Deep breaths, calm shoulders, belly laughs
Hello my friends hello:
I am writing to you today to invite you to Airhorn on October 3rd. Eagle eyed readers may have noticed I have not used any exclamation points yet, and usually I'd be at 5 or 6 exclamations by this point in the email.
This is intentional. This next Airhorn is a special one, called "Airhorn Calms Down". It is going to be our gentlest and most relaxed show yet and I wanted this newsletter to reflect the same quiet calm. It is so hard.
The Last Show
Our last Airhorn, the Election Special, was a wild one and surprisingly intense. We had everyone be an MC and dressed as the orange election guy, but the only orange masks we could find were of a blank-faced man, and so the whole vibe became accidentally quite threatening.
Look at us here. We are trying to give you a good time, but look, literally, like a horror film.
We don't want Airhorn to be all clangs and horror and endurance tests. So we decided to change it up and do a course correct. Thus: Airhorn Calms Down.
Our Calmest Airhorn yet
This will still be a show of extremes, but now we are exploring extreme stillness, the absolute edge of chill, the most intense spa-like experience you can get in a comedy show.
I need to be clear that we are not joking with this. This is not a misdirect, where actually this one is going to be violent and the title is ironic. This is sincerely going to be gentle, quiet comedy that is meant to soothe.
It can be difficult communicating as a comedian, cos we're always doing bits. We have that 'deadpan' humour where we say one thing and mean the opposite, and then even when you say "i am being sincere" that itself might be a goof. You go to the therapist, and give your feelings and the doctor says "Ah, you should go see the clown Pagliacci" and you say, "But doctor, I am Pagliacci" and the doctor says, "Oh god, I'm sorry, I didn't realize" and you go, "No no, I'm just joking," and he laughs, and you say, "But seriously, I am hurting." and then neither of you know what to say next.
So I'll drop the bits and say: this is absolutely going to be a weird, quiet, slow, soft show. If Airhorn has been too intense in the past, this is the one to attend. If you want a show you can fall asleep to, this is the show for you. If you want to drink chamomile tea brewed special for you by the hottest comedians in Aotearoa, then come out this October 3rd.
You can buy tickets now, at their discounted early bird rate.
And if you need to get calm now, here is the late, beautiful Iasos playing pan flute for you:
And if that doesn't work, here is a 25 minute video of a Japanese luxury train travelling through the snow (by the wonderful Solo Solo Travel):
And if that doesn't work, here is Ernest Borgnine visiting an ice cream shop in Iowa in the mid-90's (for some reason, this video always calms me down):
And if that doesn't work, here is a full album of vintage Japanese ambient techno:
Virtual Dreams II: Ambient Explorations In The House & Techno Age, Japan 1993-1999 | Various Artists | Music From Memory
13 track album
And if that doesn't work, you'll just have to come out to the show.