If you fancy rocking in the UK New Year in an irreverent, hilarious and at the last gorgeously sentimental manner with a mischievous Australian musician, then you’ll be pleased to hear that Tim’s going to be on E4 at 23.35 on New Year’s Eve.
The show is billed as Tim Minchin: Live and seems to include inaccurate listings information giving details of his ‘Ready For This?’ show. It is described as a repeat, so it is more likely to be a re-showing of ‘So F**king Rock’: a 2 hour performance recorded at The Bloomsbury Theatre in London in 2008. It contains material from ‘Dark Side’ and ‘So Rock’ including Inflatable You, Rock n Roll Nerd, Canvas Bags, Dark Side, Angry (Feet), You Grew On Me, Peace Anthem for Palestine, Mitsubishi Colt and lots more.
Witness Tim obsess about shoes and get stuck up a comedy alley…
Think “Gee, that guy’s deep…”
Enjoy.
I’m on my couch. This year has involved very little time on couches for me, due to activities requiring a more upright posture than that which couches encourage. But the work year is over and the inevitable post-tour flu has arrived so the couch is suddenly ideal.
Sofa. The English call it a sofa. Sofa. So good.
I’d love to write a witty Christmas blog, but I think I’ve said all I could possibly hope to say already this year, in various forms, about various things, and I’m too snotty and shivery to think anyway. If you want to read the sort of thing I might write if I were feeling less knackered, here’s a column I wrote some years ago about Christmas.
But what I really want to do is acknowledge debt. I feel ridiculously grateful for the cool opportunities I’ve had this year and the support I’ve received in trying not to bugger them up. I have met and worked with dozens of people who have taught me so much and with whom I’ve had large measures of fun. It would be absurd to name everyone, but the entire companies of both “Matilda” and the Heritage Orchestra Tour are the objects of a great deal of my particular brand of love.
The only names I do want to name are those of Linzy and Shell, who run my online life. Linz started up Angry (Feet).com a few years ago, and has gone on to run my Facebook page and my Myspace page (RIP) and a lot of the content on this site. And Shell appeared in my life a couple of years ago and started doing incredible work to keep on top of it all too. They are incredibly good to me.
And thank you to you too. (< – cool sentence). If you are reading this, you are probably one of the insane, lovely people who keep tabs on what I get up to and do crazy shit like watch my shows and buy my DVDs and generally be enthusiastic and nice so that I can keep making stuff I want to make. I’m sorry that I haven’t got to meet so many of you this year, but I never take for granted how lucky I am to have such cool, thoughtful supporters.
That’s all I guess. My daughter has the flu too – I’d better go stick some drugs in her face.
If you’re interested in an overview of the status of the various things I’ve been beavering away at, read below.
Otherwise. Thank you thank you thank you. Merry Christmas. Peace be with you.
Further information and ticket links for the other three dates in Scotland: Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen can be found by clicking the GIGS tab above or here.
Ah…springtime in Scotland with a somewhat springy musician!
Tim will be flying across the Atlantic at least four times next year (there and back, twice) as we can confirm two appearances in America. Yes, you read that correctly!
The first appearance is in a matter of weeks, on the 12th January at the Largo in LA. Tickets are on sale now, priced at a mere $20, which is a bit of a bargain if you ask me. The box office details and online booking link can be found on the gigs page.
The second appearance will be in May at The Bamboozle Festival in New Jersey. Weekend tickets are on sale now and day tickets will go on sale on the 4th Jan. Again, links can be found on the gigs page.
Yes, this is all that’s confirmed and no, we don’t know if or when other dates will be added. By all means though, do “demand” Tim to play in your area on Eventful.com as it’ll help prove that you guys want to see Tim as much as the rest of the world!
Can’t wait a couple of months to see Tim playing with you local symphony orchestra? Well fear not because ABC2 are showing ‘Ready For This?‘ tomorrow night, 21st December, at 8:30pm!
I know you probably all have the DVD but this is the perfect time to grab your grannies, aunts, uncles and favourite pastor and introduce them to the world of Tim. Who could ask for a better Christmas present than that? I know I certainly can’t think of anything I’d like more!
If you missed it last time or once was not enough, you’re in luck, as there’s another chance to hear ‘Strings‘ the brand new comedy Tim wrote and starred in, for BBC Radio 2. It was first aired in May this year and will be broadcast again this Saturday 18 December 2010 at 22:30 on BBC Radio 2.
The BBC blurb describes it thusly and can be found here:
Another chance to hear Tim Minchin play Jonny, lead singer of rock band Perspex…
Blasting onto the music scene with their hit single Shag With The Stereo On, Perspex are on the cusp of becoming famous. A garrulous Glaswegian A&R man will make sure of that. But Jonny is haunted by a terrible suspicion that he’s not emotionally unstable enough to be a proper star.
A chance encounter with Verity, the beautiful lead singer of Christian pop band, In-X-Chelseas, ignites Jonny’s interest. Worlds apart but undeniably drawn to each other, will their connection lead Jonny to redemption, or supply him with the suffering he craves to create great rock.
Strings contains original songs written by Tim Minchin and performed by Perspex. It also stars Peter Serafinowicz, Will Adamsdale, Rosalie Craig, Emily Watson Howes, Dan Antopolski, Lizzie Roper and Lewis McLeod.
