tag:safetylast.se,2005:/blogs/bloggleSafety Last! 2023-12-31T18:41:13+01:00Safety Last blog Safety Last Productionsfalsetag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/73264622023-12-31T18:41:13+01:002023-12-31T18:41:13+01:00A stoical look at 2023<p dir="ltr"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/254011/bcb6ef30d60f84e910343c4e6720a772becd055e/original/img-6922.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p><p dir="ltr"> </p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Towards the end of the year I read a book about Stoicism and how to take more of a stoical view on life. I’m not sure I got it all, but since reading it I’ve started taking deep breaths and nodding my head philosophically, then pretentiously saying ‘How would the Stoics handle this situation?’ </span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">I use this method for anything from the local shop running out of kidney beans, when the recipe specifically requires kidney beans, to world events which have felt increasingly volatile, irrational and very much like they could affect me personally. It’s all very scary (The world events, not the lack of kidney beans). ‘How would the Stoics handle this situation?’, I ask, simultaneously acknowledging stoically that the first step to becoming a stoic is the transformation into being an annoying prick.</span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">As a Stoic it is reassuring to know that I am more likely to be punched in the face by someone who has just heard me say ‘How would the Stoics handle this situation?’, than any other of the myriad of bad things that the world can throw at me. </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">A lot of 2023 has felt like hard work. Hard work without really getting anywhere. Although looking back it’s mainly because of a couple of things. The major event in my life was something I had no control over other than being born 50 years ago. Approaching the half century was like driving slowly towards black cloud. I’ve spoken to friends who’ve hit this point and pretty much everyone agrees that it really wasn’t nearly as nice as 40. It was reassuring to know that I wasn’t alone in feeling a slight sense of despair of the big 5-0. </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Stoically (Shoot me now!) looking back on the last twelve months I also realise that although some of the projects that I invested in emotionally, creatively and financially haven’t really come off, there have actually been plenty of positives! No. Scratch that, LOTS of positives!</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">So here’s a whistlestop tour of the things that I am glad about! </span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">I travelled and gigged a fair bit, often combining the two! After several years of Corona, this year took me to Denmark, The Netherlands, Italy, UK, Finland and New York City! </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">I found myself in both Finland and New York with that reprobate Al Pitcher where I got to do a spot before Al in a club in the Lower East. What a comeback after being ‘banned’ from Broadway 5 years earlier! We climbed the WTC with spectacular views, caught up with old friends, ate a stupid amount of food at Katz’s and generally had a great laugh. I *heart* NY.</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">I went to Amsterdam with my two daughters to see my cousin. Spent much of the time trying to act as peace keeper between a teenager who wanted to ‘explore’ the seedier side of the city, and an eight year old who wanted to know why all the souvenirs had a big green leaf on them. </span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">My old friends Stu and Claire got married in a right old Brummie wedding which warmed the heart. It also led to a Peaky Blinders style adventure along the back streets of Digbeth to find a lock-in at an Irish pub for which the phrase ‘You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy’ was invented. Proper Brummie adventure. It was good to be back in Brum… and live to tell the tale. </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">In the spring I started a new night in Linköping which didn’t take off (and meant that I learnt a bit about chasing payments via Kronofogden) but it’s all a learning process. Made some nice contacts and met Diyari, a local comedian who I got to work with later in the year. </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">More comedy - I went to The Lund Comedy Festival with a show called Ben vs Ben, performed with my friend Ben. And you know what? I really enjoyed being at the festival and catching up with people and generally having a laugh! </span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">There’s been some decent voiceover work this year, although there could always be more! I made a commercial for Scania Trucks, voiced answering machines and spoke about Väderstad seeding machines. All good fun! </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Another highlight was the Clown Jam held at Dieselverket. Several days of clown performances and workshops. Met some really inspiring people there and the whole clown thing clicked! Met with an Indian clown who may or may not be the guy to put my and Paddy’s screenplay (with an Indian theme/cast) under the noses of Bollywood producers.. We’ll see… we’ll see…</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Much of the last few months of the year were spent rehearsing and then performing in a play called ‘Van Gogh’s Boots’ about… Van Gogh’s Boots… It was an incredibly rewarding (not financially, obviously!) experience and definitely a highlight of my year. It's bloody hard to learn lines, but worth it to perform in a proper scripted play. It was also a pleasure to work with the Irish writer, Gary Clarke and, left boot to my right, my Irish co-boot Colette Lynch. Neither of whom, for one second, reverted to being Irish stereotypes by swearing their faces off all the fucking time! I loved it! </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">In December I started up a new incarnation of my Laughing Stock stand up night in Stockholm which, optimist that I am, feels like a good and promising thing to be doing! I may have found the perfect venue at The Park, which is also a brilliant place to sit and work. I’ve got four booked for the spring and if all goes to plan, will become a fixture of the English language scene in Stockholm. (Tickets available now on </span><a class="no-pjax" href="http://www.laughingstock.se/"><span style="color:rgb(17,85,204);"><u>www.laughingstock.se</u></span></a><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">, tell your friends, tell your families, tell your enemies)</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">That’s more or less it, if we ignore the birthday malaise, it’s been a decent year! Finally, at the very end of the year I did a photoshoot on a train for a ballet production I will be involved with in early 2024. I got to pretend to be a (stoical) train driver, so surely that’s a sign that 2024 will be a year of achieving dreams! </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/254011/e34471665c917c916b42f3feff7b8a8992638071/original/pendel-6.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_center border_" alt="Photo: Albin Forberg" /></span></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/71307102022-12-31T16:26:17+01:002023-10-16T16:51:23+02:002022 - A Funny Old Year<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/b3a6cb38e8d9fcce2292851048dbbe9ef1d225ec/original/ben-k-gangster-square-small.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>As 2022 draws to a close it’s time again to sit down for half an hour and work out where the year went? </p>
<p>The first few weeks of the year were a cloud of nervous, excited anticipation, dreaming and scheming for when the pandemic would end. A fantasy reel of unadulterated, non stop, live events that would pay a fortune. There was a sense that a big bell would be rung, a little man in a white coat and a stethoscope would announce that the pandemic was over and the world could go back to normal, plus a little. </p>
<p>Of course it wasn’t like that at all. Venues had closed down, audiences weren’t used to coming out again and the market was completely saturated with every artist going out on tour for the first time and/or doing the tours that they should have done in 2020. All of this coupled with the threat of impending nuclear apocalypse as Putin invaded Ukraine. When the nuclear missiles failed to materialise, attention shifted to the cost of heating, food, and just living. The great post pandemic cultural bloom would have to wait. </p>
<p>My year in a nutshell has been the usual mixed bag. </p>
<p>The year started with a continuation of the ‘not much happening’ that we had all become accustomed to. Then in January, I had an online gig in Copenhagen. The audience were mainly in Copenhagen, apart from the ones that weren’t, and the performers were in London, Birmingham, Dublin, Los Angeles and myself, in Linköping. It was not only fun, but gave me the right connections to book some decent comedians from the UK and Irish circuits to come over to Sweden for some English language gigs. As soon as the restrictions were over, it was time to resurrect Laughing Stock - In English. In Stockholm. </p>
<p>This Spring I got some pretty good names over to do their thing in Sweden. The future looked bright and later in the year, cautious after the travel chaos of the summer, where not a single flight took off or landed on time, it has taken a slightly different form, but Laughing Stock rides on! </p>
<p>Things have been happening in Linköping too with a few Guerrilla style gigs, out on the streets, as well as a few events such Linköping Game Week and some summer gigs at Dahlbergs. I put on The Linköping Comedy Festival again, although much scaled down due to the lack of venues available. It was fun and good to get a gang of comedians to town for a night or two, and a small festival means that next year can be bigger. </p>
<p>In 2022, my 2021 brush with the law came to fruition.I had been taken to court (and winning the case) by the police for putting up posters. I had always made it very clear that as a writer and comedian, the longer and more protracted the case, the better it was for me and the greater the cost would be to the authorities. It’s not like they hadn’t been warned! I won the case and as promised, I wrote a show about the experience. ‘Gangster Comedian’ was born and I took it to The Lund Comedy Festival and The Stockholm Fringe Festival. The story has become a part of my routine and I have now earned the equivalent of the fine I didn’t have to pay many times over. In fact, I think it is now safe to say that Crime Does Pay! </p>
<p>This August I went to the Edinburgh Festival for a few days and squeezed in about 25 shows in 4 days. I caught up with a few old friends and walked up Arthur's Seat in the thickest Scotch Broth you have ever seen. It was inspiring and although I probably wouldn’t go with a show, I will do my best to get back there next summer. I love it and I can’t believe it was almost 20 years since I was last there! </p>
<p>Other highlights of the year have been on the writing front, I’ve been chipping away at my book, and hanging out with some dedicated writers in Stockholm. I even got on The Long List in the Stockholm Writer’s Festival First Five Pages Competition. If only I could find a publisher that specialises in novels that are only five pages long. </p>
<p>Voiceovers continue to be a big part of my creative output, and financial income. This year has seen jobs for SAAB, Väderstad and I also became the voice of calm for a mindfulness app, which involved many many hours in the studio whispering positive affirmations into the microphone. </p>
<p>What else? I dusted off my ballet shoes again as I do on a regular once-a-decade basis and clumped my way around a filmed version of The Nutcracker. Luckily I was wearing black shoes and trousers and my feet were badly lit. <a contents="Watch it here if you dare.&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/o93xLQzIkWo" target="_blank">Watch it here if you dare. </a></p>
<p>Finally, it seems like gigs are starting to pick up again. I did a mini tour of Gothenburg, Malmö and Copenhagen (International!!) a few weeks ago and at the end of November I played a gig in London, followed by a headline spot in Cheltenham. Both gigs made me nervous as hell, unsure of whether I could play to a UK audience anymore. The London gig was OK, but I can modestly say that I absolutely smashed it in Cheltenham! </p>
<p>And finally, on Thursday night, days ago, I put on a night at a new/old venue in Linköping. Platens, a classic venue in town, is just getting into the groove again after the pandemic. And the night we put on was a success… Things look good, and I am optimistic that we can resurrect the LKPG HA HA! nights there next year </p>
<p>Looking ahead, it looks like things are happening again. I’ve been booked to perform The Gangster Comedian for a Prison Service conference next month. The voiceover work is picking up and I am going to try and be more disciplined with both reading and writing - More of both! Let’s see if 2023 is the year to get that book finished! </p>
<p>After Putin and the Pandemic, let’s hope that 2023 brings Pleasure and Productivity! </p>
<p>Wishing all the readers of this blog (however you stumbled across it) a very Happy 2023!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/c731b1f4d3e0731a5909a723c2f963b6f762ec7f/original/img-2333-4.heic/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.heic" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/68557882021-12-31T11:42:47+01:002022-12-31T16:25:24+01:00That Was The Year That Was... 2021<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/fe2c80b1322daf161eee6be02b6ca3ff84d6a52e/original/248317336-10160210023321388-2127918088415143981-n-1.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" />So farewell, 2021! </p>
<p>It’s been a funny old year and looking back, I can’t decide whether it’s been a fantastic year or a bit of a shitty one. First the shitty bits: Separation, death, fire, and of course a global pandemic (You might have heard of it? Corona? Ring any bells?). If you want to hear more about the shitty things, then you can take me out in person for a coffee, beer or even a three course dinner. Today’s blog is going to focus on the achievements and successes of 2021! </p>
<p>The year started slowly with strict restrictions for COVID meaning that we were still stuck with a maximum audience of EIGHT people for live gigs. I did manage to do a few digital gigs which were all actually quite good fun, performing for little faces in boxes. There are those who choose a Hawaiian beach or a Tyrolean mountain range and there are those who choose the concrete façade of their place of work. There are those who show the chaos of their home office and then there are the ones with the camera off completely. You get to meet all of humanity, boxed. <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/bba60bd25005b660c0c9c2ad13a458758bb6e23a/original/239936267-4181634838584973-3508550054667878236-n.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_thin" alt="" /></p>
<p>I also tried out a couple of shows indoors for the maximum allowed. I called them ‘Rule Of Eight’ (Comedy usually relies on a Rule of Three, so I figured this was a bonus!), but with so few people it felt weird charging money for people to just come and have a chat in a circle. It became either an expensive show, or cheap group therapy. </p>
<p>The rest of the early part of the year was spent applying for money here and there. Some successful applications and some not. The net result however is that I got enough to keep afloat and keep paying myself. So thank you to Kulturrådet, Kommunen, Regionen, Visit Linköping, Film i Öst and even Skatteverket (who will no doubt get ten times the money back from me in the next few months). </p>
<p>Then came the whiff of summer and lighter restrictions (50 indoors, 100 outdoors). Which meant gigs! With an audience! </p>
<p>I organised a series of lovely outdoor gigs in a tiny village called Klintemåla on the Swedish archipelago. There’s nothing there for 10 months of the year, but over the summer, a friend of mine runs a little shop and the hamlet is filled with people who spend their summers sailing around the Baltic Sea. It was lovely. Gigs in the late evening sun, followed by a sauna and a dip in the calm waters in the dusky midnight sun. I’m looking forward to next year! </p>
<p>I also did a run of late summer gigs at Dahlbergs in Gamla Linköping. Once again, there was a lovely atmosphere and the comedians were well looked after by Jessica who runs the place. Henrik Nyblom captured a little of the flavour in <a contents="this video" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/XxV_03JjzgY" target="_blank">this video</a>. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/e22d2c33ece461caf96fae7cb02f53623526e562/original/linkoping-comedy-festival-2021-foto-alexander-lundkvist-205.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_right border_thin" alt="" /></p>
<p>I also got to travel for gigs for the first time in a while! Söderköping! Västervik! Life on the road! </p>
<p>In September, it was time for the resurrection of The Linköping Comedy Festival. I needed to be a bit clever with venues because of the restrictions, and luckily managed to find a collaboration with a new office complex called Ebbepark who had an empty new build. I also used Dahlbergs and the Wärdshus at Gamla as well as their dansbana. All in all there were nine venues and 20 shows over three days. With restrictions and a tight budget, I still managed to sell around 1000 tickets. That ain’t bad! </p>
<p>There was comedy, music, film, fun, chat and general silliness. I even got to do what I’ve always dreamt of and show a Chaplin film with live music (That’s me with the band) </p>
<p>And then, at the end of September I got ‘The Call’! I was sitting in my office, doing the accounts for the festival, when my phone rang and a voice said ‘Hi Ben, this is Lars Winnerbäck’. I was tempted to say ‘Who?’, but I knew exactly who it was. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/7064844307362c444d3e95036b6efc065963cfb4/original/jpeg.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpeg" class="size_l justify_left border_none" alt="" />For my non Swedish fanbase (Hello, Mum and Dad!), Lars is Linköping’s most famous son, a musician and singer who is one of the most popular artists in Sweden (and apparently Norway too). He sensibly left Linköping 25 years ago and then a few years ago started a prize to recognise people who had contributed to Linköping’s cultural life. The prize is called The Nypon (Rosehip) Prize as a nod to one of his songs about his youth in the city. </p>
<p>It was genuinely a great honour to be awarded the prize which involved an original piece of art by a local artist and a large sum of money. More than any of that, the recognition was priceless. It makes all the gigs in small cafes, crappy cellars, smelly car parks and sticky floored pubs all worth it. Thank you Lars and the board for choosing me this year! </p>
<p>Other than that, I’ve been doing lots of voiceover for the usual range of Swedish and international clients. I’ve also done quite a bit of work for Väderstad, on camera and on mic, which means that from Canada to The Ukraine, I am something of a celebrity among grain farmers of the world! </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/154ea58999b8143b5410b82def67a64e08d7e1f1/original/267849769-4565364780211975-14285792534172446-n.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" />I’ve also been writing away - I made the final of the NYC Midnight challenge twice, getting to the last 100 of just less than 10000 entrants. I’ve also been working hard on a book idea. There’s still a lot to be written, but I’m chipping away everyday and the narrative and prose are taking shape nicely. The research has been fun too and I now know more about elephants than is healthy unless you work in a zoo. (Yes, there’s an elephant in the book). There’s many more words to get down in 2022 and if you feel like buying me a <a contents="coffee (Ko-fi)" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://ko-fi.com/benkersley" target="_blank">coffee (Ko-fi)</a> to get me through to the next ten thousand words, then please feel free! </p>
<p>My film with Al Pitcher <a contents="‘Big In Sweden’" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/big-in-sweden" target="_blank">‘Big In Sweden’</a> is getting a bit more exposure and is now available to stream in most countries around the world. If you have access to Plex, Xumo or Tubi, then you can watch it online. Alternatively, it can be rented from Vimeo for a dollar! </p>
<p>The year ended nicely with a couple of weird gigs. One in Norrköping on a moving tram to raise money for charity, and one called EXTREME Guerilla Stand Up which took place in minus temperatures in a park at night. Low risk for COVID, high risk for hypothermia. </p>
<p>We’ll see what next year brings, so far looking ahead to the comedy festival next autumn, and I’ve got some gigs booked in at CNEMA in Norrköping ‘The Funny Film Club’ where I combine film and stand up. </p>
<p>I think that next year will be better for everyone, and let’s hope the pandemic doesn’t drag on too much longer. I’ll try and get back to blogging more regularly too… promises, promises…. </p>
<p>Wishing everybody a Healthy and Happy 2022!</p>
<p>********************** </p>
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<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/65752752021-03-16T14:17:15+01:002022-04-27T09:53:31+02:00The Freedum Tourists From Texas<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/dd0a7e3c0a04d8814d260beb594448ebc786117a/original/scan10001.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I was listening to the Adam Buxton podcast the other day and I stopped dead in my tracks. A broad smile crossed my face and I started chuckling. He was interviewing comedian Stewart Lee and it was the usual mix of high chat and low chat and general ramble chat that we podcats adore. Stewart Lee started talking about a gig at the Edinburgh Festival. Which I had been at.</p>
<p>Not so amazing? Yes it was. Because this was a midnight gig in 1991 and the only people who were there was me, my friend Stuart and no more than six other people. One of whom, we now know, was Stewart Lee. </p>
<p>This was a mythical gig that Stu and I had told people about for years, but nobody had ever believed us. And here was Stewart Lee confirming it was all true. Thirty years later! </p>
<p>The Edinburgh Festival, 1991. Lee described it as 1989, it was 91. Definitely. That was the year that Stu and I were there at the same time, having both just failed our A-Levels. We both had minor dogsbody roles in The Birmingham Rep Youth Workshop’s production of Angela Carter’s The Magic Toyshop. It was all very serious, cutting edge theatre. The production won a Scotsman Fringe First, presented by Roy Hattersley. Although that success had nothing to do with me and Stu. </p>
<p>We were scene shifters and stage sweepers and flyer distributors. Stu was given the nickname Izzy, as in, ‘Izzy Bizzy? Izzy Fuck!’ and he genuinely and justifiably and traumatically hates being called that to this very day. </p>
<p>I also had a cameo role as a puppet which I played with gusto. I acted my socks off with arms and legs loose and bouncing up and down as though on strings. Stu, if I remember correctly, had to stand backstage and on cue, pop a glove puppet of a wolf over the backdrop. </p>
<p>We had just finished sixth form and we spent our free time looking out for whatever weird shit Edinburgh had to offer two failed A-Level students. </p>
<p>Mid-festival Stu, me and an unknown Stewart Lee, found ourselves at the same midnight gig at what I remember only as a ‘space’. It could have been a disused factory or slaughterhouse or old school, but years later, having found the flyer, it turned out to be a church. It was somewhere between the back of Waverly station and The Royal Mile. The place definitely had more of a ‘somewhere behind the station’ vibe to it. </p>
<p>I’m almost certain that it was Stu’s idea. He’d been handed a flyer and there was something about the photocopied black and white, hand drawn design that was reminiscent of our own Sixth Form band ‘Michelle Mother of the Farting Pencil’ </p>
<p>The poster had the full line up for the evening. But I was sold on the title alone - ‘The Freedum Tourists From Texas’ with the motto ‘We owe allegiance to no crown’. I kept it for years and I think I still have it in a box somewhere. </p>
<p>At the start of the gig there were about 40 people in the crowd. They were sat on three sides of a square room. The first act was a woman and a slideshow called The Butterfly Effect. I don’t remember much about it other than thinking it was quite dull and predictable - Lots of images of a butterfly somewhere in the Amazon jungle, flapping its wings and causing a storm somewhere in Canada (with accompanying slide). Pretty standard Edinburgh Festival fare. Years later, I realise that this insidious poem was itself the flapping of the wings that was leading to the terrble storm that followed. </p>
<p>A couple left during the poem. This was normal for Edinburgh - There’s so much to see so people take a chance, and if the show doesn’t grab them immediately they cut their losses and head somewhere else. But we were still around 40 people in the audience. Stu and I had paid and we would stay and get our money’s worth no matter how pretentious and painful the show was. </p>
<p>The lights went down on the poet and the next act was announced: <br>‘Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the stage… .. SPUNKY! The Anti-Clown!’ </p>
<p>And there he was, Spunky The Anti-Clown, dressed in some kind of rubber bondage suit and covered in black, red-tipped dildoes. He waddled on crab-like to a dystopian chant of ‘Spunky! The Anti-Clown! Spunky The Anti-Clown!’. </p>
<p>He got centre stage, pressed a button and water squirted out of the red -tipped penises. Then he left the stage. That was it. But it was enough. Five or six more people stood up and left the show. </p>
<p>Next act was Three Day Stubble. They picked up their instruments to find all the electrics had been shorted by Spunky The Anti-Clown’s ejaculations. The tech guy ran on and tried to fix the problem, changing plugs and drying things up. Meanwhile, the lead singer took the initiative and improvised his way out of it. </p>
<p>He earnestly walked centre stage and in a nerdy Texan drawl announced that the show had been sabotaged by Spunky’s fountain and that “I will now give you a fountain of my love…. “ </p>
<p>He lay down on his back, undid his belt, unzipped his trousers and then directed a stream of golden piss straight up in the air and back down onto himself. The audience now began leaving in earnest and once the tech guy had got the equipment working again, there were no more than a handful of people left to watch the band’s set. Stuart and I were going nowhere. We were mesmerised. </p>
<p>I’ll be honest. Three Day Stubble’s music was never going to win any prizes but those who left never got to witness the final act of the night. The Stu Mulligan Project. </p>
<p>Things started off innocently enough. Their schtick was basically doing Carpenters lyrics to the tunes of the Mamas and the Papas. But it was all building up to the showstopper. If I remember correctly, it was something like Nancy Sinatra’s ‘These boots were made for walking’ during which the front man Stu Mulligan ate an entire jar of mayonnaise with a knife. Pretty disgusting, yes, but he then proceeded to regurgitate the mayonnaise in a spiral, centre stage. He pulled out a maraschino cherry and placed it on top. Fade to black, apart from a single pool of light on what he had produced.<br><br>The show was over. Faint sound of clapping from a very small, bewildered crowd. </p>
<p>As we left, we walked past the dressing room where the door was open. There they were - Spunky, the butterfly woman, the members of Three Day Stubble and The Stu Mulligan project in a state of sweaty undress. They were in a congratulatory mood. ‘That went well tonight!’ Stu Mulligan announced triumphantly to his fellow Freedum Tourists. </p>
<p>****</p>
<p>L<a contents="This is a link to Stewart Lee’s description of the gig" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://play.acast.com/s/adambuxton/ep.146-stewartlee?seek=2200.219470513&autoplay=1" target="_blank">ink to Stewart Lee’s description of the gig</a></p>
<p><a contents="And to the whole episode which is worth listening to&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://play.acast.com/s/adambuxton/ep.146-stewartlee" target="_blank">And to the whole episode </a></p>
<p>I also found the Three Day Stubble Website which is well worth a little surf around: <a contents="https://threedaystubble.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://threedaystubble.com" target="_blank">https://threedaystubble.com</a></p>
<p>And this extract from a book called ‘Painting The Town Orange’ about Houston’s art scene. There were a few lines about Spunky The Anti-Clown, including this description</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/213c461351331c7c8c9e62865b00217111c0c207/original/screenshot-2021-03-16-at-13-59-20.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" />********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
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<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/65108652020-12-31T17:05:15+01:002022-03-14T06:32:14+01:002020… A year to remember, a year to forget.. <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/5c851087cafd84830bc1ce481cb21ed7562cd965/original/screenshot-2020-12-31-at-16-59-43.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>It’s a few hours before midnight on the last day of 2020. Even though I don’t really feel like it, I feel I need to force myself to write up a few things about the year that has gone, if only to have a record of what happened and to remind myself that even though many moments of 2020, it seemed like we were staring into the abyss, there have been quite a few highlights. </p>
<p>I know a lot of people have had a truly terrible 2020 and on reflection, even though nobody has escaped what the Swedes have dubbed as a ‘skitår’ or a ‘shit year’, I have been OK - In terms of health, welfare and economy. So I’m not complaining, even though there’s plenty to grumble about. This is more or less how my 2020 panned out. It involved Haparanda! Tel Aviv! Skänninge! … And lots and lots of Linköping…. </p>
<p>I had big plans for the year in terms of putting on shows and doing some more writing and filming. At the end of January Al Pitcher and I jumped on a plane to Haparanda. We’d been talking about various ideas of border towns and what the very far north of Sweden is like, so I got in touch with Haparanda’s local mover and shaker, Stefan Täikkö and booked a gig at the Folkets Hus. You can’t just pop up north, so we tied it in with a stay at a spa, a reindeer safari, and a sauna with the local mayor. And we saw the Northern Lights too. It was inspiring, energising, and a flavour of the way that the year ahead should have been. On the news there was some small talk of a virus in a Chinese city that we had never heard of. </p>
<p>Our film Big In Sweden had been bought by TV4/C More, but I also had plans to show it in some of the places it was filmed in combination with some live shows. And on the first day of February we played live and on screen to a sold out audience in Skänninge - Home of one of the stars of the film - Ture Lång. It was good to be back in Skänninge (honestly) and it was a boost for the year ahead despite the idle chat about the growth of this virus in the Chinese city, Wuhan, that we had now all heard of. </p>
<p>In early February, I jetted off to Tel Aviv for a week with my family. With the kids now older we had decided to have a cultural holiday rather than a sunny holiday and give the kids a taste of big city life in a very unSwedish place. We had day trips to the Dead Sea and Jerusalem for a crash course in the three Abrahamic religions with a visit to the Western Wall, the Church of The Holy Sepulcre and a view of Al Aqsa. We ate falafel and stood in the sea mist of the Med. We caught up with old friends and visited the Museum of Modern Art. Tel Aviv is an amazing place, cosmopolitan, culturally rich and multilayered. On the journey back, I felt inspired, energised and enthusiastic for all the opportunities that lay ahead in 2020, although I did notice that there was more in the news about this virus that was now shutting down more and more of China and South Korea, and that a few people at the airport had started wearing masks. </p>
<p>The year was looking good for shows. I had a regular club night booked at the New York Legends bar in Linköping. Every gig was selling out and it was a joy to see people squeezed into a sweaty cellar again for comedy. Every gig there would be a few more jokes about Corona - First as a distant illness on the other side of the world, and then the jokes grew increasingly morbid as the reality became more and more local to Europe, to Sweden and to Linköping. Then in April, the inevitable happened and everybody started cancelling shows. Was this it? No more live shows, no more public gatherings, no more recognisable structure to society or economy? </p>
<p>In the ‘dark’ months of spring, I did a few voiceovers and I put on a Zoom show called ‘A Potscard from Sweden’ which was fun despite/because it was zoombombed by some hardcore porn. I even got some money from Linköpings Kommun for the first time ever to put on some socially distanced shows in the park. Fun but weird trying to keep people at a distance and essentially NOT publicise the shows. </p>
<p>In the meantime, I started working on a screenplay with Paddy Kelly. I won’t write too much about it just now, but we’re on the third draft and if you know anyone looking for a feature length road movie where Dansband meets Bollywood, please get in touch! </p>
<p>In the summer, things with Corona seemed to calm down a bit and I put on a gig at Dahlbergs Cafe with Ola Aurell. Restricted audience numbers, but we did double shows, sold out. So I booked some more shows for September and did weekly shows in September with double and triple shows. Again, all sold out. The future of producing shows was starting to look a little brighter for the autumn. But then, as I was getting into the swing of things again, it all went a bit weird. First with New York Legends being shut down with immediate effect just a week before my autumn season was due to begin. Sabo at Palatset stepped up to the plate and the venue issue was solved and again there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Full of confidence I began booking more gigs. The government had even lifted the restriction from audiences of 50 to 300. The first week in November should have seen a double show in Linköping, a triple show in Mjölby and double shows in Västervik. But then things got serious again and overnight the audience limit was dropped from 300 to 8. I watched as the money from ticket sales entered my account and left my account again. Easy come, easy go. </p>
<p>November and December have been dark and miserable, which hasn’t helped. However, I think things will be OK in the end.</p>
<p>I am grateful to Kulturrådet, Film i Öst, Visit Linköping and even Linköpings Kultur and Fritids who have been supportive financially.</p>
<p>I really think it’s just a case of getting through this spring. Like being stuck on a long distance bus journey that seems to go on forever - monotonous and draining, but in the end you get to your destination and the drone of the bus is just a memory. Everything is going to be alright. </p>
<p>Let’s see how 2021 pans out. </p>
<p>Happy New Year.</p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/63259962020-05-22T09:33:28+02:002022-04-06T10:05:14+02:00Socially Distanced Comedy Gig #1<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/106891e9be07543238cdc3244f3dec1097d185f1/original/img-6399.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Last night was the first of the socially distanced comedy nights. And in many ways, it went as planned. </p>
<p>A beautiful summer’s evening, with a massive audience of 5 people, who got just over 30 minutes of bespoke stand up at a distance of 2 metres. </p>
<p>As it was the first one, I made it deliberately hard to find. The place was a bit out of town, and I left it all a bit cryptic of how to find the place. Although I feel I did do my bit to promote the app What3Words, which I think is the most brilliant app there is. Partly because you can find any single place in the world very easily, without mucking about with map coordinates. EThat very 3 square metres is allocated its own 3 words. Making for some very silly place names… And that’s what it’s all about! Or at least that’s what it should all be about! Last night’s gig was at banks.flipper.payout. Although I most likely wandered into register.ember.stretch and even copycat.gross.lobster. Anyway, get the app, it’s brilliant. </p>
<p>I got to the gig 10 minutes before the start time, and it was a joy to see that there was an audience keenly waiting for it to begin. A small audience, but an audience nonetheless. That's been one of the oddities with doing this project. Usually when you put on a gig, the aim is to get as many people as possible along. With this, it's the opposite. I need to actively keep people away. (Although next time, I hope to get more than five people! </p>
<p>I started at 19.30 on the dot by poking them all with my 2 metre long measuring stick. You have to keep audiences in line nowadays. I had written out a load of subjects that I could cover, and I think I covered about half of them, so it was also a good exercise in riffing and thinking on the fly. There was even an extra level of glamour and celebrity in that I has written out my list of subjects on the back of an unused (due to Corona) Magnus Betner ‘Men Gud’ poster. So you know, it was all about degrees of separation to a bigger show that also wasn’t happening. </p>
<p>Looking forward to the next one which will take place one evening next week. Just want to check what the weather will be like and then I can start promoting it. </p>
<p>I’ve also been doing my Twitter safaris. And if you are a twitterer you can follow me at @benkersley and see the latest safaris by clicking <a contents="here for Trädgårdsföreningen" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://twitter.com%2Fbenkersley%2Fstatus%2F1262715999658356742%3Fs%3D21%26fbclid%3DIwAR0pP0mpcoW9D3NPOTyG1SyeMKNRxVYn1TyqGyOV5GevWhkGnNrnBhGjEI8&h=AT20PBiaKE-ie7bdggejpuFFHFnXVtMgXYy9ET2454IgR35_CwNGRLqaXiW6WIfkHZFPmMonsQvyfed9wwbYLuHd0kgyp9BdAO8z3cJrblh05PF1J_oBc8xJT4mqEhVpEB16H1onxOi15m8fWCHlBO9inpwVFV1q6r-jNPIt8mtwoXYxiCghabCx7eW2-yA4kEgTdcwQXbVrfgNXuhz_RFt-dVPdOsyB6r2tNt9RS8Cue-gWMVhEwmnnG1iPNsluoIcPKAHE6FraD0uiLPwYBZEXOX7WJxnae_VZT3Nifmk-1Fcqh9AaK-lGlQghCh94eCrywtdo7lyPp8_cgsjmB8zxBGmuMTus3ENWgffWartcxmc_g5hACtTPnvsku5lXwBi5VY2xnoQmk_wDYbPTSTm1B6fX5qOTtDaRTj-yNRGqQ0nuvw5y-G36tLSQMjSkngsISjf-OWM6lUqeHn7Rxig0pXxRW3w6geXJKIOv0dlNpwoLLgTzwbrOof4j-kzTKGvWIJzwdVuEkjnaIFp1gooEOr6Bz9ksXCO2gxnClyRUKXRCsjVqWp7M2-GRVo_PyT8iIYa6Cz6Y9KcqZZ1cbrhO0qFkytj5wtICM1qg2-OO9henNAr-arGR00wbO5nltja_cr9eO7LYfGERWTMT752uJ1qgBf4Re-i6" target="_blank">here for Trädgårdsföreningen</a> and <a contents="here for Lambohov and Mjärdevi." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://twitter.com/benkersley/status/1263017119299653632?s=21" target="_blank">here for Lambohov and Mjärdevi.</a> </p>
<p>That’s about it for now…. Still working out how to do live comedy in a time when you can’t get an audience.. but (and thanks to Kultur och Fritids) I am paddling around in that pool.</p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/63146962020-05-13T14:44:10+02:002022-05-30T12:57:51+02:00Socially Distanced Comedy - A work in progress<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/939a0818c7e30646c71e227b0a06ef17b65c59c1/original/beaver-fb-post.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Here's a transcript of the event description on Facebook. </p>
<p>1. Varför är det här på engelska? Linköping är ju i Sverige! Fy fan! </p>
<p>The short answer to that is: Deal with it! The longer answer is a combination of ‘Come on! Admit it! You love it when you get to read English. Besides you Swedes take liberties with English everyday anyway and it’s very painful for those of us who speak English properly to see you say things like ‘News’ when you mean ‘New’, ’Yes Box!’ when you want to say ‘Yes Boss!’ and why has nobody ever told you that ‘Freebasing’ means smoking crack and not ‘freestyling’ as you intend it to mean. But… När jag uppträder kommer jag göra det på svenska, OK? Lugnt. </p>
<p>2. Hur fan blev det här projektet möjligt? </p>
<p>This project exists thanks to the generous support of Linköpings Kommun, Kultur och Fritidsnämden. Thank you. Tack. I am aware that in the past I may have been less than complimentary about them. But that was in the past, and now that they have given me some cash, I would like to officially retract anything negative I may have said or written. In fact, I would now go as far as to say that of all the kommuns in Sweden, Linköpings Kommun is my favourite. Definitely. </p>
<p>3. När kommer en vaccin så vi kan kolla på stand up live på en svettig källarlokal med andra konstiga främmande folk? </p>
<p>I’m afraid I just don’t have all the answers. </p>
<p>4. OK Då…. Fortsätt bara </p>
<p>Thank you and welcome to this project to find an audience for stand up comedy in Linköping at a time when it is not possible, morally, clinically or even legally to find an audience. </p>
<p>I’d like to thank Linköpings Kommuns Kultur och Fritidsnämnden once again for the chance to try do this thing over next month. Again apologies for everything I’ve ever said in the past, but as you can see, I am easily bought (Take note, other sponsors!) </p>
<p>I’ve set myself two target audiences: The virtual online world and the real, live, but socially distanced world with obsessively clean hands. </p>
<p>Step one is that I will be doing some live tweeting (@benkersley) over the next few weeks as I wander around Linköping looking for a place to perform. I’ll also be doing a bit of filming, making some short travelogue films about the different areas of Linköping - Any suggestions? What should I not miss in Lambohov? Any must sees in Ekholmen? Tweet me, or write something below. </p>
<p>Step two I will attempt to put together some socially distanced comedy shows. I will publish dates very soon. These will most likely be in parks or isolated spots in Linköping. (when put into writing like that, it makes me seem a bit creepy). These will have their own events on Facebook/LKPGHAHA… but as the whole theme of this is about keeping to the rules and not spreading the corona virus, for once, I am hoping not to attract too many people. </p>
<p>I’ve got a few ideas that I’ll be trying out.. Speed comedy, Arms Length Comedy, Plastic Bag comedy…The last of which may kill more people than corona. There’s also the quite reasonable fact that most people are trying to socially distance at the moment, and to be honest, I am all for NOT spreading a deadly pandemic.I promise to follow the rules set out by FHM (That’s Folkhälsomyndigheten, and not the men’s lifestyle magazine FHM, known for features such as 100 Sexiest Women In The World and Get Paid To Play Call of Duty). </p>
<p>So live audiences will be small, local and healthy. </p>
<p>Most of these shows will be in Swedish, unless you come along and request a show in English. .. I’m open to suggestions and ideas.. And that’s kind of the idea that this is a fluid journey of discovery. </p>
<p>At the end of it all there will be some films. I’ll write a longer essay and publish it to my blog and Medium. And also far, far ahead in the distant future when we can all hug and kiss and wrestle in jelly again, I will put together a live show for a real live, touchy, feely audience. </p>
<p>That’s it for now.. Watch this space. .. Updates here, on the LKPG HA HA! Facebook page, on my blog (safetylast.se/blog) and on Twitter (@benkersley)</p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/63118572020-05-11T11:36:35+02:002022-05-21T18:56:47+02:00Zoom Bombed on a Dirty Postcard<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/862547136a6c7ce9e4a9d08b9b17a74172e99613/original/postcardfromsweden.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.png" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>On Thursday I ventured into the world of the Zoomosphere with a live event called 'Postcard From Sweden'. If you missed it, let's just say that you should have been there. Or maybe not. </p>
<p>It was all going so well. I was working the settings, admitting guests from the virtual waiting room, muting the non speakers. I was playing the room, the Host With The Most, even though it was almost impossible to know how to play a room that you can't hear or really see properly. </p>
<p>Ten minutes in, Paddy was doing his thing, and then it happened. .. This was a baptism of fire into what I quickly learnt is called a Zoom Bomb. Myself, my friends, members of my family and a good deal of strangers who I had never met, but did feel some sense of responsibility for, were watching two people performing what can only be described as a hardcore sex scene.</p>
<p>For a brief moment, I thought Paddy had gone rogue, but looking at his zoom window, I could see that he was holding his head in shame, then he popped up on the main screen again for a brief moment to plead ‘It wasn’t me! It wasn’t me!’ only to be knocked off the speaker view by the louder ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ from the zoom bombed porn.. </p>
<p>Everybody reacted differently, but we were all watching, unable to turn away, from our little screen boxes. It was like a non complicit peep show. </p>
<p>Eventually, I found the little window of the person who had hacked in and removed them from the meeting, but the tone was set for the rest of the night. We were now all united, having watched a porn video all together. It was like we had all been caught looking and even though we knew we should never talk of this again, it would unite us forever and be the only thing we would ever talk about, ever again. </p>
<p>It has haunted me since. Partly because I have been trying to think what that person was trying to achieve. Why hack this particular Zoom meeting? And why use exactly that video, of all the shocking footage that there is out there on the net. I assume that it wasn’t, the zoombomber themself that we were watching, in action. And if it was, was it the girl or the guy? </p>
<p>So the first ever ‘Postcard from Sweden’ became an X-Rated ‘Dirty Postcard From Sweden’ and I have become an unwitting purveyor of online pornography. At least now, nobody can accuse me of having achieved nothing during the Corona lockdown.</p>
<p>This is the offending couple, edited to save your blushes. Worth observing is how we all reacted. Me - Stunned, like a rabbit, in the headlghts. Paddy, head held in his hands. Al, turning to drink, hiding behind his glass. Kurt wasn't even visible. Evelyn, hilarity. Kathryn, laughs, picks up camera, laughs some more. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/06aedf8b47d8e519621211ee04624f5c904ed3bb/original/zoombomb.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/62969242020-04-28T17:42:23+02:002022-05-30T14:55:45+02:00Speaky Spokey<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/aa8da94398a7640fd5d3bdf6484bca031d6a97a3/original/94705997-10158667700884586-6488816765227761664-o.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I did something pretty exciting on Saturday. I was invited to take part in a live Zoom event for Speaky Spokey. </p>
<p>Speaky Spokey is a spoken word event that usually takes place with a physical audience in a real physical venue in Brighton. It's run by some old friends of mine, Colin Grant and Jo Alderson. Because of Corona and the strict lockdown, they have thought outside the box and are now running the events live via Zoom.</p>
<p>It may not be quite the same as squeezing into a pub in Brighton, but the advantages are that the show reaches a much larger geographical area without having to even put your shoes and coat on.On Saturday, the performers were in Brighton, Leeds and London, with myself in Sweden and the audience all over Europe and the USA. </p>
<p>I was in good company with poets Khadijah Ibrahiim and Hannah Lowe and musician Jake Smallwood. And the evening was hosted with aplomb by Colin. </p>
<p>I was asked to speak about Sweden and the Corona lockdown that isn't. You can either listen the audio from the show by clicking on the image below, or you can read the text which follows in bold. </p>
<p>Hope you enjoy it! </p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/single/13113/speaky-spokey-ben-kersley-25th-april-2020"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/18fb00bf0b2b2ab8049576aefd18a92a8a4b8c35/original/screenshot-2020-04-28-at-16-47-09.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.png" class="size_m justify_left border_" /></a></p>
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<p><strong>I want to start by thanking Colin and Jo for inviting me onto Speaky Spokey tonight and getting the chance to speak to a worldwide audience. So good morning, good afternoon and good evening! Howdy! Aloha! and G’day! </strong></p>
<p><strong>Hello to my mum, dad and sisters, who are also tuning in tonight. Happy to say that this episode of Speaky Spokey is what we’re doing instead of a family get together this year. Hello mum and dad. I’m saying hello to them although there is a very high chance that they haven’t yet figured out how to log in to this Zoom meeting yet and are most likely sitting in their kitchen shouting ‘I’ve clicked it already! It’s not working! I told you I’ve clicked it!’ Only to realise that they have confused the computer with the microwave again. </strong></p>
<p><strong>Colin and Jo have asked me to ask you to write any questions you may have about Sweden and the non-lockdown in the chat and I want you to know that I will respond to these questions in much the same way as Donald Trump responds to questions at his press briefings. </strong></p>
<p><strong>Trump has been a real inspiration to me during this time of Corona. Like him, tonight, I will hold forth, speak with confidence and authority. But please bear in mind that my opinions are rarely grounded in facts, figures or science, and that I may very well be making it up as I go along. If there’s a sniff of doubt about what I am saying just remember that I am doing a VERY VERY GOOD, powerful and tremendous job. . Just remember. This is about me. Not you. </strong></p>
<p><strong>Let’s raise a glass of bleach to that. </strong></p>
<p><strong>So what’s life like with the lockdown that isn’t? </strong></p>
<p><strong>Firstly, a trigger warning: </strong></p>
<p><strong>A couple of times over the last week or so, I’ve been speaking to friends in England, talked about what I’ve been up to during the day and watched as their faces collapse, their brows sink, their complexion turns grey and a look of jealousy and longing fills their eyes. </strong></p>
<p><strong>Simply, by mentioning everyday things we do, like popping over to the pub to meet friends, going to the park for a couple of hours, waving the kids off to school.. .. You’re all doing exactly that face now.. Was it something I said? </strong></p>
<p><strong>There’s no police controls here, and on the whole we are free to do what we like as long as we do so responsibly. Although burning down 5G mobile phone towers and injecting bleach into your lungs are frowned upon here. </strong></p>
<p><strong>You have to understand a little about Sweden. This is a big country where people are very good at following the rules. Also, Swedes aren’t generally over effusive or touchy feely.. </strong></p>
<p><strong>While the US has got Donald Trump, the wrong man at the wrong time, in Sweden we’ve got the opposite, we’ve found our own unassuming hero in the form of the state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell. A tall avuncular man in his early sixties, he looks a little like the quiet guy in the corner of the pub who you would be directed to if there was an argument about the pros and cons of the narrow gauge railway network over that of the standard gauge. There’s a lot of corduroy and woollen wear at the press conferences. And on the whole people trust him. And the main reason for this is that, again in complete contrast to Trump, he speaks with great humility, self deprecation and a healthy degree of self doubt. He has also mastered the Swedish knack of never really making a decision that can be pinned on him. </strong></p>
