MrBiffo
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CHEAPSHOW LIVE... AND DIGI LIVE 3...!
🕑 Added 2022-08-15 12:25:24 +0000 UTCAs many have said already, Cheapshow Live was great on Saturday night. It was exactly what we both needed. I hadn’t expected there to be quite such a pro-Digi crowd. I’m always a little bit wary of Cheapshow’s audience, given that Paul and Eli are very beloved, and the fact that I’m not sure I’m entirely universally loved as a Cheapshow guest! But… it turned out that we were very much on home turf, and there were so many Digi t-shirts, so much crossover in our audiences, that I needn’t have worried. It was great chatting to many of you afterwards.
At the last minute, Sanja had to step in as an on-stage guest, when Ash Frith pulled out due to Covid. Given we both featured (albeit portrayed by Paul and Eli) in a Digi spoof video, it felt right to me that she’d be part of the show. Especially as she’s been in so many Digi videos with the two of them. She has more than earned her right to be seen as part of Digitiser in her own right.
It was also just lovely not being the organiser of the whole thing. I’d helped a little bit behind-the-scenes, with editing the videos, but the pressure was off. It ended up being one of the rare occasions when I was quite happy with what I contributed on-stage, because that was all I had to think about. Beanus made a surprise appearance too, which I’d kept secret from Paul and Eli.
Nicely, I think I learned a lot from the show with regard to what we want to do for Digi Live 3. Firstly, I think we’re going to do away with the interval. Not having one kept the momentum going, and obviously meant that the show kept to time (which we’ve had a problem or two with in the past)! It was also – in the spirit of Cheapshow – more lo-fi than Digi Live has been.
While I’m loathe to say we’re going to do a stripped-back show next time – something you’ve come to expect from us is a bit of an ambitious visual spectacle, and I’m a bugger for being unable to do anything by halves – I do think we can find a better way of achieving that spectacle. Gannon basically had the whole show in a single suitcase. We had to hire a van both times!
Lastly, and this is clear from the two Digi Lives to date, it has become a real social event for all of you. Sanja and I love meeting everyone, but there never seems to be quite enough time.
I love that David Walford’s Chunky Fringe has become part of the event, so we’re going to have a think about how we can make more of that.
I can’t promise it’ll happen – we need to have a proper talk through it all – but my dream is that we spread Digi Live 3 over two days. What I’d love is some sort of event on the Friday night. Very chilled. Very low-key. A Q&A type of thing that doesn’t knacker us too much, hopefully proceeded or followed by some sort of a Patreon meet-up for the upper tiers. Then David would have Chunky Fringe during the Saturday afternoon. Then a full-blown Digi anniversary show on the Saturday night. I’ve a few ideas how we might structure the show (I’d like to celebrate all of Digi in reverse chronological order, from Level 2, to the current YouTube eps, Digi The Show, Found Footage, then classic Teletext-era Digi).
But anyway. We’d likely price it so you can buy either a weekend ticket, or just a Saturday ticket, with eligible Patrons registering for the free Patron-only event, whatever that might be (could even be on the Saturday afternoon). Again, this is all just first thoughts (though I’ve actually been thinking about it for over a year).
The dates we’re looking at are in late-June, early July, or September. Hopefully warm enough for a car park get-together!
Obviously, Harrow Arts Centre is the prime location, but I may also look into a couple of other potential venues (still around there, as it keeps costs down at our end). While I appreciate that without a confirmed date you’re unable to say for certain, I’d love to know whether you’d be up for both nights, or just one. It’ll just help us in terms of planning.
I’m going to make a poll over on Twitter, so if you can head over there and vote in it that’d be great.
Again, I can't promise a two-day thing with absolute certainty. Sanja, I know, has her reservations, because the live shows have absolutely wrecked us (in part because of that ambition), but if Marillion (average age 108) can do three-day conventions, I'm sure we can manage it.
We’ve got Sanja’s brother and his girlfriend staying with us this week (he’s hopefully going to be in the next Digi video), and my daughter and grandson were here at the weekend, so we realistically won’t be able to properly lock this down until next week or the week after at the earliest (depending on Harrow Arts, who are notoriously slow), but we’ll try and get you news soon, so you can get planning.
I think that’s about it. Everything is still up in the air with my mum and dad, and day job work, but I’m now starting to think about the next block of filming for Digi Level 2. I’m gutted we’ve had to pause it, but I won’t put it off for too much longer. We’ve just needed to get things like my daughter’s wedding, Cheapshow Live, and this week’s family visit out of the way to give us a clear (well, clear-ish, given everything) run of time.
