"I'm sick of that joke, she says. I didn't know you were going to be here, I say. It's just not funny, she says. I think: comedians don't completely change their act every night just in case someone turns up twice. And also: we're a band. The jokes and stories are just there to get us from one song to another, or in case something goes wrong."
"The story in question which is true concerns another fan called Angela driving all the way from Scotland to Cambridge to see us play, just so she could get her hands on one of our souvenir mugs. I know this because Angela's friend approached me at the interval that night to ask if we could dedicate a song to her. Otherwise, she said, it's a long way to come for a fucking cup."
"In the interval in Plymouth, another dedicated fan asks me why we're not playing in Monmouth. I don't know, I say. It's hard to hear him above the clamour for mugs at the merchandise table, but he seems to be saying that there's a venue he knows in Monmouth that would be perfect, bar one small problem: the owner of doesn't like us. That's a bit of a stumbling block, I say. He just doesn't see the point of you, he says."
The band's autumn tour moves through southern towns with frequent interactions with dedicated fans. A regular named Jane criticizes a repeated joke about a fan and a souvenir mug. Another fan, Angela, drove from Scotland to Cambridge specifically to buy a mug, prompting a request to dedicate a song. The band makes itself available during intervals, partly out of appreciation and partly to sell more merchandise. At Plymouth a fan suggests Monmouth but mentions a venue owner who dislikes the band, blocking potential booking. Longtime attendees react differently to repeated stories, and the singer crafts routines around jokes that intentionally misfire.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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