What Do The Pills Do?

 Well, I didn't know they do this for a start:

 

 And now, apologies. The lights went out all over my old laptop a while back, but I have a new one now, so I can blog again woo! And I have something to plug which is ending very soon: "Coma" – a show ostensibly about lying down and taking a pill. The pill-taking is optional, but not the lying down, as space in the venue is limited (see below).

 Photo by Mihaela Bodlovic.    

As part of their ongoing Darkfield project, creator David "shunt" Rosenberg, writer Glen "Ring" Neath, musicians Max and Ben Ringham, et al have recorded me and others doing things in a box, and then taken that box up to Summerhall, so people can lie in it in total darkness for half an hour, and be an audience. Given the absence of any live performer (as far as I know) it's extraordinary how live an event these shows still manage to be – the simple presence of others counts for a lot, it turns out, even if you can't see them. And the twitter reviews I've read have been incredibly pleasing, although the most pleasing was probably: "Neither pleasant nor unpleasant it sits just the right side of creative to make you feel that things are not good until you leave", because it's so confusing. You can book TICKETS HERE and then I think the show's moving to Canary Wharf in September. But, as I say, most of my work was done a month ago, outside Television Centre (see below). You know, in that heat wave. Water was on hand... that's not much of an anedote is it – Okay: I was asked to provide a component of something unique built by friends. It was fun. And still is. I'm assuming.

So yes I'm doing Edinburgh this year, sort of - not physically (which is a shame as London "Gabbie" Hughes is obviously KILLING IT UP THERE), but I hear it's like I'm really there, right down to the smell (see below – not sure which vial's me):

 

And of course David's been doing stuff with binaural sound for over a decade now. And shipping containers. Things were easier back in 2007, before the crunch, back when we were doing "Contains Violence" and were still allowed in buildings. I can't believe I've never posted this shot of the microphones going into Nigel's head so we could record me stoving it in with an Apple Mac before:

And here's the card handed to audiences from that first binaural gig, intended to minimise technical hiccups. The system's been refined a bit since.

 

25/08/19: P.S.: I've just remembered, my favourite review is actually this one comparing the character I voice to "one of those vaguely disreputable Cronenbergian scientists", and noting "in fact Cronenbrg's two earliest movies, Stereo and Crimes of the Future could provide acceptable alternative titles for this..."  Lovely stuff.