<p><strong>When asked by a journalist ‘Will this work?’ his answer is ‘We don’t know. We’ll only really know if we did the right thing when we look back in a year or two’. The main thrust of his argument is that everyone is going to get Corona at some point, so as long as the healthcare system can cope (and so far it is more or less coping) and we try to protect the most vulnerable, we should try and spread out the infection at a manageable rate. He could be wrong, he could be right.. We’ll see. </strong></p>
<p><strong>At restaurants and bars (Yes, they are open) you can only sit with your own group, i.e. the people you turned up with. In a small town that’s difficult because you inevitably bump into friends. So you wave, leave the pub together and go to another pub where you bump into another group of friends, leave that pub together, go to another pub as a single group and by the end of the night return to the original pub as one massive group of people all completely shitfaced and forgetting all the rules of social distancing. </strong></p>
<p><strong>Out and about the social distancing rules have meant people are being more friendly that they ever have been in the past. I’ve lived in my house for over a decade and every morning without fail I walk past the same neighbour out walking her dog. For the first two years, she avoided my gaze completely, it took another three years for her to get comfortable with eye contact and only in the last 12 months has she afforded me a smile. Pretty much on the day that the government introduced the new rules about social distancing, she stopped me for a little chit chat, and we chewed the fat for a few minutes as her dog sniffed around my ankles and this amiability has continued. I can only suspect that she is desperately trying to infect me as revenge for all the years of me disturbing her quiet contemplative morning walks </strong></p>
<p><strong>We’re supposed to avoid shaking hands. The other day, as I was dropping my 5 year old off at nursery, the dad of a new kid introduced himself outside and shook my hand enthusiastically. He seemed like a nice guy, but I was thrown by what just a few weeks ago was such a normal thing to do. I said ‘Nice to meet you’, then ran inside and scrubbed my hands with soap and water and a good squirt of hand sanitiser. Then reported him to the nursery staff and had his child sent home. </strong></p>
<p><strong>My father in law has become an expert on Corona. Albeit one full of contradictions. According to him, he is in a risk group and at the same time, he absolutely isn’t in a risk group. An arm's length from other people is more than enough, but two metres is nowhere near enough. It’s just like getting a flu for a day or two, and also that it will kill everybody. According to him, we may all have it already, but the good kind of Corona, rather than the bad kind. </strong></p>
<p><strong>When the first news of Corona first started filtering into the rest of the world, I was up in the very far north of Sweden, gigging in the border town of Haparanda. This is pretty much as far as you can go, the end of the road, finished . I’m talking geographically, by the way, not as a metaphor for my career as a comedian. </strong></p>
<p><strong>Haparanda is at the point on the map where Sweden meets Finland and it really is worth a visit, if ever you happen to be passing (Sidenote, nobody is ever simply passing Haparanda). For a quarter of the year, the people there live in perpetual darkness, for one quarter of the year they live in perpetual daylight. And for the remaining two quarters, it’s like a long drawn out dusk and dawn blended into a shade of grey. </strong></p>
<p><strong>Over the border, in Finland, there’s a different time zone, a different currency, different laws and a different language. You wander over, sing some karaoke and then wander back. That’s what they do there. Or at least they did until Finland closed everything down. Now the Finns sneak over the border to sing their karaoke. </strong></p>
<p><strong>They have reindeer there, and ice and snow and it really is a beautiful place to visit. But because it’s so far away from anything, the only people who go there are comedians on tour and very wealthy honeymooning Chinese couples who believe that if your baby is conceived under the northern lights, it will be a lucky baby. The hotel breakfast when we were there was full of angry Chinese couples, frustrated that the previous night had been cloudy and therefore Aurora Borealis and nookie free. There were whispers about the emerging epidemic in Wuhan and any cough was met with stares and a shuffling of chairs. </strong></p>
<p><strong>As things started to heat up in Sweden, the north was one of the first and worst places to be affected. Not because of the Chinese tourists, but more because of the Stockholmers who had been on skiing holidays in northern Italy, which they followed by more skiing holidays in northern Sweden where they partied like there was no tomorrow. Which for some, was indeed the case. </strong></p>
<p><strong>For the comedy world, it became clearer and clearer that things would have to change, first the government added a restriction of 500 people in one venue. Everyone made jokes that comedian X or comedian Y wouldn’t be affected as they would never sell that many tickets anyway. How we all laughed. Then the limit was reduced to 50 and everyone made jokes that comedian X or comedian Y wouldn’t be affected as they would never sell that many tickets anyway. How we all laughed. Some gigs are still going ahead even now, limiting the number to 49 people including all the people onstage. But they are struggling to sell more than a handful of tickets. The appetite for live entertainment has gone, and as I said earlier, the Swedes are not willing to break the rules that aren’t really rules but just recommendations. </strong></p>
<p><strong>I think we’re doing OK so far in Sweden. People are getting ill and unfortunately the death toll is now as high as a couple of thousand. Although, in terms of deaths per million and where we are on the curve it is apparently comparable to other countries. They also think that the rate of infection is starting to flatten and that the population may be on the way to achieving herd immunity, even though herd immunity was not the primary goal of the Swedish method. </strong></p>
<p><strong>We went out to the woods the other day to walk and barbecue some sausages on a fire. It was a beautiful warm day and we were not the only ones to visit that particular purpose built grill place in the middle of the woods (Yes, the council does provide purpose built places to barbecue in the middle of the woods here. Everyone took it in turns to grill their sausages and kept a good safe distance from each other. It felt good to be out in the woods, in the sunshine and fresh air. And we were all following the rules that aren’t really rules but more like recommendations. The forest was lush and the sun shone bright in the cloudless sky, and the sausages were delicious. It felt good to be alive in the Swedish lockdown that wasn’t </strong></p>
<p><strong>You’re all doing that angry, jealous face again. Any questions?</strong></p>
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<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>11:15Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/62599722020-03-24T11:00:36+01:002022-05-09T07:17:33+02:00Read all about it! <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/95edd32ce243bfed0e348ed2f176df50ccd60bbe/original/90129227-10158495634781388-3736588901473583104-o.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Like every artistically inclined soul out there, I have seen this period of social distancing not as an inconvenience, but as a great opportunity. My plan is to use this time to live life to the fullest.</p>
<p>In other words, wandering around half-dressed, unshaven and refreshing my emails every fifteen minutes, wondering why nobody is getting in touch. I'm frenetically checking Twitter for useful information about the price of toilet paper and the imminent fall of humanity and then end up watching some really top satirical content. This makes me less worried about the pandemic and more anxious about what I have done with my life, and what I am doing with my life, and will any of my online content be remembered in years to come when people look back on the dark days of the pandemic. I quickly and emphatically come to the conclusion that they probably won’t. </p>
<p>And in the midst of all this, as a reminder of the old days of a functioning society, a society that cherished analogue media, a pre Corona interview I did was published in the local newspaper. It carried the disclaimer that ’This interview was done before the Corona outbreak in Östergötland’ which serves as a caveat for my answers that may well seem totally callous and flippant in the light of the impending tragedy. Or that the newspaper was making their excuses for having found the one self-obsessed idiot in the village who was totally oblivious to world events, and having taken the photos, they had no choice but to go ahead and publish his ill advised answers anyway.</p>
<p>My answers were ill advised regardless, but pre-Corona, I was merely playing the whimsy card. After Corona they seem glib.</p>
<p>In decades to come, survivors of the human race may sift through the remains of our civilisation and find this tattered newspaper as the last clue to how people used to live. How much weight will they place on my answer that I dream of being able to buy three baked potatoes for 12 kronor, or that my life’s goal is to embroider a life size depiction of the Battle of Verdun?</p>
<p>If you subscribe to Corren, c<a contents="Click here and read it online" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://corren.se/om6549058" target="_blank">lick here and read it online</a>. They could do with the ad revenue.</p>
<p>If you don’t then you can expand the pictures below and read it. But try to avoid reading the questions, as only the answers are my intellectual property. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/ad4166777668b251b73f24972dad76cd6de238fd/original/91391304-220028539233549-5914357283000680448-n.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.jpg" class="size_s justify_left border_none" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/0939a903dabb01dc00b58504883e82a3b7a2c463/original/90522434-200346218070182-15010627231678464-n.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.jpg" class="size_s justify_left border_" /></p>
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<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/62475572020-03-13T12:31:36+01:002022-06-02T03:03:41+02:00Corona and live events<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/c3818f61354c0ab8203b468868d272c646d3d171/original/89268337-631121874348015-1171299420558327808-n.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Corona. It’s here. It is amongst us. And like every other non-expert out there, I don’t really know what to do other than follow official advice. </p>
<p>As the saying goes - Plan for the worst, hope for the best - By which I mean, yes, I have bought rice and toilet paper, and yes, I am also washing my hands like Lady Macbeth with OCD. </p>
<p>Then comes the question of gigs, concerts, events …</p>
<p>I put on comedy events - In essence, I am a professional at squeezing lots of strangers into badly ventilated spaces. I grant you, it’s more complicated than that, as you need sound, light and one or two tellers of jokes, but in essence, that’s it. </p>
<p>As it stands today, the gigs that I have left this season are all still on. They are happening. The official Swedish government statement is that gatherings of 500 or more are no longer permitted. But I am expecting this to change. </p>
<p>The effect on the industry will be serious. Not just for the immediate economic impact of having to pay back all the tickets that have been bought, but also everything on the periphery - Rent for venues, folk that do the tech, rip the tickets, clean, the hotels, pubs, restaurants just to name the most directly affected. </p>
<p>My club gigs are all around the 100 mark and at the gig that I put on last week with Henrik Nyblom (The day the government announced the 500 cap on attendance), there didn’t seem to be any difference in numbers. In three weeks time, I’ve got another club gig. I’m waiting to see how the government’s advice changes, but even if it isn't cancelled, it remains to be seen whether people will still come along. </p>
<p>But I am also planning some gigs for the summer; gigs that should pull crowds of several hundred. It’s extremely difficult to look at these gigs right now and know what the situation will be like in two or three months. I don’t know. Nobody knows. Everything seems very up in the air. … But unless I do the planning now, these events definitely won’t happen. And if by June, Corona is just a bad memory, and I haven't done the work,then I'll have nothing on my plate. If Corona is still doing its thing, then I'll have nothing anyway. </p>
<p>Loads of freelancers, especially comedians and musicians are crossing out gig after gig in their diary. As live performers, we rely on creating the perfect atmosphere for viruses to spread. Bacteria love the blues, a virus loves the same seedy, close contact vibe as you do, baby. </p>
<p>Is there anything we can do? Yes. Wash your hands. Self-isolate if you are infected, or think you are infected. </p>
<p>Will I survive? Yes? Will my business survive? Yes.</p>
<p>Will every small (or large) business survive? No. Definitely not. </p>
<p>To save myself from spending all day watching worst of Twitter, I’ve also been trying to think of ways to support smaller artists I know. So here’s a few suggestions:</p>
<ul> <li>Listen to more smaller artists on Spotify. Income is minimal.. but I’m sure a few extra $$ would be appreciated on the quarterly payout. <br> Here’s some links to people I know and like - <a contents="Ola Aurell " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/4XmvhQfmcIGqou1SsF7RS6" target="_blank">Ola Aurell </a>(In Swedish), <a contents="Rob Lewis" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/1XLQlJpU1BEXPgYZJql9B9" target="_blank">Rob Lewis</a> (My cousin, keep it in the family), <a contents="Post Pines" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/0fI9lmgkiLhqgiXm0a80tQ" target="_blank">Post Pines</a> (Who did the music for Big In Sweden) <br> </li> <li>Buy a book or two. If you are going to be self-isolating, then you might as well do some reading too. <br> My friend, <a contents="Liz Hyder wrote Bearmouth," data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.pushkinpress.com/product/bearmouth/" target="_blank">Liz Hyder wrote Bearmouth,</a> a great book for young adults last year. Buy it. She’s most likely had a few live events cancelled <br> </li> <li>Buy people’s services remotely.<a contents=" Pete Fraser is a session musician who works remotely" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://twitter.com/petefrasermusic/status/1238021072169115650?s=20" target="_blank"> Pete Fraser is a session musician who works remotely</a>. Or <a contents="Mitch Hiller" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/552862118065681/" target="_blank">Mitch Hiller</a> will produce, arrange and play. <br> </li> <li>Buy Merch. Here's a link to Linköping record label <a contents="Gaphals" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://gaphals.se/?page_id=1379" target="_blank">Gaphals</a><br> </li> <li>Support creative people. Consume what they have produced on YouTube or online and if there’s a chance to pay them, do so, if it’s via Patreon, Kickstarter or like me, you can buy me a <a contents="virtual coffee" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://ko-fi.com/benkersley" target="_blank">virtual coffee</a> (Yes that was a hint!) <br> </li> <li>Buy from local shops and restaurants. Support small local businesses. They will take the biggest kicking and work with the smallest margins. <br> </li> <li>And when this is all over.. Buy tickets! Watch live music, comedy and entertainment! Support your local artist! </li>
</ul>
<p>Any other suggestions?<br><br> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/62139382020-02-13T15:13:14+01:002022-05-31T07:44:42+02:00HA-HA-HA-paranda!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/d8dcebd80c6e7ae51281faa941676ee9dc982e83/original/86459336-2863934026962802-7118271418189479936-n.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>A couple of weeks ago, I travelled to the far north of Sweden. The very far north of Sweden. In fact it was as far as you can travel without falling off the map, if of course your map only shows Sweden. Beyond the map's limits, you expect there to be nothing but a dark gaping abyss. Now, having travelled that far, right to the edge of the map, it turns out there is something far more frightening and hard to comprehend, than the mouth of Hell. What you find there is a place they call Finland. </p>
<p>Having used a combination of planes, trains, automobiles and even snow scooters to get there, it was a bit of an anti-climax to cross the border on foot. It was fun to skid back and forth across the international time zone on the ice. You can literally travel in time: Gaining an hour here, losing an hour there. Then jump back across. Gain an hour, lose an hour. I lost count of how many times I did this before I got bored, but if I have done the maths correctly, I think I aged by about three days. </p>
<p>Where Sweden meets Finland, they have put up a little heart with a little bench where you can sit and have your photograph taken with a buttock in each country, your cleft representing No Man’s Land. I am planning to use the picture above to get into the Guinness Book of Records as ‘Man with World’s Biggest Bum’ - so big it crosses two different time zones and taxation systems. </p>
<p>I was in the north with Al Pitcher to do a gig, and the border town in question was called Haparanda. I say ‘was called’ because after we left, (and I’m not exaggerating when I say we had a good gig), it wouldn’t surprise me if they decided to rename the place HA-HA-HA-paranda. </p>
<p>We did the things that you do when you travel to the north of Sweden. You know, the normal stuff - Having a sauna, feeding reindeer, having another sauna, looking at the northern lights, then having another sauna. </p>
<p>The saunas are just the best way of warming up, as going outside was mostly a matter of survival. To us, it felt bloody cold but the locals were all complaining that it was too warm as it was ‘only’ minus six degrees. The local Mayor was quoted in the paper as saying this was the first winter in his memory where he hadn’t worn any longjohns. This was particularly controversial as when we met him, he wasn’t actually wearing any clothes at all. Needless to say, we were in a sauna, but I like my mayors to wear full ceremonial robes whenever possible, or at the very least, a tie. <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/fe81b6e7b21ac1c8a4447d338b958afa4a93bf85/original/82984764-467507350584990-4997909462166536192-n.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" /></p>
<p>We sat out in the hot tub with the Northern Lights overhead. I was told it was a phenomenal sight, but as I had taken my glasses off (and drunk a couple of strong Finnish beers) for the sauna/hot tub experience, all I could see was a blur. I really wanted to document the experience, so climbed out, found my glasses and camera. I’m not sure how many seconds shutter speed you need to capture the Northern Lights on film, but I just know it was longer than can be physically tolerated by a wet, naked, shivering man standing knee-deep in the snow, trying to hold a camera steady. </p>
<p>Naked and cold, I was doing all sorts of exposure, just not the correct kind of exposure needed for the photo. </p>
<p>Apparently, in China, conceiving a child under the Northern Lights is supposed to bring good fortune. Whether this is true or not, it has certainly brought good fortune to the Lapland hotel and tourism industry. Where we stayed, there were several romantic young Chinese couples with a constant eye on the sky, ready to jump into action if there was the smallest glimpse of celestial activity. It was less Aurora Borealis, and more PHWOARora Borealis! Amiright!?!</p>
<p>How I giggled at breakfast (following a cloudy night) after asking a young couple from Guangdong if they had seen the sky the previous night. Their faces becoming ashen with disappointment at the inevitability of unlucky children.</p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/60526322019-12-31T11:24:31+01:002022-05-29T14:27:47+02:00This Is The Year That Was - 2019<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/6c0aef24e9655455f21dd7d932e021b7170133e8/original/ben-2019.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>As the year draws to an end, it’s time to do a quick summary of the year that has gone. I’ve snuck away to my office to write this as the smell of cooking rises up the stairs and as the family think that I am making beds and cleaning the bathroom. Friends arrive at the station in half an hour, so need to write fast.. </p>
<p>Looking back at the year that has gone is always difficult. This year flip flops in my mind between being a very productive year and at the same time a very unproductive one. In terms of putting on live shows, it seems like it’s been a bit of a quiet one as I’ve only really been responsible for producing three live shows in Linköping (compared to 20+ shows in previous years) - That said, the three shows I put on were real barnstormers! </p>
<p><a contents="Firstly in May, on an early summer’s night in Gamla Linköping" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blogs/bloggle/posts/sold-out-at-gamla-linkoping" target="_blank">Firstly in May, on an early summer’s night in Gamla Linköping</a>. Just warm enough to be outside, albeit with blankets and warm jackets. It was warm and exciting enough to attract about 400 people to the bandstand. What a night! Live music from seventeen seventeen year olds from Mjölby's Brureband and crazy madcap comedy from Elin Almén and Marcus Berggren which ended with a Håkan Hellström allsång with 400 people singing along and Marcus accompanied on the guitar by Simon, a young singer songwriter from Linköping. Great fun. </p>
<p>Then in August, <a contents="we had the Guerilla Stand Up" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blogs/bloggle/posts/the-best-venue-in-town" target="_blank">we had the Guerilla Stand Up</a> night with me, Henrik Källman and Al Pitcher at a pay what you can night in an underground carpark. roughly 200 people met on the summer’s rainiest night and followed the Brureband (yes, them again) to the secret location. Smashed it. </p>
<p>And the final gig was at the new venue of New York Legends where I’ve got more nights booked in in the spring. Isak Jansson, Josefin Sonck and Anton Forsberg (with me as MC, naturally). Sold out which is a good sign of things to come. Looking forward to the spring shows - There are a few more stand up nights in Linköping now, which although it’s a bit scary in terms of competition, it’s actually healthy for the scene as a whole. </p>
<p>So that’s my 2019 as an arrangör. </p>
<p>As a writer it’s been interesting. The year started with the production of my and Al’s sitcom - Al Pitcher På Paus - Having handed the scripts over at the end of January, from when you lose any input, it was an ‘interesting’ process to see how far from the original idea the machine of SVT can take it. As a first project, you are obliged to trust the ‘experts’ at the big TV station. What I’ve learnt is that SVT probably don’t know what they are talking about in terms of comedy. The final result was ‘OK’, not necessarily bad, but certainly a long way from what I’d hoped. </p>
<p>On a more positive note, our film <a contents="Big In Sweden" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.biginsweden.com" target="_blank">Big In Sweden</a> (self financed, independent, self produced) was edited, mixed, graded, and ready to meet the world at the end of May. It’s had a few outings - At The Norrköping Film Festival, The Lund Comedy Festival and at <a contents="The International Road Movie Festival" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blogs/bloggle/posts/czech-mate" target="_blank">The International Road Movie Festival</a> in Pilsen, where it won the prize for Best Feature Film! And to top it all, CMore have bought the film where it can now be viewed in Sweden and it’s even going to be shown on TV4 on the morning of January 6th 2020. I'm basically really proud of it and what we achieved on such a small budget with so little time. Check it out if you get the chance, </p>
<p>The film has been put forward to some other international festivals, so we’ll see what happens next. </p>
<p>On a film note, just before Xmas, I found out that I’d been awarded a grant of 10000kr from Film i Öst to work on a new idea. </p>
<p>What more? Well… I translated a play from Swedish to English. I’ve been doing a a fair few voiceovers for all sorts of people. And I’ve been pitching some new TV ideas and working on reestablishing LKPG HA HA! in Linköping. I’ve travelled a little bit this year. The family is all good and the kids are growing up fast, so that’s all good! </p>
<p>Then there was Brexit and <a contents="British politics " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blogs/bloggle/posts/election-blog-2019" target="_blank">British politics </a>and general frustrations of doing what I do while living in parochial Linköping .. But let’s not get stuck on that. It’s the New Year! </p>
<p>Here’s to a healthy and successful 2020!</p>
<p>********************** </p>
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<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/60047482019-12-12T10:18:26+01:002022-05-14T09:06:04+02:00Election 2019 - Or Why I’m voting for Loré Lixenberg! <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/99a3b12f7520e70ca0eefbf4d143f7cb2e9f2784/original/77385656-993522307677577-5752734253448167424-n.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><strong>Election Blog 2019 - Or Why I’m voting for Loré Lixenberg! </strong></p>
<p>It’s election time! And across the country, the people of Britain are struggling with which disaster zone not to vote for… It’s a tough decision... I’ve been marching round with banners that say #nottory and #nevercorbyn. Sometimes I like to mix it up and swap them over to #nevercorbyn and #nottory</p>
<p>I’ve already cast my vote by post in the constituency of Hackney North and Stoke Newington. And I am pleased to announce that I have put my cross firmly behind the vocal performance artist Loré Lixenberg. </p>
<p>"Who?”, you ask. And “Why?” And “What do you know about her?”… Well I’ll tell you… </p>
<p>Apart from her most appealing credentials of being ’Not Diane Abbott´, she’s the only candidate on the paper who gives no address and no party and there is very little information about her online. I even looked up her odds on Bet365 and THEY DON*T EVEN LIST HER, she that much of an outsider! </p>
<p>I found a poorly updated website and a tumbleweed filled Facebook page. She’s my kind of politician! Say nothing, deny nothing, confirm nothing! </p>
<p>After a bit of googling, I got the thumbs up for Loré that I needed - She was one of the original gang that developed <a contents="‘Jerry Springer - The Opera’" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Springer:_The_Opera" target="_blank">‘Jerry Springer - The Opera’</a>, the musical which according to some tabloids contained over 8000 profanities, and which I very much enjoyed watching in the West End back in the early noughties! So for that alone she has my vote. Then I found her <a contents="‘statement of intent’" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/person/72583/lore-lixenberg" target="_blank">‘statement of intent’</a>, which included the following: </p>
<p>“I promise nothing at all” … Finally a politician with a truthful message! </p>
<p>I also found this party political broadcast, fittingly filmed under the Arc De Triomphe in Paris. Her election promises include “A silent retreat for all politicians” and “musical activities of some sort”. How has Lixenberg not been considered a serious challenger? </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="xTj4d_wV4CA" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/xTj4d_wV4CA/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xTj4d_wV4CA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>So there we are. Vote cast. And this means that you can’t now blame me for the inevitable disaster of a Johnson/Corbyn (delete as appropriate) government. </p>
<p>Footnote - If Lixenberg eventually becomes Prime Minister and actually turns out to be the leader of some kind of Death Cult that believes in compulsory Zumba lessons, the banning of apricots and the beheading of all teddy bears, then I apologise in advance. But for now, and on election day, Loré Lixenberg has my full, undivided and loyal support!</p>
<p>Let's finish this post off with a short clip from The Houses of Parliament, sorry, Jerry Springer The Opera .. And remember, in the words of Jerry himself -</p>
<p>"Take care of yourselves, and each other"</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="JzxUs6P7Vcs" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/JzxUs6P7Vcs/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JzxUs6P7Vcs?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
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<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/59656732019-11-19T20:28:30+01:002022-05-26T11:58:23+02:00Fan mail, fy fan! <p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/f6b514faf6ed0c0c88fe53004051ca9927b70257/original/76676154-2469493503303159-7429040043248844800-n.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>The other day I got some fan mail. I don’t think I’ve ever had any fan mail before, not even fake fan mail from my wife, mother or children. So it was quite exciting to get a piece of fan mail through the old letterbox. Quite exciting indeed. </p>
<p>Obviously, when I saw the handwritten address, my first thoughts were that the envelope was from some kind of psychopath and that the contents would be nothing but some deadly nerve agent. I’d already mentally written the headlines ‘Unknown white powder found beside body of unknown comedian’, and ‘Comedian dies. Again’.</p>
<p>I opened it up and saw a little gift along with a hand scrawled note. Personal. From the heart, I thought. </p>
<p>I skim read the note.</p>
<p>At the top, the words ‘Shopping List’ and at the bottom, the name ‘// Johan’, hastily written just above where the note was ripped. Had Johan written a longer postscript expressing his love and admiration for me and then torn it away, embarrassed that he could be so passionately honest? Or had he felt so emotional and overcome by the desire to write to me that he had accidentally rent the paper in two? I may never know! </p>
<p>I went back to the top of the note and read; this time more carefully, drinking in every word: </p>
<p>‘Tjenare Ben!’ - ‘Hi Ben’ <br>Informal, matey, greeting me like an old friend. Nice to hear from you Johan! </p>
<p>‘Jag hittade denna’ - ‘I found this’ <br>Something found, something lost.. Oh sweet serendipity, happy accidents! </p>
<p>‘på bildmuseum i Umeå’ - ‘at the picture museum in Umeå’ <br>Umeå? Well travelled. At a museum? Cultured. Who was he trying to impress? Johan! You already had me at ‘Tjenare!’.. but please, go on… </p>
<p>‘och tänkte på…’ - ‘and thought of.. ‘ <br>What did you think of Johan? Was it me? Was this little keepsake a Proustian madeleine that reminded you of me and whatever encounters we had had in the past, however fleeting? Tell me more! </p>
<p>‘Al Pitcher’ <br>Sorry? What? Al Pitcher? Al bloody Pitcher? Al? Pitcher? </p>
<p>‘Dessvärre kunde jag inte hitta hans address’ - ‘Unfortunately, I couldn’t find his address’ <br>I’m not sure what this has to do with me Johan? I’m not sure why you are indulging me in your stalker fantasies? I’ve moved on Johan, and I think you should too.. .. </p>
<p>‘så jag tänkte att han kan få den via dig’ - ‘So I though that he could have it via you’ <br>Oh really, you thought he could have it via me, like I’m some kind of second rate postal service, for the passing on of small gifts from small uninteresting museums in somewhere in the north of Sweden. Is that it? Nobody’s impressed that you went to a museum, Johan! It doesn’t make you better than anyone. And so you’ve been to Umeå! What do you want? A medal? </p>
<p>‘ - hans kompis : )’ - ‘his friend : )’ <br>Ex friend, Johan! Ex friend! Now I’m just a go between for the handing over of some cheap rubbish you found at some museum in some town somewhere. I barely know the guy. Al who? Never heard of him. </p>
<p>‘Keep up the stand up’ <br>I will, Johan. Thank you. </p>
<p>‘// Johan’ <br>All I can say, Johan, is that, if I'm perfectly honest, I liked you more the first time I read your signature. That's all, Johan.</p>
<p>Well… I happened to bump into Al Pitcher and he was very very happy to get the gift from Umeå. Johan, if you are reading this, he has promised to wear it every single day for the rest of his life. He even asked me to pass on a little message to you - ‘Thank you and Fy Fan!’</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/df8a74f2583393186ac8db6c98448a6f79b1f223/original/76650771-701464333594684-1766317979223457792-n.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
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<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/59347382019-10-22T17:05:16+02:002021-10-16T11:46:45+02:00Czech, mate!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/36351c42548ffeb68e598bf2ca97e8182e8ccacd/original/72456357-2691100860901663-5455686051739729920-n.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>A week or so ago I went to Pilsen in the Czech Republic to show our film <a contents="Big In Sweden" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.biginsweden.com" target="_blank">Big In Sweden</a> at the International <a contents="Road Movie Festival&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/roadmoviefestival/" target="_blank">Road Movie Festival </a></p>
<p>It’s taken me a few days to get round to blogging about it because I have had to fight the childish urge to make repeated, puerile puns on the word Czech. I refused to do it. So obvious. So simple. You’re better than that I said. Get a grip, I said. In the words of Ice Cube: "Czech yourself before you wreck yourself!” but there was no escape and as the title to this blog suggests, it was a futile fight…. better out than in, so feel free to skip the next paragraph: </p>
<p>Friday morning, I left the house after going through my Czech list: Passport? Czech. Wallet? Czech? Money… Would I need cash or could I pay by Czech? Clothes? Czech shirt, naturally… Arrive at the airport. Czech in. Through the security Czech and hope they know nothing of my Czechered past. See how hard it is to keep these puns in Czech? </p>
<p>OK. That’s it. No more </p>
<p>I met up with Gustav at Prague airport and with a series of taxis, buses and shoe leather we headed into the night on the long road to Pilsen. I should add that we didn’t take the most direct route from the airport to Pilsen, mainly it seems that there isn’t one. We did take a little detour into a bar by the bus station to sample the Pilsner and watch the end of the England vs Czech Republic Euros qualifier which happened to be on the day we arrived. Central Prague had already been smashed up by the travelling English football fans, so we decided to just order a beer and a traditional Czech burger and chips, while loudly speaking Swedish to each other and trying to hide any indication whatsoever that I was English. England lost the game, but at least they won the fighting.</p>
<p>Next morning. Pilsen. Waking up in the hotel. </p>
<p>I drew back the curtains to reveal a picturesque middle European city glorious under a clear blue sky and bright October sunshine. My room also had a view of the <a contents="Pilsner Urquell Beer Museum" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.prazdrojvisit.cz/en/tours/pilsner-urquell-brewery-tour/" target="_blank">Pilsner Urquell Beer Museum</a>. A theme was emerging…. What a coincidence that they should sell so much Pilsner in Pilsen. </p>
<p>We wandered over to the venue. Although it’s convenient and quick, Google Maps has taken half the fun out of arriving in a new city removing any danger of stumbling into the wrong part of town. My suggestion is that they should make it a rule that to qualify for the Road Movie Festival you have to navigate your way there by pre-smart phone methods. Just a suggestion. </p>
<p>The festival was being held in a place called<a contents=" DEPO2015" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.depo2015.cz" target="_blank"> DEPO2015</a> a project that was part of Pilsen’s legacy as the 2015 European City Of Culture. It was an old tram depo that had been converted into concert, music, performance and cinema venues, studios, small business units and a really nice friendly cafe/bar. I liked it. </p>
<p>The International Road Movie Festival itself was really cool. In its second year, it was run by an enthusiastic and friendly gang who made everyone feel welcome, made sure you got to meet fellow filmmakers as well as get a bit of a flavour of Pilsen (Yes, I’m talking about the beer). There were around 15 films shown through each day from shorts to feature, documentary, comedy, fiction, low and high budget. Pretty much everything a film festival should be (including the beer).</p>
<p>Our screening was in the early evening on the Saturday. As this was the first screening to a non Swedish audience who had no real idea about who Al Pitcher is, it could have gone either way. I’m pleased to say that the audience enjoyed it, laughed in most of the right places and some of the wrong places and even had a few questions for Gustav and I after the film. Gustav wore his moose sweater which we convinced half the audience was the national dress of Sweden. </p>
<p>So… Anything else to report about the festival? Oh yes! We won an award! </p>
<p>There were three prizes - a diploma and a ceramic vase made by a local artist. A vase being the perfect prize for people travelling on budget airlines with hand luggage only.</p>
<p>We won the Audience Award for the Best Feature Film. A real honour and I genuinely got a little lost for words when I went up to receive it. I didn’t quite know what to do, so I just hugged Marie Doležalová the, now adult, child star of the 2007 Czech film ‘Dolls’ who was presenting the award. It was all a little bit embarrassing but I’ve never won an award for a film before and following the actions of English fans in Prague that weekend, I think she took it as both a celebration and national apology. </p>
<p>What a great feeling it was to know that our road movie really does travel. I left town the next morning with my head held high, with the diploma under my arm and the fragile ceramic vase filled with my dirty underwear in order to make room in my Ryanair friendly rucksack. </p>
<p>Happy to report that the vase made it home in one piece and that it now has pride of place in the middle of our dining table. I can also say that a week later, I am still buzzing with the joy of the festival, winning a prize and the knowledge that all the hard work that we put into the film was worth it. </p>
<p>Thank you Pilsen and thank you International Road Movie Festival! </p>
<p>********************** </p>
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<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/58854102019-09-09T12:42:28+02:002022-05-27T15:43:41+02:00Lund Comedy Festival 2019 <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/165af71528982319c5931ed936ddfc1da46d433d/original/69634287-502335660550257-8545227521501691904-n.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>The Lund Comedy festival came and went, and I was there. </p>
<p>I haven’t been for a couple of years, but the festival has always been a highlight in the calendar. This year I was back, back, back and ready to catch some comedy. Here’s a quick summary of what I saw and what I did! </p>
<p>After trying to check in to The Grand, Lund’s super posh five star hotel, and being told that I’d got the wrong place, I dealt with the reality that I’m just a four star kind of guy. The Lundia, round the corner and slightly closer to the train station, is a great hotel, perfect in every way, but next year, I need a show that gets me to The Grand. </p>
<p>I checked in, then, festival mode, ran down to the KINO cinema to check that everything was set for our screening the next day. All good. Bumped in to a few people, some who I hadn’t seen for years, others who I’d seen just a few days ago. That’s the beauty of a festival, the ease with which you can catch up with people in the same business, congratulate them on their successes and then tear them apart in another comedian’s company just minutes later. </p>
<p>Lunch. Coffee. Chats. Catch ups. </p>
<p>I introduced Al Pitcher’s work in progress show. I did the fire escapes and toilets, he did the funnies. Spoilers: He delivered a hilarious hour, with over a year to go before his tour starts. With the sound of Al’s applause still fresh in my ears, I went down to take part in this year’s Grand Comedy Slam. I knew a couple of the people in my heat and met a couple that I’d never heard of before. It’s a weird competition to take part in, as the first time you either see or hear the audience is as the door is opened and you go onstage. So you have no idea what kind of material the other acts have done, or what the atmosphere is like. I did my spot and I thought I did OK. .. But not good enough to go through. If it’s any consolation the three from my heat that went through all made it to the final and two of them, Sverrir Marinosson and Hanna Voog, came first and second respectively. Congratulations to them and small consolation to know that at least I was amongst decent competition. </p>
<p>Later that night I was back in presenter mode and introduced Tom Houghton, fresh from the Fringe with his show about going to public school. He did well, even if the subject matter was completely alien to most of the audience of egalitarian Swedes who have never known the arcane violence inherent in the British school system from comprehensive school to Eton. For balance, I think they should have been forced to watch <a contents="SCUM" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdIr_YHdtzs" target="_blank">SCUM</a> </p>
<p>Saw a few more shows, Phil Wang in 'Philly Philly Wang Wang' and Luisa Omielan’s show 'God is a woman and Jesus was a feminist’ which were both really good. So nice to watch shows from comedians from the UK as you realise just how much more full of vitality the scene is over there. I also introduced Sofie Hagen and Jodie Mitchell’s podcast which was also a joy to watch. </p>
<p>But the main reason for being at the festival was to show our film, <a contents="Big In Sweden" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.facebook.com/biginsweden" target="_blank">Big In Sweden</a>. Ticket sales were good. The day before the screening, there were less than 10 tickets left which were snapped up well in advance of the 17.30 start time. This is the second time watching the film with an audience and again it was great to hear the laughs fall in the right places (all apart from one joke which seems to fall flat and one massive laugh which we’d never before imagined to be all that funny) </p>
<p>We met some of the audience afterwards and the response was only positive, so once again it all feels worth it. I feel full of energy to take the film further to new audiences </p>
<p>A few years ago, the last night of the festival meant late night drinking… But this year, I had one beer, then decided that I was too hot, too tired and that my four star bedroom at The Lundia was all my body and soul needed after two days of sun, giggles and a film screening. </p>
<p>The next day, I travelled back to Linköping in style - with a first class ticket on the Snälltåget. The fine weekend weather broke; rain and thunder storms hit the whole of Sweden. The festival was over. </p>
<p>See you again Lund, the city where the sun always smiles.</p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/58738122019-08-29T10:28:47+02:002022-05-31T09:18:35+02:00The best venue in town<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/13af92a5653bb761853d714989fc5c01ab654a47/original/carpark-190818.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>A couple of Sundays ago stand up comedy in Linköping went underground. Well, into an underground carpark at least. </p>
<p>The original plan was to put the show on with the audience lounging around on picnic blankets outside Stadshuset, sipping white wine and eating egg and cress sandwiches in the evening sun. But as we know the weather has always been a cultural Philistine</p>
<p>Yes. This was a protest. A peaceful protest using stand up comedy, but there was an angry, frustrated message at its heart. The point was to show that the local kommun have really messed up in the last few years. I understand, it’s complicated and that this is Sweden, so at the end of the day no single person or organisation could possibly be responsible. However, amongst those people in Linköping who have the skills to create entertainment, be it music, dance, theatre or stand up, there is now a sense of frustration that there has never been before. And the solution is so simple yet out of reach due to the Kafka-esque nature of the kommun (I’m aware that referencing Kafka may be too artsy for many of the politicians who work with culture - Later there's even a Gil Scott Heron reference) </p>
<p>The point is.. All that’s needed is a simple workable venue that’s accessible. Nothing more fancy than that. . And that was what that rainy Sunday night was all about. A peaceful silly protest to show that there is a an audience for mid-size events, but nowhere for those events to take place. </p>
<p>I also get it that this is the story across Sweden, but the situation in Linköping for live entertainment has been getting worse and worse over the last few years. Fine. But not all cities have stuck rigidly to the official line of having the desire to become Sweden’s third biggest event city. <a contents="Yes, folks, it's true" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/pressreleases/linkoeping-ska-bli-landets-tredje-stoersta-stad-foer-event-1009216" target="_blank">Yes, folks, it's true</a></p>
<p>And yes, this is a pattern across all big cities. If you run a pub, it’s cheaper and easier to buy some screens and show sport, rather than deal with having the right permits, or dealing with the unpredictability of acts either bringing 250 people or 15 people to your venue. I get it. In other words, the private sector won't take the risk, which leaves the public sector, the kommun.</p>
<p>Local creatives either stop working or just leave town, But the thing is, Linköping has got a whole LOAD of great venues owned or part owned by the city, that for one reason or another, just aren’t being used to within a fraction of their potential: Backstage, Skylten, Dansens Hus, Gamla Linköping, Sagateatern, Östgötateatern, Arbis. With a few small changes, they really could be dynamic, happening places. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/a1d65c9f201b98718ebcad3f71b6c9abff8cffdf/original/69582092-411092402871477-2974180314638712832-n.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" />So back to Sunday and the peaceful comedy protest. </p>
<p>The weather was not onside, and rather than the late summer’s day that I had in mind, there was a grey cloud and a steady but solid blanket of rain. Sitting in the cafe looking out at the rain drenched square, I thought we’d be lucky to get 20 people, but as 7 o’clock approached a trickle of people turned into a throng sheltering under the roof of the shopping centre. </p>
<p>On the hour there were somewhere between 150-200 people, huddled under umbrellas and clutching foldable chairs and blankets. The lawn of Stadshus would be too wet and the small roofed area I had in mind would be too small. There was only one option left - The car park. </p>
<p>One minute past seven and I gave the signal for my trusty band of seventeen seventeen year olds, or <a contents="Brureband" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/brureband/" target="_blank">Brureband</a>, as they prefer to be known, to kick off with a funky brass medley. I took my rope and gathered up ten or so waiting punters and began to lead them up the hill of Storgatan. The band followed my lead, not knowing where we were going, but playing with funky gusto. Like a sopping wet Pied Piper we paraded up the hill, but instead of rats, it was rain soaked comedy fans. Up the hill, round the corner and into the empty car park. </p>
<p>At the far end, Henrik Källman had set up the speaker, and Al Pitcher, the surprise headliner, was hiding himself behind a pillar. The audience needed no prompting, no real guidance and formed around the makeshift stage. Chairs unfolded, blankets laid out and a collective unspoken decision was made to ignore the smell of piss. The show began. </p>
<p>The acoustics in a car park are terrible, the lighting is nondescript, but nonetheless we delivered an hour or so of damn good stand up in the best venue that Linköping has to offer. Needless to say the secret headliner, Al Pitcher tore the place apart. </p>
<p>People swished and left cash, there was a very generous donation from Botrygg/Michael Cocozza who is one of the few people with any power in town, who has even begun to start understanding the situation. </p>
<p>So let’s see what happens next - Will Linköping be known as the city where the best venue in town for independent shows is a piss stinking car park? Let’s see. The audience is there, the money is there, even the venues are potentially there. We just need someone with a bit of clout to dare to make some small changes to the venues that already exist</p>
<p>The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, but it may take place in an underground car park. </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
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<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/58699202019-08-26T10:31:54+02:002022-05-31T08:23:48+02:00On the red carpet <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/8fe6cf5e054320246779d8cd2ac49e12591ba1cd/original/big-in-sweden.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Last week, on Thursday, we had the first public screening of our film <a contents="Big In Sweden" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.biginsweden.com" target="_blank">Big In Sweden</a>. It was as close to a red carpet event as you can get. There was fizzy water instead of champagne (that’s Sweden, for you), but it actually felt relatively glamourous. I was suited and booted, Al wore his suit, but forgot the shoes, so had to wear trainers, and Gustav wore a rather fetching Xmas sweater with a pair of moose on it. None of had make up, were sponsored by Prada, or had our hair styled for the event, but I think inside we were all Hollywood. </p>
<p>Variety magazine didn’t turn up, but we did do a short <a contents="interview for SVT local news" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.svtplay.se/video/23394794/lokala-nyheter-ost/svt-nyheter-ost-23-aug-09-05-1?start=auto&fbclid=IwAR1XrcbeLE4t4L8YWAgoTb31F7UJcHiVvOVccTfDwCq6PzspZO9buurPtnI" target="_blank">interview for SVT local news</a>. (After news about a bomb) </p>
<p>Weirdly, or not, I was pretty nervous on the day. About an hour before, the realisation that unlike a live show, once the projectionist started the film, there was nothing you could do to change things. When you perform live, if there’s a dip, or the audience aren’t with you, you can always change tack, speed up or do something completely different. But with the film all we could do was watch and listen to the reactions. </p>
<p>The lights dimmed, and the film started. Over two years of work, from the initial idea in early 2017, to filming a pilot that summer, to hitting the road and heading north between May and June of 2018, to editing, mixing, grading and adding a soundtrack. Two years of work condensed into 60 minutes to be judged, enjoyed or hated by a Thursday night Norrköping audience, high on free fizzy drinks and posh crisps. </p>
<p>Then the first laugh came, and the second and I think the audience were gripped. More laughter, tension, and at the end applause.</p>
<p>Enough to know that all the work has been worth it and that this is a film that people like, that’s entertaining and might even make people look at Sweden, comedy and even potatoes in a different light. </p>
<p>Thank you to everyone who came along! </p>
