Jax Burgoyne Writes

I have learned that Rhode Island is not an island.  Yes, I am an idiot.  Just thought I'd share that.  (And yes, I did also study American Lit....)

To get to the gig at The Space in Hamden CT yesterday we had to go through a lot of rain, a couple of buses, and a Greyhound, plus walking through various amounts of rain.  But it was very much worth it.  The Space is amazing - the people, the other acts we saw, the place itself.  There's a recording studio above it, and the place is decorated in an awesome eclectic things from car boot sales way.  Anyway will say more later.  Off to New York City.

This hotel - La Dolce Villa - has a Dolce Villa yellow rubber duck in the shower.  Amazing!  Also a really nice place.

Read (and Jess played) at Tazza's cafe this evening.  People talked all the way through pretty much everything, although Jess got more than just the polite level of applause.  I felt a bit like my story wouldn't work with people not listening (read When Harry Met Sally again) but at the same time I felt better than when people listen out of politeness because then I feel like I'm importuning them a lot more, and it's not that short a story.  But a couple of people (two older guys - I think probably because of the theme) came up to me afterwards (maybe also due to feeling guilty) and said that they liked it.  So that's good :)

Hmm, what else.  There appears to be a Merlin marathon on TV tonight.

The most important news is that I have found a new hat.  Or, rather, it found me.  I'd forgotten I'd been looking for a hat, but Jess and I were mooching round some shops and this different hat, on a mannequin, drew me to the hat section.  I tried it on and it was ok.  But then I saw THE HAT.  It apparently makes me look a bit like Sherlock Holmes.  Using my powers of creative writing I will try to describe it further: it is like a cap but not really, it just has a... that bit that sticks out that caps have, whatever that is called.  And the Sherlock reference is colours not ear flaps.  Anyway so I swiftly decided to buy it (normally I hate trying on hats - Nick, you know The Fear) and THEN it was half price so only $7 i.e., what, four fifty?  Awesome.

A couple of days ago we (having returned to our good friends Tom and Angela in Beverley near Boston) went to an open mic in Salem at this place called 'In a Pig's Eye'.  I was pretty nervous because it was quite a blokey pub, didn't really seem like a 'tell me a story' venue, but the audience listened and applauded and I even got a couple of laughs at bits, so I was pleased.  Jess went down really well - they wanted her to come back on at the end and do a couple more songs but we all (T and A came too) needed to get back and go to Bedfordshire.

The next night we went somewhere to do another gig - it'd been recommended to us as a great place to do open mic.  Tom and Angela dropped us off and we walked the final way and it'd had to close for the day (maybe more) because of flooding.  We now had 2/3 hours to kill before our train back.  So we had dinner and then went to Dunkin Donuts.  Jess played me her new songs and I read her my new story.  THIS COUNTS AS A GIG.

Then last night we went to a poetry slam thing at The Cantab Lounge in Cambridge - v near Harvard.  Quite a famous place...apparently.  Certainly the standard was really high... Oh dear.  Well I was ok - I think they liked it but I felt bad because it was supposed to be only 3 minutes.  And I was quite jealous of all the very good people.  I was close...closeish.  The shoe was on the other foot - with Jess feeling a bit out of place but she got a massive round of applause :)

Tomorrow we're going somewhere else.  I believe Woods Hole - Cape Cod way.  So we're exiting Boston/Beverley (thanks T and A!!).  (Mum - note change to schedule.)  

Second performance today.  We spent about 6 hours in the Langdon Street Cafe - it's a beautiful place.  The ceiling has what I think were posters from gigs they've had there.  When we left (one of their staff members came back after her shift had long been finished and gave us a lift up to the hotel) they were preparing for 'Geek Week' which had an A3 probably 8pt sized schedule, including a couple of D&D sessions. 

Read out When Harry Met Sally.  People responded to it really well :)

And a dead skunk next to a beer bottle.  Story in progress.

We walked from the hotel type thing down to Montpelier, pretty good scenery and that smell of wilderness (fir trees, and grass).  About 3 miles we think.  Then we walked around.  Then we walked another about 3 miles (up a hill!) to the maple syrup place.  And then back.  And then the bus man took us all the way back to our hotel - door to door service!  People are being so incredibly nice. 

We're now in Vermont.  First performance was last night in Portland, Maine.  I need to work on my showmanship a little I think.  Jess does not - pro!  But it was an amazing venue, and amazing people too (North Star Cafe, VT).  We also stopped in on a protest related to healthcare in a park on our way to the cafe.  Got a sticker!!

Have been doing a lot of snoozing on the coaches (today's was a Greyhound, and yes, I found that exciting), but also have done a bit of writing on one story, plus had a couple of ideas, so good times!

The mug I'm drinking from says 'Hire the left-handed it's fun to watch them write'.  I think this is an awesome mug, although if I try to analyse the politics of this mug in relation to the rightriarchy, I find it an ambivalent item.


Tom and Angela, friends of my dad's, are being amazing.  We've just been for a jog (Jess jogged the whole way.  I walked most of the way).  Saw a great hairy molly (one of those furry caterpillars).  


Next up - going to find a guitar.  And wandering around Boston on St. Patrick's Day.

An audio version of one of my longer stories is (unless things go horribly wrong) on its way.  The you can download it or something and listen to it when in your car or perhaps when ironing.

EXCITING TIMES!!!

In other news, I'm going to the US on Tuesday for 3 weeks with my mate Jess.  We are flying into Boston, out of New York and visiting various surrounding states.  (Unless the public transport system fails us, in which case we may well be stuck in some tiny US village, miss all our 'tour' dates after that, then end up having to pay $1 billion to get a taxi to New York, then fly home.)  We will be going to open mic nights, where I will read out a couple of my shorter stories (confusing the audience greatly) and then Jess will play her songs.  She is v. good - go to www.myspace.com/jessmorganacoustic. 

(This is also EXCITING - can't quite believe it's happening to be honest.)