Monday 24th September 2018

This is gonna be a bit of a busy week - mostly because of on top of my current schedule, which I'm not quite coping with, I've got the house move.

Still, confirmed a lovely little venue for a performance of History of Pop, which is totally awesome. I owe Rachel a beer for fixing that...

The day started with my car being blocked in by traffic cones (they started roadworks outside the house and my car was in the way) and then the TA stuff was just stressful because all of the kids were in a really horrible mood. My favourite insult of the day from one of the kids I had to look after was, "You pointy nose piece of shit." As always, I was powerless to do anything about it, apart from be safe in the knowledge that he'll be in prison one day or at least living in Huntingdon.

But after that I had a fine succession of drum lessons, starting with probably the best lesson I've ever taught. I've always liked teaching this kid; he's been on my books since November and was my second ever student, but I've always felt slightly awkward about the sheer amount of praise his parents shower me with on a weekly basis. I get he didn't like his last teacher, but it's all a bit flattering. But today that was just so good, not me - but the way he responded and nailed the parts to Ticket to Ride, which has awkward timing. Just when you think you know what level a student is at (he's always been in the 'much better than most' bracket) they surprise you by going up a level.

My other three lessons were fine too - another one with my old bandmate, another one with the over-excitable kid and a double lesson with the quite posh family who I'm growing to like because their kids are getting really into this.

Still, left the house at 7.30am, home by 10pm...when exactly do I start putting things in boxes? I mean, I get the answer is 10pm, but I've still got shingles and am supposed to be resting. I'm back even later tomorrow. I'll just do it all on Friday, the moving day.

Sunday 23rd September 2018

Woke up in the dorm, banged my head on the bunkbed. I'm 37.

Grubby, we found an American diner for breakfast and then made our way over to the afternoon show. A nicer gig this one; an arts centre, a folky audience who weren't scared off by our rocky-ness. Nice gig, everyone seems happy again, whilst not talking about last night.

Home by 7.30pm, popped over to A's, where I'll be moving into next week. She's made a lot of space for my stuff. It all feels honestly rather perfect.

Saturday 22nd September 2018

Up early (but not as early as A as she had an open day at her school) and over to teach a cracking, 2 hour, private lesson with one of my regulars.

Then off to Bognor with the band for a couple of gigs. Tension from the off, G not happy but that calmed eventually. Got to the venue, a proper spit and sawdust pub and about 5 people watching the music, but we went on and totally stormed it, winning everyone over. We're too good to let this go.

As the event had an early finish, we found a nice curry house and settled in with drinks and good food. V got upset about stuff, all the usual stuff, and left us - walking back to the hostel by herself. Her phone died, she didn't know the way, the whole thing got a bit stressful and then movie-like as we searched the streets of Hove for her. It all settled in the end but that was a fucking long night. Stayed in a hostel which, according to the reviews, is 'unsafe' and 'full of drug dealers'. Yep, saw them all. We were only there because the whole area is so expensive and we would have blown our fee on accommodation, so this was our only option. It basically felt like being in a prison all night, with a crying singer.

Friday 21st September 2018

And now my Friday schedule is back to normal, it's craziest 'best' - one school at 9am, another at 11am, another at 1pm. More students than ever in each of them, but the traffic was kind today and everything worked out. That may not always be the case and I'm slightly uncomfortable with the way this has been planned. By me. I planned it. Badly.

Private lesson with the amazing Spanish family after who are just so cool. I've told A this is what I want our family to be like and she's cool with that.

Evening off; picked up A from her work, had dinner out, had plenty of drinks back at hers and watched Taskmaster, which is amazing.

I move in next week. Proper adulting.

Thursday 20th September 2018

Really great day as a teaching assistant today; it just felt right, there was lots of humour, everyone onside. The new music teacher is an amazing jazz pianist so we've scheduled in a jam; he's really, really cool, somebody I'd be keen to gig with. And because now apparently I'm a jazz drummer.

Two lovely private lessons, and then beers with Alan M for no reason apart from the fact that it's nice to catch up and get drunk on a Thursday night with a mate I don't catch up with enough.

