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Cold Fountain
Posted Monday, January 28, 2008
I'm full of cold.
So bunged up.
Yeah you can say 'Ahhhhhh'. SOME sympathy would be nice. From anyone.
I'm all wrapped up in various coats and T-Shirts and extra pants, sitting in my office, looking at my iTunes thingy and wondering how my daughter got onto my accountant and downloaded 151 editions of something called AVATAR, SOUTH PARK and UGLY BETTY. How did she get on my computer? How did she figure out the access code? How did iTunes allow her to buy all these frigging things? None of which I want to watch? It's very annoying -- and trying to undo these purchases is nigh on impossible -- by the way if anyone knows of a way to undo purchases on iTunes I'd really love to hear it. AGGGGGHHH.
I ran 5k for the first time in ages on Saturday ...it's really odd afterwards. My body feels like The Weather girls gave an impromptu clog dance performance all over it. Damn I ache. And this cold has come on now to exacerbate the miserableness of my condition. God I hate having a cold-this isn't Man-flu either, this is a serious cold, with serious side effects, the whimpering voice, the inability to make my own tea, the 'really old now' effect, where, whenever you get up to go to the toilet you resemble Methuselah, wobbling to and fro as you hold onto different surfaces to assist you in your journey to the loo.
I've realised recently that, apart from a car accident in the early 80's and personal problems in the late 90's, I?ve never had any time off work for any reason. Not for colds or flu or groin strain or knee problems ...I've been off work 2 times in 32 years (I might be exaggerating, but even if it's 4 times, it's still impressive, no?)
I think it's because of that 'The show must go on' mentality. I've got it, my wife (Dawnfrenchoffthetellydotcom) has definitely got it ...this inability to lie down and take the time off. I suppose there's also the thing of not wanting to let people down. I love my people ...what's a bunged up nose, a hacking cough and a leaking sore between comedian and audience? Get bandaged up Tonto, you're going back on!
My piano lessons continue. I managed to get through grade 3 classical with a merit (yay) but now I'm back to grade 1 Jazz because I've realised something. Although I like the logic of the classical pieces and the general 'under the fingers' nature of them, I do like the Jazz / blues pieces better. I am also alarmed by my daughters prolific and improvisational ability on the piano; she seems to enjoy goofing around on the piano much more than I do and she began playing at the same time as me...I think adults get bogged down in 'trying to play the piano properly' whereas kids just want to play! Hurrah! So I figure I'll switch to Jazz and try to goof around more and see what happens. I was also bought some Jazz piano lessons for Chrimbo, so I'll start taking those and let you know what happens. Just call me Professor Shorthair, ya'all..or Really Fat Domino (Pizza) -- I won't be offended..
I just directed a short film in Liverpool for a project funded mainly by Liverpool football club. The film is called 'Colour Blind' and it was written by Tony Lindsay, a very good scouse writer. It features Neil Fitzmaurice as John, a bigoted plumber who seems to have infected his wife and son with his racist values. His youngest, a little girl called Britney (?) is as yet unaffected by all the bile. I won't reveal the rest of the plot, I'll just say that one of the major tenets of the piece is 'Walking a mile in someone else's shoes' and also the original inspiration was a movie called 'Watermelon man'. Google it, and you'll see what I mean.
I
enjoyed directing and got a real sense of how these things get made. When you're acting in something it's fantastic, you show up for costume and make up tests, maybe have a read through and a bit of rehearsal and then you're off making it 'unless of course you're in America at the moment, after 'a bit of rehearsal' replace 'and you're off making it' with 'and you're agent tells you that the Writers strike means you can't go to work', so you spend your days going to the gym, handing out coffee on picket lines, considering a career in catering. Being a director is very different 'you're the head guy! Everyone asks you questions about everything all the time! You're exhausted all the time! You're patience gets tested on a zillion levels, 24/7! But. It is great. I really felt that the team at L.A. Productions, executive produced by Colin McKeown, were trying very hard to meet most of our demands to get this low budget film made on time. There were things we desperately needed that weren't there, like a 'ladder pod' for doing over head shots, a big light on a v. tall stand (I think it's called an HMI) didn't show up for a while, a separate vehicle for the camera equipment that had been donated by lovely Mike Fox our Director of Photography--but most of these things showed up within a couple of days. We had talented people around, both professional and trainee and between us, we got it done. So Big shout outs to Colin and Sharon and Mike and Tommy and Ken and Davey and Alex and Suki and Heidi and Po and Lo and the rest of the art department and all my actors, Neil and Kenny, Lynn and Katrina, Maximillian and Micheal, Abbey and Sadie, Shameema and Brian and Sonia -- and everyone else -- Big up yourself, a you dat!
Just got to edit it now. AGGGGHHH!
The reason I'm doing an anti racism film is because of my involvement with Gee Walker, the mother of Anthony Walker, who was cruelly murdered not so long ago. Gee's daughter, Dominique, is chairperson of the Anthony Walker foundation ; she supervises anti racism workshops in schools and colleges and wants to use our film as key component in teaching children about racism. So it was my honour to be involved with the whole thing?
Any way ? I hope you guys are well...it's gonna be a good year, I think. Don?t forget to watch the last few 'LennyHenry.TV's' Tuesday's at 10 35 ?-- I think there's John Culshaw, Ruby Wax and Harry Enfield left, plus more great clips, more music and more LH style Japes. I'm recording the last episode of Rudy's Rare Records on Feb 11, that series will go out on Radio four from Feb 26 at 6.30 in the evenings... I'm giving a talk at the Royal Television Society (there's posh) about diversity on Feb 7th -- I don't think I've worked so hard on anything...I think it's going to be interesting...
I'm going to New York soon to record some material for my new Radio 4 series 'What's So Great About: ?? which developed from my Lenny and Will project last year and I'm also doing a radio play with Peter Jukes (who wrote Slavery: the Making Of ' last year) called Bad Faith ' Pete's also got something called Soul Motel coming out on R4 soon ... check it out. I shall be following the French and Saunders tour round the country at various points, so come and holler at me if you see me there?
And then I'll be doing tryouts in June (there's talk of Richmond theatre and odd lunchtime shows in my usual venues) and then POW! Australia /New Zealand in July...I can't wait.
Anyway, I've got to get an entire box of tissues, an old duvet and a full-length puffa jacket ready, because I'm going to blow my very bunged up nose.
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