My Scottish Inspiration

A year ago, when I was getting ready to fly out to Sicily, I had to miss seeing the live show of "Still Game", the wonderful Scottish comedy that was making its return after an absence of many years. I was gutted to miss it, so when I heard that the Burnistoun boys were doing a live show, I promised myself I was not going to miss that for the world. So I didn't - and it was bucking amazing. (See you have to be a fan...)

the sunshine on the Clyde

Yes, it was extravagant to fly to Glasgow and stay the night but why not!? I have long thought that Glasgow sounded nice - vibrant, exciting and with lots going on - since hearing my favourite Scottish comedians talk about their city. Glaswegians seem very proud of their home and rightly so - I was very impressed. Everyone was very friendly, including a woman working in the airport who offered to post some postcards for me.

botanical gardens

I set off on Saturday for Bristol Airport - two bus journeys and a delay of 90 minutes to take-off couldn't keep me from seeing my two Glaswegian favourites, oh no.  When I landed in Glasgow, it was surreal at first hearing everyone speak in the beautiful accents that I am used to only hearing on tv, and I tweeted Robert Florence to say I was a little overwhelmed by this. He favourited the tweet - both he and Iain Connell use Twitter and respond to their fans very often, me included.

George Square

My hotel was very near the theatre. Glasgow is on a grid system so it is not easy to get lost. I had some dinner (Italian, of course) and treated myself to a pre-show drink. I didn't know what to expect because I've never met a Burnistoun fan before (who I haven't converted). I was interested to see they were mostly young. The theatre was packed - I was in the back row of the stalls.  A woman in the interval was amazed to hear I'd come up from Bristol "Good for you!" she kept saying. She had never seen Burnistoun before and was loving it.

The show was wonderful - it was a good mixture of classic and new sketches with everyone's favourite characters, including the Quality Polis (with a wonderful take on "Maria"!); a welcome resurrection of Paul and Walter; Scott and Peter; Biscuity Boyle and of course, squirrel-mad Jolly Boy John.  There was a particularly good sketch with the politicians; the original blue denim jaisket; the now famous lift sketch; and great support from Gerry McLaughlin and Louise Stewart. The audience was laughing continuously and it was amazing to hear everyone shouting out the catchphrases. I realised you can't shout the catchphrases in southern English - it has to sound Glaswegian. There were a few times when I didn't catch what they said - I guess it is a bit easier on telly. But Glaswegian for me is just poetic, it really does add something special to the language and delivery.

down by the Clyde

One of the nicest things was seeing how much they enjoyed performing - they talked to the audience as well. Iain and Robert were in virtually every scene, so there were voiceover sketches between frantic costume changes - they managed it very well. They must have been exhausted following a run of a few nights. I had seen on Twitter that they meet fans after the show - I thought how rude it'd be if I didn't say hello in person, after coming all that way. And there they were, at the stage door, in the flesh. It was so kind of them because there were loads of fans and they looked quite tired, unsurprisingly. When it came to my turn I leaned towards Robert and said, "I thought I'd come and say hello instead of tweeting." He looked at me and was probably thinking, well which one of my followers are you, and so I said my name and he knew then that I had come from Bristol, which was so nice, and they were both really appreciative and he said was it worth it? Of course it was, totally. I got to have a picture taken with them which was great. It was one of those surreal moments that you look at afterwards and think, did that really happen? I don't remember Iain's hand on my shoulder. It means a lot to me because they're both round my age and they've both done some brilliant things - so they are a real inspiration to me. Especially now, when I'm job hunting again. They are wonderful writers and actors, and obviously appreciate their fans. Robert seems to have endless energy and ideas. So to see the show and to meet them gives me energy and inspiration and self belief for the future.