Wednesday 19th September 2018

Morning in the primary school teaching, then took Mum shopping. Bought two notepads for the two new projects I'm plotting - 2019 is going to be a busy one. 

Afternoon at the college running a drum workshop which was basically my 'Comedians Drumming...' show format to international students but it really worked and was a nice hour, followed by a private lesson after in the college followed by 2 private non-college lessons after that. 

13 hours of teaching today. I know it's a lot. But it does help pay for stuff, not only the holiday and my new drum kit which I'm picking up next month (getting a lovely little Ludwig, very excited) but also for my '100 Final Gigs' project. I've been feeling for a while that the stand-up thing isn't quite me, as much as there was a sense that this year's Edinburgh stand-up show was lovely (I've actually seen someone chatting on a forum where they mentioned how much they enjoyed it, which was very sweet). But also, by doing another nice hour like that, I don't have anything to prove...it's just, well, I haven't really gotten anywhere with it. I'll still do Edinburgh every year - I've got 4 shows lined up for it next year (one of of which you could say is a stand-up show, but it's more storytelling than ever), but the idea of slogging my guts out around the circuit in the hope of making it feels less appealing when I seem to be getting more success out of writing comedy plays instead. So anyway, I'm doing a hundred more stand-up gigs and leaving it there, and getting a film out of it, and I'm going to try and do it in as many places as possible...LA (on our holiday, Stu has got me gig out there, A has been lovely to tolerate me interrupting our romantic break with a gig 400 miles down the road), Istanbul (a friend runs an English-speaking gig out there), Germany...it's gonna be awesome. And expensive, but luckily I've stumbled into something wonderful with the drum teaching.

It's all good. Now all I need is MORE HOURS IN THE DAY. 

Tuesday 18th September 2018

The teaching assistant stuff was fine - it goes quicker when you have a notepad on you and can be discretely writing shows whilst there.

Three private drum lessons after; the enthusiastic one, the child prodigy, the older guy who just wants to play ska. Loved it all, I know what I'm doing with this.

Then over to the other end of town for a second jazz rehearsal where once again we totally nailed it. Being a drummer is wicked and this fresh challenge is exactly what I needed.

Monday 17th September 2018

A long day, but at least with the TA job I did some good today - I mean, the kid I was looking after got into a fight and I managed to stop him. Also spent a bit of time in the gym whilst there, generally feeling out of shape and pathetic.

Three private lessons after (the brilliant young kid, the out of control kid, the cool dude adult who just wants to play Arctic Monkeys songs) and then a mad dash over for a BBC radio session with the band. I'll be honest: I totally forgot we were doing it. It was booked about 4 months ago and a lot has happened since then. As a result I was both a) nearly late for the session, arriving with just 6 minutes to spare  and  b) having to play my 'comedy' mini cajon live on air instead of my proper one, which people found confusing.

Still, we're old hands at this and the whole thing felt remarkably comfortable.

Sunday 16th September 2018

A is really good at getting me to relax...it's almost like she forces me to do it. I've still been struggling with Shingles a bit, but I'm onto the next stage now which is (according to a 'schedule' of it I've read, which is very accurate) "feeling like you've recovered and then a few days later feeling ill again" - I've been lulled into a false sense of security a couple of times this week already with it. Anyway, basically I slept most of the day, and then we literally spent the whole day watching Only Fools and Horses whilst eating fajitas.

In the evening had one bit of work to do - a drum lesson, a first lesson teaching an old bandmate of mine, who is a bassist but he wants to move over to the other side. And rightly so.

Saturday 15th September 2018

Last night was so much fun. Could jazz be my future? Is this a sign that I'm getting old?

I really got a buzz out of writing at this year's fringe and that seemed to work too as I had a commission out of it.

Maybe PR the comedian and drummer in a pop/folk band is gone? To be replaced by PR the playwright and jazz drummer?

Being a playwright and jazz drummer isn't a bad combination, I guess.

