens, and for some even the sound was disappearing. Having watched the recording I can confirm that parts of it were unwatchable.
So, having uninstalled Speedify, I'm doing the whole show again on Sunday night.
I was very pleased to have written so much new material for the show, making it all the more frustrating that people couldn't enjoy it properly (a half dozen people left the show halfway through). And another technical error, mine this time, was taking the advice of the Zoom training given me by this corporate client regarding the volume of sound clips. So I turned the volume down on all my music clips. And, lo, they were too quiet. Why did I do that? They've been perfect for every previous show!
Here's the running order they got on Friday night
Intro gags (all Xmas all new)I'm A Sock (New Xmas version, first time I've ever changed the lyrics)
Hannukah routine (new)
It's Beginning To Smell A Lot Like Christmas (song, 2017)
Little Baby Jesus (only seen in a Leicester Superheroes preview, Feb 2018)
Giving Granny Covid For Christmas (song, brand new)
Tannenbaum (written for a video clip, 2008)
Fannying About The Christmas Tree (song, 2017)
The Crown routine (new)
Improv Xmas movie (Gremlins/Elf/Wonderful Life)
Die Hard Song (brand new, inc video editing)
Princess Di Hard routine (new)
Dean Friedman guest slot - I Want A Nuclear Device song
Xmas Songs You Daren't Sing (classic routine from 2009 show)
Little Drummer Boy (song, new recording)
Furniture puns (new) leading into "falling out" routine
Dean Friedman return slot - Well Well Said The Rocking Chair
Finale: A Christmas Carol (first performed in 2007, rewritten to include callbacks)
Hogmanayness (song, 2018)
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