Competitions breed success
Just time to acknowledge last night’s magnificent Aberystwyth crowd, who not only made it a lovely show as usual – well worth the 44-hour trip – but more than maintained the high bar of Watsonian challenges set over the tour so far. The ‘give me a pen’ task took on a new, emotionally charged dimension as a reader called Suzie, or Suzy, I shamefully can’t remember which spelling, turned up with a pen WITH A PRINTED MESSAGE ON ITS SIDE THAT SAID ‘MARK WATSON, OPTIMIST’. We’ve seen some highly impressive carpet-bombing-with-pens-approaches, but this was something a bit different. Beyond cool. I was rendered momentarily speechless before recovering to dole out a shitload of Where’s Watson points.
I’ve also received notable pen gifts this week from Dan Woodrow and Sam Schaefer (not sure I’ve got that surname quite right, but still). However, Sam – one of the loons who travelled from Portsmouth to Aberystwyth – went further than this with a sensational entry for the Who Can Bring The Oddest Thing For Me To Sign competition. His signable item was a picture of the inside of his knees, taken during surgery last week. I was both enormously impressed and faintly nauseated (being a bit squeamish). There’s no doubt this is the new leader in the ‘strange signings’ game, although that shouldn’t discourage you from bringing anything you feel is weird, but not quite THAT weird: it’s the taking part that counts.
So, an excellent night for Watsonian endeavour. Turning back the clock a few days, the experiment whereby I harnessed the goodwill of football-netural readers, and used it to boost my ailing team, worked pretty well on Friday night. Thanks entirely to the crossed fingers of dozens of volunteers, Bristol City (bottom of the league) improbably led QPR (top of the league) for almost an hour, before eventually having to settle for a 1-1 draw. This is still a good result and undoubtedly better than we would have got without your input, so I will be drawing on it again over the weekend. Thanks, temp fans.
I’m on stage in forty minutes, in Sheffield. I suppose I should think of something funny to say.
Posted by Laura on October 30, 2010
Oh dear, a biro just isn’t going to cut it anymore, is it?
Posted by Rachael on October 30, 2010
Maybe when I complete my challenge I can get a pen that says “Rachael – Goat owner”, doesn’t seem to work as well as yours though really!
Posted by Emily on October 29, 2010
I am new to your blog, I will try and catch up, but I just wanted to say it was lovely of you to stay for OVER AN HOUR signing after the Aber gig, what a nice man you are. We were the last ones in the queue and I felt bad for keeping you there.. I had such a brilliant evening, your stand-up is achingly funny but has also made me think. Particularly your struggle with confidence, knowing that you can get past the low points and go on to tour the country and make your wife full of baby, gives me confidence.
I had come from Worcester to stay with my brother in Aber and watch you, only to come back twenty-four hours later. It was definitely worth the trip, I would recommend you to a friend. Thank you Mark Watson, you are funny.
Posted by Tamsin on October 29, 2010
Hooray, glad Aber treated you well!
The Watson pen sounds great, reminds me of those personalised packs of colouring pencils that people used to have in lower school
Posted by Anji on October 28, 2010
I love the fact you signed some knees! And don’t worry Sam, medical types will love the story when you take the photos along, they’ll be telling everyone! So just think how days you have brightend up!
Mark, if you wish to borrow a dog to join you on stage, as after the comment pointing out the lack of a dog (tut tut) you can borrow mine. She’ll sit and stay for about a minute – and has a top that’s says she’ll do tricks for treats – how could you not want her to join you?!?
Posted by amycool on October 28, 2010
My pen plans were scuppered when it dawned on me that there was a 99% chance I would chicken out of saying hello. Still, there are over 9 years remaining for me to man up and hopefully you will be playing in a town near me (there are some great Stockport pens available) again in the future.
Posted by Tibbs on October 28, 2010
My boss the other day was complaining about how his football team had just lost a game and I almost replied “oh, my football team’s doing really bad too!”, but I didn’t think that would improve his mood much (especially as he was referring to American football). Still, glad to hear the latest results, a draw is much better than a loss!
Posted by Suzy on October 27, 2010
In case of negative thoughts or meanies on Twitter being mean … or youtube comments with the c-word … read my blog about last night’s show
Got a bit carried away but want the world (well the one or two people who actually read my blog) to know how fab you are 
http://diurnata.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/comedy-with-added-value/
Posted by Misha on October 27, 2010
Carpet bombing? I resent that, I placed them gently. I can’t however deny that there won’t be another few waves yet.