Today we were supposed to be going down to Devon so Mum could view a house but somebody bought it yesterday so I treated Mum to a trip to the seaside instead. The dog played up and we lasted less than an hour there, and it's a three hour round-trip, but it ticks the 'good son' box at least.

Not being in Devon meant that I actually got to spend a proper evening with A, too. We booked a holiday to San Francisco for the next half-term, which is an awfully grown up thing to do.

Friday 14th September 2018

Friday mornings are always the busiest day for me with the teaching - the first one don't need me there until next week, so just the two schools today (both had children in who were so loud...I may have to buy yet another drum kit - this one for teaching only). It was all quite exhausting. 

Then over to teach the Spanish family who, like the first lesson last week, continue to be my favourite family to teach. It's just little things, like whenever the son gets something right, no matter how simple, the mother jumps up, hugs him and tells him how proud she is of him. There's so much love in that house it's difficult not to feel moved by it. 

Quick catch up with Stu to discuss projects (and to give him a quick drum refresher lesson - for free, because we're such good mates now and he's helped me out a lot with gig contacts for America, it doesn't feel right charging him, especially when at least 40 minutes of the lesson was spent catching up), and then a bit of a bizarre evening...

My first session as a proper jazz drummer. This is for a little band I've joined with a bunch of teachers from the college where I teach drums - it's good for my career if anything else because we jam around the head of music's house. It's such a lovely set-up, my ego was enhanced considerably and we enjoyed wine and pizza...I was made to feel very welcome and ended up staying till gone midnight chatting to the head about music, comedy, life stuff - just a wonderful evening with people who I don't know, the only person I do know there is the chap who pays my wages for my Wednesday afternoon teaching. 

Even more to the point; it turns out I'm a really, really decent jazz drummer. I always knew I was jazzy, but this is actual jazz; smoky, proper silky stuff. I enjoyed that a lot more than I thought I ever would, to the extent that poor old A, who has had a tough working week, got woken up by slightly drunken me telling her all about it at 1am. 

Thursday 13th September 2018

An easy-ish day - despite there being roadworks on every bit of my route to the TA job to the extent that I actually missed my first lesson of the day. They were nice about it.

From there I had two private lessons, both of which were fine.

Got back, continued to chat to Emma about next year's shows, and then actually started writing them.

Wednesday 12th September 2018

Back at the primary school for the first time this term - nice full roster of kids returning to play drums, by choice. Easy lessons, great students.

Took Mum shopping, whilst frantically writing this new idea I have into a notepad, and then it was Fresher's Day thingy at the college where I had to sit with drums and (literally) drum up some interest in my drum workshops, that was followed by a private lesson with Tony, my student there, who is the most enthusiastic pupil ever. Another quick private lesson after that after school with one of my newbies who is working out well.

Then over to the studio where FH were auditioning for G's replacement. The audition lasted three hours, the chap was nice but not a good fit. This is going to be a struggle.

Tuesday 11th September 2018

Teaching Assistant stuff was fine...you know, the usual stuff, but the kids are nicer to me these days at least. Just getting through it a bit now - it'll pay for a new laptop because this one, although new, is absolutely terrible and takes about a day to load up.

Three drum lessons followed - the reluctant one (with excitable parents), the brilliant one (who I never used to like) and the one who is basically a mate.

Then over to 'Bants' for our first show back since Edinburgh. Mel MCed it wonderfully and this one really worked...it was a long night because I overbooked it, but there was some real quality tonight - David in particular was outstanding. My set, half new, half old, went down very well indeed. Chris the headliner was outstanding. A decent night, that one, that actually made a profit, too.

Monday 10th September 2018

Really not sleeping too well at the moment, this pain is scheduled to end in a few weeks, though.

Had a bit of a cock-up as a teaching assistant when I took the kid I was looking after to the wrong class - he's in year 7 but we were in a year 10 science class for the full hour. I din't know. He got a lot of the questions right, though, so maybe I've accidentally unearthed a child prodigy or something? The other TA's didn't see it that way. I don't like them, either. It's probably starting to show.