<p>Thanks also to Cnema and Norrköpings Filmfond, Film i Öst, Region Uppsala, Volkswagen, ICA in Östra Husby, Mannersons and Reventia AB</p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
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<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/58412842019-07-30T08:06:51+02:002022-02-06T16:40:54+01:00Go East! - The sad demise of L’Orient. <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/8d67c7a98939a47e8157fa63fce8b2fdd1328437/original/67744223-405342473665155-6908755861154299904-n.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>It’s the end of an era. L‘Orient has closed its giant wooden doors for the last time and headed east. I went to the final couple of live events there and amongst the drinking and music there was a sense that Linköping has hit rock bottom when it comes to being a town for live gigs. </p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong. L’Orient was a terrible place. As a venue, it had all sorts of things that could have been done a thousand times better. But that isn’t the point. The point is that it existed at all; that it was the only place in town that literally anyone could get a gig. From international touring bands to seventeen year olds bashing out Oasis covers. I’ve poked my nose in there and seen everything from hip hop to drum and bass, to folk, to hardcore metal, to world music, to blues to Latin jazz to Japanese rock and roll. Very often all on the same night. </p>
<p>As for comedy everything from TEAM AMERIKA who sold a handful of tickets to LOOP who packed the place literally to the rafters in a sweaty giggle-filled night of cacophonous silliness. </p>
<p>L’Orient was run by Sami who the people of Linköping loved and hated in equal amount. That’s not quite true, I think most people loved him, however much they want to dislike him. Sami has an infectious enthusiasm, a joie de vivre, and genuinely seems unstoppable. He has had his share of knocks and setbacks during the 20 or so years he’s been running L’Orient, but is always there with a smile on his face which makes everyone adore him, against their better judgements. </p>
<p>Officially, he says he is planning to start up a new bigger, better venue somewhere else, but where or when is still very much a mystery. We’ll see. As a couple of people that I spoke to at the last concert said, Linköping is becoming a more and more difficult place to get things done in terms of independent live events</p>
<p>L’Orient was the place that I first performed in Sweden. In the summer of 2007, I saw a hand drawn flyer for an open mic night. I went down there, waited my turn and rattled off five minutes of thrown together stand up with a cabaret style finish. Applause, bow, exit stage left.<br>On the same bill was a cellist, a poet, a guy performing a yoik (I’m not joiking!) and a wailing girl playing a one stringed guitar. For me, the only way was up! </p>
<p>I’ve also been involved in nights there which have sold out with the audience standing in the freezing rain outside half an hour before the show was due to start as Sami insisted on taking 20 kronor for every coat. </p>
<p>At one point in time, a couple of years ago, I was even considering putting in an offer to buy the place (along with Gaphals, the music guys) but we were knocked back at the first hurdle when St Kors (A kommunal company) said that they didn’t want to change the usage of the place from a restaurant that had live entertainment, to an entertainment venue that served food. Go figure. </p>
<p>L’Orient’s location was perfect for entertainment. Central, no neighbours, shops opposite, and a car park above. But not anymore. Rumour has it that St Kors (i.e. Linköpings Kommun) are planning to expand the car park down two floors. Vive le rock and roll! </p>
<p>The point is not that L’Orient was an amazing venue, but that it existed at all. And now it doesn’t. And it was the only place like it in Linköping. And now its gone, it will be missed. </p>
<p>So adieu, L’Orient. Farewell.</p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
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<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/58335952019-07-23T16:50:07+02:002022-02-02T07:35:30+01:00The lift home and its dangers<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/86d07900810e747c99b0743b0d868b133a08da49/original/67377939-875902212787087-5065271553143341056-n.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I did a gig in Nyköping the other day. </p>
<p>I wonder if there is any other job or even hobby which involves so much travel for so little actual ‘doing’. It's nearly always a hell of a long commute for a ridiculously short amount of actual work. I recognise that the job of standing up and telling jokes may seem daunting to many and even blood curdlingly frightening to a few but it's most often the journey to and from the gigs where you take your life in your own hands. </p>
<p>I've been lucky enough to travel a fair bit - Denmark, Estonia, Finland, the far north of Sweden. And the travel is rarely simple.</p>
<p>There's the natural dangers, like when driving back at night through a snowstorm with 90 mile an hour winds and snowdrifts half blocking the road.</p>
<p>There's the human dangers such as a gig in Finland that required me to prise myself onto the back seat of a car, squashed between two oversized and sweaty Finns. We hurtled through the night between Turku and Helsinki, the smell of stale body odour making the prospect of suddenly dying as car met pine tree seem almost enticing. </p>
<p>And there are the unnatural, inhuman dangers to deal with such as Frasses. Frasses, the only place to eat enroute in most of Värmland. Frasses. I'll write it again so that you can't say you weren't warned. Frasses. Frasses. Frasses.</p>
<p>Frasses, the roadside cafe with the USP of everything they sell being deep fried, beige and tasting of oil soaked cardboard. Every bite makes your life a little bit shorter, which to be fair, if you are eating at Frasses regularly, the end would most likely be a welcome relief. Frasses.</p>
<p>I've been doing this for a few years now, but you can get complacent and on Sunday I let my guard down. I took a lift back with the students.</p>
<p>Students! I should be old enough and wise enough to know better by now.</p>
<p>It’s not so much the sight that meets you in the car when they have to clear the Fanta bottles and traffic signs off the seat for you to get in. It's not the prospect of having to contort and clench your body in order to become at one with the micro class car, knees bent up to your ear lobes, while trying not to obscure the wing mirrors. </p>
<p>It’s not even the fact that the driver has barely passed their test and not only has forgotten to turn the headlights on, but doesn’t know where the switch is for the lights and that while driving, rather than commit to a single lane, they dally in the middle of the road, stopping at junctions in the motorway to decide whether to pull off, much to the irritation of the Latvian juggernaut behind. </p>
<p>No! It is none of those things!</p>
<p>The thing that makes the trip back with the students is the whacky soundtrack on the self assembled playlist. You have to smile politely as they rattle through a selection of tunes that include hipster pop, Japanese black metal, kids tunes, ironic show tunes, non-ironic show tunes, brass ensemble covers of Goth classics, Goth covers of soul standards, electro pop covers of forgotten Irish folk tunes, Klezmer/Tibetan crossover, Reggae/panpipe remixes, TV themes sung in Bulgarian and worst of all, an unhealthy admiration and false nostalgia for the Spice Girls</p>
<p>I survived. But next time, I’m getting the train.</p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
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<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/58313222019-07-21T11:15:57+02:002022-05-26T16:26:44+02:00Mid-summer malaise<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/4b6667d1d45355b6b50e616b8a6b85e71b36a9b9/original/67194760-2892906440784493-5590701776073392128-n.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>It's raining. It's mid-July. And I remembered that I have a blog. I guess I'm suffering from that mid-summer malaise of the freelancer. This is the point in the summer, usually when the rain is falling hardest, where you realise that as Sweden is effectively closed for the whole of the summer, your total earning for the month are negligible. And those awful people with jobs, who tend to give you work, won't return to their emails and phones for a very long time. </p>
<p>So I thought I'd write a quick blog to remind me (and you, dear reader!) where things are. Short term - I'm doing a gig tonight in Nyköping. Glamorous! </p>
<p>I think it may even be an outdoor venue, so I am hoping they have a roof or a contingency plan for the rain.. and the potential lack of audience.. This is a psychological trick - Build up as negative a picture as possible now, and the reality can only be a positive surprise. Rainy nights also have the potential to be classics. </p>
<p>Further ahead, I've been poking my nose around in Linköping looking at venues that may have potential to host comedy nights. So far, generally pretty negative with venues that are available being largely unsuitable or too expensive. But you never know. </p>
<p>I'm excited about the film, Big In Sweden, which will have preview screenings in Norrköping and Lund Comedy Festival in August. Then just a case of waiting for responses from some international film festivals. And of course, come August, once the great and the good of Stockholm return from their yachting holidays in the archipelago, there's also the chance to try and sell the thing to TV in Sweden. Meetings pending both for that and some other nice ideas. </p>
<p>But for the moment ... It's the mid-summer malaise, listening to the rain on the window pane and worrying about bank balances and creative inactivity.</p>
<p>Cheer me up by liking the new <a contents="Facebook page" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.facebook.com/biginsweden" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> for Big In Sweden, by following me on social media (Twitter: @benkersley), or you can always offer to buy me a coffee. A real one, in person, or a virtual<a contents=" Ko-Fi" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://Ko-fi.com/benkersley" target="_blank"> Ko-Fi</a>. I'm not fussy. </p>
<p>I'm going to try and get back into blogging more regularly, for the discipline of writing more than anything else, but also, as I've been doing a few things that at the time I've thought 'I should blog about this' and then spend an hour on Twitter instead.</p>
<p>So the blog is back in action and let's hope for an adventure and a half in Nyköping tonight!</p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/57621812019-05-21T11:19:10+02:002022-05-30T12:15:05+02:00Sold out at Gamla Linköping <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/68896a5fa161dfc3ab9b1a10b2c69bba2a544d75/original/60813298-355647831975426-3912303499680940032-n-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>It was a funny old week last week, in more ways that one. I went to see some politicians from the culture department speak about their vision for Linköping’s kulturliv. The event came to me as a bit of a shock as, until I saw the ad on Facebook, I was certain that Linköping Kommun had closed down the culture department. I went along and they made a good effort, dressed themselves with the trousers on the right way and no food spilt on their shirts. They spoke for a couple of hours, in which every word they said reinforced the image and reputation of how rich, vital, cultural and welcoming a city Norrköping actually is. </p>
<p>I left the event, reminded that it is surely just a matter of time before they change the city slogan from ‘Linköping - Where ideas become reality’ to ‘Linköping - Just not that kind of place'. I tried to speak to them, but was put in my place and reminded that I was simply a purveyor of low art. ‘You are wrong’ I was told. 'Comedian! Fool! Know thy place!' </p>
<p>It's a lonely business, comedy, and I knew that it is my lot to battle with the knowledge that I work with an art form that, according to Linköping Kommun, is quite simply, not in demand.</p>
<p>In fact, it is so ‘Not in demand’ that, the next night I had to struggle with selling out Gamla Linköping dansbana with the largest audience the place had ever seen. That’s life at the bottom for you. </p>
<p>I was putting on a gig on the bandstand in Linköping’s Old Town, a place where they have accurately recreated the atmosphere of a ghost town that has lost its appeal to ghosts. For one night only, with invaluable and irreplaceable help from Anders at Visit Linköping, who opened doors (metaphorically and literally), I was bringing the place alive with an excited audience of young and old, student and professional and even some who had travelled as far as exotic Mjölby. </p>
<p>They were here for comedy. And comedy they got. In buckets. </p>
<p>We kicked the night off with some Balkan Brass, played expertly and with gusto by the Brureband, a group of local seventeen seventeen year olds who have decided to waste their youth on making music rather than taking drugs and mugging old ladies. The idiots. The audience were high on the (Non alcoholic) beer served by the ladies of Dahlbergs/Hilma Winblads who also helped with the accommodation (which I recommend!)</p>
<p>The atmosphere was electric, I MC’d with my wits on full throttle. There was back and forth, audience interplay and plenty of laughs. Then came Henrik Källman, my old partner from the Komiform tour and co-producer of this show - The last time we worked together we played in front of 25 pensioners in Eksjö, who gave us 132 kronor, two boiled sweets and a 15% discount card for dog food at the local pet shop. Henrik was great back then, but with almost 400 in the audience who could hear properly and use the toilet without help, he was excellent. </p>
<p>Then came Elin Almén. It’s the first time I’ve met Elin, and she has a growing reputation in Sweden for energy filled clever comedy, which she more than lived up to. And she really brought the house down with her stage presence and physical and verbal gymnastics. </p>
<p>Interval. More Balkan music. A few jokes from me. Then like a whirlwind, Marcus Berggren took the stage dragging a curly haired guitar carrying teenager behind him, like an orphan child that he had picked up from the gutter. Marcus told the audience that this boy was called Simon, he had spotted him and at L’Orient (As close as Linköping gets to the Star Wars bar at Mos Eisley), and now this was his chance to play guitar to a bigger audience than his regular crowd of five Finnish alcoholics wearing Nylon. He played a song, inhaled the atmosphere of hundreds of people focussed on just him and then left the stage a crumpled heap. </p>
<p>Marcus returned, tore the place apart with 40 minutes of non stop anarchy, then brought the boy back onstage into the public gaze. </p>
<p>“We’re finishing with a Håkan Hellström singalong!” Marcus shouted “Whether you like it or not!”. </p>
<p>And like it, we did. Marcus wailed, Simon strummed, the seventeen seventeen year olds of Brureband jammed along, and the audience found their harmonies. Some of the small furry and feathered creatures of the forest crept out of the foliage, beguiled by the sound and to bear witness to what a piece of work is man. </p>
<p>I went home with the sound of almost 400 people laughing and applauding ringing in my ears. That’s how you do it. That’s how you put on a show, that’s what people want to see.</p>
<p>Put that in your politician’s pipes and smoke it, Linköpings Kommun department of culture, and ask yourself, what should you really be supporting? Black and White Japanese films or comedy, a genre that has a legacy in Linköping via ten years of LKPG HA HA!, Ankan Johansson and Tage Danielsson.. Ask yourselves! … Reader, I think we all know how this story ends.</p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/57067352019-04-04T16:18:32+02:002022-04-17T21:49:35+02:00Sitcom premiere this Saturday on SVT 1!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/9c612a915d1481b9f75f860c2c7bef593c6c5e92/original/alpitcherpa-paus1.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>It’s a weird feeling. .. But our sitcom is finally going to be broadcast on proper telly. Thinking back, the first time Al and I discussed this idea was probably two and a half years ago in a cafe in Stockholm Central Station. The original idea has been torn apart, chewed up, spat out, reassembled, remoulded, taken apart again, thrown together, screwed tight, fine polished and finally shown the light of day. And funnily enough it now looks fairly similar to the original idea. In parts at least. </p>
<p>So this Saturday night, at 22.30 on SVT 1, we are hoping that the fine people of Sweden tune in to our sitcom ‘Al Pitcher På Paus’. Laughter is the goal, and we will deal with the love or hate as and when it comes.. Just praying we don’t get ignored. The show is on after ‘Das Boot’, so let’s hope there’s something that appeals to fans of wartime German drama to roll over to boost our audience figures. </p>
<p>Either way. There it is. My name in black and white. Manus: Ben Kersley and Al Pitcher.</p>
<p>Here comes a little taster too - Tell your friends, tell your enemies and let me know what you think</p>
<p><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="476" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FSVTHumor%2Fvideos%2F406361103497226%2F&show_text=0&width=476" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="476"></iframe></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/56411062019-02-13T15:35:24+01:002022-04-26T22:05:02+02:00The Brexit Express comes to Linköping!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/6088396f19d06c99063e118862f1de9ba8e91d7c/original/52146357-2252566625042673-4246160073627271168-n.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Last night the Brexit Express steamrolled to my home town, Linköping. The UK Foreign Office are on a PR offensive trying to reassure businesses, expats and potential tourists that even though the UK is going down the drain at speed, the drain it is going down is still a world leading drain. Being the laughing stock of the world is all part of our famous sense of humour. </p>
<p>The PR push started in the morning with a half-hearted effort to woo tourists to London. A mocked up red telephone box in the middle of the main square was the best that they could come up with. Nobody had told the embassy that they would be sharing the square with an even bigger promotion by the Swedish Probation Service whose truck with the words ‘Leave Your Life Of Crime’ somewhat overshadowed the phone box. Anglophiles were invited to enjoy a virtual reality tour of the capital, sip on tea and nibble on shortbread. Unfortunately, on the same day, <a contents="footage was emerging on Twitter" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://twitter.com/BazzieSmith/status/1095082673171648513" target="_blank">footage was emerging on Twitter</a> of a Swedish tourist being abused by a mob of yellow vest wearing knuckleheads who looked like they’d been banned from Wetherspoons for bringing down the tone of the place. </p>
<p>My friend David tried the VR headset (pictured). To help him with the full London experience, I kicked him in the nuts and stole his bag. </p>
<p>In the evening, the UK Ambassador was to address worried UK subjects who live in Linköping. The meeting was at the Town Hall, a place where important decisions are made by our local politicians on an almost occasional basis. Lars Vikinge, the mayor, greeted us and welcomed His Excellency, The Ambassador, David Cairns. No judgement on either Vikinge or Cairns, who are both pleasant enough gentlemen, but being in the presence of both the representative of the UK government and the figurehead of Linköping Kommun felt like witnessing the perfect storm of ineptitude and incompetence. It’s not the Ambassador’s fault. It’s Brexit. And it’s not the Mayor’s fault that Linköping is so… well maybe it’s partly his fault. </p>
<p>The crowd of angry Brits had been given a good twenty minutes to build up to a simmering rage, and needless to say Lars Vikinge completely misread the mood. He kicked off with a couple of jokes which didn’t really land. Then waffled on with a brief history of the building, which apparently used to be a school! He would have gone on, but was interrupted by an elderly Mancunian cracking his knuckles. Lars tried to win the crowd back by telling us that he felt an empathy for our situation as his wife was from Norway, a country that is also not a part of the EU. This didn’t help. It was a bit like reassuring the crew of a rusty, rudderless ship that is about to sink in shark infested waters, that even though they can’t swim it’ll be OK as he has a friend who has a heated swimming pool with an inflatable dolphin. </p>
<p>So on came the Ambassador. I watch these things with the critical eye of the stand up comic and to his credit he grabbed the mic confidently, but you could see in his eyes he didn’t trust his material. We’ve all been there and I’ll be honest, I admired him for turning up in the first place as that’s not a gig I’d have taken on. I guess he’d sworn some kind of allegiance and this was his moment to fall on his sword for queen and country and to honour the result of an election from two years ago that was probably swayed by Russian influence and definitely driven by lies on buses and promises that couldn’t be kept. </p>
<p>The nerves must have got to him as his opening remarks were to say what a pleasure it was to be in Norrköping - An easy mistake to make and close enough, as Norrköping is only 30km away. But not a great way to win over an already hostile crowd. He clawed his way back and pulled out the full arsenal of platitudes and euphemism. My favourite was that “The UK would leave the EU in an orderly fashion” as though we were disembarking from a National Express coach for a fifteen minute toilet stop on the M1. </p>
<p>Then he opened it up to questions. There were some good ones. A highlight for me was one bloke referring to Boris Johnson as “That fucking clown BoJo”. Nobody, not one person, found any reason to disagree with the epithet. </p>
<p>It was obvious that while there were many questions, the Ambassador had very few answers. In fact the Ambassador’s entire evening could be summed up with two phrases: “I don’t know” and “That’s probably a matter for the Swedish government”. It was almost as if he lacked any expertise on the subject at all.. Which of course, in post expert Britain, makes him perfectly qualified. </p>
<p>So roll on Brexit. There’s just over a month to go. And when we get there, please do your best to leave in an orderly fashion</p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/56390792019-02-12T11:35:54+01:002022-04-30T18:05:36+02:00Pitcher På Paus på produktion <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/49261f77474acec2d7ea8fe73e6ef15fabac8062/original/52117904-10158117830703356-5222477994810933248-n.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Back in September I wrote about <a contents="getting a haircut" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blogs/bloggle/posts/a-very-close-shave" target="_blank">getting a haircut</a> with a view to impressing some SVT bigwigs with my clean cut looks. I realise now that there is more to making it in television comedy than just having a good haircut and that actually having a decent premise and a funny script is also important. I’m disappointed to say that the execs saw through my sharp looks and simply looked at the scripts and the idea on the page, not even once mentioning how well groomed I was. There wasn’t even a hint that I was the best looking person in the room. In other words, they commissioned the sitcom on the strength of the idea alone. Outrageous. </p>
<p>I was obviously distraught, but I told myself that the beautiful people like me have to overcome a double challenge in life. I should have just been grateful that they saw beyond the simple, meaningless, shallow façade of my dazzling good looks. It is a curse that I have to live with. </p>
<p>However, it was a thumbs up, the green light, the firing of the starter pistol (These are all metaphors, there was no starter pistol or green light shone in my face, although the TV execs all gave each other the thumbs up, smiling from ear to ear like kids at Drayton Manor Park and Zoo - Or at least that’s how I imagined that they made their decision after I had left the room). And we were good to go. Our sitcom had been commissioned. Pitcher På Paus, by Ben Kersley and Al Pitcher was going to happen. </p>
<p>Getting the green light is a weird experience. Initially, there is an amazing feeling of relief that all the hard work and tension of developing an idea, writing and shooting a pilot, and preparing for the pitch has paid off. A weight is lifted. </p>
<p>This warm feeling lasts approximately five minutes, when the reality suddenly dawns on you that you then have to deliver. Then the practical reality hits you full in the face - The reality of coming up with, and then needing to write, eight episodes not only replaces the weight on your shoulders, but doubles it. </p>
<p>So we started writing. We wrote in Al’s office, we wrote at home, we wrote via Skype as Al toured to the far flung corners of Sweden on his tour, and we wrote backstage when his tour took him to Linköping and Norrköping; We even wrote on a transatlantic flight back from New York. </p>
<p>And a fair old amount of writing was done in a glass walled office at the production company Art & Bob under the watchful eye of Mike Syrén. Working with Mike has been one of the highlights of this project and I’ve learnt a hell of a lot from him about structure, efficiency of dialogue, and also that I should invest in the latest version of Final Draft. </p>
<p>So it’s been a journey, but now my bit is pretty much over for now as the cameras start rolling and the script goes from page to image. From here it’s over to the director, Adam along with the cast and crew. I think they’re going to do a great job and I can’t wait to see the results. And you can too. On a TV screen sometime before the summer.</p>
<p>Follow the fun on social media via the hashtag #pitcherpåpaussvthumor</p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/56033892019-01-20T07:53:31+01:002022-02-06T16:40:06+01:00Vegans, vanilla and beaver's bottoms.<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/71cfdc8ccfffd0c37ef24e80d609b7994c65e698/original/american-beaver.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>The other day I made an incredible scientific discovery about beavers and their bottoms.</p>
<p>I don’t want to take credit for the actual science, or give the impression that it was I who first made this discovery for the greater good of humanity. I just mean that it was a discovery for me. The science already existed. All I did was find out about it and uttered the word ‘Wow!’ </p>
<p>I found out how they make vanilla extract. Yes. Vanilla extract. A thing that I'd never given more than a second or two thought. Like most people in the world, I had simply assumed that vanilla extract was made of, well, vanilla.</p>
<p>How wrong I was! </p>
<p>There I was, having a casual conversation with my friend Kristoffer. We were talking about the grey areas of veganism, as I chowed down on a Texas Classic Burger with extra cheese and he nibbled on his so called Texas Vegan Burger. It wasn't just his choice of burger; I had always assumed he was a vegan because he used to live in Malmö. </p>
<p>The usual questions: Can you eat honey? As bees have slaved away to produce it; Or tomatoes? The seeds of which need to pass through the gut of an animal in order to germinate; Or sausages? When a nice plate of bangers and mash with gravy is so hard to resist.</p>
<p>It turns out that there were not only simple answers to all these questions, but that my friend Kristoffer was not actually a vegan after all, so he’d never really had to take on these moral dilemmas. </p>
<p>I told him about the time, as a student, we’d found ourselves, ravenously hungry on the high street at Cheddar Gorge in the company of a vegan classmate, Tom. Every shop was basically a cheese shop aimed at tourists and sold infinite variations of ‘A nice bit of Cheddar’. While the rest of us gorged (geddit?) ourselves on free samples of prime cheddar, Tom was becoming increasingly irritable. ‘Just eat the crackers’ we told him between mouthfuls. It turns out that to a vegan, the old Jacob’s Cream Crackers were even worse as they contained animal fat.</p>
<p>While reluctant to harm an animal, a hungry, irritable vegan Tom, posed a very real danger to humans. The only way to defend ourselves was by waving cheese at him. </p>
<p>Kristoffer wasn’t impressed by my 'vegan goes for blood' story. He could beat it. He leant in and asked me if I knew about vanilla extract.</p>
<p>Vanilla extract, it transpires, is not actually made from vanilla. The vanilla flavour comes instead from a scent gland found near the anus of the humble beaver. So if you are a vegan, the old vanilla extract is very much off limits.</p>
<p>This of course raises all sorts of questions. Who first discovered this? Did someone casually lift the tail of a beaver and give the bum a good old sniff? And who are these people? <a contents="An article from The National Geographic" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.mbloudoff.com/national-geographic/beaver-butts-emit-goo-used-for-flavoring/" target="_blank">An article from The National Geographic</a> goes some way to answering that, with the following quote:</p>
<p>“I lift up the animal’s tail,” said Joanne Crawford, a wildlife ecologist at Southern Illinois University, “and I’m like, ‘Get down there, and stick your nose near its bum.’” </p>
<p>Vanilla. Beavers. Bottoms. My world had been turned upside down. </p>
<p>When you find out something new like this you have to tell people. That night I gathered my family around the dinner table. There were questions, but I had all the answers. I even threw in the Latin word, castoreum, for the vanilla flavoured substance produced by the beaver's bum. We imagined a chef who had run out of vanilla lifting the tail of a beaver and giving a good old sniff, then giving his kitchen the thumbs up to let them know vanilla ice cream was back on the menu. We all giggled the giggles of non vegans, laughing at the expense of the poor beaver. </p>
<p>Then things took a turn. My thirteen year old son, still innocent to many of the wicked ways of the world, but with his very own curious and cynical mind, doubted my story.</p>
<p>'Google it!’ I shouted at him, triumphantly ‘Google it!’.</p>
<p>He grabbed his phone and, still smiling, started googling. I waited for the moment that I would be proven right, ready to dab, floss and do <a contents="all the other dances from Fortnite" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/x3_dJaZjwHo" target="_blank">all the other dances from Fortnite</a> in his face</p>
<p>Instead, I watched in horror as his happy expression turned to shock and miscomprehension. He had turned red.</p>
<p>'I googled it, Dad. I just googled it… ‘ His eyes were fixed on the images on the screen, horrified. </p>
<p>'What did you put into Google?' I asked </p>
<p>'I googled what you said’ </p>
<p>‘What did you write?’ </p>
<p>‘Beavers and Anal… Beavers and Anal’ </p>
<p>There were many more questions to answer that evening. Many more questions.</p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/55741272018-12-30T16:54:01+01:002022-04-20T09:45:03+02:00That was the year that was - 2018<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/1976e8675602e715b7510681880827b84fa0cf6b/original/48922729-380775712492145-2958662348690161664-n-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>As 2018 draws to a close, here's a quick look back at the year that was. </p>
<p>Like most years, when you sit back during those strange, long-weekend-like days between Xmas and New Year, it’s hard to remember what was what. Was that a real memory or a good intention that never materialised? Did that happen this year or the year before? Or did it happen at all? Perhaps, I'm just getting old. </p>
<p>So here is my attempt to go through some of the things that I’ve done during 2018. What I’ve achieved, or almost achieved; and probably failed at too. Although in this age of online self congratulation, who wants to know about that unless there's a 'How I overcame adversity' tie-in</p>
<p>Read on! Enjoy! This is mainly about my professional life so please assume that I’ve done my best to be an adequate/inadequate/wonderful/terrible/present/absent husband and father at the same time. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">--------</p>
<p>The year started, as any year should, with pitches. </p>
<p>Pitching is one of those great words that sound as though you are casually tossing a flippant suggestion to another player on the same team.<br>‘Hey buddy! How do you fancy trying out this crazy idea?’.<br>In reality, the balance of power in these situations is very different. You are going in with a concept that you believe in, and you have to convince the other party that this idea fits their criteria. What their criteria are is never 100% obvious. It may be: 'You can make loads of money from this!’ or it may equally be: ‘This fits perfectly with the core values of your organisation’. Or most likely a combination of both as well as a thousand other things that neither you nor they are able to define. Either way, the 'pitcher' generally has a lot more to gain than the 'pitchee' - You play it cool, but the difference between a thumbs up and a thumbs down is the difference between the next three to six months being paid and busy or going back to the drawing board with nothing. </p>
<p>Looking back, I’ve had six or seven pitches over 2018. Two or three for television, a couple for film funding and one, just at the end of the year for a live event next year. Let’s ignore the last one for now until next year when I either get a thumbs up, a 'Get Out Of Here!', or most likely, a Swedish style mumble-mumble of indecision and procrastination that is neither a yes or a no. </p>
<p>Back to the pitches of 2018! At the beginning of January, Al Pitcher and I pitched an idea to Art & Bob for a sitcom. Skipping through the year, this initial pitch at the beginning of the year has taken us to writing and filming a pilot in February, to getting commissioned to write a couple of pilot episodes. Then taking it to 'The Big Table' - describing the idea to the bigwigs of SVT in an anonymous room on an anonymous floor of the anonymous building that is TV-Huset. Experiencing the joy of getting a 'Yes!', followed by the realisation of having to write eight episodes and coming up with eight funny storylines. Then scripting, rewriting, casting, cutting, rewriting, cutting, rewriting .. And as the year draws to an end, looking forward to filming them in February and March. </p>
<p>Yes. It is very exciting. </p>
<p>The other pitches this year were also for projects with Al Pitcher. In January, to try and get money from the Swedish Film Institute (Lots Of Money) and The Norrköpings Film Fund (Not much Money). One of these was successful (The one for Not Much Money). Later in the year we applied to Film i Öst, once in March and once in November. Both unsuccessful as the film didn’t really fit their rather contradictory agenda. I was told that the footage that we submitted suggested that our film was (quote) “Like the kind of thing that you might see on Netflix”, i.e. interesting, entertaining and watchable, and was therefore not the kind of film Film i Öst should be funding. Logically, from this critique, we can only assume that they are hoping for more films from the region that are uninteresting, unentertaining and unwatchable. </p>
<p>We also got some distance with pitching to Comedy Central (who subsequently went bust) as well as making ground on an idea with The Nobel Academy - who subsequently decided to lie low after the Swedish Academy scandal. That’s the way it crumbles, cookiewise. </p>
<p>Big In Sweden! Big In Sweden! Tell us about the film called Big In Sweden!</p>
<p>After filming a pilot in the summer of 2017 and thanks, in part, to the ‘Not Much Money’ from Norrköpings Film Fund, we headed northwards to find our story. Al, Gustav Skogens and I (plus interchangeably, Sara and Rickard on sound) piled into the top of the range Tiguan that had kindly been lent to us by Volkswagen and set the autopilot first to Edsbyn where we saw giant chairs, bandy sticks and skis. Met some Bandy fanatics and saw the world’s most hated public art in Bollnäs main square. </p>
<p>Then in the summer we went even further north to Ånäset to slice some Västerbottens Ost, to Skellefteå to watch Sweden beat Mexico and meet Big Steve from England, then further into the wilds to meet the mythical wild man Thorbjörn of Svansele. Then back south via Sweden’s belly button, Stöde. </p>
<p>After filming we changed the title from ‘Al Pitcher’s Monumental Tour Of Sweden’ to ‘Al Pitcher’s Big In Sweden’ and the adventure that had taken us to the Norrbotten village of Svansele (population: 68) took us to The Big Apple, New York City (Population: Many more than 68). </p>
<p>We showed a work in progress version of the film at NIFF, The Nordic International Film Festival, with a surprisingly good response from the audience. We mooched and schmoozed with other moochers and schmoozers and I ended up being The Voice Of God at the NIFF award ceremony. I *heart* New York!</p>
<p>As I write, the film is still being edited, but it’s looking good and hopefully will get closer to completion during the first part of the year. Aiming for premieres in Svansele, Norrköping and New York. </p>
<p>Closer to home, it’s been a bit of a disappointing year for stand up in Linköping. 2018 was the tenth anniversary of LKPG HA HA! and as the situation for live venues becomes increasingly ridiculous in Linköping, I decided not to do anything special to commemorate this. I did the Linköping Comedy Festival again, but with only a single venue that took 90 people, I didn’t book any huge names. So, from selling over 1000 tickets in 2017, the festival sold a few hundred. It was still good fun, but it kind of made me realise that Linköping just isn’t the place for independent productions. I’ve written a couple of blogs about how crap it all is. Result from the people who should care: Silence. So sod 'em. </p>
<p>Other stand up stuff that has been fun has been performing in New York and pissing off the guy who ran the venue. Also doing the Kom i Form Tour with Henrik Källman which took us to some weird and wonderful places like a kräftskiva in Dalarna and a pensioner’s social group in Eksjö. I think we’ll do more of the same next year, so if you have a weird and wonderful place where there's never been any stand up before, get in touch!</p>
<p>There’s also been some fun stand up nights in Norrköping and Söderköping. Not millions, but a few pretty good company gigs most notably one for Bixia where I did a guided tour of the motorway through Stockholm (Did I blog this? I should have!). And there’s even been a small conversation about resurrecting The Tuesday Chinwag which last saw the light of day five years ago. </p>
<p>It’s been a great year for voiceovers too. Lots of work for Online Voices as well as a few other companies in Stockholm and Östergötland. </p>
<p>Is that it? Maybe....<br>2018 also saw some brill trips to Hungary, the UK and a lovely family holiday to Crete. It’s also the year I got my flag from the mayor and became a Swedish citizen as the Brexit fiasco rumbles on in the UK. </p>
<p>So here’s to 2019. More of the same as well as more exciting things around the corner. Get fit, spend more time with the kids, be creative, have fun, cook and eat fine food, try to do more good than harm, and read more books.</p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/55664572018-12-23T11:29:54+01:002022-05-11T13:28:00+02:00Waiter, waiter! There's a fly in my soup!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/821a613c52bf977e302300472db183bcad8a7cb1/original/48926362-2342976152400613-5128686444621070336-n-1.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>It's almost Xmas. I'm exhausted. My defences and usual cynicism have been gently eroded over an intensive month. I've been holed up, writing until my fingers bleed. On the few occasions I have ventured out into the real world, my senses have been bombarded by a tirade of Christmas music as I have wandered around in the half-light of the Swedish winter. That's the only explanation for how I ended up where I ended up for the last gig of the year. </p>
<p>As the last working week of the year came to an end, with work that still needs to be done, I saw the following post on The Book Of Face from my friend Jerry Prutz, or as he is also known 'That Bloody Jerry Bloody Prutz!':</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/967c35fd4406006febb7217fab5626bf6269b9f4/original/48377516-1011525839018967-2698617476375117824-n.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><br> If you can't read Swedish, here's a quick translation: </p>
<p>JERRY: On Friday, I'm doing some stand up at the soup kitchen by St Lars Church. Small crowd. Max 15 people. Does anyone want to come along and perform? </p>
<p>Last gig of the year. For the homeless of Linköping. Bring a little happiness to the downtrodden, the unwashed, the folk that the good times have forgotten. Why not? My hardened heart was softening with the spirit of the season. Besides, I thought, a chance to meet and mix with people whose paths would never usually cross mine. </p>
<p>I mailed Prutz and asked what category of down-and-out we'd be performing to. Alcoholics? Drug Addicts? Beggars? Outsiders rejected by society? </p>
<p>All of the above, he replied. </p>
<p>On the night, I hauled myself up from the sofa by the log fire in my house, leaving my family who were settling down to a cosy evening together. I reminded myself how lucky we are to have shelter, food, warmth as well as each other. I got to the venue, through the cold and icy night.</p>
<p>At this point that I realised that 'By St Lars Church' meant 'Near St Lars Church' and that 'Soup Kitchen' meant ' Cafe that serves soup' </p>
<p>There was a small crowd of very un-homeless, non-down-and-outs, sipping on bowls of soup looking decidedly the very opposite of downtrodden. </p>
<p>I gave them a show. They got jokes. But to avoid any further confusion, I stuck to soup jokes. </p>
<p>"Waiter, Waiter! There's a fly in my soup!"<br>"Don't tell everyone, sir, or they'll all want one"</p>
<p>"Waiter, Waiter! There's a dead fly in my soup!"<br>"Yes, sir. It's the heat that kills them" </p>
<p>"Waiter, Waiter! What's this fly doing in my soup?"<br>"I think it's the breast stroke, sir!"</p>
<p>And so it went on. </p>
<p>If there are any homeless organisations or 'actual Soup Kitchens in Linköping that would like a free stand up gig. Please get in touch. I owe you one. </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
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<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/55086752018-11-12T22:59:25+01:002021-04-26T22:33:13+02:00If you want to get ahead, get a hat - New York Blog #2<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/b20d050502a6450a643238cea806419e9dc893a5/original/45936368-2156916637675599-2510531014418235392-n-1.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>When I was in my final year at university, my friend Tom and I had a simple plan for the future: Move to New York. </p>
<p>This was back in 1998 and when the internet still hadn’t really come into its own. Nowadays, you just google ‘How to move to New York’. Luckily I had a friend from New York who could help us, so I did what we did before the days of email and I handwrote her a letter. </p>
<p>I was straight to business, New York style. I needed information: Dear Helen, I wrote, how do you go about renting a flat in New York? </p>
<p>My letter had two major flaws. First, that in the USA they don’t say ‘flat’ but ‘apartment’, and secondly that my handwriting, while full of flair and character, can occasionally be a little messy. The close proximity of the letters ‘F’ and ‘L’, unfortunately came over as a single letter, an ‘H’. So Helen received a letter filled with the following questions: </p>
<ul> <li>How easy is it to rent a hat in New York? </li> <li>Can you rent a hat for two or more people? </li> <li>How warm are the hats in New York during the winter? </li> <li>Can you keep a dog in a hat in New York? </li> <li>Do you know anyone who might be renting out their hat while they go away? We’ll just need a hat until we find a hat of our own. </li>
</ul>
<p>We never moved to New York in the end. </p>
<p>I don’t regret it, because I’ve done so much else in life, but occasionally as I walk around Linköping, <a contents="Sweden’s third most exciting city for events (decision pending)" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/pressreleases/linkoeping-ska-bli-landets-tredje-stoersta-stad-foer-event-1009216" target="_blank">Sweden’s third most exciting city for events (decision pending)</a>, I sometimes wonder how different life would be if I’d spent a few years in the Big Apple instead. </p>
<p>Last week I was there for the third time in my life, and as always, I felt at home immediately. </p>
<p>I love the energy of New York, which hits you, the moment you get off the plane. While I have reservations about the rest of the US, there is nothing I don’t love about New York. The people and accents and sounds and smells from all over the globe. If you live in New York, there’s no need to travel. The world is already on your doorstep. Every colour, every language, every personality and every increment in the spectrum of humanity. Within yards of each other, you can see the richest and the poorest, visibly flaunting or wallowing in the hand that life has dealt them. It is Dickensian and inhumane, as well as being the stuff of fairytales. The narrative plays out and all you can do is make your own contribution to the tapestry of the city, playing a bit role in the drama of the metropolis. </p>
<p>Without being glib or naive, there is still a uniquely NYC positivity from characters that seem to be at the bottom of the heap. On the Subway, a beggar in a wheelchair gave his spiel to the passengers. We heard a horrible story of how he’d ended up paralysed following an accident. With no insurance, his only choice was to drag his twisted body from carriage to carriage to raise enough to eat. It was a medieval sight. His story was believable, because in New York, such a story is believable. He told us that he didn’t drink or do drugs and he wasn’t proud of where he was, but that this was all he had. As he left the carriage, he wished everyone a nice day. His parting words were to be happy and remain positive, because however bad things seem, there is always someone who has got it worse than you. He wasn’t talking about himself and he wasn’t looking for pity. He believed it, and it was probably this mantra that was getting him through the day. </p>
<p>Despite the reputation of New York being a tough city - and it is a tough city, no doubt - it is also one of the friendliest places I’ve ever been to. It isn’t just easy to get chatting to a stranger, it’s almost impossible not to. You make new friends quickly, they may be ephemeral and of the moment, but they are genuine. Disparate characters enjoying a shared humanity. </p>
<p>When you aren’t in New York and try to imagine a New Yorker, to play act being a New Yorker, it always feels like the impression is too much - You do the accent, and the gestures and it's unconvincing, stereotyped, the expressions and phrasing over the top. The reality is, that pretty much every New Yorker we met was beyond parody, beyond the stereotype. It was as though the New Yorkers of our imaginations were bland compared to the real deal. </p>
<p>This trip, one of the highlights was meeting an old news hack called Brad, a wise-crcking New York Jew. Imagine Larry David turned up to eleven and a half. Among his many yarns, he told us the greatest story of Rock and Roll journalism I’ve ever heard. A music journalist in London at the height of the early eighties New Wave scene, he’d followed bands like The Fall, Flock of Seagulls, Television and more. And then he told us about the time he’d interviewed Bob Marley and The Wailers in a flat in Hackney. We were captivated as he painted a picture with words. There he was, with Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer in a room thick with ganja smoke. Brad set his tape recorder going and Marley prosthelytised for an hour and half. We were drawn in by Brad's description and asked him what Marley had said. Brad clapped his hands together and broke the spell “I have no fucking idea! I couldn’t understand a fucking word he said!” </p>
<p>Everyone in New York has a story and everyone is fighting to get ahead. I love the game, the spiel of the city. The energy which can make or break you. Most are not winning, but everyone sees themselves as winners, or like the guy in the wheelchair, they are winners who are just going through a temporary losing streak. </p>
<p>It’s a cliche, but I *heart* NY and I would go back there at the drop of a hat.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/0f48d3b1752753cc378d3a7496a97ca0b26a8b8a/original/46024616-726013381107635-8299806999944626176-n.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/55050322018-11-08T20:56:38+01:002022-03-29T11:20:19+02:00Take me to Broadway - New York blog #1<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/d84fbfda266770f9ae82323517066c7b42688f8b/original/broadway-still.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>In the early 2000's I went to see the brilliant, pranksterfly rap artist <a contents="Chilly Gonzales " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.chillygonzales.com" target="_blank">Chilly Gonzales </a>at the Scala in King's Cross, London. One of the best live acts I've ever seen, here was a Jewish Canadian rapper who lived in Paris and Berlin, performing in London. But what he told us that night was simple: 'Take me to Broadway, take me tonight' </p>
<p>He dripped with sweat in his velour tracksuit under a pink dressing gown, towel wrapped around his neck, boxer style, while the artist Feist bounced along in a <a contents="green swimming costume and sparkly heels" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/KggSIrfL-90" target="_blank">green swimming costume and sparkly heels</a>. The message stuck in the crowd's head, ringing in our ears as we caught the tube home that night: Take Me To Broadway. </p>
<p>.......</p>
<p>And if I ever get there get there <br>I'm gonna show my chest hair, chest hair <br>So Take Me To Broadway <br>Take Me To Broadway <br>Take Me To Broadway, I'm ready to fight</p>
<p>......</p>
<p>I love the crowd, I hate the crowd <br>I constantly constipate the crowd <br>No shit - Chilly put the ants in your pants <br>Aw shit just to put you in a trance <br>No I don't wanna make you bounce <br>I wanna be loved and hated in equal amounts, ah </p>
<p>Where? </p>
<p>In the home of the showman, home of the shaman, home of the she-man <br>Home of the comedian, home of the vaudevillians with opinions by the millions <br>......</p>
<p>I gotta get my prank on, prank on <br>And hit 'em with a sad song, sad song <br>So Take Me To Broadway <br>Take Me To Broadway <br>Take Me To Broadway, do it tonight</p>
<p>......... </p>
<p>This time last week. I was there. New York. At a stand up comedy club. And I was doing Broadway.</p>
<p>As New York debuts go it wasn't bad. Even if, as the events of the night panned out, I managed to get myself banned from the club for life, and if the words of the guy running the place hold any water, I would never play New York again. That's right. I would no longer be welcome with my act in any of the Five Boroughs. Goodbye New York, I can now only set my sights on being big in New Jersey and who would ever do that?</p>
<p>My crime? I went over time, I riffed. That was the first offence, but the killer was that I was unrepentant. And when you do wrong at Broadway, you'd better repent, Buddy! </p>
<p>After the gig the self proclaimed Baronet of Broadway confronted me, fishing for an apology. I pointed out that nobody had died, and that the world was still spinning on its axis. We would all be OK. Running over time, did not really matter in the great scheme of things. </p>
<p>Apparently it did. He fixed his eyes on mine, and used that earnest tone that some Americans can do so well. He said, with no irony in his voice "I want you to look deeply, in your heart of hearts, and tell me that you are sorry for what you did tonight."</p>
<p>I held his gaze and said in a voice drenched in irony, that to his American ears would have sounded irony free "I have searched profoundly within my soul, deep in my heart of hearts, and my conclusion is that I have nothing to apologise for"</p>
