very interesting post today from Richard Herring – outlining the mental ups and downs that he goes through in an Edinburgh run (and, inexplicably, expressing fear that he might lose money on a show that is drawing 70-100 people MINIMUM a night!! what kind of budgets do these people work to??????)
It’s a fascinating read, and one that I can see happening around me – I’m reticent to compare myself in anyway, in that I’ve never had a review at Edinburgh, let alone a bad one (first one should be out today), but I guess I’m also a performer whose take on the whole thing is supremely self-serving, in that I make music for me, and if other people dig it, that’s great, but ultimately, it’s my music. The talking part of my show is very different, in that it’s all about engaging people, drawing them in to where the music’s coming from, and making them laugh. This is the bit of the show that could ‘fail’ even if I did what I thought was a good show… That’s a new one for me, not something I’ve had to deal with since I was doing sessions, where someone else is the arbiter of good or bad.
So it’ll be interesting to monitor my own reaction to my first Edinburgh review when it appears. The audience’s response has been fantastic so far, crowds are good, word of mouth is working, and I’m having a great time, so I’ve no idea how the press will influence that. I’ll report back tomorrow!