Anniversaries

Blimey! It was 13 years ago tonight that I did my first ever stand-up gig! How time flies!

It was at a glamourous venue in North London that went by the name of the VD Clinic. It was an open spot gig, and as it was the Sunday of Glastonbury weekend I did this whole thing about just getting back from Glastonbury. I had a tye-dye top on and ripped jeans, and a peace of rope around my wrist .... a visual pun on the whole crusty/dog on a string thing. Hardly cutting edge satire I know, but I was new!

I got some laughs and I was on my way.

Since then I've performed all over the world, done thousands of gigs, had my own tv show, and met some incredible people.

Its not like performing was a burning desire, ever. Three years before I did my first gig I was happily working at the Evening Standard as a TV journalist, happy until I contracted RSI. I had a full year off work trying to regain some feeling in my hands and repair the nerve damage done to my entire system - some days I even walked with a limp because of it. I tried physiotherapy, acupuncture, even faith healing, nothing worked.

Needless to day the Standard got a bit pissed off with paying me lots of money to do bugger all, so they sacked me. The NUJ promised me that they'd take them to court and get me half a million quid in compensation, but sod all came of that promise.

Anyway, I took the bull by the horns, wrote some gags and did an open spot... I never thought I'd still be doing it after all this time, but I am and I bloody love it! Thank god for the RSI!

Today is also another, far less pleasurable anniversary, which I won't go into here, but instead of feeling sad about the events that took place three years ago today, I celebrated it...it was the catalyst that got me to where I am today...

Life is a fantastic voyage folks