Going to Edinburgh is neither cheap nor easy-guest blog..

Day Zero

(I decided to let my wife Courtney start off my daily blogging for the Edinburgh festival as giving view from another perspective. She will be blogging herself about Edinburgh on her own blog. I will do a daily update for the duration of the fest as well as a daily pic to show the wear and tear on ones body and spirit. See you tomorrow for my pre show Jitters post!)

My husbands choice to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year was one I supported with every ounce of intellect i possessed. After all I couldn't ask for a better investment, not only do I love this man, but from the very first time i saw him perform i knew i had struck comedy gold. The initial steps towards the Festival started about 4 months out and were pretty simple, picking the venue was like a long math equation of comparing costs from the number of seats to the temperature of the venue, and its location. Choosing the name "Naked Pictures of my Life" was quick, and broad enough that a show could be created in and around it. These simple decisions however quickly turned from being calculable to incredibly trying as we prepared for the photo-shoot. The quick simple name became a struggle as the only feasible poster pictures would need to be, well naked. On the day of the shoot, I started to reevaluate how fast we jumped into Edinburgh as I saw the first glimpse of the emotional strength i would need to be the back bone of a 6 foot four 225 pound Comic. Getting his clothes off in front of the camera wasn't as easy as I usually find it, and I really needed to take the reigns. I powdered his nose, pinched his cheeks and stripped down to my birthday suit. I held my big boys hand and dragged him in front of the camera with me. After a maximum of 10 clicks of the camera he was nude and posing like a professional. In what seemed like minutes we had taken over 300 pictures and were on our way home, he was liberated. Now all he needed was a show. Since his show was going to be an honest look into his own life, he was able to give his imagination a rest and instead search his memory. This was harder than anything proceeding it, he spent countless hours and sleepless nights, not writing, but stressing. The mere thought of opening his entire family history to anyone was completely unfeasible, and not just because it was hard to talk about, but because even when he did, few believed it. Coming from a family with an NHL Stanley Cup winning dad, who is not only Opus Dei catholic but a Le Franciscan Monk to boot, paired with an Emmy Award winning, Olympic basketball playing brother, never made for the most believable stories. At age 20 Pete gave up talking about his family altogether and had always made sure his comedy steered wide and clear of it. The quick easy Edinburgh title struck again, as the posters were printed and people were expecting a show revealing the truth about his history. It was time for me to take his hand again. I figured if i could get him to tell the truth about his family, no holds barred to someone, anyone, he would see just how funny it was. Two months out Pete's manager introduced him to his new press agent, who promptly sat him down to talk about his show, sweating at the palms Pete began his journey towards honesty about the family life he hid so well. By the end of the meeting his press agent was in hysterics, and that was all he needed. A month out his hour long show was complete, the stress was lifting and the light of Edinburgh was gleaming once again. The last month was chalk full of previews and radio shows, enough that the thought of talking about his family wasn't even dawning on him anymore. As he got ready to head to a gig out of town he was informed of a cancellation, this hit hard. Not only were we already scrounging for cash after the thousands of pounds we invested in the next months festival, but we were seriously counting on that money to actually eat. Panicking, Both Pete and I searched for quick work, but as there is a recession and with only 8 hours notice, it was looking grim. That night was tough, I became aware of some other fears he had about Edinburgh, our health, our future, and whether we were taking a step in the wrong direction. We decided to sleep on it. The next day we met with some other comics and heard their stories, some were good, and some were horrific, but while in the midst of conversation he got a call, the Comedy store was looking for a headliner that weekend, was it fate? He promptly left and came home to me with a smile and some cash. We were going to be alright, the only thing left to do was pack our apartment, find a new one, move our stuff and get a train up to Edinburgh, simple.