Seattle starts

I was very happy with the first show here in Seattle. When I performed in Green Bay following a short break I was disappointed by myself for allowing the show to get a bit too loose and unfocussed so I was determined not to make the same mistake here and spent a good part of yesterday - when I wasn't doing press - trying to ensure that I was thinking about the show and not taking it for granted. It was time well spent and although I went slightly awry when discussing creationism the show was soon back on track and everything else was as tight as it should be. A nice crowd and a good show.

At Seattle Airport

A Cheerful Wall Greets Him In Seattle, originally uploaded by Dave Gorman.

Ta ta LA

I used to detest Los Angeles... it seemed like a soulless place; shiny on the outside but with nothing much to offer but every time I come here I find I like it more than the last and it's just occurred to me that I think I actually like it. I can't think why.

Still, I'll be glad to be heading to Seattle tomorrow, as much as anything because this is supposed to be a tour and it doesn't feel like one when I'm basically sitting on my thumbs, taking photographs, balancing rocks and taking photographs of rocks I've balanced. (Not all at the same time you understand; you can't do the others if you're sitting on your thumbs.)

This will be the final two weeks of the tour and - in all probability - the final two weeks of this show, not just for now, but for good. It's been the dominant part of my working life for a goodly while now and it's strange seeing the end of the rollercoaster ride in sight.

Motel Grand

Motel Grand, originally uploaded by Dave Gorman.

Minimal Pelican

Minimal Pelican, originally uploaded by Dave Gorman.

Giving thanks

Happy Thanksgiving - if you're that way inclined. This is my third Thanksgiving and it's always an odd experience. The final episode of Genius went out this evening. That's been odd too; being overseas while the series has been broadcast... although I don't know why it seems odd... it's not as though, if I'd been in the UK, I'd have cycled over to the BBC each Thursday to press the play button on the tape recorder. (Yes, I'm sure that's what they use.)

Fishermen

Fishermen, originally uploaded by Dave Gorman.

Ta ta Green Bay

The run in Green Bay was all too short. I was expecting it to be freezing cold and inhospitable and - because I know about the Green Bay Packers being a huge NFL team I was expecting it to be a big city too. Instead we had unseasonably pleasant weather and it was a nice small friendly town that manages to sell out a 70,000 seat stadium every game even though the population is only just over 100,000.

The theatre was an amazingly attractive building and everything about the organisation from the management to the technical staff were really good at their jobs. Which meant I was particularly disappointed with myself for giving a bad performance on the opening night. It's the first time in a long time that I've been unhappy with myself onstage and I really didn't think I did the job well enough.

The next two shows were great though and in spite of my concerns the first show received a good review in the Green Bay Press Gazette so I shouldn't complain.

I've now flown to LA and like everyone in LA, I'm here to "take some meetings." Really. It sounds much more impressive than it is.

Too early

I had a very early start yesterday as I was promoting the Green Bay shows on a breakfast TV show at 5.30am. After that I had a bunch of radio shows to visit and another TV show to do. I especially enjoyed the last one (WAPL?) as I was sitting in with the hosts for a whole hour instead of the usual in-and-out 5 minutes.

Setting up the technical side of the show went smoothly and the theatre is probably the most beautiful I've worked in for some time.

Motel

Motel, originally uploaded by Dave Gorman.

Night Bowling

Night Bowling, originally uploaded by Dave Gorman.

Technology

Thanks to everyone who e-mailed me offering me copies of Genius but I've managed to make my computer work properly with the BBC player and so I've now heard the second episode. Richard Madeley was every bit as funny as I remember him.

I've been in Chicago for quite a while now which is fine because Chicago is a grand place to be but odd because it wasn't a scheduled stop on the tour and I haven't been doing any work so it feels rather like the brakes have been applied. But today we fly to Green Bay to resume the tour - if only for a few days. I've bought some woolly gloves.

The Corn Cobs

The Corn Cobs, originally uploaded by Dave Gorman.

Chicago

I'm still in Chicago where I'm struggling to make the BBC's listen again feature work on my computer because, oddly enough, I want to listen to episode two of Genius. I know that might sound odd because obviously I was there so I should know what happened but Richard Madeley was an inspired guest and it ended up being one of the longest recordings as a result... with a lot of the time being taken up by me giggling. I don't know how I would have gone about trying to cut it down to a fluid 30 minutes and thankfully I didn't have to do that job, but someone did and I'm very curious to discover how it came out.

Chicago at Night, originally uploaded by Dave Gorman.

A book I like...

Oscar Wilde meets Ian Fleming. It's a camp, witty, dark and amoral tale about an Edwardian-era James Bond but more importantly it's a real ripping yarn. I was about to say that I hope Mark Gatiss isn't too busy being one of the League of Gentlemen to send Lucifer Box off on further adventures, when I discovered that he already has The Vesuvius Club; A Lucifer Box Novel If you're that way inclined, it's also available as a graphic novel.

See all the books I've recommended so far here.