#14 How good my water pressure is
Issue #14 How good my water pressure is
15th June 2022
Well hello there, fellow travellers!
It's been a genuinely lovely week for me. We've moved back into the house and the new bathroom is a dream. Every morning it's like we're staying in a moderately priced hotel. That's how lush the shower is.
On top of that, I've had the honour of being asked to teach and perform at a number of international festivals. I'm now going to the ITI Festival in Trondheim, the Robin Hood Festival in Nottingham and Improv Fest in Dublin. I can't wait.
But enough about improv, let's talk some more about how good my water pressure is. JK, here's the recommendations...
Rule of three
[Music] Lizzo
You don't need me to tell you how amazing Lizzo is, nor that About Damn Time is an aural treat of the highest order. You might have missed that her latest single, Grrrls came under fire for containing an ableist slur in the lyrics. Lizzo's response? She listened to the criticism then went straight back into the studio, re-recorded the song with new lyrics and put out an apology on her Instagram. I can't tell you how impressed I am with that level of awareness and cultural leadership.
[Optical Illusion] This breaks my brain
These are all straight lines. I'll repeat that - THEY ARE ALL STRAIGHT LINES! They look wonky but concentrate on any single line and you'll see that they are individually straight as an arrow. Reality is a lie and we can't trust anything or anyone. You are welcome.
[Film] West Side Story
I didn't go into this film thinking I'd enjoy it but HOLY COW Spielberg has made something really special here. His stroke of genius is filming it with an old school musical sensibility but using modern day cinematography. It soars!
Spotlight
Do you like Doctor Who? If you don't then there's no point reading the rest of this paragraph. But if you do, then can I recommend The Ood Cast? It's a Doctor Who podcast I co-host that celebrates the brilliance of the programme through comedy sketches, discussion and parody songs. It represents one of the most sustained and consistently creative projects I've ever undertaken. I'm so proud of it.
Longform thoughts
I started improv. I wasn't very good. I made a lot of mistakes. I made it all about me, I hijacked other people's scenes to get a laugh, I made choices out of fear rather than a joyful wish to elevate my scene partner's work. But I kept going. I took classes 3 or 4 times a week. I paid more money so that patient, kind improv teachers could slowly instil the real values of improv - collaboration, empathy and generosity - into me.
Read more about my thoughts on privilege and societal bias in Expert syndrome.
Radio days
A face for Radio.