Mark Watson the Comedian

Preparing for the Norwich run, which will be the first full attempts at a new show. If you’re coming to these or the Soho shows, it is worth emailing markwatsonspreview2012@gmail.com for a briefing, which will tell you various things that’ll enhance your enjoyment/involvement. We did this with limited success before the Edinburgh shows, but I’m slightly more in control of things now.

Also, it is worth arriving early, and if you have a suitable phone, getting one of those QR readers that can read barcodes. Do it!! They’re everywhere, QR codes. You’ve seen them, even if you don’t know what I’m talking about.

All good fun, this. Do feel free to attend the shows without taking any of these preparatory steps. I’m glad people
come at all. But this will spice things up.

My thanks, as ever, go to Giles for deputising yesterday when blogging was made impossible by a series of sub-ideal events which have since been resolved. (In blog-days gone by I woiuld have gone into detail, but I’ve learned that if you chat too much about your actual life online, there’s a fair chance that Regrettable People will take advantage.)

Today I’d like to draw your attention back to a subject first addressed a long while ago – my brother Paul and his remarkable footballing project. Back in the infancy of this blog I described how

the resourceful P Watson had come up with the ambitious idea of finding the world’s worst football team, becoming their manager, building a team and training them up, with a view to striking a blow for the underdog in the increasingly harsh world of professional sport/living out boyhood dreams of international sporting glory/reminding our mum and dad that both of us can do strange stuff.

Backed by some of you (who sponsored players and bought things we auctioned, and came to a shambolic but amusing benefit gig we put on), he succeeded in going out to the Pacific Island of Pohnpei (part of Micronesia, and little bigger than a man’s kneecap), overcoming the problems of mass obesity and a terminally rainy climate, structuring a new footbal league and creating a side who went on tour to Guam (leaving the island, in most cases, for the first time ever) and WON A MATCH for the first time in Pohnpei’s history.

Then the little scamp came home, somewhat to our family’s relief, and wrote a book about it.

Now this blog is out in the shops: well, in the first week of February actually (strangely, the same date my first book was published, eight years ago, contrived-nostalgia fans). It’s very funny and entertaining, even if you’re not interested in football, because I think I’m right in saying everyone enjoys the tale of someone doing something gutsy and stupid. If you didn’t, why would you be reading this blog?

Here is the link. ‘Customers who bought this also bought’: Mark Watson Live DVD, apparently. Amazon keeps recommending that as something I’d like, actually. I really should check it out.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Up-Pohnpei-football-ultimate-underdogs/dp/184668501X

I can’t recommend it enough, so I’ll just recommend it a normal amount. Read it, it’s an unlikely story and if nothing else it should convince you that you can do any damn fool thing you put your mind to*.

Also, the travelled tearaway is doing a book launch on February 9, somewhere in London. I realise you might need better coordinates than that, but I can’t remember off hand where it is. I’ll find out, though, and let you know. I can’t go myself, because I’m doing a Soho Theatre show that night, but I’ll come along afterwards- although this is more an internal note to self than information you need. But anyway, come to the launch, read the book, and savour the second Watson kid out of four to be published. The heat is really on our sisters now. No-one likes to be a loser.

*Not always true, by a long way

PS My next one is out in the summer. Before you get all ‘ooh Paul Watson is my favourite Watson these days’.

It’s the LSTM here. Mark’s been held up going about his business and so I have stepped in to the breach as a pale substitute. So this week we have a show Lincoln on Wednesday and then four nights at the Playhouse in Norwich. Interesting fact about the Drill Hall, it was built with a rifle range underneath.The Playhouse in Norwich, I have no interesting facts about apart from the fact that since it was built as a maltings it’s had a variety of uses.
Anyway, enough of my drivel. Mark will be back here tomorrow.

Thanks to the Bridport residents who came to see get back stage after an absence of around 40 days, which feels like about 40 years when you’re about to go on stage and are thinking ‘now, what am
I meant to say?’ Particular thanks who contributed food items. Even
further thanks go to the people who are coordinating finger-crossing
efforts for my football team Bristol City, and all those joining
in because they’re not into football but are prepared to add some psychic weight to the exercise. Thanks to all this harnessed power City won a crucial game 2-1 today and – like last year – are pulling clear of danger after an awful start. We made this happen. Probably.

I’m typing this on my phone and it’s not that much fun, so I’ll be quiet, but at least we have the return to blogging form
that mankind yearned for during the long cold festive period.

Yesterday’s negativity is over. No official blog today, though, for time-restriction reasons. Things should improve tomorrow, when I am also doing an actual STANDUP SHOW. In Bridport. What are my jokes again?