<p>Too much. </p>
<p>"You will never play here again. I will see to it that you never play in New York again. You are dead to me"</p>
<p>......</p>
<p>I have a plan.</p>
<p>I will return. Apply for an open spot under a false name. Arrive wearing a cunning disguise - a wig and sunglasses, perhaps - and then I will perform there again one day. Maybe next year, maybe in five years, but I will be back. It could be anytime, so from now on, you'd better watch out for me, Broadway, because I will appear onstage when you least expect it.</p>
<p>And when I get on that stage, I will be Pranksterfly and I will not leave until they drag me off and I will be singing, at the top of my voice:</p>
<p>"Take me to Broadway, take me to Broadway, take me tonight"</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="a7pESuX9E24" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/a7pESuX9E24/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a7pESuX9E24?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/54921082018-10-30T12:19:03+01:002021-12-08T12:29:51+01:00From Mjölby to Manhattan<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/8f8fe000d5a23649e32e9e065837e1debb525645/original/45009546-1998878503528087-9183556465955176448-n.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Just a quick one to say that I am on my way to New York to attend the <a contents="Nordic International Film Festival (NIFF)" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.nordicfilmfest.org/official-selection-2018/2018/11/3/specialty-screening-big-in-sweden" target="_blank">Nordic International Film Festival (NIFF)</a> where we'll show a few scenes from the film, which is now called 'Big in Sweden' . If you happen to be in Manhattan on Saturday, drop by and say hello.</p>
<p>If you happen to be in Mjölby this Saturday, perhaps you should look deeply at yourself and how you wound up there in the first place and what you can do to get the hell out. </p>
<p>I'll also be making my stand up debut in New York.. So will hopefully find some time to blog about that too. </p>
<p>In the meantime, here's a lovely article about the film in <a contents="Norrköpings Tidning" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://nt.se/kultur-noje/ostgotskt-filmprojekt-till-filmfestival-i-new-york-om5528501.aspx" target="_blank">Norrköpings Tidning</a></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/44c7884014bff17d83f32cf05a704ed877a4be89/original/44877161-10156971046971388-4122121070226440192-n.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/54803902018-10-22T18:45:59+02:002022-05-29T13:55:26+02:00SEMST down at The Crypt<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/81b5b907c87d6cc60cc9d413159f17cdb5d12747/original/44520836-304158507081515-4324221190131417088-n.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I need to start this blog post with a warning and a caveat. </p>
<p>First the warning: This is about Linköping’s cultural life, so perhaps appeals to a very small group of readers. If you have any sense and are ambivalent to the workings of a small town, please stop reading now. And really, you shouldn’t care one hoot - But it’s where I live, so I need to get it off my chest. </p>
<p>Secondly, the caveat: Yes, this is written with a slight taste of bitterness in my mouth. Up until one year ago I had a weekly comedy night which would regularly sell between 80 - 250 tickets per night. </p>
<p>In fact while we’re here, a little more background: For 18 months I was putting on weekly nights at The Crypt which had the potential to be one of the most exciting venues in Sweden. While I was putting on comedy, music promoters Gaphals were running one or two live music nights there per week. Over a twelve month period, we collectively sold over 18000 tickets. </p>
<p>18000 tickets in a twelve month period is not bad. This is in a city that has an official policy to become one of Sweden’s three biggest event cities. It’s ridiculous, it’s deluded, but it's absolutely true . You can read <a contents="all about it here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.linkoping.se/kommun-och-politik/fakta-om-linkoping/regler-och-styrande-dokument/styrande-dokument/riktlinjer/eventstrategi-for-linkoping/" target="_blank">all about it here</a>.</p>
<p>18000 tickets per year - Against the odds we were making things happen in little Linköping </p>
<p>Unfortunately the venue was (and still is) run by fucking idiots who didn’t pay their staff, or invest in the venue… Or most galling, acknowledge that without what we were doing there, those 18000 people would never have walked through their door and bought their food and drink. </p>
<p>Enough became enough at the beginning of 2017 and Gaphals and LKPG HA HA! pulled out of the venue. Since then, they have hosted the occasional live event. And this Saturday was an exercise in both schadenfreude and embarrassment when the guys from SEMST were in town. </p>
<p><a contents="SEMST" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/SEMST2014/" target="_blank">SEMST</a> - Ahmed Berhan, Jonatan Unge, Branne Pavlovic and Aron Flam are comedians who people love and hate in equal amounts and are exactly the kind of act that would never, ever be booked by a kommunal tjäsnsteman. Think New Circus..then imagine the polar opposite. There is an air of danger about them. They say the wrong thing about the wrong people. And as a result, they are exciting, funny and increasingly popular. </p>
<p>Putting on a comedy night is relatively simple. Make sure the sound and light works. Let the audience into the venue and keep them happy. The Crypt failed on every point. </p>
<p>When I got to The Crypt at 20.05, the queue was out of the door and into the street. In fact, The Crypt was so badly organised the last audience member, and this is audience members who had paid good money for a night out, got into the venue at 21.45.<br><br>The show started almost two hours late. The beer ran out. The sound and lighting were rubbish, the audience made to feel unwelcome by the staff. What a fiasco! Despite this, the SEMST guy put on a great show. A really great show.. But it was a long thirsty and overpriced evening for the people that stood in line for almost two hours. </p>
<p>So where is there to put on independent music or comedy in Linköping? Sagateatern? Do me a favour! <a contents="You can&nbsp;read about what happened last time I set foot in there" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blogs/bloggle/posts/semst-linkoping-bloody-kommun" target="_blank">You can read about what happened last time I set foot in there</a>. L’Orient? Similar problems to The Crypt.. plus their decision <a contents="to cancel Mr. Cool" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blogs/bloggle/posts/what-mr-cool-gate-means-for-linkoping" target="_blank">to cancel Mr. Cool</a> means that most comedy acts will not go there. Backstage? Outrageously expensive... Skylten? Apart from being a slow motion car crash, which we are watching through our fingers, it is just as expensive as Backstage .. but without a bar or any appeal. </p>
<p>So shoot… Is there any reason that we should see Linköping as having any credibility as a cultural city? </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/54494382018-09-30T12:59:12+02:002021-09-09T12:00:17+02:00A Very Close Shave<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/df1e439ca433848eb419efddd642e79a061754cf/original/img-20180905-185911.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /> </p>
<p>Woody Allen famously said that 80% of success is showing up. And he was absolutely right, as I almost found out thanks to a very close shave. </p>
<p>A couple of weeks ago, I had a twelve minute meeting with a long table of TV execs. Twelve minutes. Twelve minutes to sell in an idea that I’d been working on for almost a year along with Al Pitcher and the production company Art & Bob. </p>
<p>All the groundwork had been done: Scripts, outlines, pilot filmed, provisional casting, locations scouted and litres upon litres of coffee consumed. I just had to be there for the allotted twelve minutes. Show my face, do the pitch, give them the schtick. It was all there, a very strong pitch. </p>
<p>Show up. Pitch. Twelve minutes. Be there.</p>
<p>And I nearly didn’t make it .. it was a pretty close shave. Literally. </p>
<p>That morning in Stockholm, I went for a stroll to walk off some of the nervous energy for that afternoon’s pitch. I was in Södermalm, the pitch was at TV-Huset in Gärdet. I’d worked out the travel times, how long I had to gather my composure and give it the best shot. Everything was under control.</p>
<p>As I walked, I caught sight of myself in a shop window. I looked at my hair. A little unkempt, a little curly. Perfect. It’ll give the impression of the tortured artist, who puts his writing above personal grooming. </p>
<p>I walked past another window and checked my reflection again. A little too wild, perhaps. Although this is the look of a man who rejects social rules, a difficult artist, but with demons that are worth entertaining for the sake of art. The kind of thing they love down at SVT. I should fit right in. </p>
<p>Walking past a third window, I stared in disbelief as my reflection stared back. Who was this vagrant? This wild man who had given up on himself and no doubt spends his days shouting at pigeons, with only a mangy dog and a bottle of strong sherry for company. This hairstyle made a single, very clear statement: Self-neglect. </p>
<p>I faced facts. I needed a haircut. </p>
<p>Time was on my side. A nice clean haircut could make the difference I thought. I had just under three hours. This should not be a problem, I thought as I strolled in to a drop in barber and sat down to wait my turn. Vanity aside, this would take my mind off the impending pitch. Self indulgence is a perfect way to focus the mind. </p>
<p>There would be a short wait, I was told as I chatted to the guy in broken Swedish. He with an Arabic accent from Tunisia, me with my ever so subtle British lilt. On the streets of Södermalm at least, Swedish is a world language. </p>
<p>Ten minutes went by. No problem. I had time. </p>
<p>Ten minutes became fifteen and after twenty minutes my guy was ready for me.</p>
<p>All good. The cape was thrown over me and velcroed up around the neck. I still had hours to go and it was quite nice to sit and chill out at the barbers. I sat in the chair, sank into the leather to relax into the sounds and smells of a barber from the Middle East and the kind of cut that I used to get when I lived in London. </p>
<p>The snip snip snip started and I checked the time. Half an hour, tops, i thought. Perfect. </p>
<p>Then the penny dropped that I was working with an artist. And my head of hair his canvas. He worked his way slowly round my cranium, each hair individually measured, assessed and delicately clipped. He was like Michelangelo chipping away at a piece of marble. </p>
<p>Short back and sides, graded and sharp and when he started on the top, nearly an hour had gone by. Starting to feel the stress. I asked him how much longer he would be. Just a little longer, I was told.</p>
<p>Hair done, it was time for my neck, shaved and rubbed with lemon scented alcohol. The ears, given the flame treatment, leaving them down free, and smelling of burnt flesh. The eyebrows, plucked. The nasal hairs, shaved. The sideburns, measured and squared off. </p>
<p>The clock was ticking and I was getting more and more tense. I told him I needed to go soon. ‘No problem. We’ll just wash your hair’. I started telling him I just needed a rinse, but my cries were drowned out by the gushing of water and the bubbling of shampoo, conditioner, and a hot towel placed over my face. He pushed me back into the chair, which with the press of a button started to massage my back and my sides. ‘Just relax’ he whispered in my ear as the tension in my body rose with the stress of not being able to see the clock, to give me an idea of just HOW late I was going to be, by HOW many minutes I would miss those crucial twelve minutes for which we had worked so hard for almost a year… </p>
<p>Finally it was over and I was ready to jump up and leave. To make a dash for the tube. </p>
<p>‘Gel or wax?’ he asked. </p>
<p>I threw off the cape, grabbed my jacket, and threw a note at him. ‘Keep the change’ I shouted as I ran through the door. </p>
<p>Did I make it in time for the pitch? <br>Out of breath and a ball of sweat.. But yes I did. </p>
<p>Did I look like a well groomed, sultan of the sartorial? <br>I most certainly did. </p>
<p>Did SVT commission the pitch? <br>You’ll have to wait and see.</p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p>(Photo: James McKie) </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
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<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/54222332018-09-10T16:17:36+02:002021-04-26T18:12:02+02:00I've played some Holes in my time....<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/f15948a071f1c496903b61cbbd1c70b1f9ae755c/original/41155338-10156658109589287-7799305368495980544-n.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><a contents="Henrik Källman" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://henrikkallman.se" target="_blank">Henrik Källman</a> and I are on tour. Very possibly the world’s most ill conceived idea in the history of tours, but nonetheless, we are on tour, so suck it up! And it all kicked off on Friday. </p>
<p>The tour is called <a contents="The Kom i Form Tour" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1350761651724591/" target="_blank">The Kom i Form Tour</a>, which roughly translates to ‘The get into shape tour’. An idea that we are both very very proud of. The concept is that we put ourselves 'out there', ready to perform where you want for what you want to pay. And we’ll play anywhere if the price is reasonable and there is an element of danger and fun in it: House parties, camping trips, at the local Bridge club or for prisoners rehabilitating into society. Adventure is the key!</p>
<p>The thinking was just to do some gigs to get up to speed after the summer and perhaps play places that you wouldn’t usually find stand up and to audiences that wouldn’t usually watch stand up. </p>
<p>Gig number one was on Friday in a place called <a contents="Malung" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malung" target="_blank">Malung</a>, in Dalarna. Now Malung is a small place, and if I’m honest, the gig wasn’t even in the centre of Malung, but on the outskirts of town in a place called Hole. Yes, literally, we were performing in a real Hole. </p>
<p>Malung is a small place, where they are proud of the fact that they only have one red light. I come from the big city, where we judge a place as being small because it only has one red light district. </p>
<p>The gig was at a Kräftskiva - a crayfish party - which mainly involves sucking on crustacea and drinking. Kräftskivor parties have a reputation for getting messy but luckily, we were dealing with the creme de la creme of Malung - The kind of people who can handle their liquor and their lobster. </p>
<p>We performed our schtick with a great response along with fellow comedian Erik Axelson who brought the house down with his ‘wolf’ set, one Sweden's best routines. And it felt great.</p>
<p>We were on our way to getting back into shape, comedywise, at least. Meanwhile our bodies are definitely one step further out of shape with a giant slice of Västerbotten pie and a can of Norrlands Guld to follow the show and a Frasse’s Burger on the road back. (Don't ever do Frasses, kids!)</p>
<p>We next flex our comedy muscles on Saturday in Katrineholm, but if you’ve got an event that you’d like us to come to, get in touch!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
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<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/54043592018-08-28T16:22:17+02:002021-04-26T20:15:44+02:00This Sporting Life <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/45916bea0506d54b77563e6651a83c4fdf4419b4/original/playing-leapfrog-2.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Do you do sport? Sport, we are told, is good for you. If you do do sport, good for you. </p>
<p>Sport is great. There's the getting sweaty and the bonding with other sweaty people. There’s the balls and the nets, and the bonding with other people who like balls and nets. And there’s other positive things too. I just can’t think of any right now. But there are definitely more. </p>
<p>So we are all agreed. Sport is good. </p>
<p>But please, as the new sport season kicks off, spare a thought, just for a moment, for the parents of the kids who do sport. Parents like me. </p>
<p>I’ve got a kid who plays a game called Innebandy - A game that is hard to describe. It’s like hockey, but indoors and without the charm of the St. Trinian’s films. And it’s played by very blond, very Swedish people, usually with some kind of sweatband thing going on in the hair and on the wrists. The other parents turn up in their white-picketed Volvos and talk about robot lawnmowers. It’s that kind of sport. And my kid plays it. </p>
<p>Last night I had to go to the parents meeting for the team. It was held in a changing room at a school that stank of sweat. By which I mean, the whole school stank of sweat. The changing room stank of drains and deep heat. And sweat. The parents sat around listening to the new coach giving a run down of the season to come. He was like a prim and proper Kenneth Connor in Carry on Cruising, replete with the awkward nasal chuckle. </p>
<p>I tend to zone out a bit at these meetings. It could be the poor ventilation of the changing rooms or It could be the cod motivational speeches which make me light in the head.. They bang on about how they want to win their matches while at the same time stressing the importance of the playing of the game being more important than the winning or the losing. </p>
<p>I was busy staring at an unidentifiable brown stain on the wall, when something grabbed my attention and I was brought back to the room. A parent had interrupted and had asked whether the boys should be forced to shower after training. The majority of us were ambivalent, praying for the meeting to finish, but two parents seemed to be quite passionate about the subject, one for obligatory showers, the other against. Both looked to the trainer to take their side. </p>
<p>Eventually, to move the discussion on, the trainer uttered the following words: “I don’t want to be a Nazi when it comes to showers” </p>
<p>A bit harsh, I thought. A bit harsh.</p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/53955692018-08-21T13:24:28+02:002021-04-26T20:38:00+02:00Guns, Bitches and Bling - Election 2018<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/531576e0e8cff385114eedc5638940033d89ce2e/original/dkrifknwwai3nvv.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" />In a few weeks, it’s election time in Sweden. What I have learnt over the years is that local politicians don’t really do a lot. There’s a lot of scratching of balls and drinking of coffee, with the occasional clipping of a ribbon at an opening ceremony. </p>
<p>Four years ago, I was in the mood for mischief and made this video. It was meant as satire, but after four years, I suspect that the grey fella's message was taken at face value. </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="lzT2nbSe2Yw" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/lzT2nbSe2Yw/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lzT2nbSe2Yw?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>If you look up <a contents="The Peter Principle" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_principle" target="_blank">The Peter Principle</a> in a dictionary, you just find the Linköping Kommun logo. To be fair, not everybody rises to their own level of incompetence, some jump ship, others don't even get that far. </p>
<p>Of those elected in 2014, some never managed to turn up to fill their seats on the council, some promptly realised that they could get better more challenging jobs outside of Linköping and some became embroiled in a sex scandal with armed robbers (true).</p>
<p>It’s the ones who stay for more than a decade that scare the shit out of me. </p>
<p>Faced with their own fatuous inanity, most politicians maintain the facade and spend their time tub-thumping with morally earnest posturing, furrowed brow, eyes that pretend to care, and always followed by the inescapable stench of their cold dead souls. </p>
<p>Or they just go for it, stick two fingers up to the world and have a bit of fun. They go full punk, they go rogue, they go YOLO.</p>
<p>In Linköping there’s one politician from a minority party who has gone full Hip Hop. Short of Dr Dre standing for the local parish council, this is as good as it will ever get. Check it out. The Guns, the Bitches and the Bling. BOOOOYAH! </p>
<p>I challenge anyone to look at these photos and find a single reason why you wouldn’t vote Skyttedal. It’s like a Nordic <a contents="Wu-Tang Clan" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/34EP7KEpOjXcM2TCat1ISk" target="_blank">Wu-Tang Clan</a> are planning to take over the Town Hall. I haven’t read her manifesto and quite frankly I don’t plan to, as I know it only contains the words “Bring Da Ruckus! Bring Da Mothafuckin’ Ruckus!”</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/a9f42748b3e21d28fd1b19bc2894734b7f96811b/original/39613714-296633347780217-875191838162550784-n.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/54e52c1a11380074224f29e29c00b486afd4c9fd/original/dk41ripxgaadeel.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/53747792018-08-04T22:15:11+02:002021-05-05T07:45:24+02:00A sweaty night in a Norrköping cellar<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/55b864c64e2e5a32706ab16f7d92bd482900cfd7/original/38446237-428611720976260-5243148577189920768-n-1.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" />As the title to this blog post suggests, I did a gig last night in a cellar in Norrköping and it was sweaty.</p>
<p>Not much more needs to be said. Nothing beats stand up in a sweaty cellar. </p>
<p>Thank you to Kerim who runs Va Sjutton at Café Broadway in Norrköping. And thanks to Anton Forsberg for filming this short clip. Enjoy: </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="z8vOOzrZtI0" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/z8vOOzrZtI0/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z8vOOzrZtI0?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/53677842018-07-31T09:47:10+02:002021-12-08T12:49:02+01:00On The Road<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/5925ea62d66c1bfbc5ae1f254276767a89a1f3f4/original/38055925-10156734309826388-5455555978655170560-n-1.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" />When I was about sixteen, my mum bought me a copy of a book called 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To Europe'.</p>
<p>I wasn't sure if giving it to me was a subversive act by my mum, a gentle nudge towards a Rock and Roll lifestyle, or if she bought it because it was slightly cheaper than Berlitz. Either way, I devoured it.</p>
<p>I should add that I have never really fully immersed myself in the full Rock and Roll lifestyle, but like many, I have lived it vicariously via music, comedy, film and art. 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To Europe' was exactly my sort of book. A window into other people's crazy adventures which served both as an inspiration to let go and also as a warning not to go too far. For example, I may have watched 'Easy Rider' a number of times, but the closest I have come to living the dream was riding a moped after drinking three cups of strong coffee. </p>
<p>First published in 1971, <a contents="'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To Europe'" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitch-hiker%27s_Guide_to_Europe" target="_blank">'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To Europe'</a> by Ken Welsh is a classic, and is said to be one of Douglas Adams' inspirations for <a contents="'The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy'." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://archive.org/details/HitchHikersGuide06" target="_blank">'The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy'.</a></p>
<p>The book was a mix of travel advice, history, tales from the road, and semi-legal scams. The main theme was how to travel as extensively as possible, as cheaply as possible. There was so much in there, from advice on how to avoid being bitten by Italian police dogs when they catch you sleeping in the park, to using some of the guide book as toilet paper when you'd run out (The Belgium/Luxembourg section was suggested), to advice on travelling behind the Iron Curtain - The travel advice for Albania was 'Forget it'. <br><br>It is, of course, now sadly out of print with the last edition published in 1996. </p>
<p>In my late teens, I hitched quite a bit. To Scotland, to London, to Leeds. I travelled through France to Spain and when I lived in Hungary and Romania, it was the quickest way to get about. Hitching was sometimes dangerous, sometimes boring, sometimes quick and sometimes ridiculously slow, cold, wet and pointless. But hitchhiking was always an adventure and a way to meet people, often weirdos admittedly, but weirdos that I would never have otherwise met. I never once got brutally murdered, plus, I've got some great tales from the road.... </p>
<p>I really hope 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To Europe' is still gathering dust on a bookshelf at my parents' house, it would be lovely to flick through it again and see how much it has dated since the fall of The Iron Curtain and the rise of the Internet. </p>
<p>I haven't hitched for years, but on Sunday, I gave it a go again. I'd dropped my son off at Scout camp in a field in Småland via trains and buses with no real plan of how to get back to civilisation. I needed to make my way to Kalmar, about 30km away with no buses and only a pair of thumbs. I was like a short, hairy Uma Thurman in <a contents="Even Cowgirls Get The Blues" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106834/" target="_blank">Even Cowgirls Get The Blues</a>. The weather was fine: Hot but not too oppressive and I had a good few hours till sunset. </p>
<p>I'm not sure people hitchhike anymore. It's a dying art and I've been trying to work out why.</p>
<p>There's social media and ride sharing apps, which are efficient and probably much safer, but take out the thrill of the unknown and the unexpected. But more than that, I think there is a greater sense of danger or perceived danger and a suspicion of strangers. Maybe it's justified and maybe not. I'm not sure. Are we living in a more dangerous world today? I don't know. </p>
<p>I know that when I have driven alone, with room in my car, I probably would pick up a hitcher, but I don't think I have seen anyone with their thumb out for years. Is the demise of the hitchhiker due to hitchhikers' fear of drivers or due to drivers' fears of hitchhikers?</p>
<p>In the rural surroundings of Småland, I stood, thumb out, trying to look cuddly enough not to look like a psychopath, while simultaneously looking dangerous enough to put off any psychopaths from picking me up. It started coming back to me, how much fun hitchhiking was.</p>
<p>Here I was in the middle of nowhere, with the sun low in the sky over a golden wheat field as I snaffled some blackberries from the side of the road. Quite a few cars had driven past with empty seats and disapproving stares and I didn't know if I would be there for another ten minutes or another hour or two. And it was liberating. Life on the road. </p>
<p>It was almost a disappointment when I got picked up by two 'straights' (To use a term from 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To Europe') driving a Volvo.</p>
<p>They dropped me off in the outskirts of Kalmar and I walked the last couple of kilometres into town. I followed the map on Google Maps, and as I walked, I listened to music on Spotify and booked somewhere to stay using Booking.com.</p>
<p>No asking strangers for directions, no acoustic guitars and no sleeping on park benches. Travel may be a lot safer and predictable nowadays, but it's not nearly so much fun. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/397affdc86397714c7b59fd5304efbd3214bf67a/original/hhg-europe-front-cover.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.jpg" class="size_s justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
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<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/53337622018-07-06T13:00:48+02:002022-03-29T11:24:18+02:00What Mr Cool-gate means for Linköping <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/7cf4e5cbdbc13b04a1636446154a89c8149942b2/original/16649305-1251657261582760-3173171506875162556-n.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>I wanted to write a few words about Mr Cool-gate and what it means for Linköping. Within the context of Linköping's desire to be the third biggest event city in Sweden, I think it may be significant. I know that sounds outrageous, but it's true.<a contents=" Linköping really does have a goal " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/pressreleases/linkoeping-ska-bli-landets-tredje-stoersta-stad-foer-event-1009216" target="_blank"> Linköping really does have a goal </a>to compete with Malmö or Gothenburg as an event destination. </p>
<p>First of all, for those who have missed it, a little bit about Mr. Cool. </p>
<p>Mr. Cool is a fictional character performed by a comedian and rap artist called Anton Magnusson. He parodies rap culture and even more so, Swedish masculinity. It’s offensive, sexist, violent, shocking and that’s the point. The white vest, an item of clothing that in England is known as a ‘wife-beater’, should be enough of a clue. </p>
<p>Three years ago he released a track that set out to be the most offensive it could be. That’s the process - Take a taboo subject, the most taboo subject you can think of, and see how far you can take it. And they succeeded. The content is extreme, but so extreme that the profanity becomes absurd and it is clearly a parody. </p>
<p>I won’t go too deeply into the historical context of this kind of music, although I’d be happy to explain it in the context of 'The Aristocrats', Bakhtin’s ‘Rabelais and His World’ where degeneration leads to regeneration, carnival, tricksters, the Yippies, and what Howard Jacobson described as comedy’s role not as letting off steam, but as lancing the pustulant boil of society.</p>
<p>Mr Cool is an artist and as likely to be doing the things in the song as an actor playing King Lear would be to gouge out his own daughter’s eyes, or the makers of The Human Centipede to get out the sewing kit. The same goes for the people watching or listening. </p>
<p>The track is offensive, shocking, violent and aims to provoke. If you want to listen to it for yourself you can do so by clicking on the link below. But be warned - to listen to it, you need to click that link, followed by a link to say that you understand that it has offensive content, then click play. </p>
<p>If you don’t want to be offended, don’t click the first, second or third link. You are your own person. Make your own decision. You have been warned. </p>
<p><a contents="Here’s the link" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES1XC6sTfYo&has_verified=1" target="_blank">Here’s the link</a></p>
<p>Three years later, in 2018, a rabid internet mob have got hold of the lyrics. Spurred on by a discredited, charlatan evangelical Christian who himself has been <a contents="exposed " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/lovenepal-samlar-in-miljoner-med-kandisar-och-bluffar/" target="_blank">exposed </a>as an actual exploiter of actual children. </p>
<p>Mouths are frothing, pitchforks have been raised and the flaming torches are crackling. Our moral fibre is under attack and the white picket fences are not high enough to protect our women and children and the pure of heart. </p>
<p>Mr Cool is a provocateur and the mob have been provoked. </p>
<p>BAN! BAN! BAN! BURN! BURN! BURN! </p>
<p>The result of course is that more people have listened to the song in the last week than in the last three years, Mr Cool has become a household name and he has got more exposure that even the best PR agent could have dreamt of. Well done, mob.</p>
<p>Personally, I’m glad that more people have heard it, not for the content, but as a reminder that it is dictators and theocracies that ban things. It is fascists that <a contents="burn books." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHCmiWaHUCw" target="_blank">burn books.</a> </p>
<p>On the other hand, the drooling mob, knuckles scraping along the tarmac are desperate to show their moral righteousness. If we can’t have the man, we will tear apart the venues where he is performing! Mobs do what mobs do - They email, tweet, phone, howl at the moon. They threaten violence, make bomb threats, harass friends and families of anyone related to Mr Cool. They even laid into an even older song called 'Mister Cool' by a completely unrelated band. But anything is justified when the mob have got their blood boiling. </p>
<p>In Linköping, Anton was booked to play at <a contents="L’Orient" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/Lorientlinkoping/" target="_blank">L’Orient</a>, as part of a tour called Funny Fuck Up. The show would probably have sold around 100 tickets and passed without comment. Instead ticket sales shot up, then the mobs eyes turned bloodshot and the gig was cancelled. </p>
<p>The official line from the owner of the venue is that, as soon as he found out about the content of the song in question he cancelled on moral grounds. Fair enough.. Apart from the fact that Anton was last at L’Orient six months ago with a show called Vesslan och Benne. </p>
<p>Was it morally acceptable for him to perform in 2017? How flexible is the moral compass? Does the moral compass only react when the mob is angry? I’ve seen acts at L’Orient, both musical and comedy in all genres that cover subjects that are shocking, scatological, sexual, violent, provocative, and against the law. Had the moral compass lost its way on those occasions? </p>
<p>Would it be better to just be honest and admit that the staff and its owner are all lying prostrate under the threat of boycott and violence from a mob that probably never set foot in the venue? </p>
<p>Or perhaps it is a moral thing.</p>
<p>In which case, let’s have consistency and insist that every artist who wants to perform at L’Orient must submit a full text of everything that will be said or sung! And let’s not leave it to the morals of one person. We should create a moral police. The only dilemma now is do we follow the Iranian model or the Saudi one? </p>
<p>And should we act retrospectively? Anton and Simon Gärdenfors who is also caught up in this storm have performed in Linköping at least five times since this song was released. At L’Orient, at The Crypt, at Frimis. Corren wrote a glowing review, Anton’s performance at the comedy festival was supported financially by Visit Linköping. We should all be shocked and disgusted! Everyone who bought a ticket, everyone who laughed and everyone who left the gig entertained but unaffected by the performance. We are all complicit! We are all enablers! </p>
<p>What worries me most is that since The Crypt stopped being a viable venue for live events, L’Orient is the last independent, medium sized venue in Linköping. The two production companies that put on comedy shows there are <a contents="Under Produktion" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://underproduktion.se/funnyfuckup/" target="_blank">Under Produktion</a>, based in Malmö and Ståuppklubben in Gothenburg. Under Produktion are now unlikely to put shows on there in the future and while I can’t say for certain, Ståuppklubben will be hesitant. With no alternative, they will skip Linköping. </p>
<p>So there we have it. All we are left with is what the goons at Linköping Kommun decide they want to spoonfeed us. The ones who <a contents="banned Kartellen" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/a/21o9xl/kartellen-far-56-000-kr-for-att-inte-spela-nagot" target="_blank">banned Kartellen</a> one month and booked up Dani M the next. It’s all too risky for them, they can’t get it right and they certainly can’t work with budgets. </p>
<p>So Linköping as a creative city? No more grassroots, no more independent work, no more cutting edge or controversial work… which basically leaves us with New Circus in Storatorget. Nothing wrong with New Circus, of course. Everyone loves the sight of a woman hanging upside down from a rope. Just ask Mr. Cool.</p>
<p>But I don’t think Malmö or Gothenburg need to start worrying about losing the crown of Sweden’s third biggest event city just yet</p>
<p>********************** </p>
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<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/52905852018-06-12T10:44:42+02:002021-04-26T18:04:26+02:00Thank you, Boris Johnson<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/2853920f6066a4da936c1a4cce129b354653db5c/original/35077648-10156603780681388-7049203636785643520-n-1.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>In the past, I may have inadvertently ejaculated barbed comments to the effect that you never get anything from Linköpings Kommun. I take it all back. I retract all previous allegations. Last Wednesday, on Sweden's national day, Linköping Kommun gave me fika, a small flag and a certificate (Or a 'Sir Stifficut', as they were known in Birmingham). I felt shame that I had ever been rude about the kommun and a warm glow of pride came over me, although in retrospect that warm glow may have been because I spilt coffee on my trousers. </p>
<p>My family and I had gathered, along with other New Swedes of every size, shape, gender and colour to be officially welcomed into the fold. We got to meet the mayor and shake her hand. I made the mistake of trying to make a joke in deadpan, which fell flatter than a steam-pressed pancake. The mayor and I stood awkwardly looking at each other not quite knowing what to do next until she snapped out of it and vigorously grabbed the hand of the next New Swede in line. Behind her official exterior, you could see she was praying that letting me into the country hadn’t been a terrible mistake. Sweden is facing a difficult future, the last thing it needs is so called comedians who tell jokes at inopportune moments, and what’s more, jokes that aren’t even funny. I felt for her: Shaking hands with the likes of me cannot have been the reason she entered politics. </p>
<p>Fika crumbs on our chins, and high on kommunal coffee, we sat in the shade of the poorly constructed open air theatre of Gamla Linköping. Through the inadequate kommunal sound system, we were treated to a prime example of Swedish oratory. It was the usual kind of thing: “Blah blah blah… Fantastiskt land… blah blah… fåglarna kvittrar… blah blah … som Tage Danielson skulle ha sagt… blah blah… “ . </p>
<p>We were told that with Swedish citizenship comes responsibility. This came as news to me and I’d have though twice about signing if I knew there were conditions. The crescendo of the speech pointed towards the quote at the bottom of the certificate - “Tillsammans skapar vi framtiden” (Together we create the future) - A quote that felt a little rich given that we were sitting in a botched renovation of a theatre from the 1950s in the living museum of Gamla Linköping where people wander round in period costume selling pegs and hitting hoops with small sticks for the amusement of Russian tourists. </p>
<p>Finally our attention was drawn to the photocopy of the Swedish national anthem which had been printed in the font Comic Sans. We would sing it with one rousing voice as soon as the mayor had handed out the flags and the certificates. Names would be read out one by one and we were to go up and collect, shake, smile and leave. </p>
<p>There were 135 names to be read out. A wave of disquiet spread through the audience. 135 names. One Hundred And Thirty Five names… Internal calculations were trying to work out how long this would take. 135 names, one after the other. We would never leave. What evil form of torture was this? </p>
<p>The panic in the crowd began to grow. There were people there who had escaped civil war, famine and Donald Trump, who were genuinely weighing up whether Swedish citizenship was genuinely worth sitting through the reading out of 135 names. A couple from Burundi started weeping, audibly, while a computer programmer from Belgium made a break for it and tried to leap over the fence that surrounds the theatre. He made it halfway over, but got a foot caught and hung there twitching for the rest of the afternoon. We all knew he was there, but not one person dared acknowledge the horror, concentrating solely on getting through the 135 names and praying to whatever deity they could evoke in this godless land of Sweden, that their name would be somewhere in the first half. </p>
<p>The names were mumbled through.... And eventually an approximation of my name was quietly read out. I missed it, but a good poke in the ribs let me know that it was my turn. I jogged up on stage, high-fived the mayor and showed my bottom to the crowd. I waited for the applause to die down and began a slow chant of <a contents="'One of Us! One of Us!' from the 1930 Todd Browning classic Freaks" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/bBXyB7niEc0" target="_blank">'One of Us! One of Us!' from the 1930 Todd Browning classic Freaks</a>, encouraging the audience to join in. I’m a stickler for tradition. </p>
<p>The press was there to capture the moment and asked why I had chosen to become a Swede. I put it down to one person, Boris Johnson, but really should have also thanked Nigel Farage, Michael Gove, Theresa May and the swathes of idiot politicians in the Conservative party for going ahead with Brexit and the swathes of even bigger Corbynista idiots in the Labour Party for allowing them to go ahead with Brexit. But in the event it was only Boris that got the credit in the local press. Typical Boris. </p>
<p>So now I’ve got dual nationality - UK and Swedish. Hedging my bets? Perhaps, but I’ve always quite liked being a European, and not felt a great urge to pin my colours to a single flag. Nationalism, historically, tends to carry a bit of a stink. </p>
<p>So there we have it. And as we say in Sweden: Merci beaucoup, Boris Johnson.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/7b5cc899caf18f46726e8f77561db85dc14a0add/original/35076569-10156603777696388-6722566752540033024-n-1.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/118e94153b3249022b8c2212ae37139875a12376/original/35144101-10156603777831388-2728223355961344-n-1.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>********************** </p>
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<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/52470822018-05-28T15:44:57+02:002021-10-16T11:47:43+02:00The Western. (Hungary - Part Two) <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/f3c40ade2eced18fc0ff105db084bd69132b57c2/original/p1000789.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/957ef706bbf248134220522e57d60f7abfee5afe/original/p1000777.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_" />This time last week, I was wandering the streets of Tiszafüred, Hungary, trying to find some small remnant of my life there as a twenty year old back in the early nineties. Perhaps I had expected too much, but even so, I was a little surprised at how little I recognised. And then I stumbled across The Western. </p>
<p>There it was, my old haunt, the place that, apart from the school where I taught, and the bungalow where I slept, was the place where I would find myself most regularly. The Western could loosely be described as a pub, but was perhaps more like a cross between a youth club and a shelter for the socially excluded with a counter that served cheap alcohol. It was a halfway house between utopia and dystopia, where dystopia had the upper hand. </p>
<p>I was expecting it to have been demolished or at least renovated, but as I walked in, not a single thing had changed. Not. One. Thing. </p>
<p>I stood around and gawped and the local drunks raised their heads and tried to communicate. There was a time when I could speak fluent Hungarian, and even passable Koscmárul, the language of the heavy drinker. But alas, no more, so I tried English. I should add here that in 1993, I was the first ever non-Hungarian English teacher to come to Tiszafüred and I’d like to say that my arrival inspired an interest in language learning, which spread through the town. However, saying that would be a lie and the reality of my legacy is that not one single person I met on this trip spoke even a single word of English. </p>
<p>Faced with a non-linguistic impasse, the locals let me wander round wistfully. To be honest, they probably thought I was some kind of alcohol induced apparition and that however weird I was, it was better than another bout of the delirium tremors. </p>
<p>I started outside, where we young 'uns used to sit, summer or winter. This was at the time of Nirvana and the grunge scene, the heyday of MTV and Ray Cokes, the difficult transition period between C90s and CDs. Everything was still here. The same battered sofas, the pool table and the chained up dog. Everywhere in Hungary has a chained up dog. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/43aa7f6e5a368f07a07124e0c38a3cb9e2ee37a2/original/p1000774.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" />It was here that I rubbed shoulders with the cool kids of Tiszafüred's counter culture. I wish I could remember all their names.. There was Tünde and Mani and Csaba, then the older guys like Taca and Kálman. And Ösci who played the trombone and drank like a fish, both skills that he learnt during his military service. </p>
<p>The choice of drinks here were simple: Borsódi Világós, the local beer, if you were thirsty. Nagy Vadász, (The Great Hunter): 50% red wine, 50% Coca-Cola, if there was a party. Meggyes pálinka, ‘mixed fruit’ moonshine, to help the beer go down. Szílva Pálinka, plum moonshine, if you were trying to impress someone. And Zwack Unicum, a medicinal mix of herbs and, yep, you guessed it, strong alcohol, for weddings and funerals. </p>
<p>Today, nothing had changed. A couple came in, ordered two Nagy Vadász and a meggyes pálinka chaser each. It was 10.30 in the morning. I watched as the landlady took care of the drinks and she looked identical.The same tired look, pasty skin, bags under the eyes, prematurely old features on an exhausted thirty something face and body. There was no way on earth it could be the same lady, twenty-five years later. I asked if she was the old landlady’s daughter or even if she remembered the couple who used to run the place in the early nineties. She knew the name - Fattzí - But had no idea where they were now. My conclusion is that new owners don’t take over The Western, but The Western takes over new owners. </p>
<p>Back when I was here, when the evening would get too late and the sun was starting to rise, Fattzí’s wife would come out to the yard where we all sat. She would announce that she’d had enough and that Fattzí was snoring on a stool in the corner inside. She would tell us to help ourselves at the bar and remember to leave the money in the till. Lastly she’d pick someone randomly, hand them the key and tell them to lock up, without disturbing Fattzí. </p>
<p>I think my favourite memory from The Western was when they decided to have a fundraiser in support of <a contents="the Zapatista Uprising" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zapatista_uprising" target="_blank">the Zapatista Uprising</a> in Mexico. Not sure why this was the only cause that ever roused the drunken masses enough to take action, but nonetheless, action would be taken. A Mexican themed concert was organised in the back yard of The Western. The stated aim was to show solidarity with the Zapatistas and also to raise funds for their rebellion. </p>
<p>As no one knew much about Mexico, or indeed the Zapatistas, 'solidarity' meant cobbling together Mexican fancy dress by cutting holes in blankets for ponchos, homemade sombreros and cut out moustaches made from cardboard painted black. </p>
<p>There was a band, with Ösci on the trombone. The only Mexican song they knew was 'Tequila', which they played back to back for the whole night, drinking a shot everytime they came to the chorus. There was Mexican food for sale. Toast, topped with tomatoes, peppers and sweetcorn. A delicacy for the Zapatistas, best washed down with a meggyes pálinka, we convinced ourselves, </p>
<p>All in all, with the entrance fee and the food sales, I think the night raised a few hundred Forint, the value of which was worth less than ten dollars. To this day, I have imagined this money being sent as cash to the Mexican jungle, where the Zapatista rebels would have counted out a pile of Hungarian banknotes and coins. I still picture them considering how best to spend this gift from The East from their poncho wearing comrades in The Western. </p>
<p>Hasta La Victoria, siempre! </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/1f425df71c17d89e9ac599d2c5ff0f7af0223155/original/p1000766.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><a contents="Read Hungary Part 1 here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blog/blog/nostalgia-isn-t-what-it-used-to-be" target="_self">Read Hungary Part 1 here</a> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
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<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/52461392018-05-22T05:57:35+02:002018-05-22T06:07:52+02:00Nostalgia ain't what it used to be. (Hungary - part one)<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/f2a634af16544dbd1d0074ee70f91f51b840d861/original/p1000990.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>It's almost fifteen years since I was last in Hungary. And about twenty- five since the small town of <a contents="Tiszafüred" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiszaf%C3%BCred" target="_blank">Tiszafüred</a> was the place I called home. Back then it was like the Wild West, a step back in time, there was a sense of lawlessness and laissez-faire. It was always a surprise if things didn't work out in one way or another, but it was an even bigger surprise when they did. </p>
<p>This weekend I was back. Today things are different, but perhaps not so different. </p>
<p>Straight off the plane, I picked up my hire car, booked online. I was expecting a brand new, shiny, Fiat. What I got was a battered old Dacia. Damn that small print: 'or similar'. In many ways the Dacia was 'or similar' to a car. For an aluminium box on wheels, it did a pretty good job of looking like a car and sounding like a car. Unlike a car though, the boot didn't close, the seats were made of sponge and the driver's door clunked and wobbled and almost came off in my hand. The guys in the rental office offered me a screwdriver, and assured me it would be fine.</p>
<p>'What's the worst that can happen?' grinned the friendly souls whose job it was to wave tourists off in their newly hired aluminium boxes. </p>
<p>This made me feel better. What indeed was the worst that could happen, driving a car at 130km per hour? And who needs doors anyway? We laughed, we slapped each other on the backs and we bonded. We bonded in the way that tourists straight off the plane bond with car rental guys who have just handed you the keys to your own funeral.</p>
<p>As I set off, he looked me in the eye and asked me how far I'd be driving. <br>'Couple of hours', I said<br>'Good luck. And make sure you wear a seatbelt', he told me earnestly, exonerating himself from his own part in my inevitable Death by Dacia </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">................</p>
<p>I drove carefully and arrived after dark. I can’t begrudge the people of Tiszafüred their march towards modernity, but on the edge of town, where once there were fields there was now an array of brightly lit supermarkets and petrol stations. What was wrong with the only shop being the state run ‘ABC’ shop which grumpily sold everything you could want, as long as all you wanted was bread by the kilo, hard cheese, a couple of paprika and milk in plastic bags? Yes, milk in plastic bags was a thing. </p>
<p>I checked into my Bates Motel style B&B. (The less said about this the better; instead here's a little collage to give a sense of flavour) and<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/99ce4b2c553f711e03626827b201ed164493b7db/original/33159119-10156549176196388-4874237717124218880-n.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_" /> I set out into the streets of Tiszafüred to try and find my old haunts and my old mates, who I fully expected to still be sitting drinking in the same old pubs, ready to continue the party. </p>
