March 2008

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Drew McAdam: MARCH 2008 NEWSLETTER

‘ello, again!

There was a fair amount of travelling this month again – nothing wrong with that; it’s easier than digging ditches, I reckon!

I spent a couple of days at Maidstone TV studios recording a few episodes of the “Trisha Show”. For those outside the UK who don’t know what that is, it’s a remarkably popular daytime chat show that’s been running here for years. I am being used as a Human Lie Detector, (I AM the Interrogator) and for those who have seen my show you’ll know how much I enjoy that facet of my presentation! It was a real thrill to work with the team there – and they really ARE a team. I spent the day with them making the promotional short videos that will be played on some of the other episodes, and the rest of my time in the Interrogation Suite, where the cameras were running while I was “doing my thing” to get at the truth of the situation.

I also spent a bit of time in The Gallery, with some really fun people who seemed to spend their time pointing at a bank of monitors and shouting camera numbers… I’m sure it’s actually more complicated than that, and I certainly didn’t have a clue what they were actually doing. For my part, the pieces to camera and reading the auto-cue was a doddle!

The day meant I had the great pleasure of working with John Redshaw and the Counsellors - the lovely Tina Kirk, and Ricky Maczka, one of the most fascinating people I have ever met.


ALL FOR MARTHA’S WEDDING
It was a huge delight for me to attend the wedding of Dave and Martha, two of the sweetest people you could hope to meet. Dave, you may recall, was the chap with whom I completed the charity cycle from London to Paris last year. The happy couple were heading off to Paris for their honeymoon and David turned to me and said: “It won’t be the same without you!”

I’ll bet it won’t!


GIGS
Had a great gig at Cameron House by Loch Lomond for top chef-proprietor of Gleneagles, Andrew Fairley. What a lovely, charming fella’ he is. And his staff members are great, too. Must sample their wares at Gleneagles some time!

I also had a wonderful gig at “29” in Royal Exchange Squarer, Glasgow for a banquet room full of insurance people. I had a ball, and I reckon they did, too.

There was a wee lecture in West Lothian (hi, guys!) and then it was off to the Avonbridge Hotel near Hamilton for a cracking gig – despite starting off fighting with a crackling PA… Hotel PA systems, they should all be burned! I also had a weird – but very enjoyable - little gig at a showhouse in Braehead, Glasgow.

With all that out of the way, there was a walkabout-gig at The Sheraton in Edinburgh. Weird, occasionally I find it hard to really get “in the mood” - it’s like you’re just not firing on all cylinders - and this was one such time. However, the client wrote a lovely, glowing testimonial so I must have done something right!


I also had a meeting with the BBC (Radio Scotland) about a 4-part series we’re working on. This meant coffee and sandwiches in the company of the lovely Anne McNaught – I could think of worse ways of spending a couple of hours!

OUT OF LINE
I bought a new phone for my office. Well, actually, an OLD phone. It’s red and its bakelite; it looks like the Hot Line from these old films. It has the double-bell ring and the old clunky whrr-whrr-whrrclick dialling disk. But nostalgia ain’t what it used to be… although it works on the new ‘phone lines, things come to a complete halt when you contact one of these call trees: “For general enquiries, press one, followed by hash…” because it doesn’t HAVE a hash symbol. And as for retrieving my voice mail “press button one”… There IS no button to press! (Sigh!)


KILTS ACROSS AMERICA
Let me introduce Colin Read. He’s a photographer whom I met at a gig in Glasgow a while back. He’s doing something remarkable by attempting to raise £250,000 for Moebius research after his son George was born with this rare congenital disorder which, to date, has no cure. Basically, the main feature is the absence of the 6th and 7th cranial nerves which control facial expression. These nerves allow us to blink and move our eyes laterally… and to smile. Imagine never being able to smile. Anyway Colin and his pal Iain are doing a TWO MEN, TWO BIKES, TWA’ KILTS ride across America. You can read about it here: www.kiltsacrossamerica.co.uk. DO visit the site.



AND TALKING ABOUT KILTS AND STUFF…
You know you are a true Jock if.......
1. Ye can properly pronounce McConnochie, Ecclefechan, Milngavie, Sauchiehall, Auchtermuchty and Awfurfuksake
2. Ye actually like deep fried pizza fae the chippie
3. Yer used tae four seasons in wan day
4. Ye cannae pass a chip/kebab shop withoot sleverin when yer blootert.
5. Ye kin fall aboot pished withoot spillin yer drink.
6. Ye see people wearin shell suits wi Burberry accessories - Pure Dead Class!
7. Ye measure distance in minutes.
8. Ye kin understaun Rab C. Nesbitt and know characters jist like him in yer ain family
9. Ye go tae Saltcoats cos ye think its like gaun tae the ocean
10. Ye kin make hael sentences jist wae sweer words
11. Ye know whit haggis is made of and still like eating it.
12. Somedy ye ken his used a fitba schedule tae plan thur weddin date.
13. Ye've been at a wedding and fitba scores are announced in the church/Chapel
14. Ye urny surprised tae find curries, pizzas, kebabs, fish n chips, irn-bru, fags and nappies all in the wan shop.
15. Ye know Irn-bru is a hangover cure.
16. Ye learnt tae sweer afore ye learnt tae dae sums.
17. Ye actually understaun this and ur gonnae send this tae yer pals.
18. Finally, you are 100% True Jock if you have ever said/heard thesephrases:Hoos it hingin?Clarty, Boggin, Cludgie, Pished, Get it up ye, Wee beasties, Erse bandit, Amurny, Away an bile yer heid, Peely-wally, Humphy backit, Ba' heid, Baw bag, Dubble nugget

Cheers, and see you next month. Have a good one!

Best wishes,

Drew