August 2008

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www.drewmcadam.co.uk

AUGUST 2008 Newsletter / Diary.

Mentioned in dispatches this month:

LIVE THEATRE SHOW: An evening of MindPlay
Upcoming episodes of the TRISHA GODDARD SHOW
Two months too early - BILLY MCMURRAY
Wedding of DOUGLAS CAIRNS
Meeting up with JOHN SIMONETT at last.
The wacky world of PAUL ZENON
The COLIN MCLEOD show
Hello, KENNEDY and KEVIN MCMAHON
The impossible PHILIP ESCOFFEY
Meat and Eat with DOUGLAS GILLESPIE
JAY ALEXANDER and the show shine
Loads of crumpet with ANDY TURNER at Lakeland Bake
LIAM RUDDEN and his blog
TRICKY RICKY and hello to Harris

COMING UP ON TRISHA GODDARD…
For those of you with hard drive recorders and / or video recorders that you can actually set, my next appearance (well, The Interrogator) - on the TRISHA SHOW is Friday the 5th of September (this is a repeat, but it’s a REALLY good one!) and two new ones on September 24th and / or 25th. 10.30am. Channel 5.


JUST THOUGHT I’D FLAG THIS ONE UP FOR OCTOBER… ‘CAUSE TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW.

AN EVENING OF MINDPLAY with Drew McAdam

This is only of interest if you live around the Central Scotland area. Having been harassed by numerous people who wanted to see the live show (I work almost exclusively in the corporate market, so it has never been possible) now is your chance. I am appearing at The Bathgate Regal Theatre on Friday October 24. (That’s OCTOBER 24, Billy McMurray… though I did appreciate the “Break a leg” text two months early!)

Tickets are £10 and £8 concession. You can book tickets by phoning the box office on 01506 433634

Doors open 7pm (There IS a bar). Show starts 8pm.

I hope to see you there… and if you DO make it along, please take the time to say “Hello.” It might even lead to an invite to the after-show party!


E-mail flyer for the show


AUGUST GIGS…
Included Inchyra Grange, and a special for the wedding of DOUGLAS CAIRNS (brother of my very good friend DAVE CAIRNS) at Harburn House. There was also a truly awesome gig at Copthorne Hotel near Gatwick, and more filming for The Trisha Goddard Show – always fun, and no less so this time. (Though thanks to an incredible combination of roadworks, accidents and a supplied driver who refused to believe his Satnav, I only JUST made it to the airport in time for the flight. The gate had actually closed but the kind lady with the telephone and the clipboard managed to get me on. Phew!)

There was a lovely wee gig at the Dalmahoy Hotel, where I had the great pleasure of finally meeting up with JOHN SIMONETT. We have spoken often by ‘phone, and at last we actually managed to meet up. It was no disappointment (for me, anyway!) Besides being one of the most amazing memory men / after dinner speakers on the circuit (take note, bookers!) he is also a livewire and a thoroughly charming man. John, it was a real pleasure. You can check out John’s website at www.johnsimonett.co.uk


I thoroughly enjoyed myself at a gig at Dunkeld Hilton and then raced back to Edinburgh to take part in what has to be the weirdest gig I’ve ever played – part of the Edinburgh Festival. My good friend PAUL ZENON (“Television’s Mr Television”, he says) star of “Countdown” and numerous highly entertaining TV specials has never hidden his love of The Carnies of old. He had specially built a Carnie tent and brought it up to Edinburgh; the Marquee De Sideshow at The Spiegel Garden, where he spent his time on a megaphone “Roll up, roll up. See it right here, right now… The most incredible spectacle…” and so on.

And so it was that I found myself stepping through a curtain into a tiny, packed, circular tent, below a massive revolving skull mirror – I kid you not - to demonstrate mindreading and metal-bending. I was on with three other acts that included a female fire-eating singer. What fun… what great fun. Thank you, Paul, for the opportunity to add THAT to my CV.


WANNA SEE REAL MAGIC?
I’m not sure why I’m doing this, but it IS down to my ridiculous habit of: “The answer is ‘Yes’. What’s the question?” The event is, as I understand it, “The UK’s largest Festival of Magic” held this year at Stirling Castle, and I was asked if I wanted to take part. Now, I enjoy magic (I don’t understand it, but I enjoy it) and even though I’m not a magician, it just seemed like too good a chance to miss. Mind, Mystery and Magic at Stirling Castle. How cool is THAT?

So, as a result, I will be doing two twenty minute gigs, in the Great Hall and/or Chapel Royal. It’s part of Historic Scotland and takes place on the 20th and the 21st of September. Entrance fee to the castle is £8.50 for adults and £4.25 for children. However, if you tell them you know me the combined price for adult and child will be £12.75.

Performers include Paul Dabek – I caught his act last year, and he was absolutely wonderful. Real, classy magic – with doves. (Where do they come from, where do they go, and how does he get them back?) There is also Ali Bongo (‘oooray!) – yes THE Ali Bongo. Ali’s real name is William Wallace; rather appropriate that he should be performing at Stirling Castle, don’t you think? Other performers include Max Marshall, Astro Aladino, Shirley Ray - astonishing balloon sculptures – David Lees, Michael McMillan, Alex Proctor. Mick Magic and a genuine, real wizard: Kramus Nexifius.

