#79 Intellectually impressive and entirely unhinged
Issue #79 Intellectually impressive and entirely unhinged
13th September 2023
Oh hello there!
I have returned from camp - mud-streaked, insect-bitten and smelling vaguely of woodsmoke.
I'm also smiling from ear to ear, treasuring some beautiful new memories and feeling freshly inspired.
Welcome also to many of my fellow campers who have generously joined the newsletter this week. Make yourselves at home, have a poke around and seriously take whatever you want from the fridge.
Mi boletin informativo es su boletin informativo.
If you're wondering what's the best way to read this email, 90% of readers scroll down to look at the dog and then maybe come back up to check out the improv stuff later.
Regardless, I've had a wild week. I've discovered Gaga Ball, made impossible leaps of faith, shot arrows, improvised love stories, smoked Cuban cigars on a lake and absolutely ate my way around Toronto.
Here's what's slathering my poutine this week...
(note to self: never use that phrase again)
Rule of three
[Book] Legends & Lattes
A fantasy novel where very little happens, I can't recommend Legends & Lattes highly enough. Viv the Orc lays down her sword and starts a coffee shop in a town that's never even heard of the beverage. The whole thing is just her renovating an old livery into a trendy barista lounge and slowly expanding her menu. There are monsters and adventurers, bards and sorcerers - you keep expecting something high-stakes and violent to happen but mostly the narrative is concerned with how she's going to keep up with demand for the cinnamon rolls. I adored every page, wanted each new character to be my friend and felt a blissful sense of peace when reading it.
[Quiz] Only Connect
I don't know how I missed this none-more-British quiz show at home, but my lovely host in Toronto introduced me to it and now I'm hooked. Fronted by Victoria Coren Mitchell, her hosting is emblematic of the entire endeavour in that she manages to be simultaneously intellectually impressive and entirely unhinged. It's a zero budget affair whose genius rests entirely on the brilliant intricacies of its puzzle box questions. And it's all available on YouTube to stream to your heart's content.
[Travel] The Chain
This is a travel game adapted by Laura and me from a long-running spot on Radcliffe and Maconie's BBC Radio 6 Music show. Vinny and I played it for about 10 hours straight on the round trip from Montreal to Toronto and back again.
Here are the rules.
-
Play a song that you like on the car stereo. [Eg. Kiss It Better (Yellow Lunar Human Remix) by Rhianna]
-
At the end of that song the next person associates that song with another song. It's important that they make a little speech to illustrate the connection. Something like "That last track reminds me of when my college girlfriend dumped me. I spent months playing this next song on repeat to cheer me up."
-
Listen to the new song. [Eg. Mistadobalina by Del the Funky Homosapien]
-
Repeat until you run out of road.
Connections can be anything that your brain comes up with: memories, collaborations, musical similarities or just general vibes. It's all valid.
Spotlight
Just a few more weeks before Both/ And: Improv for Actors, the IRL improv class I'm running with the exceptional Emily Murphy, starts in London. We're so close to selling out, I wanted to push it one more time. We can offer entirely-bespoke new exercises (never seen before in an improv class), a focus on slow-build theatricality and an exceptional cohort of fellow improvisers who are signed up to take their skills to the next level. Join us hey why not?
Radio contact
Apparently, there was a heatwave in London. So Radio got hosed down. This is not his happy face.