Iain Connell, me, and Robert Florence

One night some years ago, I watched by chance a comedy programme called "Empty", which I really enjoyed. Beautifully written and acted (with Gregor Fisher and Billy Boyd). Later, I just happened to wonder who the writers were. I looked them up, this "Iain Connell and Robert Florence" and saw they'd done something else, "Burnistoun"... and from there to this, to Glasgow... :)

The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

Next morning, in bright sunshine, I took the Glasgow tour bus around the city from George Square. The tour guide was interesting and amusing and I saw some of the famous landmarks like the cathedral, the necropolis, the big ornate Victorian buildings from when it was a wealthy industrial city, and the futuristic buildings along the banks of the Clyde. I saw the Armadillo and the Hydro (where I should have seen Jack and Victor). I stopped off at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum for a wander round (visiting Sir Roger the elephant and baby elephant, Kelvin). I was quite excited to see things I recognised from Still Game such as George Square and the River Kelvin.

   

Sir Roger

Glasgow reminded me of Birmingham with the old industrial past and modern rejuvenation. I liked it a lot and I would love to return to explore it some more. Taking off from the airport you could see some pretty hills in the background. So ideally, a job in Glasgow then...

the River Kelvin, which features in one of my favourite episodes of Still Game

The House of Him

As a glance at my sidebar will tell you, I am a big fan of writer and inspirational Glasgow genius Robert Florence, who is a prolific, multi-talented and interesting guy. Since first chancing upon the understated comedy, "Empty" a few years back, I found my way to gloriously original "Burnistoun" and have been following Rab and co-writer/actor Iain Connell on Twitter ever since. Along with fellow Glaswegians like Greg Hemphill (Still Game), they create a real buzz about Glasgow, (all are big fans of the wrestling scene) and make it sound the place to be.

Small wonder then, that since its release, I have been dying to see Florence's low-budget debut film, "The House of Him", a horror film with a significant difference. (I suppose I should say this blog "contains spoilers" but that should not stop you reading.) With a cast of three "Burnistoun" faces, you know the standard of acting will be high. "The House of Him" delivers tension with a slow, growing terror as you begin to realise it is no ordinary horror. From the opening scene I was gripped - I stared at the screen as poor (but wonderful) Kirsty Strain slid to the floor. Louise Stewart surpassed herself as Anna, convincingly taking us with her through different emotions, as she confronted a nightmare situation. Richard Rankin's "Him" was captivating. We saw the real killer appear from behind the mask, his deceptively "normal", boyish good looks at odds with the image of psychotic, skull-masked murderer. The appearance of everyday life - the striped jumper was perfect - jarred with the unsettling violence.

It is no ordinary slasher film, as this killer is no exceptional psycho. This killer is not one killer, but representative of many: those who are hidden in plain view, in ordinary houses everywhere. This is the reality of some people's lives. Anna represents all women who are at the hands of violent and abusive men and do not know how to escape. Florence exposes the real horror that some women have to face every day: the horror of living with domestic abuse and the threat of murder. The radio gives reports of a strange horror going on throughout the country, giving instructions for those involved, and it becomes clear that this is not just about characters in a film, but something bigger.

The use of the one setting, an everyday house (somehow made more normal knowing it is Florence's mother's house), is very effective. The small details - which I imagine were already there - heighten the terrible situation in their mundanity. The embossed wallpaper. The light shade. The dainty china cups from which Rankin's killer sips his tea. The chairlift that has never looked so eerie, gliding up the stairs.

Given the vast sums that are splashed on blockbuster movies these days, Florence certainly gets every penny out of his budget (less than £1000) and it is no poorer for it. In fact, it feels focused on the essentials. Florence Junior makes an impressive appearance - you just know that she could follow in her parents' talented footsteps.  I cannot omit to mention the subtle and effective score, by Iain Cook and David Simpson. It raises the tension just at the right moments, and adds to the growing unease throughout the film.

It's certainly interesting to see a serious side to the Burnistoun team's repertoire and I am sure that there is more to come. I find it personally inspiring to see such creative people, who have the initiative to make their visions reality. It is also great to see how this can be used for good, not only focussing attention on an important issue, but actively supporting charities through the promotion of the film. Future projects from Bold Yin, Florence and Connell's production company with House of Him producer, Joanne Daly, are certainly worth looking out for.

Rent "The House of Him" from Vimeo now, for less than the price of a pint.