so you’ve probably seen the pictures below. but here’s the story behind the story, time for tea (a true story).
dave and i got to London and really didn’t know where we were going. we talked to a subway information desk and hopped on a train. luckily we were able to find an appropriate stop close to where we pretty much thought was our first hotel. after a little bit of searching from the subway stop, we found The Montague. a very nice 4 star hotel/bed and breakfast. it became clear after just a few moments there that dave and i were the only guests who hadn’t ever had to deal with a polio scare.
every morning that we were there we had a chance of a free English Breakfast and boy howdy did we take advantage. i believe it was the only times in our lives that we got up early just for breakfast. we were quite poor and felt that these morning meals might be all that we would eat during the day and for the most part they were.
before we did anything we discovered the horrible exchange rate. it was pretty much 2 American dollars to every English pound note. this wouldn’t of been so bad, except most things were priced as if the pound were equal to the dollar. yeah, a soda in the states is about 1 dollar. a soda in the UK is about 1 pound, or 2 dollars. needless the say dave and i found ourselves more poor than we thought we were.
but above all that, we were in London and we had never been before; thus, we decided to just explore without the use of a map. not the best idea. we did in fact get lost numerous times. and with the underground stopping at midnight, we found ourselves walking aimlessly around London late into the wee hours of the morning. we always managed to find our way home, either by help of a lost Frenchman with a map, or just dumb luck.
that first night there, i had that booked comedy gig. it was way out in the northern part of London and dave and i had to take two underground trains to an above ground train to get there. But we made it and as soon as i walked in the door, brett vincent of Gagged and Bound Comedy was there to greet me. i was on the line up for second and it was according to the rest of the comics there, a small crowd. about 35 to 45 people by my count. hardly small when compared to the crowds at Vida or your standard LA open mike.
still, it seemed to go alright. well, at first, i went out there and started doing my thing and i could feel the audience. they were confused and taken back a bit. i don’t think they knew just what to make of me. but as i start to get a feel for the audience, i think they started to loosen up and realize that this jackass American was just having fun up there. no lofty concepts or political high brows ideas. just wackiness, pure and simple. by the end, they were laughing and when i did “Adolf’s Tut”, i think they finally got what it was all about. they clapped and laughed as i left the stage. the English comedians there told me that a crowd like this tends to be quite aggressive and heckle mad. if fact they were quite surprised i didn’t get heckled at all seeing how they were all getting heckled. so i guess i did pretty well. the rest of the night was me discussing with the English boys the difference between the American and English comedy scenes. all in all, it was quite the enlightening experience.
Dave and i saw many sights. and like i said without a map, we were lucky enough to just stumble upon them. Parliament, Piccadilly Circus, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, The London Tower Bridge, etc.
the one thing we had trouble with was Big Ben. we found it that first day of exploring, but it didn’t look right to me. so i asked dave if that was Big Ben. dave didn’t think it was, because “it’s flat on the top, isn’t it?” we dismissed it as not being Big Ben. i took a random picture of Dave and the mysterious clock tower, only to find out just before we left that it was in fact Big Ben. before that we were on a constant lookout for this clock tower we had already seen. “Where is Big Ben?”
we also went of some of the main tourist traps. Madam Tusssuads Wax Museum, among the countless other museums. although, i never made it to the British Art Museum and for that i am upset with myself. but, what can you do with four days in London and no knowledge of the city at all. i’ll have to go back.
the days were cold and the nights were colder. i bought a scarf and with my little lack of funds, that’s pretty much all i bought.
before we left we did do one very, very unique thing. we saw
Jerry Springer: The Opera. yes, i’m not lying and it was really, really fantastic. it very much so treaded itself along the lines of a classic opera, but with this pop culture, modern theme. it was quite the spectacle and so funny. we were told that they are trying to get it to Broadway and the states. first stop San Francisco. should be there in a few months, said the word on the street. if you have chance to see it and aren’t easily offended, you really should check it out. bizarre? yes. wonderful? hell yes. wink.
after that we were pretty much out of time, and had to head back across the pond. i wish i had five more days, because i was just starting to get comfortable and settled into the London grove. oh well. like i said, i’ll have to go back for more.
thanks for all the great times, London.
squeezes,
chad fogland
*check out ALL the photos below!