<p>But things had changed. The streets were empty and where once my Friday nights had been filled with young people out drinking and running riot, the town was dead. Nothing. Even the barking dogs seemed subdued. The smell in the air was different. it just wasn't the same. Where was my Proustian madeleine? </p>
<p>It just felt like a small Hungarian town, but it was no longer MY small Hungarian town. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">.....</p>
<p>The next morning I got up earlyish and went for a wander. New buildings everywhere. My old apartment, torn down and rebuilt as fancy apartments. The crumbling Soviet era concrete block, with uneven floors and windows that rattled in the wind, gone forever. </p>
<p>Past the campsite where a German Shepherd called Dolly stood guard, chained and barking. I used to buy salami for her, to make her like me. Like all killers, she was weak-minded and easily bribed. But at the campsite, there was no Dolly and the entrance had been renovated and extended and now looked welcoming and professional. It was now a place that said 'Holiday' rather than 'Incarceration'.</p>
<p>In the centre of town there's a water tower, which can be seen from miles around. When I lived there, it was iconic. Not just because of its size, but because Coca Cola had been allowed paint the cylindrical water tower with their logo, in exchange for an unknown, but probably outrageous, amount of money. (Outrageously large for Hungary and outrageously small for Coke).</p>
<p>For miles and miles around (There are no hills in that part of the country) you could see this giant can of Coke. Most people loved it and some even painted their own, homemade, and slightly wonky, coke logos on their buildings to show that they had also made it big. As I remember, the only ones against it, were the local Anarcho-Syndicalists. They were radical and had dreadlocks and had spent time in Berlin and Amsterdam. They had made it their mission to change the world one step at a time by opening a T-Shirt printing company specialising in Anarcho-Syndicalist T-Shirts. They also printed wedding invitations and birthday cards, but this was, they stressed, only to keep them going until the revolution came and weddings and birthdays would be abolished. </p>
<p>Their number one seller (I know they sold at least one, which I gave to my sister as a birthday present) was a T-shirt with the image of the Coca Cola water tower being kicked to the ground by a masked, petrol bomb wielding, anarchist. It had the logo ‘HAGYJA KOLONIALIZMUST!’. A phrase that really stuck it to The Man! That is of course assuming The Man, no doubt a big fat American, could speak Hungarian. I always thought it would have been much more effective if they had written their message in English - 'STOP COLONIALISM!’. As it was, the message just looked like a person who didn’t like Coke. A type 2 diabetic, perhaps. </p>
<p>And here’s the thing: Twenty-five years later, the Anarcho-Syndicalists have sort of got their wish. The giant Coca Cola is no more. It's been painted over. Replaced by Pepsi.</p>
<p>It’s a small step but the revolution was never going to happen overnight.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/4bfbff58907261fbc810f4b15fd098ac01eab3a0/original/p1000765.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Coming soon - Hungary Part Two - The Western Pub. </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/52202602018-05-08T08:56:39+02:002021-10-16T11:45:45+02:00Northward, Ho!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/65fae2385d6b31ce5b2120d1e4fe6355e54c6e3a/original/p1000259.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/d16f3482ac7edec085651b98637912f16b4b2655/original/locationswedennorrland.png/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.jpg" class="size_s justify_left border_" />There’s a lot of north in Sweden. In fact, it’s mostly north. Just take a look at a map. When you think there can’t possibly be any more north there’s a whole load more north even further north. Last week, I went more north than I have ever been before: I found myself in Norrland which literally translates as North Land and it doesn’t get much more north than than - although apparently it does, as I was only in southern Norrland. Look the map. I was in the bottom of the dark green bit, so still a hell of a lot of north, north of where I was, but technically I was in Norrland, which is the furthest north I’ve ever been in Sweden. </p>
<p>I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I was in the car with Al, Gustav and Richard to film the first leg of the documentary film project that has been bubbling away for almost a year. They were acting perfectly normally as though there was nothing weird about travelling closer to the top edge of the world map. They claimed to have been that far north before, but I think it was all just braggadocio. I didn’t dare say it out loud, but as we whistled our way towards the Arctic, I couldn’t shake the phrase ‘There Be Dragons!’. </p>
<p>As a responsible producer, I had packed a small red First Aid Kit with a few paracetamol and waterproof bandages, but I had a nagging fear that this would not be enough if we were to encounter any real life dragons. The whole dragon thing may seem irrational, but north of Uppsala there is actually a place called Dragon Gate. It’s hard to deny that that there may <em>actually </em>be dragons in the north when they <em>actually</em> name a place after them! </p>
<p>Dragon Gate is the kind of place that does nothing to put you at your ease. It’s the kind of place that can generously be described as something of a folly, but should more realistically be spoken of in terms of a hapless misadventure of monstrous proportion. </p>
<p>You can read more about it <a contents="here on The Local" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.thelocal.se/20160914/the-bizarre-tale-of-swedens-oddest-tourist-attraction-dragon-gate-china" target="_blank">here on The Local</a>, but just to summarise what Dragon Gate is, imagine an abandoned, derelict, walled, ten-storey-high Chinese pagoda in the middle of nowhere. And then imagine the depressing spirit of a 1980s, small town politician, enthusiastically selling the idea of this nonsense to get millions of kronor to build it, hanging over the place. The more you read about how it came to be dreamt up, built, neglected, sold and resold, you realise that if this can happen in the real world, the idea of meeting a real dragon is not so ridiculous. (Incidentally, we phoned the estate agent after we left and he quoted the current price as being “Under 50 million kronor” … Although how much under fifty million is open to speculation.)</p>
<p>This was no place to hang about and as we had some miles to put behind us, up country we drove! - To Tunneberga, where I almost caused a fracas by asking for some lingon with my herring; to Kilafors to see an enormous cock and finally to Edsbyn where we caught a first sight of the giant chair and skis… But no bandy club! A mystery that would be solved the next day! </p>
<p>In the meantime, we were welcomed by the locals, first with fika at Richard’s dad’s house, where we were literally treated like royalty, being treated to coffee served in Nobel banquet cups. </p>
<p>Then, it was on to the Skogens farm where we were made to feel more than welcome. At least until five minutes after we arrived, when I managed to have an argument with the head of the household over the difference between an elk and a moose. I said ‘Elk’ everyone else said ‘Moose’. This caused a bit of an atmosphere that hung awkwardly in the air, but we agreed to disagree and move on, and that’s fine, because I know I was right. And not that I am the kind of person to brew over something like this for days, but here’s another <a contents="article from The Local" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.thelocal.se/20130627/48736" target="_blank">article from The Local</a> to back up my claim. </p>
<p>Despite this, we all became friends and I was accepted into the Norrland tribe (i.e. they didn’t make me sleep outside). My mind was put at ease that there were no dragons in the woods. So nothing to worry about apart from the bears and the wolves and that giant cock in Kilafors. </p>
<p>The next day was a full day of filming and gigging…. more of which in future blog posts!</p>
<p>Meanwhile here's a photo of that big cock. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/5aba88b86a56ed82f7a475c544bfb69c6ebdec33/original/p1000266.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/52032992018-04-26T15:31:07+02:002018-04-26T15:36:27+02:00To Edsbyn!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/073afebedcb7c0ae7a9d780aa600b2d090711f62/original/30785095-10156482578856388-1703146964-n.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>The excitement is starting to build. It’s almost time to hit the road and start filming phase two of a project that first saw the light of day just over a year ago. Yes! This time next week, I’ll be in<a contents=" Edsbyn" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edsbyn" target="_blank"> Edsbyn</a> looking at a giant chair, bandy club and a pair of skis.</p>
<p>I realise that when most people talk about fulfilling a dream, or setting out on an adventure it usually involves mountains or jungles and places like Katmandu, but for me, it’s giant wooden skis and Edsbyn. You have to believe me these skis are massive! </p>
<p>So far everything is going to plan. I’ve just been out buying some bits of kit that we need for filming - A camera mount with a suction pod, extra memory cards and a new pair of headphones for sound recording. Tomorrow I pick up the car that Volkswagen are generously lending us for the production and in the last few days I’ve been speaking to the pillars of Edsbyn’s press corps - Ljusnan/<a contents="Helahälsingland" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.helahalsingland.se/logga-in/al-pitcher-kommer-till-edsbyn-showen-ar-skapad-for-dem" target="_blank">Helahälsingland</a> and <a contents="SRP4 Gävleborg" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://sverigesradio.se/gavleborg/" target="_blank">SRP4 Gävleborg</a> (Bollnäs office) </p>
<p>As all the pieces fall into place, it’s a comfort to know that readers of Ljusnan, the leading newspaper for the Bollnäs and Ovanåker region (And I have to say, my absolute favourite of all the newspapers of the Bollnäs and Ovanåker region.. ) will have spent this morning thumbing through an article about our visit. Morning coffee, cornflakes and a picture of Al Pitcher. Oh to be in Edsbyn! </p>
<p>What do we know about Edsbyn so far?: </p>
<ul> <li>Chair (massive) </li> <li>Bandy Club (enormous) </li> <li>Skis (supersize) </li> <li>Bandy the sport (Unbeatable) </li> <li>Red Farmers (Larger than life) </li> <li>Knåda Sport (Incomparable) </li>
</ul>
<p>We get there on the evening of the 2nd May and then Al Pitcher has just 24 hours to put together a unique show about everything we come across at I<a contents="drottsparken" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://billetto.se/en/e/al-pitcher-does-edsbyn-tickets-269919" target="_blank">drottsparken</a>. Easy.</p>
<p>See you at the gig (Tickets <a contents="via billetto" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://billetto.se/en/e/al-pitcher-does-edsbyn-tickets-269919" target="_blank">via billetto</a>) </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/7459fd04afe7c33715ed7d4ced70a5f70192d08d/original/31210686-10155642655006872-549033573-o.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/51971992018-04-23T16:16:32+02:002018-04-23T16:22:26+02:00The hippest place in Söder(köping) <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/824a713d782a3c00b31e2e1fca82cea0a322b3a3/original/31073157-10214696764509215-190873410400681984-n.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>If the Swedish world of stand up has a spiritual centre, around which it revolves, it is Södermalm. On the Facebook group for stand up comedians, whenever a new club opens up, the question is never 'Where in Sweden?' or even 'Where in Stockholm?', but 'Which part of Söder?'.</p>
<p>There's hip Söder, old school Söder, nouvelle Söder, central Söder, the edge of Söder and occasionally a few real mavericks who dare to open a club off-Söder or even off-off-Söder.</p>
<p>On Saturday, I put together a night that broke the Söder mold... I can safely say that it was the talk of all of Söder which managed to unite every stand up fan who lived in and around Söder. Pretty hip, yeah? In fact, so hip, that the original Söder Hipsters haven't even heard of it. That's just how we role in the Söder that is better known as Söderköping. </p>
<p>Not a vegan café in sight, Söderköping is a schizophrenic town buzzing with people in the summer months but pronounced clinically dead in the winter. This Saturday, looked like a summer's day with blue skies and bright sunshine, but the calendar refused to play along, as the town was only showing minimal signs of life.</p>
<p>Despite the population of the town still being in hibernation, we pulled an OK crowd at <a contents="Lock, Hop and Barrel" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/lockhopandbarrel/" target="_blank">Lock, Hop and Barrel</a>, but not big enough to break any records. The summer is the goal, and this was very much a trial night to test logistics and check the reaction. </p>
<p>Ola Aurell and Thomas Eriksson, the two real, living, breathing, Stockholmers that I brought down, were both great; individually and also when they finished off the show with 20 minutes of impro. I did a decent set and Norrköping local, Anton Forsberg got big laughs with his Giffle routine.</p>
<p>And we all relished in the tearing apart a group of guys sitting at the front who handed each of us material on a plate that we knocked back at them, riffing on Stockholm, teachers, Latin American Spanish, road cleaners, and mobile phones. </p>
<p>It was a fun night and I think we'll be back. If only so that I can tell people that I'm running a club in off-off-off-off-Söder, just a simple two hour drive from Medborgareplatsen. </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/51907232018-04-19T22:10:15+02:002018-04-19T23:02:22+02:00Pornography for Farmers<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/ef59ed202e6a1c38975b6427ea9135691cfc6a6e/original/main-image-april-web.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>There is no delicate way to put this, but right now, at this very moment, there are farming folk, yokels, honest toilers of the land, who are getting off on a film to which I have lent my voice.</p>
<p>Across the globe, in farmhouses, barns and possibly even out in the field using a handheld device and a set of headphones, these sons of the soil are enjoying the sight of seeds shooting suggestively out of a tube in slow motion as my dulcet tones wash over them.</p>
<p>Here it is, two minutes and twenty three seconds of sensual erotic delight (if you are a farmer).</p>
<p>Dim the lights, bring out the scented candles and turn the volume up as high as you dare. And remember there's nothing dirtier than an aroused farmer. Just check their finger nails. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="X1G2czQUMyg" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/X1G2czQUMyg/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X1G2czQUMyg?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/51716672018-04-09T15:13:48+02:002022-03-29T11:27:17+02:00SEMST / Linköping Bloody Kommun!<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/632af07dc1888c2de0aabec46d9ff874f0b6443e/original/29683769-179491902673611-5818457076693798769-n.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Friday was largely dedicated to spitting out the words ‘Linköping Bloody Kommun’ through gritted teeth. </p>
<p>For accuracy, I should say that this wasn’t just an average day to day ‘Linköping Bloody Kommun’ swearathon - When you live in Linköping and do anything that could be considered remotely cultural, you do tend to find yourself using the name of the kommun as an expletive. To be fair, if you have anything to do with sport, education, healthcare, traffic or any other facet of the minutiae that make up the fabric of society in Linköping, you would be forgiven for waking up in the middle of the night, with fists clenched, eyes bloodshot, violently expelling the words ‘Linköping Bloody Kommun!’ </p>
<p>Admittedly, putting on comedy in an average sized town is not up there in humanity’s most important occupations, even if said average size town has the stated ambition of being <a contents="Sweden’s third biggest event city." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/pressreleases/linkoeping-ska-bli-landets-tredje-stoersta-stad-foer-event-1009216" target="_blank">Sweden’s third biggest event city.</a> But this was where I found myself on Friday night, being in charge of a night at Sagateatern, Linköping Kommun’s city centre venue. </p>
<p>Having promised myself never to use Sagateatern again for a whole list of reasons, which could be summed up with the image of one of those poo poo emojis, I found myself in the services of the very nice people from <a contents="Monstera" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://monstera.se" target="_blank">Monstera</a> with the task of running a night at Sagateatern to put on the success express that is <a contents="SEMST" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://semst.se" target="_blank">SEMST</a> with Ahmed Berhan, Jonatan Unge and Branne Pavlovic. (With my old mate Adeel Faqih in support/replacing Aron Flam) </p>
<p>So I go to pick up the keys for the theatre and double check that there are mics and leads at the theatre. The answer is, of course, that there was no equipment in the theatre. I managed to blag some leads and mics eventually, but it was genuinely like getting blood out of a stone…. Having to explain that you need a lead that is longer than one metre. I don’t mind being a bit of an arsehole. That’s why Monstera hire me, because I get stuff done, but I end up being an arsehole with people that are nice and have no desire to be at the receiving end of my arseholery, people who have no idea about the technical aspects of the theatre; and neither should they as the rest of their job involves sitting at the desk of an art gallery. </p>
<p>Needless to say, at the theatre, nothing worked and with some frantic texting and phoning and even bringing in my own sound equipment, we eventually got the sound working after two hours of super stress and thanks entirely to an eleventh hour stroke of genius from Dutch IT prodigy, environmentalist and<a contents=" boat owner" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/Klippern/" target="_blank"> boat owner</a>, Take Aanstoot who must have performed some kind of voodoo on the sound desk that had confused three other musicians and sound people that were left utterly perplexed and spitting the words ‘Linköping Bloody Kommun’. </p>
<p>We got it fixed, but even the best the sound system could do wasn’t great, but the audience probably didn’t notice. Partly because the show was so good, but partly because they would have been more pissed off by the lack of beer in the venue, or the long queues for the only toilet, or the fact that the place has a general air of 'Linköping Bloody Kommun' about it. </p>
<p>SEMST is fantastic. Cutting edge is rarely the right way to describe comedy, but I think that the SEMST gang are pretty close. They are doing stand up that is clever, shocking and pushes buttons by going against the grain of the average idea of what is acceptable in comedy in Sweden. They have a take no prisoners attitude, which is intimidating, but also refreshing in the often huggy, self-congraulatory, saccharin world of Swedish stand up. </p>
<p>We had a couple of beers afterwards and sat outside on the first mildish night of the spring. It was nice to unwind and be rude about other comedians. As I cycled home to a nice warm bed, the nightmare of Sagateatern and Linköping Bloody Kommun behind me, I said what I say every time I do anything at Sagateatern: "Never Again!” Then I just shout “Linköping Bloody Kommun” at trees, or the moon, or anyone who happens to be in earshot.</p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/51594032018-04-02T09:10:42+02:002018-04-02T09:24:50+02:00Knife Town!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/33d75e2a5f4c7841675f6f7f47209270ebe0250c/medium/29994193-10156422168176388-1009128851-o.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Over the last few weeks, I've started to come to terms with the great blog conundrum: The more you do that is worthy of writing in said blog, the less likely you are to find the time to sit down and write. So trust me, over the last few weeks, I've been doing loads of exciting things. The trouble is that most of these exciting things have been followed by train journeys where I've sat down thinking "This would make a great blogpost!" and then immediately after, "But first, I'll just have a quick snooze," or worse "I'll just check my Twitter" ... Bloody Social Media... </p>
<p>Most readers of this blog are now letting their minds run wild with a list of all the exciting things that I may have been up to - Paragliding in the Hindu Kush, wrestling alligators, writing letters to the Tax Office to explain why my VAT declaration was two days late and to please not make me pay a fine of 625 kronor. Oh yes! It's all go! </p>
<p>But no, it's none of the above! (Apart from the Tax office story, which also involved a number of phone calls and systematically going through my bookkeeping with a fine tooth comb). The truth is, I've been on the road! To Sweden's very own Knife Town! .. Or as it's known in Swedish - Knivsta! </p>
<p>Most people have only ever seen Knivsta through the window of a train - Not so much because they are too afraid to get off, but more to do with the fact that most trains don't stop there - At least not the ones that go anywhere you might like to go. So to most people the image of Knivsta is just a high speed blur. This is probably also the reason they had to shorten the name, not from Knivstaden as most people assume, but from its original name Knivochgaffelstaden. (Knife and fork Town) </p>
<p>I went to Knife Town to do a a gig at my friend James' stand up club at The Railway Station Pub. James is an old friend and for a couple of years we had a comedy night together in Stockholm called The Tuesday Chinwag with another guy called Ben. We eventually called it a day, when despite our best efforts, we just couldn't get past the hurdle of nobody in Sweden knowing what 'Chinwag' meant, and no matter what we did we were accusingly asked what we had against Chinese people. </p>
<p>James has been running this club for a little while and the adjective that he uses most often to describe it is 'lovely' - An adjective he also uses to describe his children, his pet dog, and the town of Knivsta, all of which require a stretch of the imagination, so my expectations were to take the word 'lovely ' and prepare myself for something entirely different. However, in the case of this club night and the pub it took place is, 'lovely' was entirely the right word. </p>
<p>The room was small - About 40 people crammed into the room, which makes for a brilliant atmosphere (but a financial disaster) for stand up comedy. There was that proper small town feeling where everyone more or less knew each other and it was easy to pick up on one or two local references and run with them. Knivsta is close enough to Stockholm and Uppsala for the audience to feel metropolitan, but far enough away for there to be the cocktail of jealousy, contempt, the paradox of small town inferiority of wealth and status and superiority of lifestyle and lower cost of living. Perhaps that's a confused analysis, but either way the audience were well up for it and there was a Friday night school's out buzz. And standing on an old table, next to a window that rattled every time an express train passed through, I stormed it. </p>
<p>The next day, James and his wife, Rachel took me for a walk on the frozen lake near their house. Perfectly safe, they said. Nothing to worry about they said as they handed me a life jacket, a whistle and some ice picks for pulling yourself out when the ice breaks... Just in case. </p>
<p>I've never been so scared in all my life and frankly, I've only just recovered enough to write this blog post (That and the whole VAT/Tax office thing) </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/51354252018-03-19T10:28:27+01:002018-03-19T10:34:12+01:00Rock and Roll!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/aecf3f93c3cc0dcb1c214a7a0869fe6265d11ba0/large/29315290-10155202246226560-5521357909876801536-n.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="Photo: Gustav Skogens" /></p>
<p>On Saturday night, I was back at The Crypt to do a short set as part of my friend Gustav's birthday celebrations. The Crypt has the potential to be one of the nicest venues in Linköping, if it weren't for the owners ability to piss everybody off, so hats off to Gustav for putting on an amazing show. </p>
<p>Every comedian has a secret fantasy of being a rock musician, but riffing jokes was always easier than learning the bass. So getting this close to the action is almost living the rock and roll dream. </p>
<p>The night started early in true rock and roll tradition with hamburgers in the company of the bands - La Fleur Fatale and the unmasked members of Märvel. Not sure how much of a secret their real identity is, but they were very friendly and dare I say it, even a little bit fluffy, unlike their rock and roll stage personas. </p>
<p>I did my set before La Fleur Fatale - Doing a gig for a standing audience who are there for live music is always a bit of a no no. But I think it went well. The jokes landed and I had them with me .. But not an ideal setting for stand up. They laughed in all the right places at least! I was slightly upstaged at the end of my set with the arrival of a fully dressed hockey referee who was the night's nominal bouncer. </p>
<p>My set done, it was time for music. </p>
<p>La Fleur Fatale played a blinder of a set - I've only ever listened to them on Spotify before - And watched their film The Second Wave (Available <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/guuIEpiz4RU" target="_blank">here</a> in YouTube) but live, I have to say they were brilliant. </p>
<p>The second band Märvel were also great, they tore the roof off the place, with some proper rock n' roll. <a contents="Check them out here&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/6ZaiCIrxl0s" target="_blank">Check them out here </a></p>
<p>So at the end of the night, still a bit tired after last week's flu and knocked out by two beers and being up later than midnight, I stumbled home, then fell into bed with the joy of a proper night of live music ringing in my ears. </p>
<p>Thanks Gustav for a great party and Happy Birthday! </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/51298342018-03-15T16:25:02+01:002018-03-15T16:29:12+01:00Pup- Star<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/6190ea908bd6e425ae10cfbb5eb500107f5f699f/original/28942176-10156367151291388-2085100090-o-1.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I haven't written a blog post for a couple of weeks. I apologise. I was busy. Then I was ill. Then I was busy and ill. Traditionally, it's February where everyone gets ill. But this year, February was a month that was full of energy, enthusiasm and general roaring at the world to bring it on. Then along came March and the temperature dropped and like a big cold raspberry in the face, the winter looked like it was here to stay. And of course we all got the flu. </p>
<p>Last Friday, most of us managed to combine being ill together. I spent the day with my daughters watching the worst imaginable offerings on Netflix. Starting with a film from 2016 called Pup-Star. The story for what it's worth, is a typical rags to riches tale of a girl with a dream, framed in the context of America's Got Talent. The twist? All the main characters are dogs. That actually speak! Woof woof! </p>
<p>I don't know how they do this, but my theory is that they put something in the dog's mouths, like mustard, and the discomfort makes them move their mouths like they are speaking. I'm sure they also keep the dogs in a state of near starvation with an ever present threat of violence. That's my theory anyway. </p>
<p>The girls loved it. I was ready to take my chances knocking back a whole bottle of Calpol to try and numb the pain. </p>
<p>The film came to an end ... And the girls forced me to watch another film. The sequel. Pup Star 2.</p>
<p>Spoiler Alert. There's an identical dog, that turns out to be the star of the first film's long lost sister. They do a duet at the end. ... Spoiler. Yep. But I've saved you the pain of having to watch it, so you should thank me. </p>
<p>Anyway.. I'm better now .. I've just got a bit of a headache from my two girl's who haven't stopped asking if we can get a puppy. </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/50870422018-02-21T22:14:50+01:002022-05-21T10:17:41+02:00All my friends are .... And I'm like.... <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/99f64070cb7f4ef8272dfd30a9732721eef1b478/original/27388120-1518796486-8039-funddescription.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Back in the day it used to be: <strong>'All my friends are getting married and having kids, and I'm like....'</strong>, <br>Then we got older and it became: '<strong>All my friends are getting divorced and having affairs, and I'm like....' </strong><br>But now out of the blue, I'm suddenly at the point in my life where it's:<br><strong>'All my friends are starting crowdfunding projects and building theatres, and I'm like... '</strong></p>
<p>In the past few weeks, I've been invited to help crowdfund the building of two different theatres at different ends of Europe. Let that sink in... Theatres. They are building theatres.</p>
<p>At the beginning of the month, I was up in Stockholm at Al Pitcher's office, working on some writing. It's a dingy basement office in Midsommarkransen that he shares with My and Erik AKA: Presens Impro. In they came, buzzing excitedly and enthusiastically finishing each other's sentences. Probably just doing some kind of crazy impro exercise, I thought. I was impressed by how thoroughly they were immersing themselves in their roles, expertly talking about bank managers and floor plans and a carpenter called Lalle. So believable, such truth and depth in their performances I thought.</p>
<p>You should never stop an actor in full flow and the best thing is to try and avoid interacting with them other than nodding in agreement. The worst that can happen is that you end up being in one of their sketches, so best to just smile enigmatically without revealing too much. But these guys were good. They started talking about the cost of paintbrushes and multi-level seating. Very convincing performances, I thought. Just keep nodding and smiling, nodding and smiling.</p>
<p>Even for actors they were behaving in a way that was unusually bubbly and hyperbole filled. I did my best to just keep calm as though they were normal people and not Thespians - The last thing you should do if you meet an over emphatic actor is to encourage them.</p>
<p>Eventually , I realised that these guys were on another level. They weren't actually improvising! But they were ready to improvise the role of people who actually knew what they were talking about when it came to raising money, then buying, building and running a theatre. </p>
<p>In short: From their cellar in Midsommarkransen, Presens Impro had managed to take over another cellar in Midsommarkransen and were going to build a theatre in it. And they were planning on doing this via crowdfunding. Good on them, say I! And now you can buy a chair, a door, a bit of stage. Pretty much anything is available for the right price and a Swish account. Read more and give them some <a contents="support here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.presensimpro.se/presens-improkallare" target="_blank">support here</a></p>
<p>Just as I sent off my money to My and Erik, up pops an old face from the past - A guy from Birmingham called Jesse; A guy that back when we were at youth theatre was known simply as ‘The Kid’ mainly because he was a couple of years younger than us, even though he was probably much more worldlywise.. </p>
<p>After spending a month at The Edinburgh Festival with the Kid we wanted him to join our band, <em>Michelle Mother Of The Farting Penci</em>l, Birmingham’s answer to the <em>Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band</em>, but without the musical talent or entertainment value. The plan for gigs was to keep him hidden under a hessian sack until halfway through the set, then after a story about how we had discovered him running wild in the Yorkshire Dales, release him into the audience wearing nothing but a loincloth. This would have been a modest addition to our stage act which already involved a male stripper called Fat Lad Larry Sponge who finished off his act by pouring a can of rice pudding down his boxer shorts. We were ready to take on the world, but the best offer we ever got was a scribbled phone number on the back of a beermat from a guy called Geoff who claimed to be Ruby Turner’s manager. Strangely, he never returned our calls. </p>
<p>The Kid disappeared before his debut with the band. Nothing. No contact, almost as though he knew that the role of The Wild Kid of Yorkshire would have led nowhere but prison, rehab or worst of all, badly attended gigs in Tamworth.</p>
<p>But then, decades later, on social media, up he pops again.</p>
<p>He still looks like a kid, just a kid who is over forty with his youth a distant memory. And he has become a theatrical type who lives in Germany or Austria or Switzerland or possibly all three. It’s somewhere Teutonic anyway. And now he’s building his own theatre. Not in a cellar like those crazy improvisers of Midsommarkransen. Oh no. The Kid is building his theatre on the back of a Piaggio scooter van. Literally, a one man theatre with wheels and an engine. He's building a theatre that will be sold out as soon as the first ticket has been bought.</p>
<p>Good on him, say I. And well worth ten Euros of my money. Here's his<a contents=" Go Fund Me page" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.gofundme.com/the-smallest-theatre-in-the-world" target="_blank"> Go Fund Me page</a>. Go on! Give him ten Euros of your money too!</p>
<p>I’ve also signed up for a small monthly sum to Henrik Källman’s <a contents="Patreon" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://patreon.com/varannanonsdag" target="_blank">Patreon</a>. No plans to build a theatre, the coward, but well worth supporting. He is a comedian who used to have a bi-weekly column in his local newspaper until his local newspaper decided that they didn’t have any money left for luxuries like, you know, writers. So to keep his column and writing going, he’s going to carry on in blog form and produce a column every other week. Here's his <a contents="Patreon page" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://patreon.com/varannanonsdag" target="_blank">Patreon page</a>. Chuck him a dollar or two. </p>
<p>I've given to all three. Not too much, I need to save some money for the next set of friends who suddenly pop up on my social media feed who are building an architecturally challenging aquatic opera house, a circus Big Top made of string vests or a Fez making workshop on the side of a mountain. </p>
<p>Oh and by the way, as I’m on the subject, you can always buy me a coffee via the Kofi button at the bottom of the page. Cheers! And if you ask nicely, I’ll even post up a picture of me drinking the coffee that you have bought for me. Otherwise, help out my friends with their ill advised ideas (Or just write to them and tell them to get a proper job) </p>
<p>Here's the links:<br>Presens Impro Källare: <a contents="https://www.presensimpro.se/presens-improkallare" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.presensimpro.se/presens-improkallare" target="_blank">https://www.presensimpro.se/presens-improkallare</a><br>Jesse's Smallest Theatre In The World: <a contents="https://www.gofundme.com/the-smallest-theatre-in-the-world" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.gofundme.com/the-smallest-theatre-in-the-world" target="_blank">https://www.gofundme.com/the-smallest-theatre-in-the-world</a><br>Henrik Källman's 'Varannan Onsdag' : <a contents="http://patreon.com/varannanonsdag" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://patreon.com/varannanonsdag" target="_blank">http://patreon.com/varannanonsdag</a></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/50898542018-02-21T06:40:01+01:002021-09-08T14:03:44+02:00It's still NOT an audition!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/245268d91d1452c6010f8160182024dc0127d2e4/original/28407319-10156295939121388-1509993051-o.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>It's that time of year again when we have to remind Stångestaden that unless it involves singing, dancing, juggling, sword-swallowing, playing a musical instrument or making a dog jump through a hoop, it's not an audition. </p>
<p>The word you are looking for is INTERVIEW.</p>
<p>I <a contents="wrote about this last year" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blog/blog/audition-is-the-wrong-word" target="_blank">wrote about this last year</a>.. and it's almost as if my blog has no influence over Linköping's billboard advertisers and exploiters of the youth at all!</p>
<p>I will not rest (much) until the word audition is no longer seen as a funky, sexy alternative to calling it what it is: An Interview!</p>
<p>The struggle is real. The struggle continues. </p>
<p>And I would also like to point out that if the press want to talk about this, I'm available for an audition.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/50870492018-02-19T12:36:40+01:002018-02-19T12:49:12+01:00Linköping Comedy Festival 2018<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/143ee43a7105e6689a7d76429eecebecfd6bd769/large/28216919-10156288352326388-752584924-o.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>So that's Linköping Comedy Festival over for another year. Thank you to everyone who made it possible: Audiences, comedians, techies, staff at Frimis and sponsors, Visit Linköping, Botrygg and Mannersons. </p>
<p>It was a smaller, more intimate festival this year, but was weirder and more wonderful for it. No big stars, but shows that covered subjects that aren't perhaps what fit into the mainstream - Evelyn Mok's vagina, Thomas Quick (Sweden's 'worst' serial killer) and Sandra Ilar's full on assault on political correctness. Plus we had a kid's show and a pretty impressive showcase of local comedians. </p>
<p>I enjoyed the day a lot more than the build up, most of which felt a bit like swimming through mud trying to deal with the sum of Linköping's various parts. I'm more convinced than ever that Linköping probably just 'isn't that sort of place', despite the brave (and possibly deluded) aim of becoming one of Sweden's<a contents=" top three cities" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://linkopingnews.se/noje/johan-rustan-flytta-konserthuset/" target="_blank"> top three cities</a> for events. </p>
<p>Still, the festival got a decent crowd and the audiences enjoyed the shows loads, which I did too. So well done you, if you were there - audience and comedians - We did it. Thanks for making it happen!</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="w7Zxxon8XhM" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/w7Zxxon8XhM/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w7Zxxon8XhM?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/50574532018-02-08T19:27:40+01:002022-02-21T09:44:58+01:00Ten years of LKPG HA HA!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/e87149754b8b1576f60ee257132b1ac173dd7307/original/kjelljessben.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Ten years ago, I got together with Kjell Nyholm and Jessica Karlén, a couple of comedians from Kisa and put together the first ever LKPG HA HA! at Nationernas Hus in Linköping. </p>
<p>I thought the anniversary was today, 8th February, but when I checked the calendar, it was more likely the 5th. Nearly got the date right. It was a long time ago. </p>
<p>It's been a long, uphill struggle trying to produce stand up in Linköping and there's been a few peaks as well as lots of hurdles but this is how it all started, back when we were young(er) and better looking and in the case of Kjell, still alive. </p>
<p>In the summer of 2007, I got it into my head that I should try and do some stand up comedy in Swedish. There was an open mic at L'Orient which was probably as diverse a night as I've ever been to - Performances on cello, the ubiquitous Kurdish singalong by the pub's landlord Sami, truly awful guitar playing and singing, painfully overlong self indulgent poetry, a guy performing a Yoik (which is a bit like watching someone having a seizure) and me doing a couple of minutes stand up in Swedish. </p>
<p>Later in the summer I did a spot at Big Ben, squeezed my way onto the bill of a show called 'Fyra Blattar är mer än Två Svennar' with Zinat Pirzadeh, and then just before Christmas, got a spot at a night called Comedy Wood in Kisa at Kisa Wärdshus. It was run by local comedian Kjell Nyholm who had the catchphrase 'Jag heter Kjell, jag är fet, ful och fyrtio-fem'. </p>
<p>Audience wise the gig was awful. Live entertainment was scarce and a rarity in Kisa, but what Kjell hadn't planned for was that there would be a bikini fashion show the same night at the town's other pub. Pretty much the entire population of Kisa opted for the chance to see attractive moving, walking, talking women that they had previously only ever seen on the internet and magazines. The chance to see a lady with all her own teeth was too much!</p>
<p>I think it was one of those gigs where there were just as many in the audience as the number of people who stood onstage. From Stockholm - Janne Westerlund, Svenne Brundin and Laszlo Gölles. Then there was me, Kjell and a 17 year old Jessica Karlén. Nowadays, Jessica travels the world with a ukulele and hangs out with (if Instagram is anything to go by) the bold and the beautiful. Jessica of 2018 is tattooed, philosophical and battle scarred with tales of the road. Back in 2007 she wore a woolly jumper and looked like the personification of small town wonder and naivety. </p>
<p>In short we decided to start a club in Linköping. Jessica disappeared off to school, and Kjell and I would have phone conversations where I would understand less than a quarter of what he was saying as he let rip in one of the strongest Kisa accents imaginable. </p>
<p>I booked Nationernas Hus and the date was set. I think it was probably Jessica's idea, but we decided to wear glamorous clothes for the premiere. Jessica looked great. I wore my Saville Row Tommy Nutter three-piece suit and Kjell had promised to turn up in his work clothes. Kjell worked as a grave digger/funeral clerk at the church in Kisa, so work clothes could have meant muddy trousers and a spade, but fortunately he went for the suit that he wore at the services. A morbid black number with tear stains and make-up on the lapel where many an old woman of Kisa had found a shoulder to cry on following the burial of her late husband.</p>
<p>I think we got in about 150 people on the first night. If I remember correctly, the line up included Bisse Linder, Patrik Johansson, Palle Strömberg, Danny Hydén, me, Kjell, Jessica and the headliner Jörgen Sjöberg. What a night. </p>
<p>I remember Kjell's routines - His jokes about having bad eyesight - Such as: </p>
<p>"My eyesight is so bad I need contact lenses to see as far as my glasses.."<br>and<br>"I'm not saying I've got bad eyesight, but I've got a bifocal windscreen on my car."</p>
<p>Good jokes. </p>
<p>Jessica had some routines about waking up next to Shrek and her notorious 'Jekkika' set. </p>
<p>I probably did some jokes about Willys and Plopp. And something about learning Swedish from a phrasebook from the 1940s. Old faves. </p>
<p>We learnt that Kjell was NOT good with numbers and probably shouldn't be in charge of the money. That Jessica knew lots of people in Linköping. And that the people who worked at Nationernas Hus were 'difficult'. </p>
<p>I remember that Jörgen was brilliant - And a nice chap too.</p>
<p>Ten years have gone by. The world has changed. Stand up has become bigger in Sweden. It's more factional, for better or worse.</p>
<p>The way people go out has changed too. Back in 2008 was pre-smartphones, so there were fewer photos around. Facebook was new and a novelty and you could you could genuinely get some hype behind something before it got complicated by algorithms and the young people giving up for image only media like Snapchat and Instagram. </p>
<p>But it was an exciting time. Stand Up had a buzz and we never saw mousetraps, just free cheese and a fucking challenge*</p>
<p>Ten years on and I've put on hundreds of gigs in Linköping and brought hundreds of comedians to town. So where next for LKPG HA HA!? We'll see.... There's the comedy festival next week (<a contents="Buy your tickets here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.lkpghaha.se" target="_blank">Buy your tickets here</a>) and then we'll see what happens. After all, next year, I'll be fet, ful och fyrtio-fem. </p>
<p>Picture from the first ever LKPG HA HA! </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/85973de4ec88c0bff0acccc1043a0cac2daf71bb/medium/publiknh.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>********</p>
<p>*To misquote <a contents="Scroobious Pip&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/q_Gh8TWpQE8" target="_blank">Scroobious Pip </a></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/50674492018-02-07T22:55:51+01:002021-12-03T19:41:44+01:00All My Kamrater<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/89b2908c110c260012278772e827facabed980b8/medium/27782974-10156254845021388-1828330419-n-1.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I was up early this morning to be on <a contents="AMK morgon." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://amkmorgon.squarespace.com" target="_blank">AMK morgon.</a> </p>
<p>AMK is phenomenal. And I mean that in every sense of the word - The very fact it exists is remarkable and fantastic. It's been controversial, it's changed form over the years and yes, there are plenty of people who hate it. But there are plenty more that follow it avidly. A potted history is that AMK started as the weekly podcast Alla Mina Kamrater which grew and grew. It then became a morning show and seemed unstoppable... until the morning that a drunk Kringlan Svensson appeared as a guest and verbally and metaphorically <a contents="smashed the place up with an axe" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.expressen.se/kultur/skona-snubbar-som-gillar-valdtaktsskamt/" target="_blank">smashed the place up with an axe</a>. Less damage may have been done if they'd have just handed him a real axe.</p>
<p>The group disbanded and from the ashes, Martin Soneby rekindled the AMK firebrand. Using crowdfunding - mainly via Patreon, he created one of Sweden's most popular morning radio shows. And last summer, with a move to their own studio, the pod became fully independent, answerable to nobody. </p>
<p>This morning was the first time I've been on the show. I got there for the last half hour. Just finding it is one of the coolest things about it. Walking through the snowy streets of Södermalm, following Google Maps in my headphones. The 'You have reached your destination' beep came and there it was, a glass fronted shop with a bunch of comedians sitting round mics and having a laugh. </p>
<p>What's nice with stand up comedy is that you see some people regularly and others you see less often, but there's always a sense of camaraderie. Here was a group of blokes (yes.. all blokes.. but more of that at the end) who I knew, liked and that made me laugh. And it was fun. I got to plug the comedy festival (<a contents="buy your tickets here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.lkpghaha.se" target="_blank">buy your tickets here</a>) and the conversation ebbed and flowed about all sorts of other things too. Thomas Eriksson was very funny as usual. Marcus Thapper had some great references to Ljungsbro outside Linköpng; Petter Bristav was on form, as was Robin Berglund (who I met for the first time) - Ola and Isak were there fresh from the Aftonbladet studios where they'd been plugging their show Quick (In Linköping 17/2) and they were their usual charming and witty selves. And Martin Soneby held the whole thing together with in his own acerbic style. The whole thing was great. I doff my hat to Soneby with respect and admiration! </p>
<p>You can listen to <a contents="the episode here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/f/8/3/f8303382701d1d20/AMK_Morgon_7_februari_2018.mp3?c_id=19003686&destination_id=328718&expiration=1518035710&hwt=72d6dec553329a0c4edad058f227e484" target="_blank">the episode here</a>. I appear in the last half hour or so.</p>
<p>Over the years, the podcast has got into trouble for various things - Most recently, Janne Westerlund threatened to sue them for defamation. (In Swedish legal terms 'sue for defamation' translates to: 'attempt to garner as much publicity as possible) - Today was no exception and the show picked up a small amount of bad social media as the guest list was all male, all white. In fact someone even photoshopped the picture to bring home the point. See below. </p>
<p>Fair play. Good point, well made. But despite he criticism, I still think that AMK morgon is both a phenomenon and phenomenal. Thanks for having me Martin!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/57dfdf272e4db745c4ef73d280fcf2e3bafadee2/medium/27836494-10155882917650926-42709635-o.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/50557652018-02-05T17:48:31+01:002018-07-14T19:23:50+02:00Tiny Little Hands<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/4008be3c36b11c58afb0fae58b0e2aad4403422b/medium/013-pic.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Having tiny little hands is good for only a few things: Cleaning the inside of a clarinet, clapping enthusiastically without making too much noise, knitting a scarf for a gerbil and being the president of the USA. </p>
<p>All of these are on my bucket list, so when I was interviewed for Nolltretton magazine the other day, I insisted on one thing. That I would only oblige if they could provide me with some extra small hands. As everyone knows, it's vital that you have full control of your public image nowadays and if anyone found out that I have normal sized hands, then my ambitions for knitting, cleaning of woodwind instruments, rodent couture and becoming the ruler of the Free World would be out of the window - I can live with the indignity of rumours of being a noisy clapper. </p>
<p>And I think it was a pretty good job. You can only see that they aren't my hands if you look really closely. </p>
<p>So anyway, I was interviewed about The Linköping Comedy Festival which starts in just over a week, or just under two weeks, depending on how pessimistically or optimistically you count the weeks.</p>
<p>Read all about it! (as they say) and then buy tickets! <a contents="www.lkpghaha.se" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.lkpghaha.se" target="_blank">www.lkpghaha.se</a></p>
<p>I think it'll be a good one - Smaller and more compact than last year, but fun and interesting with a line up that includes myself, Beta Comedy, Presens Impro, Ola Aurell, Evelyn Mok, Isak Jansson and Sandra Ilar!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/dd5d1454a10a3b8142650374afea4aeae8203710/original/013-pictext.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/a079c0e02227419966d486fb5a960a15ff62280d/original/text-013.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/50517222018-01-30T16:06:58+01:002018-01-31T10:39:08+01:00Never work with children or animals<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/73ada7ee060a2a94c54d02222a22e4ca41d92dbb/medium/27604047-10156227976336388-1822802667-o.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>They say that the first rule of filmmaking is 'Never work with children or animals'.</p>
<p>This is obviously ridiculous. Surely, the first rule of filmmaking is 'Don't forget to take off the lens cap'.</p>
<p>If you've hired a trained juvenile dolphin to be your camera assistant, and the lens cap does get left on through the entire shoot, you could always blame it on the fact that you were working with a child animal.</p>