Strings was part of Radio 2’s ongoing Comedy Showcase series…
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It should also be available to listen again via iPlayer here for 7 days once it airs.
So set up that reminder on your phone or prominently place that post-it note… Who’s gonna be listening to this for the first time then?
Yep, it’s as exciting as it seems! Tim will be recording a new CD at his gig on Tuesday at the o2 in London, featuring the 55-piece Heritage Orchestra and a couple of others.
The deluxe double CD is available to pre-order online, as well as being available to buy immediately after the o2 gig itself! Yes, you did read that correctly.
The CD will hopefully also be available to buy on the subsequent UK tour dates as well, if you don’t want to wait for it to be posted. That said though, there will also be a digital download version available, which will also cut out your postage time too!
And for those not in the UK, yes it can be shipped internationally.
While all this is very exciting, if you are going to a forthcoming show, I’d hold off buying this CD until you’ve seen it as, in my experience, the songs are always better seen live!
Update: The o2 live recording was a limited run and has now sold out.
A new tour means new merch! If you’re in the UK, you can now order the new merchandise online. If you missed out at the show, you’ve got no excuse now!
Products include a large selection of new t-shirts, a hoodie, badges, yes, a canvas bag, a mug and, the perfect stocking filler for your aunt, a tea towel.
To get a look at what’s on offer, click through to the shop page and take a gander to see what tempts you!
The tour’s starting soon (tickets are still available). For those wondering the best place to discuss it excitedly with others, may I suggest the excellent fan site, Angry (Feet)?
It’s another website all about Tim, except it’s a place to revel in the company of other Tim fans! What better place could there be to talk about the tour, post your reviews and share your memories? I can’t think of any, that’s for sure.
Obviously, there are other benefits to joining up – though why you need them, I don’t know – such as the obligatory free virtual food upon your introduction and oh, the exclusive mp3s and on top of that, if you contribute enough you’ll have access to exclusive Tim news before anyone else (recent examples include pre-sale info for ‘A Conversation With’ and the two Cambridge warm up dates)!
What, you’re still here? Head on over there now and sign up!
Have you had enough of Tim on your television and radio sets yet? No? Well this will be a bit of good news for you!
If you have a fancy DAB radio (or digital TV or the Internet) you can hear Tim curating BBC Radio 7‘s Comedy Clubtonight and Sunday, 10pm – midnight, with Tom Wrigglesworth. Look at the photo of them together; I think they’re having a hair-off.
Tomorrow, Saturday, Tim will be interviewed on T4 (Channel 4). This will be aired in two parts at 10:45am and 11:50am so if you don’t want to watch the Hollyoaks omnibus then you don’t have to!
Tim will also be on the radio tomorrow, on BBC Radio 4‘s Loose Ends at 6:15pm alongside John Waters, Lisa Jardine, and Carl Davis.
Tim is delighted to be supporting this charity again this year, because he feels it is a poorly funded area, with its causes and treatment still not well understood.
This is a captivating song and a beautiful and intelligent exploration of why Christmas can still be meaningful even without religious beliefs. There’s just the right amount of sentiment and some very gentle humour illustrating Tim’s feelings about Christmas and the importance of family and home. It is a heart-warming song and may make you a little bright eyed.
The song can also be viewed on Tim’s YouTube Channel and this week he performed it live on Richard Bacon’s BBC 5 Live show. You can see that video here.
Emotional huh?
EDIT: In answer to some queries we’ve received: The proceeds from ALL legitimate downloads go to the NAS, including Amazon here.
The RSC has a limited allocation of tickets for the official opening night of Matilda, A Musical which they would like to offer to Tim Minchin fans.
Best available seats for just £10 (max of 2 tickets per transaction).
The performance takes place on Thursday 9 December at 5pm at The Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. Please note that some seats may have a slightly restricted view at certain times during the performance.
To book please call the RSC Ticket Hotline on 0844 800 1114 and quote: “Matilda Opening Night Offer”.
This is the press night performance and the official opening night of the show, so a very exciting night to attend and this is a great opportunity to see the show at a fantastic price.
This offer requires that you phone the Ticket Hotline number above but you can book tickets for other shows online at the Matilda, A Musical website, where you’ll find lots of information, rehearsal blogs, games, videos and much more. Videos are also available through the RSC’s YouTube channel or the ‘Favourites’ section of Tim’s own YouTube channel.
Which character are you most looking forward to seeing brought to life before your very eyes?
Tomorrow morning, Tim will be valiantly encasing himself in warm, yet sheddable layers (studios can be very warm) and struggling through up to an inch of snow to appear on BBC Breakfast.
That’s BBC1, Thursday 2nd December 2010.
Despite it being the huskies day off and too early for the reindeer he should be on your screens, all snug on the couch, some time after 8.15am.
This is one of those occasions where it’s not too kinky to wonder what the handsome comedy rock superstar/fashion icon will be wearing first thing in the morning…
EDIT: If you missed this, the full interview has gone up on the BBC site here.
Yep, it’s as exciting as it seems! Tim will be recording a new CD at his gig on Tuesday at the o2 in London, featuring the 55-piece Heritage Orchestra and a couple of others.
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