Wednesday 23rd of August, 2000
Wonder if that will come out on the video.
Get up early. Laura calls to say she has (top flight) tickets for the Brentano Quartet at the Queen' Hall. Mervyn Stutter' people call to ask if we can do the show that day. Er, no.
The concert is stunning - Haydn and Schubert quartets in the first half and Bartok's quartet no. 1 in the second - absolutely devastating, and it is so nice to be in the same "acoustic space" as the performers. They encore with a nice bit of Mendellsohn, but I don't know whether I wouldn't rather have been left with the Bartok.
Go to a nice resraurant on Grassmarket for lunch, then return home for a nice lie down before I go to the Ross Bandstand.
I am becoming an old hand at this. I watch the Peggy Vestas do their set on the monitor and prepare myself. I always find it difficult to find anything to tell the "presenters" for their introduction, though, and since I did my last gig last night I can't plug that.
I go on and do The Things You Get, Little Games, Where Did It All Go Right? and Comforting Lie. I really must write another one like that. It's a lovely day, very sunny and warm, and there are moments of perfect pleasure for me. Wonder if that will come out on the video. Probably not. Meet up with Laura after the performance. Mention the video they gave me of it. she says that I'm not as heavy as that in real life. Ah, not flattering then. Watch Peter Michael Rowan do his set, and then say au revoir to the assembled company.
I go over to the Cafe Royal to see Simon Mayor and Hilary James do their show (Marooned With a Mandolin) and then stay in the room to watch Earl Okin. So now I have finally seen Earl Okin who is retiring from the Fringe this year. Old Horny Mouth indeed. Consequently I am already in the room when the Boys arrive, but sadly they didn't worry about me a bit. I would have like a little bit of concern.
Tonight's audience was lovely and large and warm, and since the Monique people cancelled, we could do an encore (Ed is at the Ritz - very skin of the teeth because we haven't played it for months, and even then it was on the double bass).
The Monique people were in the audience, so we chat to them after the show - very enthusiastic, which is nice.
After the Bartok, the Bandstand, the two shows and the Hot Gig, I have a generally warm feeling to go to sleep on.