<p>Also, if you are going to train an animal to work with something as delicate as a film camera, perhaps a dolphin isn't the best choice, no matter how intelligent they are supposed to be. Try an animal with opposable thumbs instead. Like a stump-tailed macaque, for example. I don't want to show off, but I did study film at university, and this is the kind of advice that will save you hours, especially if you are thinking about hiring a bunch of invertebrates, no matter how cheap or enthusiastic they may be. </p>
<p>I digress. The second (or is it third?) rule of filmmaking, is 'Don't be afraid to break the rules!' - (Although you should still think carefully about the lens cap rule). And yesterday, as we filmed a pilot in Stockholm, that's what we did! We broke the rules and worked with a child. A one year old child. And by GOD working with children is difficult! And this was with a sweet, mild-mannered little boy who basically had to pretend to be himself. That's it. </p>
<p>I remember once, I watched a feature length French arthouse film, which had a 4 year old child in main role. The film, <a contents="Ponette, " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117359/" target="_blank">Ponette, </a>dealt with actual difficult issues such as life and death. And they worked with this kid for a whole feature film. We were doing a 15 second sequence which involved putting on a woolly hat .... And we were exhausted by the end.</p>
<p>When we moved outside for shots involving a buggy, we were able to use a doll which was much easier. Although when you film outside, in January, in Sweden, you should never forget the seventh rule of filmmaking - 'Don't forget your thermal underwear' </p>
<p>If that juvenile dolphin we'd hired hadn't been there to help out, I don't know how we'd have got through the day. </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/50365052018-01-22T22:18:24+01:002022-02-22T18:16:18+01:00The towel is mightier than the sword<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/2394d546189451d1a54fb8743ce74db618198ded/medium/27144697-10156205081861388-163768729-o.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I’m in pain. My limbs are aching.</p>
<p>I can’t be blamed. I’ve been in a fight.</p>
<p>It was a series of fights. It feels like I spent the whole of yesterday fighting. In fact, pretty much everyone I met, I fought. </p>
<p>And I was armed.</p>
<p>Yesterday was no ordinary lazy Sunday. Yesterday was Stage Fighting Workshop Sunday! It was like Linköpings very own Fight Club! And the first rule of Fight Club is… blog about it! </p>
<p>Fight Club started badly for me. I was slightly late. I’ve always been a little lax about time keeping and I honestly arrived no more than five minutes late! But I now know that when a workshop on Stagefighting, in Sweden, run by a Dane, is advertised to start at 9am, it starts at 9am. On the dot. This is the second rule of Fight Club: Don't be late. </p>
<p>I wasn’t very late, but I was late enough to miss the first part of the warm up. The part where you warm up your legs. This shouldn’t have mattered. You never see Zorro stretching his hamstrings before whipping out his trusty steel and getting down to some serious swashbuckling. </p>
<p>My upper body got the full warm up it deserved, and we got down to business. With a Rhumba.</p>
<p>Very pleasant, very safe or so it seemed…. But given the wrong partner the risk of injury can range from squashed toes to slapped faces. The reason for the Rhumba is that stage fighting is like a dance, a choreographed series of moves that need to be followed. You can improvise, but you and your partner must have a damn fine-tuned understanding of each other before you do. Just because the spirit takes you, doesn't mean you can start adding leaps and twirls unless your partner knows exactly what's going on. Mixing a Cha Cha Cha with a Tango is one thing, but an unexpected slash with a sword at head height can be slightly more painful. </p>
<p>We were given our weapons. Fencing swords with a blunted tip. A weapon that I always thought was called a foil, but that we called rapiers. It’s never acceptable to to make rape jokes, but my mind started working overtime on making rapier jokes. But just as I thought of a good one, someone else got in there first. Foiled again. </p>
<p>And we began working out small choreographed fights, we swished, we swashed, we slashed and and we cut. The room was filled with the sound of tchic-tchac tchic-tchac as we became a gang of Sunday morning Errol Flynns, albeit slightly less slick, pencil moustache free and in jogging pants. </p>
<p>Then came the move which was my undoing. The lunge. A move that we nearly didn't learn at all as when the instructor Marianne said "Now we'll do the lunge" in her Danish accent, most of us made a move for our packed lunches. What a difference pronunciation makes - Lunch is easy, a lunge can be painful. </p>
<p>So we lunged. Swords extended bodies low to the ground. The lower the better.</p>
<p>I did a few of these then started to feel it in my hamstrings, and my thighs. And wished I had arrived five minutes earlier to get those legs warmed up. I fought on, my face contorted with pain. My fellow combatants were impressed by my acting skills, portraying genuine agony after being defeated in a duel. .. They were less impressed when I kept the expression after the fight was over and hobbled around the room, whimpering. </p>
<p>I did some extra stretches and was back in the game. After lunch we added to our armoury with the most fearful weapon of all. The hand towel! This became an improvised cloak, which we twirled, flicked and used to parry blows. And we learnt the most important lesson of all! The towel is mightier than the sword! </p>
<p>I had a great day, and would love to do it again! Thanks to Marianne, the teacher who came all the way from Denmark and did everyone a great favour by speaking in English and teaching us the third rule of Fight Club: There's no such thing as a free lunge. </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/50279282018-01-17T15:37:12+01:002018-01-17T15:41:56+01:00Peking Humor<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/9263553756b2bd64b44ad38a201bf5b46d24c097/medium/peking-humor-pod.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I'm on a podcast - This time for real. Or am I just doing an impression of<a contents=" Albin Olsson doing an impression of me" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blog/blog/a-cheddar-cheese-sandwich" target="_blank"> Albin Olsson doing an impression of me</a>?</p>
<p>The Pod in question is called <a contents="Peking Humor" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/pekinghumor/" target="_blank">Peking Humor</a> - And its nothing to do with China, as those from Östergötland will know. Peking being the nickname for Norrköping. With a little bit of googling, the reason for this apparently dates back to a lecture given to some teachers back in 1910 in which the eminent lecturer Sven Hedin convinced the crowd that the Chinese for 'Northern town' was Peking. And the name stuck.</p>
<p>At least that's the official story according to the <a contents="Norrköping Tourist Office" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.upplev.norrkoping.se/sv/page/norrkopings-historia" target="_blank">Norrköping Tourist Office</a>. I think they could have come up with something a bit more racy involving opium, tea ceremonies and gunpowder. If they want me to rewrite it, I'm available!</p>
<p>So, the pod was fun! - Broadcast live on <a contents="YouTube " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/cpPLa_cHzzc" target="_blank">YouTube </a>and available as audio wherever you listen to your podcasts. The picture above is a screengrab from the YouTube stream. On the left Joel, whose house we recorded, me in the middle and on the right, sitting so close to the camera that the perpective is messed up and it looks like his head is enormous, Kerim.<br><br>We covered the lot - Innebandy, walls, Sverige Demokraterna and North Korea's chances in the Olympic women's Ice Hockey. <br><br>Give the pod a listen!<br> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/50218402018-01-14T15:45:45+01:002018-01-14T15:51:52+01:00A Cheddar cheese sandwich<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/c89c135761dec9955b24e383bf18cddf2e510663/medium/26219135-776760579192635-776419703212291713-n.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I have appeared on a podcast.</p>
<p>Or more accurately, a simulacrum, an impression, a version of myself has appeared on a pod. In short, I have been impersonated on a podcast. </p>
<p>Podcasts in Sweden have a reputation for getting into hot water. There was the famous<a contents=" Kringlan incident " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.resume.se/nyheter/artiklar/2015/11/20/kringlans-forsvarstal-det-blev-inte-bra/" target="_blank"> Kringlan incident </a>which was the downfall of one of Sweden's most popular podcasts, Alla Mina Kamrater. More recently, <a contents="Janne Westerlund threatened to sue AMK morgon " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/a/yvvyOJ/komikern-anmaler-poddradio-for-fortal-valdigt-upprord" target="_blank">Janne Westerlund threatened to sue AMK morgon </a>for defamation. So with that in mind and to make sure this never happens again, I am planning to sue!</p>
<p>I should add. I'm not doing this for me, but for the good people of <a contents="Cheddar" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://cheddarvillage.co.uk" target="_blank">Cheddar</a> and their famous cheese! I should also add that I haven't really thought the practicalities of the lawsuit through. But nonetheless, Albin Olsson! It's time to get lawyered up! You're going to court!</p>
<p>In the latest episode of <a contents="80 Väldigt Goda Mackor " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.patreon.com/80mackor" target="_blank"><strong><em>80 Väldigt Goda Mackor </em></strong></a>(80 Really Delicious Sandwiches) presented by Albin Olsson and David Sundin, Albin does me, yours truly, Ben Kersley. <a contents="Give it a listen here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://aca.st/5080c6" target="_blank">Give it a listen here</a> (It should start in the right place but otherwise, skip to 2 minutes in) . I will concede that Albin's impression of me is good, and yes, funny. But I will still defend the honour of Cheddar cheese!</p>
<p>The premise of the show is that over eighty weeks they work through a cookbook by the (now mildly disgraced) family favourite TV presenter Lasse Kronér, in which he reveals how to make and enjoy..... you guessed it... 80 really nice sandwiches. </p>
<p>There is a backstory to my cheesy beef with Albin: Last year when Albin was performing at <a contents="LKPG HA HA!&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.lkpghaha.se" target="_blank">LKPG HA HA! </a> and he ordered a bacon and cheddar burger. His misinformed way of saying Cheddar was too much to bear, so in a helpful, pedagogical and yes, perhaps a little patronising way, I helped him out and told him how it should be pronounced. I may have also made a point of talking about it onstage. I may have been on the hunt for cheap laughs from my home crowd to hammer home my point. But there is no excuse for the mispronunciation of one of the world's best known, and dare I say it, most delicious of cheeses. </p>
<p>Inevitably, the subject of cheese comes up now and again in their sandwich-based podcast and in episode 56, Albin mentions that most English of cheeses, Cheddar. My words on the subject obviously still haunt him which I will take as an intellectual and emotional triumph. I know it. He knows it .. but despite him knowing that I am right, he is still hiding behind his so called 'opinion' about his so called 'right' to pronounce Cheddar and which way he pleases. <a contents="I pity the poor fool.&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJnKm6ftPu0" target="_blank">I pity the poor fool. </a></p>
<p>I have, after all, been to Cheddar and eaten their cheese. I think I know how to say it. Besides, what could be more English than a nice slice of the pride of Somerset on a little Jacob's Cream Cracker and perhaps with a little bit of Branstons Pickle. (<em>Mouths watering!)</em> I've been eating this stuff since I was a babe in arms! </p>
<p>The least he could do is learn how to pronounce the name of the cheese properly. But no, for Albin Olsson he feels the need to butcher the simple poetry of those seven letters, C H E D D A R. Turning them into something wholly unrecognisable and making the name of the first cheese that, along with Red Leicester and Wensleydale, most English kids learn. It's a cheese close to the heart of any true Englishman and the staple of any packed lunch worth its salt. Albin takes a thing of beauty and life giving nutrition and makes it sound like fingers scraping down a blackboard. </p>
<p>For some reason, he thinks it is pronounced similarly to the sound of a camel clearing its throat then choking on whatever it happens to be chewing at the time.</p>
<p>There are few things that I feel the need to stand up for in this life, few fights that I am prepared to take, but the pronunciation of one of the staples of my diet is one of them. I feel for you Cheddar. I like your <a contents="Gorge " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.cheddargorge.co.uk" target="_blank">Gorge </a>and I love your cheese! And I have visited you and snaffled your free samples in your tourist shops on many occasions. So I am ready, if you are ready. Let's tale Olsson out! We can do this! </p>
<p>My advice to Albin is to get this one out of the way and concede he is wrong, It may seem I am being tough about this, but I am worried that one day he will come head to head with the people of Gouda, Gruyère or Camembert.</p>
<p>And the Dutch, Swiss and French won't be nearly as forgiving. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/f95aa59de0bd3e8ab111281ce2bcc15988abd00c/medium/20066800000-0.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/50199932018-01-12T12:28:27+01:002018-01-12T12:28:27+01:00Pitching with The Pitch<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/188be0c25c64f5fd7b0b44b5bf48b70266cdc0f7/original/26803397-10156173862291388-212510191-n.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>It's been a decent start to 2018. The first 'week back at work', that week that looms over the holidays like both a gruesome spectre and a beacon of light, has involved three pitch meetings and two voiceovers. It's almost like having a proper job!</p>
<p>Wednesday morning was one of those beautiful, crisp, blue sky days in Stockholm. As the day breaks on days like this over Stockholm's beautiful cityscape, it's impossible not to have a spring in your step and a smile on your face; cheeks reddened by the cold air. I was also off to meet Al to pitch an idea that we've been juggling with for the last year or so. The production company where we were meeting was on the top floor with views of the city, lots of glass, smily people and dogs... There's always dogs at production companies. </p>
<p>Long story short. The pitch is already a few steps into the SVT machine. This means nothing, of course, but at the same time, it means everything. So the next step is to make a pilot. Snabba puckar, as they say in Sweden, let's get things moving.<br>"We film at the beginning of February, first draft next week. Let's go!"<br>That's the way it goes, decision made and kick into action. The joy of working with private companies. I like it. </p>
<p>The next day, Norrköping and a different game entirely. A meeting in the heart of the Industrial area, a part of town that buzzes with creativity. Cheese sandwiches, fruit and coffee at <a contents="Cnema" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://cnema.se" target="_blank">Cnema</a> for a pitching meeting with a representative from the <a contents="Swedish Film Institute" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.filminstitutet.se" target="_blank">Swedish Film Institute</a>. Myself, Gustav and Al trying to act cool and sell our film idea to the Swedish establishment. The pitch went well. Dare I say, positive. But this was a very different kettle of fish. The film konsulent made it clear that there was due process, steps to follow, rules that needed to be adhered to. She played her poker face would give nothing away until we had filed an official application. </p>
<p>This was followed with a pitch for Norrköpings Filmfond. A minnow compared to SFI, but a minnow that we want to work with. Again, there was a process to follow and again, we came away from the meeting with smiles on our faces, but with nothing concrete other than the invitation to make an application. </p>
<p>So it's been a couple of fast moving days for the moving image and the impetus to keep moving forward. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/50145352018-01-09T16:09:10+01:002021-08-02T20:13:29+02:00What's on the end of the stick, Vic? <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/d590385be92d2f6da8dbf7448b26885c22ba5c74/medium/26543988-10156150073606388-261568251-o.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Xmas used to be all about the telly. I guess it still is to some, but now it's January it's all about catching up on the Xmas telly that I missed during the Xmas holidays. I blame the kids and I thank YouTube for the solution. </p>
<p>This year's Xmas special that I missed and have just caught up on is the return of <a contents="Vic Reeves Big Night Out." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/r5oLKTjY8eU" target="_blank">Vic Reeves Big Night Out.</a> </p>
<p>I can only imagine that there are British fortysomethings across the globe who have been trying to find a half hour to squeeze in the return of Vic and Bob while their kids, whacked out on sugar and lack of sleep with school still weeks away, run riot. Well. They're back at school and I've watched it. And I say THANK YOU VIC! AND THANK YOU BOB! It was great. </p>
<p>I have a memory of being around 16 and a group of us piling back to the Trainor brother's attic room in Kings Heath to watch the <a contents="first ever episode" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/iAQpkp4lC8Y" target="_blank">first ever episode</a> of Vic Reeves Big Night Out. We huddled round the Tv and watched as Vic Reeves pranced on in a white suit singing 'I'm a Believer'. He was accompanied by Bob Mortimer, holding a stuffed Alsatian, dressed as Isambard Kingdom Brunel. We watched. And we didn't get it. </p>
<p>But it started to sink in... The catch phrases, the characters, the anarchy and the absurdity. It was genius. </p>
<p>I went to the Digbeth Academy to watch the live show. At one point, Vic threw a half eaten pie, a Reeves and Mortimer meat product, from the stage. My friend Stu ran down like an excited little terrier and put it in his pocket. He took it home and lovingly wrapped it in silver foil then placed it in the freezer. I believe that over 25 years later, that meat pie is still there. </p>
<p>The photo is of me, with the T-shirt from that 1990 tour. I'd like to think that Stu has still got his and is tempted to tuck into his meat pie while watching the new slightly greyer, slightly plumper version of the show. </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
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<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/50044852018-01-03T18:33:18+01:002018-01-03T18:33:18+01:00Slapstick! <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/c03af4062be8cf581bf799cf80d8c1b2523f53cf/medium/best-buster-keaton-films.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>2018 is here like a kick up the bum, like a custard pie in the face, like a bucket of water tipped down the pants, like fingers slammed in a sash window, like brick after brick falling onto your head as you sit in the ashes and soot of the fireplace you have just fallen into from the collapsed chimney that you are supposed to be sweeping. </p>
<p>If any of this sounds like tragedy. It isn't. It is joyous. </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="yUSvnnesvBU" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/yUSvnnesvBU/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yUSvnnesvBU?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>This is slapstick - A celebration of the absurdity of life and the fact that as humans, however much we reach up towards the angels that we aspire to be, we are constantly dragged down by the apes that we actually are.</p>
<p>Kurt Vonnegut once wrote a novel called Slapstick, dedicated to Arthur Stanley Jefferson and Norvell Hardy (AKA Laurel and Hardy). The opening quote explains why: "This is the closest I will ever come to writing an autobiography. I have called it "Slapstick" because it is grotesque, situational poetry -- like the slapstick film comedies, especially those of Laurel and Hardy, of long ago. It is about what life feels like to me."</p>
<p>Just before Xmas, some very talented local dancers, Gustav Udd and Mathilda Larsson, from a group called <a contents="Folkedansteater" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/folkedansteater/" target="_blank">Folkedansteater</a> asked me to help out on a dance piece they were doing for a thing called the Kulturgille. I can't take any credit for their brilliant dancing, but I had a really enjoyable morning crafting a few gags, teaching a couple of hat flourishes and adding a little pathos here and there. As well as making sure that when Gustav gets his head smashed into the bar by a Vampish Mathilda that we hear the bang and feel the pain. This is what the final piece looked like: </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="jNK8guy4jAU" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/jNK8guy4jAU/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jNK8guy4jAU?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>Slapstick comedy and silent movies have always been important to me. I'm not sure when I first got into them; it may have been thanks to the BBC 2 6pm slot that showed black and white series. This was the time between the Kids' TV coming to an end and our evening meal being ready to eat. There was an endless run of Harold Lloyd and Laurel and Hardy shorts. The name of my company, Safety Last Productions, is a dedication to Harold Lloyd and his film of that title. If you've never watched the clock sequence in Safety Last, do yourself a favour and watch this: </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="tuflxdBe9JQ" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/tuflxdBe9JQ/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tuflxdBe9JQ?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe> </p>
<p>I think I got into Charlie Chaplin when I was in my late teens after watching <a contents="Easy Street" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxZcgpG1Gqg" target="_blank">Easy Street</a> at the cinema, although I also found some reels of Super 8 film at my folk's house with the title 'Charlie' so we may have watched them in a time before proper childhood memories formed, a time when everything is remembered as though it was being screened via a Super 8 projector. </p>
<p>Buster Keaton took me a little longer to get to know. I was probably already at university and got to see 'Young Sherlock' on the big screen. It was also around this time, that I went to the Lyric in Hammersmith and saw Blue Grassy Knoll, a Bluegrass band from Australia play a live soundtrack to The General. This is them: </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="IMd-IVQdjno" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/IMd-IVQdjno/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IMd-IVQdjno?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>In most of northern Europe, there is a New Year Tradition that is quintessentially English, but that is almost unheard of in the UK. New Year's Eve in Sweden (And indeed Denmark, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and others) wouldn't be complete without showing 'Dinner For One' or 'The 90th Birthday', a short filmed version of a Vaudevillian standard. First performed onstage in the 1920s, then purchased, adapted and refined in the 1950s by Freddie Frinton and recorded for German TV in 1963, the sketch has entered popular culture with the catchphrase 'The same procedure as every year, James!' being used with wry Scandinavian and Germanic smiles throughout the year. </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="6lzQxjGL9S0" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/6lzQxjGL9S0/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6lzQxjGL9S0?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>Perhaps egged on by the joy of 'Dinner For One', I forced my family and friends to watch the whole of Chaplin's The Kid on New Year's Day. It's one of my all time favourite films and like most of Chaplin's films has tears and laughter in equal measure. In retrospect there are lighter films to watch with kids on New Year's day, but I'm glad to have given my children a fifty minute dose of culture, history and a film that pulls on the heart strings. As well as for them to have seen the brilliant performances of both Chaplin and Jackie Coogan. Here's taster: </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="5sUwwsQOM6g" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/5sUwwsQOM6g/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5sUwwsQOM6g?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>So that's the year started. Ready for the pratfalls and the sucker punches, and ready to celebrate them for the fact that they remind us we are human. Happy New Year! </p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/49997962017-12-30T10:02:06+01:002017-12-30T10:08:15+01:00That was the year that was - 2017<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/ca2d99af37f3bcac563fc6594fd0cf1d10424e17/medium/17021793-1445060915545995-3035386797632765310-n-1.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>It's the time of year when you are supposed to look back and sum up all your achievements, successes and generally what a great person you are. The summary should also be peppered with a few failures and heartbreak to add a little humility and that through your fallibiity you are all the more brilliant.</p>
<p>I'll try and give it a go, but please accept that I may have missed a few things and I'll just stick to the professional bits without saying too much about the trials and tribulations of life with my wonderful and supportive wife and kids and the parents who have led us on a journey of potentially terminal illness followed by detailed descriptions of the workings and non-workings of the human digestive system. </p>
<p>So back to the work stuff. Here's a little summary in sort of chronological order. </p>
<ul> <li>
<strong>Linköping Comedy Festival 2017</strong> - I put on the festival for a second time in February 2017. Four nights, five shows. All but one was sold out - Over 1000 tickets sold. This year won't be as big by any means, basically due to Linköping changing their motto from 'Linköping - Where Ideas Become Reality' to 'Linköping - Not That Kind Of Place'. But the festival for 2017 was a real achievement and this year should be more of a Fringe type festival (i.e. less big names) but I think in terms of comedy it will be just as good if not better. Corren described Festival 2017 as: "Utsålda föreställningar och humor av riktigt hög klass" (Sold out shows with really high class comedy), so get your <a contents="tickets for 2018 now!" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.lkpghaha.se" target="_blank">tickets for 2018 now!</a><br> </li> <li>
<strong>Writing a pilot script for Brain Academy -</strong> I have started working more regularly with Al Pitcher and the year began with us being commissioned to write a pilot for Peter Settman's company, Brain Academy. Like 99.9% of pilot scripts, this one went no further than being black and white on paper, but we learnt a hell of a lot about how the industry works, which has led to more work and doors opening and we got paid! Was both humbling and frustrating to meet with Settman who in Sweden is a pretty big cheese in the world of TV. Humbling because you listen to someone who has produced as much TV as he has, and that he is giving you his time (and money) and frustrating because meetings would often end with him saying things along the lines of 'Right! I'm off to Los Angeles for a month!' .<br> <br> We didn't get the series made, but we do still own the rights to the script - So if anyone is interested in a sitcom about a women's football team set in small town Sweden, get in touch! The whole process was fun - I got to meet a few professional footballers and hung out in Östermalm a little bit. <br> </li> <li>
<strong>Blogging</strong> - Well... Just happy to be blogging really. Nice to have a reason to write and to summarise things that I've done in one place - Also quite proud of my website and blogging is one of the ways to get people to visit it - probably why you are here too!<br> </li> <li>
<strong>Spring Season at The Crypt - </strong>Over the spring season, I put on roughly one show a week. Some shows did better than others, but on the whole, considering that The Crypt were working hard to be as difficult as possible, I'm pretty happy I managed it. I also got to know Kaj, Patrik and Patrik from Gaphals .. which led to:<br> </li> <li>
<strong>Almost buying a venue in Linköping </strong> - Not sure if this counts as a failure rather than a success, but this was a hell of a learning process as me and the Gaphals Boys wrote business plans, tried to convince banks to lend us money, looked into the intricacies of alcohol licensing, banged our heads against walls with landlords and generally discovered that the town motto has changed to: 'Linköping - Not That Kind Of Place'. However it did lead to some fairly interesting but equally unproductive meetings with Anders at Visit Linköping who has been brilliant at championing our cause, but one suspects is also beginning to see the Kafkaesque nightmare of the interaction between the various organisations at play in Linköping. I could be wrong, but I think he has even been heard to mutter 'Linköping - Not That Kind Of Place' under his breath. <br> </li> <li>
<strong>Summer Theatre - </strong> This summer <a contents="I was in a play." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blog/blog/i-ve-been-in-a-play-daaar-ling" target="_blank">I was in a play.</a> A proper play (for kids) with costumes and lighting and other actors. And it was fun! There's something very special about performing in the open air and yes... I'd do it again.. just probably not next summer<br> </li> <li>
<strong>Loads of Voiceover work</strong> - The old vocal chords are continuing to pay the bills. Many thanks to <a contents="Online Voices" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.onlinevoices.com" target="_blank">Online Voices</a>, but also to a few other studios. Highlights have included a <a contents="TV commercial for iZettle," data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blog/blog/a-uk-tv-commercial" target="_blank">TV commercial for iZettle,</a> a voiceover for a<a contents=" big gun for the Swedish military " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blog/blog/fire-the-nuclear-weapons" target="_blank"> big gun for the Swedish military </a>, some fun improvised work for a new animation comany called <a contents="Pt 1" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blog/blog/bad-dad-jokes" target="_blank">Part</a><a contents="Part&nbsp;One" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blog/blog/bad-dad-jokes" target="_blank"> One</a> and a voiceover for the government of Rwanda. And not forgetting: <br> </li> <li>
<strong>My vinyl debut!</strong> - Where I did a <a contents="voiceover for Throne of Heresy" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blog/blog/one-step-closer-to-death-metal-infamy" target="_blank">voiceover for Throne of Heresy</a> a Death Metal band. And yes.. my voice is now available all over the world, on vinyl, CD or Spotify. <br> </li> <li>
<strong>Pilot film</strong> - The ball is now well and truly rolling with <a contents="the film project" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blog/blog/pilot-film" target="_blank">the film project</a> that I am working on with Al Pitcher and Gustav Skogens. In August 2017 we hit the road and filmed in such glamorous places as Mjölby, Skänninge and Boxholm. Summer 2018 we hit the road again! <br> </li> <li>
<strong>Performing </strong>- There have been some really very fun live shows this year - I've blogged about some of them, but for me the highlights have been RAW - It's been a few years since I was there last, but Mårten Andersson's club at The Hilton is by far the one of the best places in Sweden to perform. A gig for civil servants who do town planning for seven of Sweden's middle sized towns and of course <a contents="gig of the year in Grytgöl!&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blog/blog/as-popular-as-a-potato-gratin" target="_blank">gig of the year in Grytgöl!</a> <br> </li> <li>
<strong>Writing for Canal Digital </strong>- I wrote a few nice short ads for Al's campaign for Canal Digital. And I'm pretty happy <a contents="with the results." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blog/blog/canal-digital-and-al-pitcher" target="_blank">with the results.</a><br> </li> <li>
<strong>In the studio with Felix Herngren</strong> - This is more of a brag than an achievement, but when FLX were recording a voiceover in English with Felix Herngren, they asked me into the studio as Felix's language coach. Very much basking in the glory of others here, but it was fun to work with one of Sweden's biggest names and in a really top notch studio in the heart of Stockholm. <br> </li> <li>
<strong>Playing the guitar and playing tennis </strong> - Not at the same time (unless you count air guitar on the racket), but I've been doing both a bit more often and yes, I'm rubbish at both... but that doesn't stop me torturing other people with my performances. <br> <br> So there we have it - A hastily thrown together summary of the year ... I'm sure I've missed something, so if you want to remind me that I also came up with the cure for cancer or was Donald Trump's hairstylist during 2017, just drop me a line! <ul></ul> </li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/49969472017-12-28T16:32:45+01:002017-12-30T10:00:49+01:00A wrapper and a rhymer<p>Merry Xmas!</p>
<p>Even though President Trump has told us that the very phrase Merry Xmas has been under attack, I'm going to say it loud! Because Xmas isn't just about the presents. Oh no..... it's about the competition around those presents!</p>
<p>I'm not talking about the subtle competitions that go on - spending a fortune when, you've agreed not to go wild, pretending to really, really appreciate that knitted jumper from your mother in law, or my favourite - Who can give the most inappropriate gift: A bottle of whisky to the recovering alcoholic, a fur hat to the vegan cousin, an understanding ear for your rellies who voted for Brexit. </p>
<p>The competition I'm talking about is far more important and I'm happy to say that this year has shown that I am from a family of winners! Because this year we had a Secret Santa! With prizes!</p>
<p>There were two categories: One for best wrapping and one for best rhyme. And we cleaned up! My daughter won the best wrapping with her brilliant reindeer design. And I blew away the competition in (mostly) my second language with my epic ode to my son. A poem with subtle allusions to both Alexander Pope and The Venerable Bede (Not really!)</p>
<p>This is us basking in our glory and holding our trophies! </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/55d04c23b7eb0e479dc4c686864d4cac86b061f8/medium/26145208-10156129388286388-1158157153-o.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p><p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/49875012017-12-21T08:59:44+01:002017-12-28T15:35:02+01:00School's out for the winter<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/64fb09b83047f3fbc5d3690fce6cdbe667d64ed5/medium/25673146-10156110887251388-1208340928-o.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>School's out. And as with every year, the kids parade the streets with burning torches. Twelve year olds in charge of fire. The parents are never invited to what happens when they get to wherever they get, but I have a pretty good idea how these things end up. <br><br>Last year I made this video which dares to say what we all suspect goes on.</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="ku5kkTr4EGQ" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/ku5kkTr4EGQ/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ku5kkTr4EGQ?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/49858822017-12-20T15:28:56+01:002017-12-28T15:38:59+01:00What the puck?<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/cbe3adacb3c20c8a22a3cff04e0280264b840843/medium/25634813-10159798557475201-323202725-o.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>Last night I went to watch some Ice Hockey. And I had a lovely time - Nice food, a lovely buffet, a couple of beers, charming company in the form of the good people of <a contents="Online Voices" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://onlinevoices.com" target="_blank">Online Voices</a> and <a contents="Fishy Minds" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://fishyminds.com" target="_blank">Fishy Minds</a>. Thanks for having me along!</p>
<p>Then there was the Ice Hockey, which I've never really got my head round as a form of entertainment. The game itself is like a side show to the massive amounts of advertising. Literally, everything is a platform for some form of advertising. If it's a thing, it can be sponsored: The puck, the break, the powerplay; There are video adverts running concurrently with the game. And it's all a bit distracting to be honest. </p>
<p>I did try and watch the game between the adverts. It would have been a bit more exciting with a few more goals and some decent fights. </p>
<p>According to the official statistics, about 5000 people were there. I say 'official statistics' because I think about half of those 5000 had come in costume, dressed as empty seats. I can kind of understand why - The game itself was scrappy and for a dedicated fan to get out of the house, into the cold, you need more than some scrappy hockey in parallel to all the advertising that assaults your senses at the hockey arena. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/fcb6528b9964fb3bd54f2b37280c59125613cd82/original/hockey-fans.tiff" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Some people like it though. These three were feeling pretty passionate about Frölunda who won the game. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/fcb6528b9964fb3bd54f2b37280c59125613cd82/original/hockey-fans.tiff" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/fcb6528b9964fb3bd54f2b37280c59125613cd82/original/hockey-fans.tiff" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/abfa120515ed2ba7f49fb2d8a25fc239b805e0cb/original/hockey-fans.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
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<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/49841132017-12-19T15:20:37+01:002017-12-28T15:38:07+01:00The Silence of the Goats<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/23a7696aeabb122e5cb71dcbfa9516fb9deea61f/medium/25624783-10156105688656388-476876289-o.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Yesterday I went to Gävle to see the goat.</p>
<p>Not just any old goat, but the famous goat of Gävle, <a contents="the Julbocken" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%A4vle_goat" target="_blank">the Julbocken</a>, the goat that has put Gävle on the map and set the place alight. I was there with Al Pitcher to get a bit of goat-based footage for the film we are working on. The goat was first built to attract tourists to the town, but soon became a magnet for pyromaniacs with a thing against goats.</p>
<p>In the years since it was first built in 1966, the goat has been burnt to the ground 36 times, which is why we had to act fast to get some pictures of the goat while it was still standing. When you make the decision to go and film a straw goat that has a reputation for being set alight, every second counts. We made plans on the Thursday, bought our train tickets and crossed our fingers for the goat's well-being until we arrived there on Monday morning. </p>
<p>As this was a last minute plan, Gustav, he of the camera skills and steady hand, couldn't make it. So it was down to my good eye and artistic temperament to do the filming. I picked up the camera and sound equipment on Friday, and received definitive, idiot-proof instructions on how to use them. </p>
<p>Next stop - Gävle. Monday. And we set out to film that goat which perhaps due to good luck and perhaps due to the wet weather had not yet caught fire. Lens cap off, headphones on, all good. We began filming, I got some great shots and asked some groundbreaking questions, the answers to which were profound, enlightening and had the power to change the way we see the human condition. Good work Al and Ben. </p>
<p>Lunch. And time to check what had been recorded. I checked the sound recorder and the dial stood at 8 seconds. My heart sank. I listened back and listened to my own voice saying "Good. That's recording. I'll just put it in the bag and we can go..." Then silence. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. ... As I had put it in the backpack, I'd obviously also managed to pause the recording, which explains why I could monitor the sound, but not realise that it wasn't working. </p>
<p>Not a complete disaster as we still had some good shots, but had to run back to the goat and try and recreate the moments of pre-lunch brilliance, but this time with sound. </p>
<p>What have I learnt? Always check the sound equipment twice and never try and film, direct and record sound on your own. I also blame the goat and I hope somebody burns it down! </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
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<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/49750102017-12-13T14:12:36+01:002017-12-28T15:33:31+01:00As popular as a potato gratin! <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/2dd34a930654731a6d3dcaee4c48de7451e92baa/original/25152281-10213614870582543-5878860223164097133-n.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />They say you should never read reviews, but when GIK Nytt, the heavyweight organ that is the source of all news in Grytgöl writes about you, you pay attention!</p>
<p>A few weeks ago, I was asked to gig in a place that I assumed to be in the Back of Beyond. An assumption that was wrong, as the place turned out to be just outside the Back of Beyond and indeed, managed to make the Back of Beyond look like a buzzing metropolis. Even the name, Valhalla, a place which in Viking legend, where the heroic dead meet to tell tales of battle, did not prepare me for the reality. </p>
<p>You can read about my version of <a contents="events in Valhalla" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blog/blog/a-night-in-valhalla" target="_blank">events in Valhalla</a> here. </p>
<p>Their version of how the night went has just been published. And as a comedian, it's good to know that you made an impression. It's also good to know that your performance stayed in the mind of the reviewer as much as the potato gratin. It's not a competition, but inch for inch, the potato gratin has received just as much of a dedication as my performance. </p>
<p>Grytgöl. I love you. I want to come back. But next time, no potato gratin. Valhalla just isn't big enough for both of us! </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/49731452017-12-12T10:41:39+01:002017-12-28T15:39:45+01:00Early morning windy pops! <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/d3a073a9e75e3813aeed8fa22007ce2a50369216/original/25323219-10156084023591388-1267237065-n.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I did an early morning voiceover yesterday.</p>
<p>I was in Stockholm for a full day of bashing out ideas for various film and TV ideas (i.e. drinking coffee on a sofa while trying to make a silly ideas seem viable, and serious ideas become silly enough to be viable). The only time I could fit in the recording was first thing, just after the studio opened.</p>
<p>It was a beautiful snowy morning and I plodded through Stockholm as the city came to life and the sun reluctantly rose over the skyline. I was early and hungry, so popped into a cafe near the station for a quick breakfast (sandwich, juice, coffee and banana for only 49kr). I wolfed it down and watched the flock of commuters rush by with a soundtrack lovingly selected <a contents="provided by Spotify&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/37i9dQZEVXcRJJYw126MrL?si=jHLrgNU1TIyUX2w3JVkxaA" target="_blank">by Spotify </a>- A soundtrack that is generally good, but one that is corrupted by Spotify's interpretations of my listening algorithms, which every now and again lets in a horrible pop tune that my kids have forced me to listen to while I am driving them around. </p>
<p>When I got to <a contents="Online Voices" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://onlinevoices.com/en" target="_blank">Online Voices</a>' beautiful new studio in Kungsbro, my stomach started rumbling. I had eaten too quickly and I realised I should have sat for five minutes longer and let my food go down. </p>
<p>We began recording and all went well, a nice smooth read about Stockholm's schools with an allegory about a cat and an elephant (Don't ask!). Just as I was getting into my stride, the mic picked up the rumble in my tum. </p>
<p>I'm fairly certain that between sound engineer, Per, and myself, we would have spotted all the rumbles, there is always a slim chance that one or two may have got away. If you ever end up watching a video in English about school choice in Stockholm, turn the volume up extra high and listen for the rumbles. I'm 99.9% sure you won't hear any... but if you do, let it be a reminder that you should never rush breakfast! </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/49647452017-12-06T16:27:37+01:002022-05-31T09:25:09+02:00Johnny Hallyday and me<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/532f081c0d6776f054e2b6afd6c732f8b241dc08/medium/1464875-1230424-hallyday2.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" />And so, adieu, Johnny Halliday. Au revoir, l'Elvis français. </p>
<p>I only ever listened to the music of Johnny Halliday once in my life. It was shortly before I ran away from the circus. I won't say that the music of the Frenchman made me quit life on the road, but I think he definitely made up a large part of the soundtrack of me quitting. </p>
<p>Back in 1992 I was in a small Basque village in northern Spain with a plan to hitchhike my way along the coast. (Remember the days when people used to hitchhike?). In the main square a group of men were setting up a Big Top for a circus. They were speaking French, so I got chatting away. (Remember the days when you got chatting to French strangers?). My mind filled with romantic ideas of joining the circus, travelling the world and strange love triangles between myself, a dwarf and a bearded lady. (Remember the days before the Internet, when such things really did require imagination?). </p>
<p>Before I knew it they'd signed me up. Bed, board and travel. Perfect. And I would be working at a circus! </p>
<p>Once the big top was up, I was quickly given my first and only job. They handed me a shovel and pointed me away from the bright lights and adoring audience and towards the animals. There were camels, horses, a donkey, a monkey and three Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs. And my job was to use the shovel to pick up their shit. If I had any questions, I should just ask Jean-Pierre who had just been promoted from the job of shit shoveller.</p>
<p>I got to watch the shows, my heart sinking every time one of the horses did a poo in the ring, knowing that it would be my job to clear it up after the show. I learnt how they scammed the public at every show, selling lottery tickets in the interval. They used to bring on the prizes - First prize, a state of the art television, so big that it was a struggle for Jean-Pierre to carry onto the stage. They sold a lot of tickets, but nobody ever won that TV... Just as well, as I also knew how the box was actually empty and struggling with the weight was just as much an act as the rest of the show. </p>
<p>While the artists of the circus went off to their luxurious caravans, I was left with Jean-Pierre to keep an eye on the animals. I lived on a diet of Fabada Asturiana, a bean stew, which I gingerly ate while the pot-bellied pig nibbled at my trousers. Every meal time Jean-Pierre would change for dinner by putting on his leather jacket with tassles on the sleeves and a picture of Johnny Hallyday, the French Elvis, on the back. He had rows of cassettes of Johnny Hallyday concerts and albums. and as one tape came to an end, he would lovingly take it out, put it back in it's box and click another tape to play. </p>
<p>After three days of this, he said to me "Do you like Johnny Hallyday? J'adore Johnny Hallyday! I love him!"</p>
<p>I slept in the cab of one of the lorries, in that little cubby hole behind the seats. Jean-Pierre lived on the other side of the wall and when he wasn't snoring, all I could hear were the strains of Johnny Hallyday.</p>
<p>My plan was to travel with the circus, but we hadn't moved from the spot where I had filled my first shovel full of shit. After a week, the police knocked on the window of the cab at seven in the morning and asked when we would be moving our animals and big top from the main square. I didn't know when we'd be moving, but understood enough to know that the permit had run out a few days before. I crept out of the cab, packed my bag and snuck away to the bus station making my break for Bilbao. </p>
<p>Au Revoir Jean-Pierre! Au Revoir des animaux! Au Revoir Johnny Hallyday!</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="9ULK7C6iZjs" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/9ULK7C6iZjs/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9ULK7C6iZjs?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/49595452017-12-02T17:55:43+01:002017-12-28T15:40:31+01:00Lions, cranes and a seafood buffet. <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/fae85f05fefbc9c20697abc5ae73cd2bd2aad5d6/medium/24324099-10156052766126388-17364420-o.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>On Thursday night I found myself in Gothenburg. It's been a while, and although I was only there for less than a day, it was good to be back in a 'big' city with proper traffic and a bit of history. </p>
<p>I travelled down with a magician called Fredrik who was also performing at the gig. He claims to be a magician, but despite his magic powers, he still needed to stop to buy petrol and use the GPS on his phone to find his way to the venue. Why he wastes his gift of magic on card tricks, I don't know. </p>
<p>We were there to do a gig at a place called Feskekôrka (The Fish Church), the most famous place to buy fish in a city which sells a lot of fish. It's an amazing building, which looks like a church and sells fish - I guess that's why it's called the Fish Church, to be honest. It's run by a six-foot-something bearded Hipster called Johan, who couldn't possibly be more friendly if he tried. The walls of the restaurant were covered with trophies and accolades for both the quality of the food and his skill in opening oysters. (From what I could gather, he is a permanent fixture on the winner's podium of the Galway Oyster Festival). </p>
<p>The gig was for a company that worked with paint with people from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, France and Italy. It was a big space to play and was quite cold, not only because of the weather, but also the trays of ice for the shellfish. I went in with a bit of energy and had a pretty good gig - I got clapped on the back by a Finn, a Swede and an Italian afterwards, so must have done something right. </p>
<p>After the gig my old mate Kurt Lightner turned up. He is an American artist, designer, comedian, musician and all round good guy who lives in Gothenburg. He turned up in time for us to eat and needless to say that as a man with the words 'artist, designer, comedian and musician' in his CV, he didn't pass off the opportunity for a free meal. And what a meal it was! An amazing seafood buffet of oysters, salmon, prawns, mussels. Wow! Thank you Johan!</p>
<p>We watched Fredrik's gig while dining like kings - Again, did he use his magic powers to do anything for world peace? Make life a little easier for the downtrodden masses? Find a cure for cancer? No.. still with the cards! </p>