Right. That’s it. Feedback (and poll vote) please!
Paul
Comments
Katie Rootham
Hi Paul and Sanya, I totally missed the poll, I'm way behind again 😕 I'd be well, up for coming next year with the other half, may have to do a day, with travelling, but if we can rustle up enough money then we'll stay over and come the 2 days, for some digi, biampod madness, can't wait X 😍😎🤣👍
Carlos Nightman
I hadn't responded to the Poll yet. because it feels a little misleading if I can't guarantee I'll be there. Assuming I lived closer, then I'd definitely vote for the two days. Even living in a different Country, I'd still vote for the two days, but even if it is just the single day I'd have to get flights, hotel etc. As mentioned before, I hope I can make it but it'll depend on what me and my wife and kids have planned.
Paul Rose (Mr Biffo)
Oh jeez. We'd have to be a LOT more successful to do that, much as we'd love to.
Paul Rose (Mr Biffo)
Hurrah!
Paul Rose (Mr Biffo)
Yeah, not sure I'm able to cut down my ambition, though I do know I'm never carving a giant goujon again!
Paul Rose (Mr Biffo)
Yeah, something that's clear is that you lot won't let us do something stripped back, and in all honesty I don't know if it's in my nature not to go all-out and ambitious. We will need to keep an eye on our energy levels - we tend to get to the venue already knackered, because it's just Sanja and I doing all the organising, loading the van etc., and that was just when doing a one-day event. We're talking with one another about how to find a balance, and ways of mitigating it. I'm sorry CS Live didn't quite live up to expectations. To be fair, their tickets were slightly cheaper than ours (in keeping with the spirit of the pod) and I thought they put on a brilliant show.
Paul Rose (Mr Biffo)
No no - £5 and up. I don't want to do that really, because we appreciate everyone, but it's more about keeping it affordable. There's a big cost difference between finding space for 500 people and finding one for 200 or so.
cosmia
Sad I wasn't able to meet you and Sanja after the show, and that I probably won't be able to attend Digi Live 3. Maybe someday it'll be economical for you to do a show in America. :P
Sol Sheppy
Seems like a great way to spend a weekend. I'm pretty gutted I couldn't book a ticket for Cheapshow live but I've had an unreliable transport situation for a while. My car was in the garage over the weekend. It's looking like I'll have to send a letter of final rejection to the c%#t who sold it to me and get a lawyer. I was pretty sure something would go wrong just in time and it did :( Getting to the next Digi live and any future Cheapshow live shows and making the most of it is the best I can do to make it up to myself. Doing the whole Digi weekend would be bloody perfect by the sound of your ideas so far.
Matt Kimber (Timberwolf)
Oh wow, Sanja's turn on the off-brand brand-off sauce report was last-minute? That's excellent if so, she absolutely owned that segment (especially once it descended into typical chaos due to a lack of gluten-free sauce receptacles). It was impressive for a show run out of a suitcase. Well, impressive generally, but more so for being such an economical setup. Might be a bit of a challenge to cut Digi down because the shows have that big centrepiece element, and of course by this point it'd feel wrong to do it without the barrels. But then again, there's a lot of sins that can be covered by a couple of good smoke machines and leaning heavily on lighting :)
Leyton Jay
Your comments on how "stripped back" Cheapshow was... I agree it was in keeping with the concept, but I had actually been expecting just a little bit more from a live show. The empty stage really made me feel like this was just a big improvisation that would be over soon. I loved the show, but found it hard to get immersed for this reason. As podcasters Paul and Eli don't have a set or regular environment, the House of Pickles is unknown to us and it's hard to know what they could've filled the set with anyway. But Digi feels like a different beast, it's visual and even if it was just a giant table full of crap that you and Sanja sat behind (like Vic & Bob) that would really build the world and make you feel less exposed.
Dudley of Yesterzine
tbh, if I do a Saturday for digilive I'm doing nothing else that weekend anyway so why not make it a 2 day thing! But I'm also fairly local.
Daniel Watson
As said on twitter, whole weekend, no questions. BUT, here's a question: for the patreon meet up, when you say upper tiers do you mean writers club and up or whatever the name of tier I'm on is?
Paul Rose (Mr Biffo)
Haven't done it yet! 5 mins!
Emma
I can't see the poll 😕