Nice mix of private drum lessons afterwards: the regular one who is making progress, the young one who is quite hard work but his parents like me for trying, and then the two excellent students from a money background who are clearly going to be better than me at drums in about 2 years time if I'm not careful.

Got back, found that the amazing Dawn Parade are on Spotify, which has made me a happy as they were a Cambridge band I loved 12 years ago but lost their CD. It's all majestic, all of it - amazing band.

Inspired, I continued my conversations with Emma about next year's theatre projects, all of which I feel a new sense of energy with.

Sunday 9th September 2018

Up ridiculously early for a Sunday - I mean, seriously, 8am. The GP told me to 'rest' a few weeks ago, for about 4 weeks if possible. Still, it was a nice thing to do on a Sunday (financially, if anything else). The band are available to hire for private functions and a pair of fans (a married couple) booked us to play in their garden to them and about 7 slightly confused friends. We played for two hours and the lady cried with happiness at least twice. It's kinda like fame, but not quite.

Long day, though, back by 8pm. A's cat is now scared of me because I dropped it down the stairs last night whilst trying to train it to catch spiders. Such a wimp.

Saturday 8th September 2018

Dragged my hungover self over to a lesson with my Saturday students who are far too enthusiastic for a morning...but that's why I enjoy them so much. A 2-hour lesson (a son, followed by a mother), both on good form, went quickly.

Then dashed to A's where I was teaching a percussion lesson in the afternoon (I move in at the end of the month, it makes sense to start teaching there now...) but the student - a new one to me - never turned up. She apologised by email later on, having got the wrong week. I don't mind; it gave me time to reply to emails, re-tune the kit, that sort of thing.

Then off to Hatfield for a festival slot with the band. Thought we were a bit sluggish (hungover?) at first, but we soon clicked into life. Huge, huge crowd, absolutely rammed, we raised to the occasion like the seasoned pros we are and were inundated with love at the merch bit afterwards. We're too good to let this go.

Friday 7th September 2018

Amazingly, the schools I teach drums in still needed a couple more days for the kids to "settle back in" before I turn up with all the fun, so I'll be back next Wednesday. I say amazingly, because it meant I could have sleep - which is a bonus because ol' shingles boy here didn't get any last night, Slept well into midday, though, and then caught up on emails that have been left a bit post-fringe. Tried to book a Christmas tour and then realised it's September and there isn't time, how is this year spiralling away from me like this?

Made a projects list of all the creative stuff I will do, very soon indeed, and applied for a bunch of theatre festivals for the piece I'm currently working on which is called Harvey Greenfield is Running Late. It's been an odd year; this project is a positive one that reflects that.

Those applications took a few hours, but I've sold the show pretty well, I think.

Just the one lesson today (technically a day off), a lovely Spanish family - just such a lovely, lovely session, it overran and I didn't care, I just enjoyed their company a lot. The son is a new weekly student; A and I have already discussed scary future stuff (kids and whatever) and the warmth that this family have is something we can all strive for.

Then off to an awards ceremony with the band, where we picked up yet another award and got drunk and I broke my phone. Standard.

Thursday 6th September 2018

Long day of teaching assisting (oddly, they're over-staffed at the moment and I'm not really needed, so it feels), followed by three private drum lessons in a row - all tired but excellent, regular students.

Took A out for dinner in the evening, mostly because I'm gigging all weekend and won't really be around. Got back, realised there's a LOT of emails about shows, and exciting stuff, that I need to reply to. Still feel rough, but rest will have to wait a few days.

Wednesday 5th September 2018

The schools I teach drums at aren't needing me until next week so I had today as a bit of a tour booking morning. Had a call from a fellow drum teaching friend who is about to move to Scotland so she's offering me her students - about 24 of them, by the sounds of things. Can't fit them in, but maybe when the teaching assistant stuff ends I can accommodate a few of them.

Need to be touring my plays, my creative stuff again, before I get too sucked in to this 'proper' job as a teacher, which, let's be honest, is a massive accident.