Details can be found here: http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/index/places/events/event_detail.htm?eventid=16006

Got kids? Bring ‘em along! Not got kids? You can still visit the face painting tent!

MORE MINDREADING AT THE FESTIVAL
I didn’t manage to see very much of The Edinburgh Festival this year. However, I DID get to see “Young” COLIN MCLEOD’S show. Forty minutes of fabulous, entertaining, mind mystery that went down a storm with the audience. What made it even better was that I hid in the audience with two very nice people, “KENNEDY” and KEVIN MCMAHON from “Faking It”. A great evening all round.

One other act that I caught at the Festival was the fantastic “Six Impossible Things Before Dinner” with PHILIP ESCOFFEY. And, even better, we had time to grab a pint and a blether – he is very free with his performance suggestions; always handy. A lovely, lovely fella’ with a truly superb – not to mention mystifying – show. You can check out his rather swish web site here: www.thegreyman.com

A DAY OFF
Okay, I admit it, I took a day off. Yes, I did! And so did my manager, DOUGLAS GILLESPIE… well, sort of. First of all, let me say, Douglas is a great manager and a great friend – he has kept me on the straight and narrow more times than you can shake a stick at. He is a mensch. Anyway, he took me out for lunch – and what a lunch – at the finest dining establishment in the area. (Kevin Costner and Sean Connery regularly drop in there.) And, of course, the owners recognised him and spent time blethering – as did one of the diners who is a member of The Soul Kings. Typical.

Anyway, he treated me to a fabby lunch (T-bone steak if you must know, followed by waffles.) It was the most delicious steak I have ever tasted… and guess what; I’m going back there on Saturday with an old friend, so I’m not telling you where it is just yet! From there we went to the grand Georgian residence that is Hopetoun House for a quick business meeting, then on to the Regal Theatre (venue for my show next month) for a familiarisation visit.

What a great day, just gadding around doing nothing – I do it all too seldom.

Thanks, DG!

SHOE SHINE MAGICIAN
One of the acts that I didn’t manage to get along to see at the Edinburgh Festival was that of JAY ALEXANDER. Jay hails from San Francisco, and is the guy The Rolling Stones, Robin Williams and Bono get in when THEY want to be entertained. However, I did bump into him briefly and we had a chat at one of the venues.

A few days later, I was at Edinburgh Airport waiting for my flight to London, when who comes striding through the airport, but Jay - you can’t miss this fella’ by the way! Now, as it happened, I was with the shoe-shine chap (I’ve got to know him quite well over the years) and I noticed that Jay’s rather fine Amercian winkle-picker boots were rather shoddy (It’s been raining a LOT in Edinburgh recently) and I suggested he get his shoes buffed up. However, Jay had just managed to spend the last of his UK cash and only had dollars. Nevertheless, Mr Shoe-shine offered to do them free of charge – though I slipped him what change I had and later bought him a cuppa.

I’ve since had an email from Jay saying that he is hoping to return to the festival next year. If he does I’ll let you know, and we can all go along and check out the state of his boots!

In the meantime, here is his website. www.sfmagic.com

NICE PIECE OF CRUMPET
I sometimes write press releases and article for my very good friend JOHN MORTON (www.aquameter.co.uk). Now, as it happens, I had written a piece about one of the water meters John manufacturers that had been fitted at Carlisle-based “Just Crumpets” Lakeland Bake. I interviewed ANDY TURNER, who very kindly sent me a huge box of crumpets (I DO love crumpets: toasted with butter and strawberry jam!) I have an arrangement that the next time I’m heading down over The Border into Englandshire I will stop of and give a short show. Not a bad arrangement, I reckon!

BLOGGER
One of those writers whose work I really enjoy is LIAM RUDDEN, entertainment editor at The Edinburgh Evening News and probably the busiest guy in the city come Festival time. However, he has been keeping a blog which is well worth reading. You couldn’t meet a nicer, more genuine bloke than Liam, but he doesn’t suffer fools gladly – he doesn’t have the time! He meets some of the most amazing celebrities and performers, and isn’t afraid to say what he actually thinks of them. His wanderings are well worth reading and you can find them here.

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/features/Liam-Rudden--Fringed-Out.4350163.jp

Click on Liam’s silly hat and it should take you to his blog (You’ll find ME there, too!)

BABY TALK
Congratulations to TRICKY RICKY MCLEOD. Born unto him, a son, by the name of Harris. Nice name that. Born 7.57am on August 28, weighting 9lbs. Mum and baby all well – daddy a bit fraught, though!

GIGS IN THE COMING WEEKS…
include Carlton Hotel in Edinburgh, Houston House, Archerfield near Gullane and Stirling Castle

See you all next month. Till then, remember: any day spent above ground, is a good one!

Now, hit reply and let me know what’s going on in YOUR life.

Drew
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ENDS