<p>I stayed over at Kurt's and it was great to catch up - We haven't seen each other for a few years and while many things have changed he's still the same old Kurt. One of the things that he has done since I saw him last is to have started a company called Lions and Cranes which sell useful items with his designs on them - cups, trays, tea towels, that kind of thing. Have a look at their website, and do some Christmas shopping there! <a contents="http://lionsandcranes.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://lionsandcranes.com" target="_blank">http://lionsandcranes.com</a></p>
<p>In the morning, we tried to get breakfast in a number of Majorna's most Hipster cafés only to discover that we had got up earlier than most Hipsters eat breakfast, so they were all shut. Instead we drank coffee at the 7-11. We said our goodbyes (Kurt is off to the States for a few months) and I walked to the station through a grey Gothenburg. </p>
<p>Kurt had given me a couple of their best selling steel mugs, so I took this picture. (I couldn't find any lions, so you'll have to make do with just cranes. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/1d257b60ff72d5ddd23e84cfbe76c16938f6509b/medium/24322021-10156052765976388-1686959287-o.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/49490602017-11-26T16:13:11+01:002022-02-22T17:03:24+01:00A night in Valhalla<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/e79fafea2baa7465cb1757838f25349bb1de8aa6/original/valhalla.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>According to Norse mythology (by which I mean, <a contents="Wikipedia" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valhalla" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>), Valhalla was an enormous, majestic hall, that warriors travelled to after they had been slain in combat; a pretty impressive place where you were welcomed by fantastic beasts, there were golden shields on the ceiling and the wine flowed and the feasting was copious and continuous. </p>
<p>So when I got sent the address for Saturday night's gig, I had a rush of excitement and fear as I was told that the place I would be playing was Valhalla itself. I was sent the coordinates on Google maps and there it was: Valhalla! </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/aec26af448baaceb8716405c424046fcf4599694/medium/24058860-10156031934906388-1815614870250477710-n.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I perhaps should have been a bit more sceptical when the rest of the instructions of how to get there were: It's about 2km outside of Grytgöl, which is about 10km outside of Finspång, which is about 20km outside of Norrköping. I had GPS and a car - I just wonder how those slain Vikings managed to get there in their long boats and without smart phones. </p>
<p>It was an icy night and the roads got smaller and smaller and icier and icier. I was fully prepared and packed warm clothes, a tea filled thermos and an axe, just in case I needed to build a fire, construct a shelter or defend myself against attack by bears, psychopaths or over-friendly locals. </p>
<p>Eventually I came to Grytgöl, locked all the doors and with an extra tight grip on the steering wheel, drove through the village. Then it was into the woods, dark all around, even the stars were obscured by the heavy conifers that loomed up on either side. The way ahead was lit only by my headlights on full beam, a bubble of light in which the ice on the road twinkled. </p>
<p>Occasionally the lights would catch two white dots of light between the trees; perhaps the eyes of a deer or wild boar, but more likely the fixed, soulless glare of the landowner's idiot son, known locally as Stefan the Strangler who has the body of a fifty year old lumberjack and the mind of a six year old child. The only time he is able to find an inner calm is when the sound of a squirrel in a microwave finally comes to an end. </p>
<p>When I thought the woods could get no darker, I saw a faint light in the distance which got brighter as I approached. It was an enormous advertising hoarding: Lasse's Tractor Workshop. Il Bosco Oscuro Pizzeria. Funerals by Maggan. This was the place. The gravel track to the venue was lit by those bamboo Tiki torches favoured by angry folk who want to Make America Great Again. </p>
<p>I drove slowly past the football pitch and a boarded up kiosk with handwritten signs for 'KAFFE' and 'VARM KORV' to the end of the track where two fires crackled. This was Valhalla and it was throbbing with life. I braced myself and got out of the car. This was not the Valhalla I had read about. No golden shields, no stag Eikþyrnir or the goat Heiðrún, just a lot of men in checked shirts and baseball caps at tables filled with beer bottles. </p>
<p>Gig time! </p>
<p>Kerim was up first. He was on long enough to determine that the sound system wasn't very good at all - It had volume, but in a booming way that meant every word just became a distorted thunderclap of sound. The sound system even came with a guy in a cap, beard and black T-shirt to twiddle the knobs which is usually a sign that the sound will work (And also that you will be offered drugs, but that's another story). Tonight we learnt the lesson: An Iron Maiden T-shirt and a beard does not a sound technician make. </p>
<p>About five minutes into Kerim's set a man stood up, swayed a little and held up his hands. He wasn't the tallest person I've ever seen and he wasn't the drunkest person I've ever seen, but he was the drunkest tall person I've ever seen and as he waved and swayed the audience fell silent, perhaps in gob smacked curiosity to see which direction he would fall. Either way, he commanded silence and suggested in a voice that was true and clear that Kerim perform without the mic. </p>
<p>And so it was that the rest of the gig was mic free. I don't think Kerim was going to push his luck - He and I were already pushing the envelope by diversifying the ethnic mix of Grytgöl in ways that had never before been imagined. Kerim relaxed a bit when the tall man sat down again and did a great gig.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/4e62f1efffa365df5e26daa4e542cb940c824b80/medium/24139935-10156034669631388-182955016-o.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" />Next up was Jerry, who had proudly told us as we reviewed the motley crew of Grytgöl that these were 'his people'. And to be fair to him, as he stood in front of them, he did resemble a kind of evangelical cult leader with 'his people' in the palm of his hands. I got the impression that by the end of his set, they were ready to either buy whatever cure-all liniment he was selling or commit suicide <em>en masse</em>. To be fair, I've been at a couple of Jerry's gigs before where by the end the audience were ready to commit suicide <em>en masse</em>, but this time, they'd have done so with a smile on their faces. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/e03701d7c2005effce9ac869d9b1897f7948e090/medium/24140072-10156034669456388-1451453731-o.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Then it was my turn. I went on, all guns blazing. The moment there was any drunk mumblings, I was on them. It was divide and rule. I needed to walk the fine tightrope of taking the piss out of the drunkest people there, getting the audience to laugh at them, without the subject of the joke turning aggressive. There was Uffe who seemed to have a rare form of Tourettes where he just shouted 'Borlänge' at strange moments. A chap who didn't know his own name, but had decided to simultaneously translate, although into which language, nobody could quite make out. And there was a bloke who looked like Peter Stringfellow fallen on hard times.</p>
<p>So they set them up and I knocked them down, it was back and forth with audience chat galore. I did about thirty minutes, but only about half of that was 'routines'. And it was great, exactly what a stand up night in Grytgöl should be all about. Afterwards as I looked up at the clear starlit sky, doing a pre-car journey wee-wee in the frozen forest floor, I was smiling from ear to ear. What a joy to think that I could come to a place like this, worlds apart from the kind of place where I grew up in the industrial inner city wastelands of Birmingham (The leafy middle class bit, but you know what I mean) and make people not only decide not to eat me alive, but to actually laugh as well. </p>
<p>All cred to Anton who organised the night. </p>
<p>As I left, I asked why they called the venue Valhalla - Nobody there knew that the venue was even called that apart from Anton'd dad who claimed that it was someone from a passing Harley Davidson club who had named it that on Google Maps. Nobody in Grytgöl knew how the internet worked well enough to get them to change it.</p>
<p>Locally, it turns out, the venue was just known as Festplatsen - The party place, and rather the place you go after being slain, it's the place you go to get slaughtered. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/49472102017-11-24T14:18:23+01:002017-12-28T15:41:49+01:00Back in the papers with Comedy Festival news<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/81b2a143166087cbf66de426b70e96e39aaf33f5/original/ben-smal.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>The Linköping Comedy Festival 2018 juggernaut is shifting into gear - All the acts are now booked and ready to go, there's a couple of sponsors and the press is starting to prick up their ears. First off the blocks was Linköping News. I had a nice cup of coffee with Jerry Prütz, Linköping's greatest polymath - Musician, comedian, badger wrestler and journalist. I should add that I was a bit rude about Linköpings Filmsalonger in the interview - I said that their fax machine wasn't working. I made this up .. Their fax machine may well be working, but it may be that nobody there knows how it works. </p>
<p>Other than the dates, the main thing is that one of the nights for Linköping Comedy Festival will be in Norrköping. This is because while trying to get a venue sorted in Linköping is like pulling out your own teeth, getting a fully equipped venue in Norrköping that suited my needs was as simple as a phone call with the questions - What date? What time? Can you pay five hundred kronor? - So one of the dates will be there - Congratulations Norrköping! </p>
<p>You can read the article here at <a contents="Linköping News" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://linkopingnews.se/13396-2/" target="_blank">Linköping News</a></p>
<p>One thing that's worth noting is that I look a bit more jolly than <a contents="the last time I was in the paper" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blog/blog/stop-the-press" target="_blank">the last time I was in the paper</a>. Probably feeling a bit more mischievous </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/49392962017-11-19T09:24:15+01:002021-04-26T18:51:20+02:00A busy week!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/0736976374eafbfbce225634ae280effd7372e05/medium/800px-pizza-2.jpg?1511077669" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I was in Stockholm earlier this week to talk to a few people about next summer's film project. Some small knockbacks, but also some very positive feedback and enthusiasm about the film - The overall picture is that it shouldn't be a problem to get the financing to go out and film in the summer. </p>
<p>The pilot was well received by the people I showed it to. However, I think it needs to be recut into a 'trailer' rather than a 'pilot'. This is partly because a trailer is shorter and sweeter and leaves the audience wanting more, whereas a pilot has complete narrative arcs. But also as having hovered behind the person I was showing the film to in a busy Urban Deli on Sveavägen with a coffee in my hand, watching over their shoulder while they watched, laughing with headphones, it did seem a bit weird as it just felt like I was just watching someone else's computer without being invited. So back to the editing suite for Gustav!</p>
<p>Other than that, while in Stockholm I did quite a nice voiceover for a tech app. Looking forward to seeing it with the animation.</p>
<p>I also ate a pizza. Not so amazing but as I left with my pizza box under arm the elderly Italian owner looked at me with doe (dough?) eyes and said "It's been a while". It's true, I hadn't been there for over two years. Nothing like a boost to the ego to know that you have a special place in the heart of a pizza baker. </p>
<p>As I jumped on the train to head back south, I got a phone call to say that a programme idea that Al and I had worked on about 18 months ago and had been roundly rejected was all of a sudden of great interest to a production company. Cool. </p>
<p>Back in Linköping, I've been trying to tie up the loose ends for the Linköping Comedy Festival 2018. It'll be a short and sweet one this year and may even have one night in Norrköping due to a lack of suitable venues here in Linköping. Ridiculous, but that seems like a practical solution to a simple problem (and also a perfect metaphor for Linköping's cultural life) </p>
<p>And lastly, I helped out Johanna Wagrell and Johan Hurtig with their show Är du sur? in Norrköping. It was great fun and it's coming to Linköping next week, so check it out if you get the chance. <a contents="Tickets here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.ardusur.se" target="_blank">Tickets here</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/49302162017-11-13T13:59:56+01:002017-12-28T15:42:35+01:00Into the wild<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/95fdc0ab6eb4487f1486494c0ddb3f81b1e78cc6/original/23583972-10155993983596388-1522616911-o.jpg?1510575360" class="size_l justify_center border_" />A couple of weeks ago, my wife asked me if I wanted to go camping with our son's scout group. Needless to say, the very suggestion of going camping at anytime of the year apart from at the height of summer should be met with derision and disdain. </p>
<p>I must have been distracted at the time, or possibly experiencing a bout of temporary insanity, and I am even open to the suggestion that I had been drugged, but for some reason the answer to this question was 'Yes!'.</p>
<p>Not 'Yes, it's November and that sounds insane, why on earth would anyone want to do that?' but just simply 'Yes!' . Nothing more was said until the night before when I realised that I was the only one doing any packing and that she had no intention of going herself, but had simply volunteered me to a night of poorly equipped northern exposure. </p>
<p>On Friday night, it began to rain. And when it stopped raining it started to sleet, then it started to snow. </p>
<p>Saturday morning and it was me, a load of scouts, their over enthusiastic leaders and a couple of other parents who I can only assume had been sent along by their disgruntled partners in the vague hope they wouldn't make it back alive.</p>
<p>The snow had now stopped and it was back to horizontal sleet . </p>
<p>We climbed into a fleet of cars and were dropped off in small groups along the way. We were last, a group of three parents. We were given a map, a coded message and look of sympathy as the scout leaders rolled up the car window and sped away. I could have sworn they were laughing at us. </p>
<p>The words 'wet' and 'cold' don't even begin to do justice to the physical experience of the hike. Within a couple of minutes, I had literally lost feeling in my toes and fingers. We managed to stumble into the shelter of an abandoned barn and took out the coded message. And we got colder and colder. To complete the hike we had to complete certain tasks, then send photo evidence via mobile phone. As the rain fell, the touch screens on the phones became almost impossible to use, but once we managed to make the phones send, we got the next map coordinates and tramped onwards through the rain and mud. The rain/sleet continued and we walked through fields that were mostly mud and where there wasn't any mud, was deep pools of water. It was at this point I realised my boots were leaking. And my gloves were so wet that if I made a fist, water would pour from my hands like I was squeezing a sponge. </p>
<p>I tried to cheer up my fellow walkers by reminding them that it was Armistice Day, the day that commemorated the end of the horrors of the First World War. The end of the bloodshed on the muddy fields of France and Belgium, crisscrossed by trenches. This of course meant nothing to the Swedes, whose country has actively avoided war for a couple of hundred years to instead sell weapons to whoever they can, most often both sides. I thought of Wilfred Owen's poetry and how lucky we were that despite the cold and rain, we weren't under fire: </p>
<p><em><strong>Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, <br>Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, <br>Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs, <br>And towards our distant rest began to trudge. <br>Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots, <br>But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind; <br>Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots <br>Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.</strong></em></p>
<p>We made it to the camp eventually, just as it was getting dark and the rain had started to get lighter. We were taunted by a gorgeous sunset. Inside the scout hut, the scouts had made a fire, and improvised drying lines, that had been nailed from wall to wall, were full of socks and gloves and dripping clothes. </p>
<p>The braver scouts (including my brilliant but clearly deranged son) decided to sleep outside. It was, by now, a beautiful clear night and you could see thousands of stars. I think they did the right thing to take their chances outside, but I decided that sleeping under a roof in dry clothes was somehow more appealing.</p>
<p>The next day was a bright, crisp winter morning. Inspiring. A reminder that however cold and wet you get, and however tough things seem, a brighter day comes along eventually. (Unless you are Wilfred Owen, of course) </p>
<p>This was us 'enjoying' lunch</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/8be87e30c17933569f90bb204a426a212567026f/original/23583899-10155994075396388-1773749204-o.jpg?1510578574" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/49255392017-11-09T11:01:04+01:002021-04-26T22:30:12+02:00Team Amerika - F*ck Yeah!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/1ecd272ded2f328614563205aea47c2dbbc1ac0b/original/23231527-1485908231495078-489891561561619092-n.jpg?1510220962" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Last night the US of A came to Linköping in the form of Team Amerika. Even though they cheated a bit by having Englishman Ben Richards (who was hilarious), they brought a slice of America to the stage at L'Orient. <br><br>Great show by (From left to right in the photo, with me in the middle) Kathryn Le Roux (photo cred), Ben Richards, Yemi Afolabi, Jonathan Rollins and Ryan Bussell. </p>
<p>You can follow them<a contents=" on Facebook here&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/teamamerika/" target="_blank"> on Facebook here </a></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/49239952017-11-08T13:01:59+01:002021-04-27T05:12:02+02:00Back from England<p>I've been away for a week or so and feel the need to get back to blogging. So here is a very quick and superficial summary of my trip to England. </p>
<p>Firstly, perhaps I am getting old, but I am still quite amazed by the fact that we left home in Linköping at 8am and arrived just before 8pm at my sister's house. The journey took us through four countries (Sweden, Denmark, Holland and England) and involved planes, trains and automobiles (plus a bus and and a minibus) </p>
<p>The thing that always strikes me about going back to England is that it's so much easier to chew the fat with people, talk crap, have a decent discussion about nothing in particular. I miss that. </p>
<p>There's also much more of an underlying sense of anarchy and rule breaking. By which I mean, the rules are there, but the main objective is to bend them without actually breaking them. Everyone is doing it, just don't be the one to get caught. In Sweden, the rules are generally there to be obeyed and observed. When people flaunt them, they do it with abandon and arrogance. In England, you flaunt the rules as a matter of course. The best way to test this is see how Swedes park their cars. </p>
<p>There's much more traffic in England and the air in the city is generally much worse. </p>
<p>You can see the whole spectrum of life on the streets in England - From junkies strung out on heroine, to eccentrically dressed multi-millionaires. You also see a much greater ethnic diversity and people of mixed race. In England there is always someone who is better or worse off than you are, weirder than you are, a world apart from who you are. And I guess that makes it easier to be yourself in England. </p>
<p>The food in the shops is better and more diverse, but it's also possible to eat much worse food, that is much better by far!</p>
<p>And if ever you are travelling through Devon and find yourself near Okehampton, I can heartily recommend Marion's café!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/f07080ca63ea42d151ba9d538fc4a2657c5c5dc0/original/23134875-10155959335976388-185529607-o.jpg?1510142332" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/49085532017-10-27T13:15:45+02:002022-02-15T13:33:24+01:00Stop the press<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/a1ba8057f992c629e1538d0c3c1064e884e988ab/original/articlepage.jpg?1509102021" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Newspapers are a bit weird. If you contact them with a story that is happening here and now and that is exciting, the response is..... apathy if they can be bothered and indifference if they care enough to answer your email. On the other side of the coin, when you've got very little on, they come knocking at your door to find a story that isn't. This is more or less what happened when Linköpings-Posten got in touch. </p>
<p>I got a phone call at the end of September:</p>
<p>'It's almost ten years since you started producing comedy shows in Linköping!'</p>
<p>I replied that it sort of was, but that the actual anniversary will be in February 2018, almost half a year away. They wanted to do the article anyway. A bit like wishing someone Happy Christmas in the middle of July, just to be sure you get in there first. </p>
<p>So I met up with the reporter who I guess was expecting an excited list of things that were happening in town - A real Linköping feel good story of 'Where ideas become reality' .. But the trouble is that right now, I don't have much going on in Linköping apart from putting on shows for other people. ... because, in a nutshell, when it comes to putting on live events in Linköping, Linköping is a bit shit. </p>
<p>So we awkwardly made our way through the interview, and I awkwardly stood for some photos and then a month or so later out comes an article which really says very little apart from that in five months time, it'll be ten years since the first time I did LKPG HA HA! But at the moment, nothing is planned, partly because I don't have a venue and partly because it's about half a year away. </p>
<p>I wasn't really in the mood, as you can probably see from my face. Still, all credit to Carolina, the journalist, who did a good job of making an article out of a non story told by me at my grumpiest. </p>
<p>Read the whole thing <a contents="on this link" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.linkopingsposten.se/-jag-kanner-mig-lite-trott-som-arrangor-i-linkoping-/" target="_blank">on this link</a> or squint and read it below</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/96589fa6b8b6701984b981fc162f0fea75277ff2/original/lp.jpg?1509102919" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/49071182017-10-26T11:19:53+02:002021-04-26T10:22:18+02:00One step closer to Death Metal infamy!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/2a129d784f6ce924653c93b1bdb24a9443dd8b40/original/0009984327-10-700x336.jpg?1509009419" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>A little while ago I <a contents="wrote about " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blog/blog/my-big-break-in-the-world-of-death-metal" target="_blank">wrote about </a>how I have got a foot in in the world of Death Metal... Well, perhaps less of a foot in and more a toe... OK.... A toenail. </p>
<p>Either way, I am infinitely more rock and roll than I was six months ago, thanks to <a contents="Throne of Heresy!" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/throneofheresy/" target="_blank">Throne of Heresy!</a> And now the single where I do my thing, Liber Secretorum has been released. With a video! I'm the voice of the Medieval preacher, if you were wondering....</p>
<p>The album has a release party next Friday,, which unfortunately I can't make it to, so I won't get the chance to do my bit live ... even if they had asked me to perform it live ... which they haven't. .. but never mind that! Rock and Roll! </p>
<p>For all you lovers out there, here's the video for Liber Secretorum!</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="en4x-PNJ8F0" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/en4x-PNJ8F0/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/en4x-PNJ8F0?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/49056252017-10-25T10:43:55+02:002021-04-26T18:49:16+02:00Canal Digital and Al Pitcher <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/7ef4dda1ad1268b025e64683e398543d55259f74/original/al-pitcher-canal-dig-ad.tiff?1508919380" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/7efc5be7768cddcbc94aebea35b17b20891fb9a4/large/al-pitcher-canal-dig-ad.jpg?1508919623" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>Over the last month or so I've been working on a few scripts for Al Pitcher and Canal Digital.</p>
<p>The brief was: Al Pitcher tries out Swedish things - the twist being that the things he tried out also swung back to Canal Digital. The first of the films below is more of a straight up ad, but never mind that, I think it worked out pretty funny. </p>
<p>It's been an interesting process of back and forth between client, production company and writer. Working with tight deadlines has been fun - I tend to do a little harrumph and then get on with the writing. The pressure of needing to deliver quickly actually means that some pretty good jokes are squeezed out. It's a good way to write as, a bit like improvising onstage, you tend to go with your instincts. The difference being, that more like writing prose, there is still time to edit and fine tune - Although that editing time is usually an hour or two as opposed to a week or two. </p>
<p>So here are a couple that are out there already. I like 'em. See what you think: </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="ek5Y6UkddWM" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/ek5Y6UkddWM/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ek5Y6UkddWM?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe> <iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="AWUriPrkYzw" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/AWUriPrkYzw/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AWUriPrkYzw?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/49027212017-10-23T15:49:56+02:002021-04-26T19:34:43+02:00A RAW night<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/e14fc7f4ce80085cffabc4d75b1e3f79a4d1246c/medium/dsc01124.jpg?1508763766" class="size_m justify_left border_" /> It's been a few years, but it was good to be back at RAW in Stockholm on Friday.</p>
<p>Back in the day, the club had a tough reputation as being the hottest stage in Sweden, whose tours sold out up and down the country. After a couple of years on hold, Mårten Andersson has opened up the club again and although the club doesn't have quite the same tough reputation (Is it because everyone is a little bit older?), it is still one of the best stages to perform on and also, for audiences, one of the best nights out for comedy in Stockholm. </p>
<p>I've played there a couple of times and although it is a really big place it manages to feel like a very small intimate stage. So yes, it was great to be back and do my thing. </p>
<p>I was headlining an all English night with three Americans (Jonathan Rollins, Kathryn LeRoux & Ryan Bussell) and a Russian comedian (Jana Sabanova). I think we all did great and it was nice to see these guys perform full sets. </p>
<p>A couple of fun things - The club usually plays very hip house music, which the Americans all managed to do some kind of dancey thing to - They do that sort of thing so well in the States. I spoke to the DJ, DJ Josephine, to see if she had some totally inappropriate music to come on, like some 1940's Variety style jazz... I thought would look down her nose at my suggestion, but found out that she not only loved that kind of thing, but had loads of stuff to choose from. </p>
<p>The other thing was that there was a heckler who during the Americans had shouted out that he was Canadian. He heckled me, so I went at him all guns blazing with a bit about how since Trump had come to power, Americans in Europe were back to pretending that they were Canadian, but that he had single handedly made Canadians less popular than Americans despite this being almost impossible at the moment. He replied with 'I'm Irish!', which luckily was also the last of his heckles. I think by that point he'd got wind of the fact that the audience were pretty much all against him. </p>
<p>So that was that. RAW done and dusted and lots of fun it was too. </p>
<p>Also got some nice pictures from Kathryn which made me realise I am probably the only person to have done comedy in Sweden wearing a <a contents="Manzes Pie and Mash T-Shirt." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/ManzesPieAndMashSE1/?rf=103545886404239">Manzes Pie and Mash T-Shirt.</a> Just think of the publicity this could bring them.. It might turn around the struggling Pie and Mash industry</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/5b17e2f59fc97862600e54dd6185080206e56c72/large/dsc01142.jpg?1508763714" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/b0c84d5103853296a7420bdc74390d6f769fc702/original/dsc01169.jpg?1508763751" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/48931642017-10-16T11:15:48+02:002021-10-16T20:11:42+02:00I was once a sexy elk.... <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/75783e12b93869e4ca77b207e84447757a4135e3/original/22553881-10155911109051388-138081433-o.jpg?1508144698" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Last week Facebook was kind enough to remind me of my stint as a sexy elk for Väderstad. So I decided to update the demos and clips on the <a contents="voice page" data-link-label="Voice" data-link-type="page" href="/voice" target="_blank">voice page</a> of my website with a couple of new voice demos and videos. They're all there. Just click on the link. </p>
<p>And as for my sexy elk, you can watch it here: </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="RgIhLfU9OtY" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/RgIhLfU9OtY/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RgIhLfU9OtY?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/48883332017-10-12T15:43:07+02:002021-04-26T17:21:45+02:00When kommunala tjänstemän go wild.... <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/afef7ffee74ee9e847bfa74690cb8cf8010fd996/original/dhf11975-800x516.jpg?1507815457" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I did a gig last night for about eighty kommunala tjänstemän from a selection of Sweden's so-called small big towns, or big small towns - The jury is out as to whether they are big and small, or small and big. Compared to the UK they are small. </p>
<p>The towns represented were Linköping, Norrköping, Örebro, Eskilstuna, Gävle, Västerås and Uppsala. Nobody had invited Jönköping which is closer and bigger than half those towns. Just another example of institutional bullying, if you ask me. Poor old Jönköping. I hope they never find out that they missed the party in Linköping as they will be terribly upset. </p>
<p>If you don't speak Swedish, kommunala tjänstemän, basically means civil servants, and the rules for their parties are incredibly strict - i.e. they can be bought certain things by the kommun, like food, but absolutely no alcohol! This means that a kommunal party starts with all the guests at a dinner queuing up to buy a single glass of wine with their own money, which they sip slowly at through the night. Basically, a kommunal party never gets too wild. </p>
<p>I did what was necessary and as I went on stage I pulled out a note from an imaginary kommunal tjänsteman and telling the audience that one of the guests had handed me the note outside, I read "Ladies and gentlemen, we have decided to ignore the usual kommun rules tonight and it gives Västerås kommun great pleasure to treat everyone to wine tonight".</p>
<p>Never has such joy crossed the faces of so many civil servants in a single moment!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/48864622017-10-11T08:46:38+02:002021-04-26T09:58:50+02:00Character building<p>A couple of weeks ago, <a contents="I wrote about dying onstage at an open mic night" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blog/blog/i-died-twice-once-in-a-baseball-cap-and-once-in-a-wig" target="_blank">I wrote about dying onstage at an open mic night</a> where I tried out a couple of characters. Two weeks later and I had given my all to the creative process - In other words, I had chosen a new hat and changed the name of the character. I also made the accent a little bit rougher. And luckily that seemed to work - Daniel Day Lewis, eat your heart out!</p>
<p>Last night, Colin Thickett saw the light of day for the first time. And I think the character worked. Now just to give the character a few more outings! So watch your backs, Tjällmo's very own Colin Thickett, with his Östgötatrafiken travel card in in hand, is going to hit the road!</p>
<p>***************************</p>
<p>UPDATE: Just been reminded that Steve Coogan has a character called Thickett!!! Need to find a new name! Other than that .. all good!</p>
<p><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/42a7785c6f711ab4d7971b2492e852d282360c20/medium/22425758-1502205196495697-956394783-o.jpg?1507704360" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/48833672017-10-09T16:41:02+02:002022-02-15T13:34:24+01:00A UK TV commercial<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/6da803e253ac9451ac506c5630f3e77fc6b60262/original/22375412-10155891200051388-5938589-o.jpg?1507559868" class="size_l justify_center border_" />If you live in the UK and watch Sky TV then you may have heard my voice recently. For the benefit of everyone else, here are the ads that I did the voiceover for. </p>
<p>Enjoy!</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="W9d4kUJGu9w" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/W9d4kUJGu9w/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W9d4kUJGu9w?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="q0PNsBKCV6c" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/q0PNsBKCV6c/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q0PNsBKCV6c?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="HYmKfWwvKq0" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/HYmKfWwvKq0/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HYmKfWwvKq0?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/48822382017-10-08T10:56:10+02:002022-02-22T17:10:21+01:00Bad dad jokes<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/1e390c855c4ecfca71d33107eacf6944c2a7bb3f/original/22361338-10155887718641388-1032033680-n.jpg?1507452890" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><a contents="Back in the summer I did a voiceover " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/blog/blog/two-very-different-voiceovers" target="_blank">Back in the summer I did a voiceover </a>for a new animation company called <a contents="Part One" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://vimeo.com/pt1" target="_blank">Part One</a>. In fact, back then, Part One didn't even exist, but was 'launching soon'. Well, animation fans! Now they have launched and with the short film that I worked on!</p>
<p>Very cool to see the whole process go from black and white line drawings on paper to becoming such impressive animations. </p>
<p>You can watch the result of two hours of standing in a studio, mucking about doing silly voices here. Yes. The jokes are bad, but that's sort of the idea : ) </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="vimeo" data-video-id="237046615" data-video-thumb-url="https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/659326710_640.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/237046615" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320"></iframe></p>
<p>If you like the animation make sure you follow them on <a contents="Instagram!" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.instagram.com/pt1.club/" target="_blank">Instagram!</a></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/48734212017-10-02T17:21:08+02:002017-12-28T15:53:57+01:00Night Train from Norrköping<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/9b2de7ae1f9cafa447d54de002c05effde538273/original/22197755-10155870471666388-426761032-o.jpg?1506956676" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I went out late the other night. This is a big thing. I was out so late that I did something that I very rarely do. I caught the last train home. It was the party train and I loved it. </p>
<p>So what was I doing in Norrköping? Well, in Linköping, there was the choice of Tanneforsdagen (Old people eating cheap hotdogs while watching a practical demonstration of a pick-up truck) or the Pride Parade (Non-binary activists and straight-laced politicians desperate to prove their gay friendly credentials). So instead, I chose Kulturnatten in Norrköping to absorb some culture. (In Gothenburg, they had real life Nazis on parade, so there really was something for everyone).</p>
<p>Kulturnatten is great - It seems like every potential performance space becomes transformed into a stage or gallery. This year I managed everything from a recital of Bukowski poems with saxophone accompaniment to the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra's study of Swedish folk music. Compelling stuff in a full De Geer Hall. Then onwards for beer and herring and <em>Helmut Jederknüller mit seinem Super Stereo à gogo Orchester</em> - Basically disco pop from the seventies in big band format. Then we went on and watched Irish music, Blues, Balkan music, jazz and we drank a few more beers. </p>
<p>Which to cut a long story short is how I ended up on the last train home at 02.48 in the morning. It's been a while since I caught the train that late and it was fun. I bumped into the hip party crowd of Linköping people who have the good sense to go out in Norrköping and it was a party atmosphere all the way. Interestingly, when you get to Linköping, as you are getting off, you meet the Mjölby crowd who go out in Linköping - I'm not being a snob (I am being a snob) but it's like a meeting of city slickers and, well, people from Mjölby. I have no photographic documentation of the train trip, but this video of Helmut Jederknüller from earlier in the evening sums up what the night train was like. </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="Ym60t5GchgE" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/Ym60t5GchgE/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ym60t5GchgE?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/48701382017-09-29T13:59:42+02:002017-12-28T15:54:28+01:00Looking for a toilet in Eskilstuna<p>The other day, I found myself in Eskilstuna.</p>
<p>I've only ever been there once before and that was to make a short film about Volvo wheel loaders. On that trip, eight years ago, I was met straight off the train and taken to a secret test track in the middle of the woods and put at the wheel of a two tonne digger. I had to speak to the camera in the cockpit, while driving at high speed. That's me in the photo standing next to a wheel that was pretty much as tall as me. Photo taken just before the crash - Who would have thought a two tonne vehicle could do that much damage?</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/578c914380926951a7d91ea3ab6700bf9cc3b254/large/volvo.gif?1506671167" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>This trip to Eskilstuna, I wanted to see a little bit more than just a Volvo test track, and besides, I'm not sure the guys there would be that welcoming after what happened to ALL of their cars - As I said at the time, they should have checked whether or not I knew how to drive BEFORE giving me the keys to that beast of a machine. This time, I wanted to see the sights, breathe in the atmosphere, feel the pulse of Sweden's fifteenth biggest city without getting into a complicated multi-party insurance claim.</p>
<p>I asked myself, what would Ernest Hemingway have done if he found himself here? I decided that Hemingway would have probably just got his iPhone out and searched on google/wikipedia for information. Which, just like Hemingway would have done, is exactly what I did!</p>
<p>One phrase from <a contents="Eskilstuna's wikipedia page" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eskilstuna" target="_blank">Eskilstuna's wikipedia page</a> leapt out at me: <em>I Gamla stan ligger också ett utedassmuseum. </em>(In the Old Town, you can also find a latrine museum.) This was the cultural experience for me! I wanted to see it! I wanted to find it! </p>
<p>But alas - Google maps knew nothing, sending us simply in circle after circle. I asked people on the street, I went into shops and nobody knew. I asked at our hotel reception and they knew nothing!</p>
<p>Come on Eskilstuna! This is surely a lost opportunity!</p>
<p>In the same way that people have only ever heard of Reykjavik or indeed the very existence of Iceland because of the <a contents="Penis Museum" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://phallus.is/en/" target="_blank">Penis Museum</a>, this is what could really put Eskilstuna on the map and set it apart from all the other indistinct and fairly unremarkable medium-sized towns in Sweden. </p>
<p>So Eskilstuna! (And I mean this from the bottom of my heart) Where are your toilets?</p>
<p>Next time I come to town, it's my dream to be greeted at the station by an enthusiastic crowd who are not afraid to approach me with the words "You've got the look of a man who is trying to find the toilet?" or even "Have you been to the toilet today, sir?"</p>
<p>I'll even suggest a new town slogan:<strong> Eskilstuna. As soon as you come, you'll want to go! </strong></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/48670372017-09-27T17:03:17+02:002017-09-27T17:23:31+02:00I died twice. Once in a baseball cap and once in a wig.<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/e15c74b57da9a80cf7ba47529173e468eee563d2/original/22047629-10154804046157377-746980364-o.jpg?1506507597" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I died twice last night. Once in a baseball cap and once in a wig. </p>
<p>For the last six months or so, there’s been an open mic stand up night in town called <a contents="Beta Comedy" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/BetaStandUp/" target="_blank">Beta Comedy</a>. It's getting bigger and bigger and that makes me happy.</p>
<p>What doesn’t make me happy is that it’s too early in the evening and usually clashes with parental commitments like quickly feeding children, so that you can chuck them in the car and to take them to a windowless and chairless, Soviet style sports hall in the middle of some anonymous suburb of Linköping to hit white plastic balls into a net with other like-minded kids, while making awkward conversation with their parents about a sport you don’t understand and at best you can feign interest in. Yes it clashes with my son's innebandy training.</p>
<p>I’ve been itching to try out a couple of things which I’ve been playing around with in my head for a while so this week I had a plan.</p>
<p>While kiddo was playing the pseudo-sport of innebandy, I sat down in the carpark with my notebook, a wig and a baseball cap. After an hour’s worth of intensive staring at a blank notebook, I bundled my sweaty son and heir into the car, then drove at full speed into town. There, I pointed my kid in the right direction and wished him luck with the walk home. I ran down to Dahlian just in time to be the next to last act. I told them to introduce me twice, first as Burt Wankstein, from New York City (Baseball cap), then as Stewart Baxter from England (wig) - I should say now that the second character, Stewart Baxter, although based on the football coach Stuart Baxter, was not intended to have any similarities to said football coach Stuart Baxter. This should be obvious by the name Stewart, rather than Stuart. Luckily, my poor writing and acting skills meant there was no resemblance whatsoever. </p>
<p>A quick note about the creative process. There are two stages:</p>
<ol> <li>You have a funny idea. You think, I must write that down. You forget the idea. The idea returns a couple of months later. This time you manage to scribble it down on a scrap of paper. You lose the scrap of paper. Weeks go by. You find the scrap of paper. You can’t read your own handwriting. You stare at the wall trying to remember the idea. <br> </li> <li>Eventually a gig comes up and 10 minutes before you go onstage, you are flooded with wave of inspiration. You go onstage and your suspicions of being a visionary genius are either confirmed or, more likely, dashed on the rocks of despair, as you play to silence. </li>
</ol>
<p>It's even possible to skip stage one. Which is more or less what I did last night. In fact, last night, the creative process mainly involved grabbing a baseball cap and a wig and turning up just in time. </p>
<p>So, how did it go? Well… not great … But it could have been worse. The first character Burt Wankstein (with baseball cap) is an American, just off the boat in Sweden. Just needed to get that out of my system. </p>
<p>The second one, was an equally mixed bag of one or two big laughs, some titters and plenty of silent confusion. That said, I’ve got a better idea of what I want to do with the character next. And I do think that the character has got legs… In my head at least. Just need to write some jokes</p>
<p>I’ll be back with the wig, but probably not the baseball cap at the next open mic night in a couple of weeks. You have been warned!</p>
<p>...............</p>
<p>Photo credit: <a contents="Bowe&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://twitter.com/2000aldrig" target="_blank">Bowe </a></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/48590262017-09-21T13:36:48+02:002021-11-18T12:48:47+01:00Vallastaden - The Future Is Now<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/8cedc27b7f08cc7610b32b1de33f1bdc32a2dd2a/large/21908417-10155836326426388-692999356-o.jpg?1505987262" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Yesterday, I made it to <a contents="Vallastaden" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.vallastaden2017.se" target="_blank">Vallastaden</a>. The groundbreaking building project that aims to revolutionise town planning in Sweden and beyond. A whole new suburb, built from scratch, with only the imagination of the architects (plus budget and building regulations) to hold it back. </p>
<p>At the very end of the day, I found myself amongst academics from Uppsala University. We drank organic coffee from recycled paper cups in a cafe full of people with beards. We were having a cosy and respectfully, intellectual conversation under what looked like a giant mushroom lampshade. Some of us sat on stools, others on giant globe-shaped cushions where the designer had taken the concept of sitting, and then, completely rethought it, rejecting the straight lines, the constraints and traditions of the so-called 'chair' and instead come up with a kind of globe cushion thing that looked like giant football or perhaps The Death Star. The colour scheme in the cafe was inspired by literature - or, at least, the book Fifty Shades of Grey. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/c4f562d67fd972d3beb913e7788ed87e73814076/large/21908206-10155836326241388-885320022-o.jpg?1505987462" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>The general mood of the discussion was that it was all very interesting, but what kind of person would want to pay Stockholm prices to live in Linköping? And why did none of the flats have bookshelves? Typical academics. It's almost like they've never heard of flat screen tellies. </p>
<p>In general, I liked most things about Vallastaden. I think it'll be interesting once it's up and running and people live there. And when the weather is warmer. I mean, how am I supposed to enjoy architecture while freezing my nuts off in a light autumnal drizzle? To my untrained eye, most of the buildings there were very nice, apart from the ones that weren't. I realise that's not quite the 'wow' response that I was supposed to have, but I was cold and had been worn down by wandering round lots of flats. </p>
<p>Apparently, the real magic is in the <em>Detaljplan</em>. I was told this, and tried to nod with excitement, but even after being told what <em>Detaljplan </em>meant, a couple of times, I still didn't really understand what <em>Detaljplan </em>was. But anyway, if you like <em>Detaljplans</em>, the one at Vallastaden is really quite special. So I'm told. </p>
<p>The main thing about the expo was that you got to look at lots of flats and houses which were all variations of the traditional combination of walls, ceilings, and doors and all with furniture and things like that. It felt a bit like going on a marathon hunt to buy a new house, with friendly, but wholly untrustworthy estate agents waiting to greet you and tell you all about the advantages of having a swan-shaped bidet in the middle of your bedroom-cum-wine cellar. </p>
<p>Being Sweden, everybody was forced to either remove their shoes or pad around with blue bags on the feet which meant that most of the day was spent in a sort of minimalistic striptease for foot fetishists - A sexual foible that may be all the rage in the future, so who am I to judge?</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/d8d00811bac05b27f8437b4cfffa909949567f89/large/21895341-10155836328701388-1489236208-o.jpg?1505990038" class="size_l justify_center border_" />There were over 70 places to look at and although I didn't get to see them all, I did make a point of doing a wee wee in all of the toilets I could, and in one place I left a little present in the bowl, only to find out that the flush wasn't working. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/5b557bc87b8ef6a7de656ad00a5c84f08ead2611/large/21908932-10155836328151388-1620475020-o.jpg?1505992546" class="size_l justify_center border_" />So what have I learnt? Apart from how wonderful the <em>Detaljplan</em> (must look that up) is, I've also had a pretty good insight into what an interior designer's wet dreams look like. Here are my tips to bluff your way in Interior design: </p>
<ul> <li>Paint your walls a lightish shade of grey.</li> <li>The art should be a bombastic mash up of classical and absurdist - 16th century aristocratic portraiture, but with the heads replaced by domestic fowl.</li> <li>Have an hickory-handled axe leaning by your hatstand. Give the impression you chop your own wood, even though it's a one bedroom flat with central heating. </li> <li>Have a bicycle in the bedroom. The older and more battered, the better, but not one you actually use as this will get your badger skin rug dirty. </li> <li>Avoid bookshelves, unless they are filled with little glass knick-knacks. </li>
</ul>
<p>There was a lot to see, and it was nice to indulge in the fantasy of living in some of the places. But it was the fantasy of a man who wasn't me.</p>
<p>As I let my imagination run away, I pictured myself living there, the kind of guy who eats sunflower seeds and goes running; for pleasure rather than due to being late. The kind of guy who gets up early to watch the sunrise and who reads lifestyle magazines, flosses regularly, and who knows how to use iTunes. My reality is that of a man who feels the day has been a success if I leave the house with my shoelaces tied and my flies done up. </p>
<p>If anything was an indicator of why these houses were not for me, it was the place which had a room, slightly bigger than a cupboard. To plant an idea of what the room could be used for, the designer had placed a small mat with some meditation bells and a scented candle in the middle. Clearly the thinking is that if you have guests and they are not 100% sure whether or not you are a bit of a wanker, you show them this space and they are left with no doubt.</p>
<p>Part of the plan with Vallastaden is that it is a sustainable area and is largely car free. Obviously, this is great, and practical too, as most of the people who live there will probably be going to the University or Mjärdevi, which are both a stone's throw away. Although, to be honest, this environmental sensitivity will probably be offset by the environmental impact of all the Yak milk, Quinoa and handmade mahogany Buddha statuettes that will be imported to the area.</p>