Had a very interesting call from a big radio station about being their drummer on their breakfast show. Currently awaiting more news, but have said yes - this is proper progress on many levels.

Evening taught two new students, because I'm terrible at saying no. Normally this slot is for the college, where I'll be back next week. Worryingly, the trial lessons for both of these students were great, so I now have to somehow fit them in to my schedule. This is madness.

Tuesday 4th September 2018

And back full-time to...everything. Back as a TA as I work my notice out there - I have a lot of drum teaching work coming in, I can afford to comfortably let this one go. The management at the school there really, really like me, but the kids are right bastards. Still, I've had worse days there.

Three drum lessons followed; I planned today badly and was zig-zagging all over the place. Great lessons, though, all of them - 3 of my regulars, all making progress, all of them feel like they're friends of mine too. I like teaching drums. 

Monday 3rd September 2018

There's so much writing I want, and need to do, not only for myself, but for that commission I got at the fringe.

Didn't sleep last night - mostly because of the shingles itchiness, but also probably because I slept all of yesterday. My sleep pattern is all over the place.

Pulled out of teaching assistant training, I've resigned anyway and am about to work out 7 weeks notice period (I agreed to stay on until half-term so they could replace me).

Taught three drum lessons - 2 of my regulars, and a new student (well, pair of students - siblings, half an hour each) which has now turned into a regular booking.

Sunday 2nd September 2018

I don't like this shingles thing. I get it's supposed to take 10 weeks to get better, and it's not been 4 yet, but I felt quite good last night. Clearly paid for it today, though. As A pointed out, I slept for 10 hours overnight, then pretty much spent the whole day dozing on her sofa.

Still felt like shit.

Saturday 1st September 2018

A's birthday and I may have gone a bit too far with it all - I think I just panicked, that's all it was. Took her for a fancy brunch, and a fancy meal out for dinner, got her a sailing trip in Dorset, a book she's been after, loads of wool (because, despite being a trendy indie kid, she LOVES knitting) and then I organised a surprise birthday party for her.

The thought process behind this was simple: she's always saying how she didn't enjoy her 30th (last year) because it just highlighted how single she was whilst all of her friends turned up in couples, so even though it was a 'celebration' then, she didn't feel great about herself.

Decided to make her 31st a better one for her. I may have given the game away when, heading back to hers to "drop my car off so we can both drink at the pub", I realised we were early and I was worried people weren't going to be there in time to shout "surprise" so I drove us around the roundabout near her house 4 times in a row pretending to be lost. But she enjoyed herself when we got in and people were there.

She's got a Richards now; she got a buffet full of pastry goodness, far too many banners for such a small living room and some balloons with lights inside that were pretty awesome.

Friday 31st August 2018

Last lie-in till whenever...so naturally I stayed up far too late last night reading a book about the fringe and generally missing it all.

Starting piecing together tour dates.

Evening meal with A, her parents and her brother. Lovely time was had by all; I feel very welcome.

Thursday 30th August 2018

I'm running out of 'resting' time - people often get laid up in bed for weeks with this if they don't rest enough but I have two days left before back to teaching properly next week.

Taught one lesson today, I said before I'd have this week off but if I was to only teach one lesson it would be to Tom who is a great kid, and a student who has been on my books since last November (when I only had 2 students - I've now got nearly 30). Fun lesson.

Got back, wrote, got confused about what projects I want to do next, what existing ones I want to tour, whether it's actually worth touring them anyway or am I too old to still be trying to putting on shows in hotel function rooms, did some more writing, fell asleep.

Wednesday 29th August 2018

I just can't relax. It's just not me. I've been told to relax but where do you even start with this? Shingles doesn't really let you relax anyway, it's all itchy and horrible yet at the same time you feel totally exhausted.

Started booking tour dates, paced around the house a bit.

Made notes for a new film, I had discussions with the filmmaker I want to make it with a couple weeks ago in Edinburgh, I just need to write it all now. Should be simple enough. I've not had a film in the cinema since 50 Ways... I think I'm due one.

Felt exhausted and a bit sorry for myself.