Unfortunately I can’t think of anything odd, other than my canvas bag, which already has your seal of approval.
Posted by Joe's Mum on October 27, 2010
On the subject of pens, I thought that the reference to Sam from Aberystwyth having the surname Schaeffer( give or take a consonant or two) was nicely coincidental. Turning back the clock many years, I used to have a Sheaffer pen at school. I wonder if there are any bloggers called Parker or Cross because I used to have those pens too!
Posted by Kate B on October 27, 2010
Wow, by the end of your tour you’re going to have A LOT of pens… well, you probably already have a lot of pens. I’m very interested to know if anyone is going to come close is beating Sam in the who can give you the weirdest thing to sign competition. For your sake I hope not.
Posted by Sam on October 27, 2010
I’ve just got back to Portsmouth. I’ve spent 14 hours on trains, and 3 on platforms to see you Watson. I did see my friends however which was more the nature of the trip and we decided to schedule it for when you were playing. I’m not completely insane. Not yet.
On my way to Aberystwyth train station today I booed someone for sropping on a zebra crossing which I was trying to cross. The driver looked peturbed but his female passenger whooped and cheered which took me entirely off guard.
I’ve realised I may need those pictures of my knee with regards to my medical records. Although if they are needed luckily you annotated them for the doctors with “these are your knees” hopefully the ‘your’ won’t confuse them.
My name is spelt Schafer, but with umlauts on the a. But you had a good go at it whilst bastardising so that’s ok.
Also I was reading Eleven on the train today and listening to Joanna Newsom (Have One On Me is a near perfect accompaniment to the book, especially when the final track “Does Not Suffice” matches up exactly with the last chapter, so the last bar plays a sentence before the end leaving stoney and pensive silence). When I finished it I welled up a little but sat stock still contemplating my life for a while. The girl next to me struck up conversation. Long story short, she’s going to buy the book, and we’re provisionally meeting up for lunch sometime.
There is lots more I was going to say (both to you last night and here now, I chickened out last night as I couldn’t find a segway from my bloody meniscus to the light hearted whimsy of your set) but I won’t bore people with it here. Just one last comment: You ruined my life, but I’ve come to terms with it now and am not holding a grudge.
Posted by Dan on October 27, 2010
I’m going to be Dan rather than Daniel due to the other Daniel, anywayyy…
I was annoyed I couldn’t get a ticket for tonight, but I saw David Blunkett do a talk instead. He was less funny than you, but he had a dog on stage which is something you’ve missed so far. Good way of getting the audience on side
Posted by A lot of Rach[a]els on October 27, 2010
That’s a lovely idea for the pens.
I have a lot of time to come up with smei-decent effort on the pen/weird stuff but might not do weird might do something which you might not want to sign..
Posted by Suzy on October 27, 2010
It’s Suzy with a Y
Glad you liked the pen. Feeling really chuffed with the words “beyond cool” … you have now rendered me momentarily speechless in return!
Tried to spot Sam (the loon with the knee, as I think he should henceforth be known!) in the crowd but failed to spot him despite slightly embarrassing tweeted conversation along the lines of … I’m in the right balcony. right of what? which way are you looking? is that you in the pink top? no? … He spotted me in the end but I failed miserably!
Anyway it was a brilliant show, thanks so much for coming all the way to Aberystwyth, and for being so nice
Going to re-read my beautifully autographed copy of Eleven, and go out into the world and do good things 
Posted by Anna on October 27, 2010
That definitely beats my box of paracetamol you signed! If I’d known that the competition was going to involve internal body parts, I’d have brought along my ultrasound pictures. But, then again, I think the baby might, in future, get quite cross at having someone elses name written all over their first picture…
Posted by Lydia on October 27, 2010
Since I have until February, I feel like I should find something pretty awesome for you to sign.
Posted by Dawn on October 27, 2010
What are you going to do with all the pens you have received?
Posted by Daniel on October 27, 2010
Glad you got them – was worried at Monday’s filming when you didn’t have a pen to make the changes on your cards! All the bloggers in the front row had a knowing smile when you said that!