#16 The machinery beneath the skin of the world
Issue #16 The machinery beneath the skin of the world
29th June 2022
Hello, it's Chris Mead here. Thanks for reading.
I'm typing this on the morning after going to see Alanis Morissette at the O2 Arena. I'd waited years for the concert - it kept being put back due to COVID restrictions and was initially intended to celebrate 25 years of Jagged Little Pill (released back in 1995).
That album was hugely important to me when I was 15 and the concert itself was incredible - she sung the entire track list. When a friend asked me if I had enjoyed it, I found myself writing:
It was incredible. She is a firebrand performer. I don't think I've ever seen anything like her. She is completely unfettered - vocally, physically - she careens around the stage like a force of nature. And her voice has, if anything, got better - it seems to come from this deep place of hurt and hope and anger and beauty. It's like hearing the machinery beneath the skin of the world.
By which I meant, I liked it.
I've been thinking about my past a lot recently.
Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of going to see my university friend, Paul Murphy, lead the West End cast of My Fair Lady as Henry Higgins in Bartlett Sher's current revival at the Coliseum. He was spectacularly good and afterwards, at the Stage Door, he gripped me by both shoulders, looked into my eyes and said (I paraphrase) "Don't you see, Mr Mead, we're doing it. We're both where we're meant to be".
I was surprised and humbled by that. There he was, having just performed in front of thousands of people at the highest possible level, and what he most wanted to talk about was being true to the dreams we had when we were 21.
I feel immensely lucky.
Here are some recommendations.
Rule of three
[Game] Emily Blaster
What can I say? It's a free web-based shoot 'em up based on the poetry of Emily Dickinson. This is why I still love the internet.
[Music] Human Record Player
I don't really know Weezer's music well but their latest single has been released using the Human Record Player. Pull it up on your phone, put your finger on the record and then physically spin around at the speed you want to hear it at. Now you are delighted/ nauseous.
[Book] The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse
The book that got me through lockdown. It's beautifully written and phenomenally illustrated and reads, to me at least, like a lyrical cross between Winnie the Pooh and Calvin & Hobbes.
Spotlight
I've been doing my show, Duologues for several months now. Every time I do it, I partner with a different improviser who I admire but don't play with regularly. We then present a duo show as if we've been duo partners for decades. No apologies, no "we've never actually performed together before", just walking onto the stage with a brand new show concept and executing it with patience, humour and conviction. This Saturday, I get to share the stage with Charlotte Gittins whom I adore and who is easily one of the best improvisers I've ever seen perform anywhere in the world. I'm incredibly excited about this, if you're free on Saturday and near London then I urge you to get a ticket. She's something very special indeed.
Longform thoughts
"Whether it's a drop-in, elective or part of a longer course - what do I want to convey to my students this week? What skill set am I imparting?"
Read How I plan an improv class.
Radio days
Radio finally met a dog that looked like him (Merry was a pure-bred Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and they adored each other).