<p>As our academic discussion at the hipster cafe was coming to an end, something happened that may be a metaphor for the whole Vallastaden project: An old lady, at another table, fell off one of the globe-shaped cushions and ended up flat on her back. I sneered at her as she struggled to get up: "There's someone who doesn't know a fantastic <em>Detaljplan</em> when they see one", I thought.</p>
<p>I leaned back and admired the design of the seat and how amazing it looked as it rolled into a buggy, waking up the tot that was sleeping there. The Future is Now. </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/48566432017-09-19T21:58:47+02:002017-12-28T15:55:34+01:00My big break in the world of Death Metal <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/71d86fb5f7a653a6fbd504f34aeb1c313486338f/medium/throne1.jpg?1505850348" class="size_m justify_center border_" />Remember how I'm <em>always </em>going on about how I'd like to make it big in the world of Death Metal? You know, how it's been a dream of mine since childhood to appear on a record that appeals to Death Metal purists while flirting with the more edgy genre of Melodic Black Metal? You know! You do! I'm not making it up! </p>
<p>Anyway, that dream is a little bit closer as the first press coverage is starting to happen for the album 'Decameron' by Throne of Heresy where I appear on a track called 'Liber Secretorum'. Oh yes! </p>
<p>There's a nice long interview in Metal Bulletin Zine with Thomas Clifford, the vocalist from the band, who kindly name checks me. <a contents="Click here to read it" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://metalbulletin.blogspot.se/2017/09/interview-with-throne-of-heresy-sweden.html" target="_blank">Click here to read it</a></p>
<p>Album to be released in November, so pre-order now from <a contents="The Sign Records" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://thesignrecords.com" target="_blank">The Sign Records</a> with a taster track <a contents="Siege of Caffa" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://open.spotify.com/track/1KwrCez13WdUbOiyHzmVEo" target="_blank">Siege of Caffa</a> already released on Spotify. And as a little taster of what I do on the album (minus the music) here's a little clip from the recording session. Rock and Roll!</p>
<p>More bands should use voiceover artists - Just look at Vincent Price and Michael Jackson's Thriller - So I'm available for your album! And I'm not limited to Death Metal!</p>
<p>You can listen to my <a contents="demos here " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://safetylast.se/voice" target="_blank">demos here </a>(Or by clicking 'VOICE' in the menu) </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="b7i1ijwqeao" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/b7i1ijwqeao/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b7i1ijwqeao?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/48547552017-09-18T15:24:30+02:002017-12-28T15:56:03+01:00My trip to Vallastaden - Prelude<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/cf7cbdf2b313a28f4eb04baac3fdf4d7bb7d5be4/medium/mv5byzk1njzmmmitnmrioc00ymy3ltllmdmtyzu0ntlkmzkxmdazxkeyxkfqcgdeqxvyndqzmdg4nzk-v1.jpg?1505741458" class="size_m justify_center border_" />The future is now. </p>
<p>The future was never about space travel, or ray guns that shrank people, or flying monkeys. The future was always about voice-activated toasters and robot dogs chewing up newspapers. It was about the mundane made simple. Every day chores ticked off a list from the comfort of a floating orange armchair. We'd pull a lever and get on with the business of looking whimsical while listening to Beethoven played on a synthesiser. </p>
<p>Films like Woody Allen’s <a contents="Sleeper" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/PcaXIWYDo-4" target="_blank">Sleeper</a> (1973) imagined gigantic vegetables and orgasmatrons; work and manual labour, a forgotten pastime. Chaplin saw an exploitative future where machines would feed workers on the production line and increase the factory’s productivity in <a contents="Modern Times " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/n_1apYo6-Ow" target="_blank">Modern Times </a>(1936) </p>
<p>And Jacques Tati made <a contents="Mon Oncle " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/NHJcwMrqnJo" target="_blank">Mon Oncle </a>(1958) which gave us a consumerist vision of the future based on straight lines and gadgets that made life more complicated and whose sole purpose was status in the guise of aesthetics. </p>
<p>This week, I’m going to check out the future. Or at least the future as envisaged by the city of Linköping at the <a contents="Vallastaden EXPO" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.vallastaden2017.se" target="_blank">Vallastaden EXPO</a>, a whole new suburb of town that has been built with the aim of finding “The way we will build, inhabit and live in the future" - My hopes are high, but my cynic's cap will be firmly on my head. </p>
<p>I'm expecting machines designed<a contents=" by Wallace and made by Gromit," data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/pqGTtFIZm5Y" target="_blank"> by Wallace and made by Gromit,</a> but my expectation is that when you let the dreams of small town politicians run wild, you should never be surprised by how small and limited an imagination those small town politicians actually have.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/0b78158c061f321273f1f26390a787d49cf899c7/original/tom-whalen-mon-oncle-poster-2015.jpg?1505741154" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/48481992017-09-13T13:34:35+02:002022-04-09T16:25:02+02:00The night at The Royal Dramatic Theatre, that wasn't <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/b11822e26d679660488b7dd3f949c88b38757303/medium/20634762-1346160595500679-5376863334454788096-n.jpg?1505301519" class="size_m justify_center border_" />A visit to The Royal Dramatic Theatre, (<a contents="Den kungliga dramatiska teatern,Dramaten" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.dramaten.se" target="_blank">Den kungliga dramatiska teatern,Dramaten</a>) has been on my wish list ever since I moved to Sweden. For some reason or another (being lazy, skint, cynical, snooty or ignorant about the productions) I’ve never been. And this has been like a thorn in my side. For my birthday this year, my wife promised that she and I would go over the autumn. A loving, romantic gesture to go to Dramaten together. Beautiful. </p>
<p>And then Al Pitcher rang. He had two tickets to see a show ..... AT DRAMATEN!</p>
<p>I threw all caution to the wind and risking my own marriage, I said YES! and WHEN! and WHAT! and before I even got an answer to those questions, I said: "I’LL BE THERE! I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO GO TO DRAMATEN! I LOVE YOU!".</p>
<p>My wife who was in the same room, was not impressed. She may have even told me as much, but I was already dancing round the house singing - “I’m going to Dramaten! I’m going to Dramaten!”.</p>
<p>My twelve year old son didn’t share my joy and simply asked why I was so excited about visiting a car park in Linköping town centre. With a dramatic flourish, I told him that he was thinking of Detektiven or possibly Druvan, and I casually called him a Philistine. He sloped off to quietly play a round of League of Legends on the computer, which I think is his way of showing empathy with my excitement. Good boy. </p>
<p>The show was called <a contents="The Mental States Of Sweden in Dance" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.dramaten.se/repertoar/the-mental-states-of-sweden-in-dance/" target="_blank">The Mental States Of Sweden in Dance</a>. And there is nothing wrong with that. No reason to be alarmed. No reason to be remotely cynical. Not at all. Deal with it. Here’s the trailer: </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="DHNhZVXmF6g" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/DHNhZVXmF6g/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DHNhZVXmF6g?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>I met up with Al in Stockholm and we got to Dramaten in good time and we wallowed in the splendour of the building, the golden statues, the ornate facade, the legacy of Strindberg, Bergman, and that bloke from the Dragon Tattoo films. This was it. I was going to Dramaten. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/ac0abe9ba0f018b31728781dd4eb09b2dfb91301/medium/21728256-10155810229236388-8658112318769378915-n.jpg?1505301523" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" />We walked up the door of the theatre, pushed, pulled, pushed again then looked through the windows to see an empty foyer. Panic. Checked tickets and they definitely said Dramaten … but Dramaten at Elverket!</p>
<p>I’d been sold a lie! I was tempted to phone my wife and beg for reconciliation, but there wasn't time as we had to run up the road to the Elverket. </p>
<p>We got there sweaty and just in time. Admittedly Elverket is now a very fancy theatre with a bistro, but it’s still essentially an old electrical works that has been converted into a theatre. It's now the kind of place that electrical engineers would never set foot in unless it was to do some rewiring, but is filled with artistic cognoscenti who dress in dungarees and work style boots that have never been close to manual labour. The legacy is waiting to be created as nobody ever talks about the time that back in 1953, a middle-aged man called Lasse, whose nickname was 'Chocken', changed the main fuse with a set of adjustable spanners, ending a 1 hour power cut in Östermalm. </p>
<p>And the show? Did The Mental States of Sweden In Dance as performed by the <a contents="Cullbergballeten " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.cullbergbaletten.se" target="_blank">Cullbergballeten </a>deliver? </p>
<p>We sat, we watched, we were impressed, entertained, at times confused and at times entranced. We saw dance, movement, nudity and talent; heard voices of the establishment and the excluded, the young and the old and one woman who talked about 'Big Boobies' stopping her dancing. There were moments of laughter, moments of tragedy and moments of stunned silence, only interrupted by the sound of Al rustling through his bag of pick and mix sweeties that he’d brought into the theatre. I tried to stop him, I really did, but while you can take the boy from Huddersfield, you can't take the Huddersfield from the boy. </p>
<p>After the show, I tried and failed to enlighten Al about the Hegelian dialectic of thesis, antithesis and synthesis and to see the show from a Barthesian point of view......but mainly we just laughed at the fact that in this temple of high culture, amongst the cultural elite of Stockholm, somebody taking their clothes off onstage is still quite uncomfortable and that someone saying 'Big Boobies' gets as big and as childish a laugh at Dramaten as it does in a stand up club.. if not bigger.</p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/48454452017-09-11T19:59:49+02:002017-12-28T15:57:59+01:00An art crawl to the Bull Ring<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/8a5a2674002f862f01247b32dbf754b9547d057f/original/bullring-center-1963.jpg?1505151528" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>This weekend, I went over to Vadstena for the annual konstrunda.</p>
<p>Not entirely sure how to translate the word konstrunda - It's a bit like a pub crawl, where instead of walking from pub to pub and downing pints, you walk from pop up gallery to pop up gallery to imbibe in art! Factor in to the equation that the artists are local to Vadstena, their work is generally autobiographical (i.e. lots of self portraits) and the quality of the art on display can best be described as 'variable' and you have all the ingredients for a perfect day out.</p>
<p>To my untrained, but art loving eye, there's usually one or two nuggets of art that make you stand back, scratch your brow and ponder the human condition.... Or at least consider buying it and putting it on your wall.</p>
<p>Over the years I have brought back various pieces that now adorn my walls: A rural wash of the Östgöta landscape, a cityscape, an abstract piece made of rusty metal. And the highlight that has set the standard for all Vadstena Konstrundas, a print on metal of a photograph of 1960's Birmingham. Specifically, an overpass in the Bull Ring. </p>
<p>The Bull Ring that we Brummies grew up with is now long gone. In fact around the time I was bidding my farewells to Birmingham in the early nineties, the Bull Ring was already being redeveloped. To us eighties kids, the Bull Ring embodied everything about concrete brutalism and post war urban planning gone wrong. It was horrible. No matter how much people try to romanticise it, it was still horrible.</p>
<p>So there I was in a barn in the middle of one of the mildest parts of Sweden, a world apart from Birmingham, to find a photo of part of my home town, a part that no longer existed apart from in people's memories. Don't get me wrong, I think most people remember the Bull Ring with affection, but nobody really misses it. And here was a photo from just after it had been built, when the future looked bright and people were still kidding themselves that the urban regeneration of overpasses and underpasses and strip lighting was the future. </p>
<p>The photographer is called Leif O Pehrson and I hope one day he gets to exhibit his work in Birmingham. <a contents="Check out his work here.&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.fotografera.nu/bull-ring" target="_blank">Check out his work here. </a></p>
<p>This year, there was nothing that caught my eye enough to merit paying real money for, so I settled for a chocolate cake and some cream. I looked at it on my plate for a few seconds, admired its artistic value and then scoffed it down. </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/48403582017-09-07T14:27:09+02:002022-04-09T09:45:33+02:00He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/42575c3fd147e23057836aad0ef9b2e4c48247aa/original/21533821-10155793991421388-1561322863-o.jpg?1504786573" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Autumn season kicked off last night with the premiere of Messiah Hallberg's tour show - Den Missförstådde Profeten (The Misunderstood Prophet).</p>
<p>It was also a premiere for me, it being the first time I'd ever put on a gig at L'Orient. Things went well, we managed to cram in over 230 people into the venue, most of whom sat comfortably. As usual it took a long time to get everyone in, largely due to the obligatory wardrobe. As a result we started about 20 minutes late, which in the great scheme of things isn't too bad. Same problem on the way out with such a small wardrobe and so many people needing coats. Still, never mind - We had a great gig and considering that one month ago, I was ready to cancel due to the implosion of The Crypt, I think we can call last night a success. For all of L'Orient's shortcomings, everything can be forgiven for the owner, Sami's, unbelievable level of optimism and enthusiasm. </p>
<p>So the show? The show was excellent. It kicked off with Sandra Ilar who did a really strong 20 minute set. Then Messiah came on and delivered a blistering 90 minute set which didn't let up in the laughs. I've always thought Messiah was excellent, and every time I see him he just gets better and better. So yes.. Go and see his show if you get the chance. </p>
<p>The show got a great review in Corren too. Which you can<a contents=" read here." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://corren.se/kultur-noje/recensioner/sa-bra-var-messiah-hallberg-om4802491.aspx" target="_blank"> read here.</a> </p>
<p>At the end of the night there was a moment of sweet farce, where the guys from Monstera (Great to meet you btw!) realised that the flowers they had ordered to be delivered to L'Orient had actually been sent to The Crypt by mistake, the pub where the gig was originally booked - After the gig, high on the joys of a successful, sold out premiere, they rolled up to (a presumably half empty) pub and asked if they could have the bouquet of flowers. I wasn't there to witness it, but believe me, I have imagined how sweet this must have looked.</p>
<p>Next show with Monstera in Linköping is 19 October at Forumteatern and AMK morgon - Tickets here: <a contents="http://amklatenight.se" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://amklatenight.se" target="_blank">http://amklatenight.se</a></p>
<p>And if you want to go and see Messiah on tour, and you really should, tickets and dates are here: <a contents="www.messiahhallberg.se" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.messiahhallberg.se" target="_blank">www.messiahhallberg.se</a></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/08177a701b144dc798f74167ac560bfde36e7f85/original/21442033-10155793991396388-1994322680-n.jpg?1504786573" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/48352802017-09-03T17:20:11+02:002017-12-28T15:58:34+01:00A lack of Live venues <p>Corren rang me the other day after I had sent out my autumn <a contents="press release&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://mailchi.mp/424129917b6a/stand-up-hst-2017?e=43c6b64d7a" target="_blank">press release</a>. They asked me why I am cutting back on the number of shows this season. You can <a contents="read it her" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.corren.se/om4791743" target="_blank">read it he</a>re if you are subscriber or below if not (Click on the link though as Corren needs the traffic)</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/ea5f693b19a30030c1bf1b9b773b989777982be5/large/004.jpg?1504451247" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>This season, I am putting on much fewer shows compared to last season. Between February to May 2017 I put on 14 shows. This season it is 4 and none of those are my 'own' shows - I'm very happy to be working with Monstera for these productions, but it does mean that there is nothing that I am doing that can be said to be unique to Linköping. </p>
<p>The problem - venues. </p>
<p>I won't go into great detail about why I left The Crypt. The first season there was hard work with a lot of problems. The second season, rather than address those problems and improve the venue, making it easier to work there, those problems got worse. So, I left. As did City to City/Gaphals (The guys who put on the music there). So right now, The Crypt, which had the potential to be one of the best live venues in Sweden is empty, with no gigs booked, no technical staff and no equipment. It's a shame, but that's their prerogative.</p>
<p>So how does the live scene look in Linköping? There are a few small pub stages where the focus is not primarily on entertainment - i.e. they need to invest in sound and lighting, have a genuine focus on marketing. For the official, council venues, they are either way too expensive or you just hire an empty venue with no publicity, front of house staff, refreshments, or technicians making it much more hassle than it's worth. Plus you have to deal with people from the Kommun who are the personification of unenthusiastic, desk monkeyism. </p>
<p>City to City and my company sold over 17000 tickets in Linköping last year - That's 17000 paying customers coming to venues that are not optimal, and this year we are forced to cut back on the number of events we are putting on. Imagine if this was a TECH business that said that Linköping was hard to operate in, and they were being forced to cut back. Just some food for thought especially as Linköping has dreams of becoming <a contents="Sweden's third biggest event city.&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/linkoping/pressreleases/linkoeping-ska-bli-landets-tredje-stoersta-stad-foer-event-1009216" target="_blank">Sweden's third biggest event city.</a> Oh well... </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/48333872017-08-31T22:49:01+02:002022-05-29T10:20:08+02:00Fire the nuclear weapons!<p>It's been a nice, varied week for voiceovers.</p>
<p>On Tuesday, I was doing a chic, sophisticated, dare I say it, sexy voice for a leading brand of women's perfume. Today I was playing three characters, a commanding officer, a gunner and a loader, for a simulation for the Swedish Armed Forces. It's unusual with voiceover that you do anything hands on - With the perfume voiceover, I came out of the studio smelling just as much like a man in T-shirt and jeans as I did when I walked in. If anything I probably smelt a little bit less delicious after 40 minutes in the enclosed space of the sound booth. </p>
<p>When it came to the military voiceover, a couple of real life soldiers turned up, one of them casually wheeling in a flight case which contained the so called Carl-Gustav grenade launcher and a couple of rounds of ammunition which may or may not have been live. We watched the video and this baby could fire shells that could crush a metal container like a shoe box. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/18053bd173cff52b75451f9b7b3d1bbca8822168/medium/me-and-bazooka.jpg?1504212354" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>Not wanting to get into trouble with the powers that be, or to get on the wrong side of the law and be court-martialled for a breach of the official secrets act, I asked if I could get a photo with it... .. I got a resounding yes and even got to do a couple of takes of the script with the weapon on my shoulder. I know it's a bit boyish to want to hold a big gun, but come on, how often do you get to hold something like that? Kaboom! </p>
<p>The voiceover went really well and as an extra bonus, it felt like I was following in the footsteps of every voiceover's idol, Stephen Toast of Toast of London. Here he is recording a voiceover with Clem Fandango for the Royal Navy.</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="t8xliaDUPwg" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/t8xliaDUPwg/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t8xliaDUPwg?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>And here's me: </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="oGiJAbhp25c" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/oGiJAbhp25c/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oGiJAbhp25c?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>Footnote: As the Swedish Army have a policy to only sell weapons to countries that don't get involved in war, I am not glorifying violence. If anything I am glorifying non-violence! </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/48239532017-08-24T10:33:44+02:002021-11-18T12:47:06+01:00Translating for the dead? <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/2eed140f0ef877f1f5cf1f8004b4ce264f95cb6c/medium/benefits-fraud-in-britain-worst-benefits-fraudsters-disability-benefits-scam-562383.jpg?1503563587" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="" />I'm confused. </p>
<p>Apparently, according to a my social media feed, Tim Abbott, a medium from England is coming to Linköping to perform a seance. He promises to contact spirits from the other side. Speak to the dead, as it were. </p>
<p>In the event description which you can <a contents="read here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/679709028900930/?active_tab=about" target="_blank">read here</a>, they say that there will be a translator at the event. This raises various questions... </p>
<p>Presumably the translator is there to translate between the living, paying audience and Tim Abott, the medium. Fine. But therefore, one can only assume, Tim Abbott doesn't speak Swedish. Which raises further questions... What language does he speak when communicating with the spirits of the Swedish dead?</p>
<p>Either he does so in Swedish, in which case, why does he need a translator to speak to the living? </p>
<p>Alternatively, the dead of Linköping have all learnt English in the afterlife. There is of course the possibility that amongst the spirits, there is a deceased translator who does a bit of translating on the (other) side. </p>
<p>Like I say, I'm confused. </p>
<p>Anyway, Tim Abbott seems like a thoroughly nice person and not in the least bit like a travelling charlatan. Even if he did spend eight months in prison, when, along with his wife, <a contents="he was found guilty of fraud.&nbsp;&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-31770699" target="_blank">he was found guilty of fraud.</a></p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/48204082017-08-21T12:05:16+02:002021-11-18T12:45:39+01:00Pilot film <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/edbdd6692d21ba9c27152a8b3722886f512b3272/medium/21014922-10155740703911388-718299132-o.jpg?1503308965" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="" />For the last few months I've been working on a film project with stand up comedian, <a contents="Al Pitcher" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.alpitcher.com" target="_blank">Al Pitcher</a>. I can't go into too much detail about it yet, but needless to say, it's been loads of fun so far and I think it'll be amazing. As I say, at the moment, it's all a bit hush-hush, so no questions please (unless you have loads of cash to offer in exchange for a credit on the film).</p>
<p>Last week, we went out and filmed the pilot, which if all goes to plan will give us the chance to film it properly next summer. Again, no questions please (unless you are an international film distributer who is looking for a film about Sweden) </p>
<p>And the good news is that the pilot went well. A nice smooth shoot which, over 36 hours, took us to such glamorous places as Linköping station, Mjölby, Boxholm, Skänninge and Vadstena. Imagine those names on the back of a tour t-shirt! </p>
<p>Lots of great moments, but mainly a whole lot of fun to work with Al and the crew, Gustav and Kim. </p>
<p>We ended the second day with a gig at the <a contents="Vadstena Nya Teater" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://vadstenanyateater.se" target="_blank">Vadstena Nya Teater</a>, where we were given a brilliantly warm welcome by Eva and Malin who run the place and greet the audience as their alter-egos Vera and Ines (Pictured above, chatting to Al).</p>
<p>Al did about 30 minutes of largely improvised material about where we had been filming which was some of the most hilarious stand up I've seen. It was everything that stand up should be - unique to the time, place and audience. This was followed by a second half which was a run through of his tour show, <a contents="Sverige Syndrome" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.alpitcher.com/sverige-syndrome/" target="_blank">Sverige Syndrome</a>, with call backs to the first half. If this test run is anything to go by, the tour itself will also be hilarious.</p>
<p>It's really exciting to have started the production process properly and looking forward to seeing the rough cuts of the pilot - Which for the time being is still secret (unless of course you are well connected in the film industry and are looking to finance a ground breaking film set in Sweden) </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/48157542017-08-16T14:19:42+02:002017-08-16T14:22:54+02:00I'm being tortured by bread! <p>As a writer friend of mine repeatedly writes on social media: I'm writing. I'm writing. I'm writing.</p>
<p>Occasionally he even uses a hashtag: #Iamwriting.</p>
<p>All of this points me to make the singular conclusion that he is NOT writing. Definitely not. He is in fact doing anything he can think of BUT writing. Trust me.</p>
<p>Right now, I've got some writing I have to do. Like I really need to do it. I've got a deadline. And it really needs to get done.</p>
<p>So in case you wondered: I'm writing. I'm writing. I'm writing #Iamwriting. </p>
<p>I usually work from home which in itself is a recipe for non-productivity. Right now with kids still on holiday, father-in-law noisily renovating our cellar and the overwhelming guilt caused by full dishwashers, uncut grass and unhoovered floors, I have decided to make my escape.</p>
<p>Nothing too dramatic. I'm just running away between 9-4 every day and have taken the step of renting an office for a month. I am upstairs at the hipster hang out of Linköping's hordes of Yummy Mummies: <a contents="Babettes Skafferi" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/babetteskafferi/" target="_blank">Babettes Skafferi. </a></p>
<p>The room is perfect. I sneak in through their kitchen, make my way upstairs away from the hustle and bustle of the cafe, close the door and I'm away.</p>
<p>There are four white walls. It's unfurnished apart from a desk and a chair and even the view is boring, overlooking a black corrugated roof and a car park. There are no distractions. There's coffee on tap. I see myself like a monk in his cell, committed to a greater cause.</p>
<p>And then I opened the window. </p>
<p>And the smell of freshly baked bread, buns, fruity loaves and other cakey delights wafted in.</p>
<p>And it smells delicious. </p>
<p>And I'm writing. I'm writing. I'm writing #Iamwriting. </p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/48132062017-08-14T09:19:21+02:002017-12-28T16:00:05+01:00I've been in a play, daaar-ling!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/25e697f45c7a4909604dcd0a20c9526f27b0ef5d/large/20815253-10155146356748218-1773241219-n.jpg?1502694652" class="size_l justify_left border_thin" alt="" />I've just finished a run at the theatre. Or as we used to say at school in Birmingham: "I done a play". Yes, an actual play with costumes and lights and make up and music and a live audience.</p>
<p>When I told my actor friend Anja that I was going to be in a play, she fired a load of questions at me: "Like, a play? Like, at a theatre? Like, acting?" She can be forgiven, as she is a member of the Ung Scen Öst ensemble who generally deal with theatrical productions that can be likened to traditional theatre, but strive to break from the normative expectations associated with the genre. (If that sounds pretentious, it's supposed to be, but their productions are actually quite good).</p>
<p>My reply to her was defiant! "No, Anja! Not 'like' a play! An actual play! Not 'like' a theatre! An actual theatre!" I didn't dispute her description of what I'd be doing in the play as 'like' acting, as I didn't want to sink to her level of personal attack ... ... and inside, I was crying a little bit. </p>
<p>Over the last few years, I've done loads of stand up comedy, loads of voiceover work for all sorts of genres, and a fair bit of film from corporate to advertising to sillier things like <a contents="this" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/iX07AIP6_dY" target="_blank">this</a>. But I haven't been in a real play since the early 2000s when I played several characters in 'A Stroke Of Midnight' including a Dapper Tramp, a sleep deprived Russian called Sergei and a crazed professor who had accidentally crossed his son with a bee which in turn led to the demise of humanity. Serious stuff. </p>
<p>Since I moved to Sweden, I've been secretly hoping that the phone would ring and the local theatre would say something along the lines of 'Our Hamlet has fallen ill, we need a replacement onstage in 20 minutes. What size tights do you take?' ... But this has never happened. Until this spring, when I got the call from Håkan Bäck, local theatre impressario (minus the Rolls Royce, cigar and gold rings) asking if I'd like to play the part of Steve Marsaan in Lasse och Maja's Cafémysteriet.</p>
<p>"Of course!" I said, "It's the part I was born to play!" ... I ran to the library to read up on what I had agreed to... </p>
<p>After searching the leatherbound tomes of the belles lettres of Swedish literature without joy, I finally asked a member of staff to help me and they pointed me to the kids section of the library. I devoured the book in a matter of minutes, which if anything is a tribute to my Swedish skills and not because the book is aimed at 4-7 year olds. Yes. I could do this, I could become a living, breathing, speaking, singing and dancing Steve Marsaan! </p>
<p>And now 6 months later the play is done and dusted. New friendships made, with a talented cast of young and old. Audiences entertained in rain and shine. And yesterday it was time to pack up my purple velvet suit and yellow socks for the last time, perhaps never to play the part of a tax dodging, café owner who is sent to prison for the crime of the love that dare not speak its name... and armed robbery of his own business. (Apologies for the spoilers) </p>
<p>So, thank you daaar-lings! ... And if your Hamlet drops out with 20 minutes to spare, I'm waiting for your call - Just be prepared that The Dane will be portrayed with yellow socks and a purple velvet suit. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/1637f88f6492e02abc831989919bba22c0d30c86/original/cast-lasse-maja.jpg?1502694710" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/48092212017-08-11T07:23:46+02:002021-11-19T11:32:54+01:00My favourite place in the whole of Sweden<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/37ef4240e7d178b9e129bef0a078ae19e9178f22/medium/20773258-10155707295291388-1659590037-o.jpg?1502427512" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="" />I don't care what you say, and I don't care what you think, and I don't care that this blog post may contain more than just a little whimsy. But I'm just back from my absolute, uncontested, favourite place in all of Sweden: <a contents="Astrid Lindgren's Värld " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://astridlindgrensvarld.se" target="_blank">Astrid Lindgren's Värld </a>in Vimmerby. </p>
<p>I love it there, I want to live inside the park. It's brilliant. </p>
<p>If you've never been there, stop what you are doing, and get there now. </p>
<p>What is this mythical värld you speak of, Ben? Well, I'll tell you. It's the best place in the whole of Sweden, that's what it is! It's the place where the books of Astrid Lindgren come to life. Where you can watch Pippi Långstrump wrestle with thieves, where you can see Emil of Lönneberga get a soup bowl stuck on his head, or see Ronja the Robber's daughter jump across Helvetesgapet... and then you get to meet them afterwards! Like actually meet the characters from the books and do stuff like skipping, or pumping water, or jumping in a haybarn. The ethos of the park is basically to just let children play, so everything is simple, pastoral and designed to spark imaginations and let kids be kids. </p>
<p>I love that the park seems so uncommercial - there is no hard sell, no brands, no fast food (Although, we did still manage to spend a fortune, but on things like pillow cases and postcards. And the food there was good... like really good and not too expensive. </p>
<p>New to me this year was the story Ingen Rövare finns i Skogen, where the toys come to life in Peter's grandmother's house. The toys, a fiskegubbe, a tin soldier, a clown, a policeman and a pilot were also the band who were pretty damn good. And it was a bonus to see them as non toys at the end of the day, jazz-jamming the Astrid Lindgren tunes at the gates of the park. </p>
<p>I haven't been there for a few years. My older kids have got too old, and I was forced to have another child three years ago so that I had a reason to go back again. I think I can get a good five years worth of visits out of this one, and then I can only hope for more children or one of my older kids to work on the whole teenage parenthood thing. It'll be worth it for me to justify buying myself a season ticket. </p>
<p>********************** </p>
<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/47998872017-08-02T11:45:55+02:002021-03-05T14:28:20+01:00Beershake! <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/11c6d7ad12ab2f44e59e918a5b187ce9a909d808/medium/20615378-10155682590551388-821133671-o.jpg?1501667010" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>I'm back in Linköping after a couple of weeks in England. And last night we went out in town, which after the hustle and bustle of inner city Birmingham, metropolitan London and actually, come to think of it, even rural Cornwall and leafy Stratford and Cheltenham*, Linköping seems very quiet. </p>
<p>Went to a new restaurant in town called Le Borgate, which is trying a new concept for Linköping of delicious food AND friendly staff..... Not sure Linköping is ready for this.... And then I topped off the evening with a Beershake at De Klomp. That's right it is as indulgent as it looks. </p>
<p>So... Sort of getting back into the swing of things. Half working today (procrastinating with a blog) and getting ready to get stuck in to a film project, a book project and planning for the Linköping Comedy Festival 2018. </p>
<p>In the meantime, enjoy the picture of my beershake! </p>
<p>*OK, we packed a lot in over two weeks </p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/47688382017-07-10T22:00:13+02:002022-03-16T18:10:21+01:00It's not an AUDITION!<p><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/06fedc61b0f561615ee4230182abff09cf33e368/medium/19970878-10155598014506388-721859926-n.jpg?1499710147" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" /></p>
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<p>Guys! Guys! It's not an audition! </p>
<p>The word you are looking for is interview! I N T E R V I E W. </p>
<p>Just as a guide for the future, if the job or task, or even the process to be allowed to do the job or task, does not involve singing, dancing, acting, poetry recitals, acrobatics, magic, playing a musical instrument, juggling, sword swallowing, or any other form of entertainment then it's NOT an audition. It's an interview. </p>
<p>I know it's super cool to use English, and ultimately, it's the only language that the youth of Linköping will engage with, but please, whoever writes this stuff has obviously never been to an audition before. Anyone who has been to an ACTUAL audition will tell you that more often than not you are judged within a couple of microseconds of walking in the door. Very often you are either right for the part or not. But you will probably have to go through a humiliating few minutes (and this particularly true of auditions for commercials) of pretending to eat an orgasmically good yoghurt or ecstatically finding out the price of a family holiday to a lesser known Greek island </p>
<p>My favourite example of this was an old friend in London whose agent had sent him to an audition for a commercial. He walked in to the casting studio and to the left were fifteen petite female ballerinas, fully kitted out in pink tutus and bodices. On the right were seven overweight black men wearing nothing but loincloths around their middles. My friend incidentally, was white, very thin and quite tall with no ballet training to speak of. He walked up to the receptionist, who had a pile of scripts. They looked at each other, at the actors waiting for their audition, looked at each other again and my friend turned around and silently walked out. He didn't get the part. </p>
<p>But just to confirm, when it comes to summer jobs like litter picking or even being a so called evenmangsagent, it isn't an audition. It's an interview. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/b1ac3d17a591785c560ff8d9958fc2f0e3a7afd8/large/16830631-10155103175221388-5941477465286872179-n.jpg?1499716239" class="size_xl justify_left border_none" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/ab620cb2fbc1512372584e048eb37a46c7f33102/large/16830631-10155103175221388-5941477465286872179-n-1.jpg?1499716457" class="size_xl justify_left border_none" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/c3ad11bbd05bd19de3072cba0206f3d760ed1aff/large/19642551-1568614189861658-8144039920827657488-n.jpg?1499716548" class="size_xl justify_left border_none" alt="" /></p>
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<p> </p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/47665192017-07-04T15:41:27+02:002022-05-18T14:45:06+02:00The Last Laugh<p>I watched this short film today as I procrastinated before taking on the tasks of writing invoices and tidying up. And I thought it was brilliant.</p>
<p>The film takes place in the dusty dressing room of a Variety theatre with a cast that beautifully and accurately recreates Tommy Cooper, Bob Monkhouse and Eric Morecambe. I enjoyed this film on so many levels. Firstly, as a tribute to the giants of comedy who were an ubiquitous part of my early childhood, considered hack and cheesy in my teens and restored and recognised for their genius once I had reached my twenties. The script and characterisations are fantastic and the atmosphere of the film evokes a world of entertainment long gone, but still ghostly present in any backstage dressing room. </p>
<p>Lastly, the dialogue between the comedians is faultless, and if not exactly what it's like backstage, it's exactly what we imagine it should be like when comedians sit backstage before a gig. </p>
<p>Go full screen, turn down the lights, turn up the sound and take yourself backstage with some of the greatest entertainers to ever hit the stage. </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="vimeo" data-video-id="210409977" data-video-thumb-url="https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/626191880_640.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/210409977" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320"></iframe></p>
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<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/47615362017-06-29T20:34:40+02:002017-06-29T20:37:20+02:00Two very different voiceovers<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/f62d441ddebf9d8bf794467e3e5a81b269208d26/medium/img-1632.jpg?1498761169" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="" />I recorded two voiceovers this week. Two voiceovers that couldn't have been more different from each other. Both fun, both rewarding, but they were two jobs that couldn't have been further apart from each other in terms of style. </p>
<p>I'll start with the second job. This was a long e-learning module on ethics in business, complicated questions and legal jargon about avoiding conflicts of interest and corruption. Two hours in the studio to deliver 30 minutes of recorded material. ... OK some of the longer legal terms needed a couple of takes, but on the whole a relatively smooth recording. </p>
<p>The first job was at a small studio under a viaduct in Kungsholmen in Stockholm. No windows, no mod-cons, egg boxes on the wall, a few dusty quarter inch tape machines lying around that were either there for effect or possibly left over from when the studio first opened and to top it all, there was no milk in the fridge for the coffee. It was perfect. This was an short independent animation for a director call Simon Appel - From what I've seen of his stuff it looks pretty cool and he comes across as one of these frustratingly creative people who can take a tiny idea and make it huge. </p>
<p>I was working with the storyboard and the basic set-ups were there, but Simon pretty much gave me a free hand to muck about and play with the ideas and the characters. I think I managed to go through the entire cast of Scorsese's Mean Streets to give life to four slices of pizza. </p>
<p>I'm looking forward to the final result, but please do check out the two directors' links at the bottom of this post. I left the studio feeling great and with a desire to do more silly voices for more animations .. So if you're reading this, Pixar, you know where to find me. </p>
<p>I'm not saying I prefer one style over the other - If you have an e-learning module that needs recording or a technical description that you want me to get my tongue around, then don't hold back, I'll record it for you! But what I am saying is that recording for animation where your voice, improvisation and jokes will potentially steer the look and feel of the final film is very rewarding indeed.</p>
<p>There aren't many jobs in this life where you get paid for mucking about with silly voices, imagining what, for example, a slice of Hawaii pizza might sound like and knowing that the more you make the people who are paying you laugh, the more seriously you are taking your job. </p>
<p>You can listen to my voice in action on some older jobs on the 'voice' page of my website. Meanwhile here are the animators links: </p>
<p><a contents="simonappel.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://simonappel.com" target="_blank">simonappel.com</a> (Designer / Co-Director) <br><a contents="oscarpettersson.se" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://oscarpettersson.se" target="_blank">oscarpettersson.se</a> (Animator / Co-Director)</p>
<p> </p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/47559142017-06-24T08:22:35+02:002021-12-23T23:33:24+01:00Brexit - One year on. <p>It's a year since we woke up, the morning after Midsommar, to find out that the UK had decided to leave the EU.</p>
<p>And what a year it's been.... Lots has been written and will be written about it, and no doubt I'll write something else when I can bear to tear myself away from the car crash that is the current state of British politics.</p>
<p>In the meantime, here is an article that I wrote for The New European about my thoughts post-Brexit: </p>
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<p><span class="font_regular"><strong>A week before the referendum, I put on a light-hearted Brexit debate at our local faux-English pub. The landlord did a special deal on Fish n' Chips and any beer that had an appropriately patriotic name – Bombardier, Spitfire, London Pride. </strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong>The town's anglophiles and expats squeezed into the mock woodpanelled backroom, with its cricket bats, Toby jugs and foxhunting paraphernalia. In contrast, the mood was decidedly Euro-friendly; we were the cappuccino drinkers, the multi-linguists, the ones who felt equally at home on the Underground, the Métro or the Tunnelbana . This was the debate that wasn't. Without exception we were all pro-Europe. We ate our pub grub and congratulated ourselves on how cosmopolitan we all were. </strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong>A week later, on Swedish Midsommar Eve, I lay awake all night, refreshing the BBC news on my mobile, stunned by how our English pub in Sweden was so far removed from the feelings of over half the UK electorate. </strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong>I spent the next day in a weird parallel. Surrounded by garlanded Swedes, dancing round the Midsommar pole in a picturesque coastal town, friends and strangers alike randomly fired questions at me as the sole representative of all things British. Questions that I had no answer to: Why did the UK vote to leave? Will this be good for Britain? Does this mean you have to leave Sweden? </strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong>Whether Brexit affects my work remains to be seen. Personally, I'm hedging my bets and have applied for dual citizenship. Lucky me, that I can. </strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong>For the comedy scene in Sweden, it's still hard to say. The Swedes love comedy from the UK. The language and references are rarely an obstacle and ease of travel means that it's relatively easy to get London based comedians to come over here. I think Sweden is more of a place to tick off on the internationally minded comedian's map, rather than a circuit to break. The scene here is too small to ever be financially attractive to anyone other than larger touring shows. </strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong>Without hanging on too much of a stereotype, the keenest to come are often the Australian comedians who are living in the UK on a second generation UK passport and they'll probably find a way to travel regardless. </strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong>I can imagine that getting people here could be harder after Brexit: Worst case scenarios could involve work permits, tax for buying a service from a non EU country, higher airfares. But as with everything Brexit related it's all just speculation as nobody from top to bottom seems to have any idea what it will involve in practice. </strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong>Swedes also adore US comedians, whose tours usually hit all the Scandinavian capitals. Logically, if an American can play in non-EU Norway, then it should be possible for Ex-EU Brits to play in Sweden. </strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong>On the other side of the coin, there are more and more Swedes who are making inroads on the UK scene. Even Sweden's biggest stand up stars sit backstage at their sold out shows speaking in hushed dreamy tones of breaking London or The Edinburgh Fringe. I can't see this changing soon, with or without Brexit. </strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong>Qué sera sera as they say in one of those foreign speaking countries in the EU. If anything, more adversity, frustrations and political confusion should ultimately lead to more jokes. I just hope that I'm doing more laughing than suffering.</strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong> </strong></span></p>
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<p><strong>If you've enjoyed this blog post feel free to share it!<br>I really enjoy blogging and if you<em> really</em> enjoy it too you can always 'buy me a coffee' by clicking on the button below! </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/O4O06YWF" target="_blank"><img src="https://az743702.vo.msecnd.net/cdn/kofi2.png?v=0" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" height="36" style="border:0px;height:36px;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>And while you're here, have a look around my website and find out more about what I do! </strong></p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/47533542017-06-22T10:00:02+02:002017-06-22T10:05:58+02:00Getting my blog thang on!<p>New website is now live. I'm sure that you are aware of that as you are here reading this blog - on the website. </p>
<p>It's that limbo period in Sweden just now, the time when you should be tying up all the loose ends of the first half of the year. </p>
<p>For me, it's the time of year when I start to panic about the autumn and realise how little preparation I've done and how quickly August comes around. The fear and frustration is often doubled when, as a freelancer, you try and make contact with someone who, as we say in showbiz, has a proper job. From the second week in May, those straight boring bastards, pen-pushing, secure with their pension and paid holidays, are already mentally sitting in their summer house. So the most common response - If you get a response at all is: Call me in August. </p>
<p>AUGUST? That's like three months away. </p>
<p>This year, I'm feeling a bit more relaxed as I've got some nice projects to get my teeth into and will probably be working in a slightly different way. In the short term, I'm off to Stockholm on Monday to record a voiceover for an animation as well as have a quick script meeting for another thing .. more details to follow .. watch this blog!</p>
<p>So today .. I'm in my office at home, looking at all the loose papers and bills to pay while patting myself on the back that starting a blog is the most creative way to avoid taking care of the mess and the loose ends that so desperately need taking care of</p>Safety Last Productionstag:safetylast.se,2005:Post/47494892017-06-19T15:06:29+02:002022-03-07T06:25:30+01:00The Safety Last Blog is live! <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/254011/c9318e54068f5bec3d2e099773e8767a77eb660f/medium/12509169-143588832681641-7756759648171814586-n.jpg?1497877421" class="size_m justify_left border_medium" alt="" />First things first.. why is your company and site called Safety Last? </p>
<p>Good question - It is partly because I want to appear to be a little bit gung-ho as if safety is the last of my concerns ... did it work? I mean nothing says slapdash attitude to safety like blogging. So if you have fallen for the shallow explanation, then stop reading here and I can let you keep believing. </p>
<p>The truth is that the name is a dedication to one of the heroes of the silver screen, Harold Lloyd. As a kid his films were shown on BBC 2 at 6pm everyday. I used to love them. Lloyd was a great innovator in silent comedy and his nice guy in the straw boater who always smiled his way through, warmed the cockles of my heart…</p>
<p>Here's a little clip from the film 'Safety Last'. This is the most famous and iconic scene in the film. You've probably seen it before, but take five minutes and watch it again. Remember Harold Lloyd performed all his own stunts ... Also remember, that I do not perform my own stunts - I don't even perform anybody else's stunts. </p>
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<p> </p>Safety Last Productions