04/11/2024 07:17 

I’m not going to lie.  This pen needs a proper clearout.  The scratchy flow is getting a little painful to watch.  The other pens in the tin are empty and awaiting their calling.  They’re all clean from last time but the other tin – not this An Englishman in Paris tin but my No 1 Daddy as voted for by Rory and Jasper tin – is filled with pens that need a proper clear out, too.  I don’t mean thrown away (although there is another 3D Kickstarter Smoothie fountain pen on its way) but flushed and replenished with fresh ink.  I’ve still got 4 weeks until my Parisian visit so there’s plenty of time.  If I write an entry a week, then I should, I know I won’t, but I should be in a better position to clean them up. 

This trip has gotten me into another state of unease.  Similar to last November when I went for the November Interviews, this year I have an outline of what I plan on doing.  I’ve gone over it in my head so many times.  I’ve told the boys about it around half as many times and last night, I mentioned it to Nev.  I still can’t get the finer details down and I really don’t want this trip to be wasted.  Not that it would be.  

In theory, this trip is going to be Season 3, which is not only a big statement to make, not only a bigger statement to write, and an even bigger statement to see on paper/screen, but also isn’t the original reason behind going. This is both frightening and horrifying at the same time. 

I’m going by myself.  I’ll be booking the hotel on the way, there.  I’ll be trying to create a few videos whilst there.  I’ll be attempting to record four and a half hours of usable audio content.  I’m going to be writing more blog content and taking photos that I’ll be posting to Instagram.  The videos and audio are the slightly awkward parts for me.  I need to be a narrating narrator as well as recording my walks, meals, coffee breaks and any interesting b-roll I can find.  I’ve never done any of this before.  So why now?  Why now?  I’d like to say it’s for two reasons, but I fear I’m underplaying it.  I’ll start with the two that are in my head at the moment and see how it “pans out”.  I do enjoy decent wordplay.  Okay, here we go. 

The first reason, I think it’s the first, is because I need some actual Parisian footage, again. I had the November interviews for Season One and the first two episodes of Season Two.  I also did a small part for the Paris Olympics.  What’s left for Season 3?  Maybe the Notebook Questions?  I don’t think that’s mainstream enough for what I’m doing.  And being honest, that wasn’t even one of my two initial reasons.  Okay, the next first reason is because if I can get an entire season’s worth of material, b-roll and audio ambience in an overnight stay, that opens up so many more doors.  It allows me to take my foot off the pedal a little and prepare better for upcoming seasons; be it monologues, interviews, ad-hoc conversations or additional trips to Paris. 

The second/third point is another question to be answered.  Why video?  Well, for those of you that have either followed me for a while or played catch-up, then you’ll be fully aware that I have this insane (or is in inane?) notion that I must continue to improve myself.  Video is that improvement; both personally and creatively.  Yes, I was the main host of a certain birthday video over 25 years ago, but that was entirely different.  These days, I honestly don’t have the face for video and my bedroom certainly isn’t the most podcast-worthy studio to record in, visually. 

Paris sort of has the answers to that.  Kind of.  If I can capture enough material to create video episodes, then that’ll be great.  My mind is suggesting that, and I truly hope I can pull it off.  But without putting myself under too much pressure.  Yeah, because that’s what I do.  I’ll record street-vibes and meal-times as footage for the intro, conclusion and coming-up sections of the podcast which I can use a voice over with.  The episodical segments would be a mix of myself talking to camera and also to the public; the workers, the tourists and the residents.  I’d take anybody.  It only needs to be for half an hour at a time.  I’d pay for a coffee and ask them questions.  I’d like to try and stop them in the street and ask them questions, too.  I have the equipment, I just ned the chutzpah to approach them.  My French, whilst nowhere near the standard I’d hoped for, is good enough for basic conversation to find out if they speak English.  It’s the first interaction that I’d struggle with.  I found this at the coffee expos I went to. 

I’m sitting at the back of the Mocha Pot coffee shop in Clapton and the owner has just come back inside after giving chase to a chap who snatched a phone from a pedestrian on the street.  It’s not even eight o’clock, yet.  I saw nothing but it makes me even more aware of what I plan on doing in Paris.  It’s never a good idea taking your eye off the ball. 

I’d like to do sweeping transitions, push-ins and pull-outs, static shots, motion, time and hyper lapses.  I’d love to make each episode a cinematic experience, but I have neither the talent not the time.  Yet this is merely Season 3.  I’ve still got episode 2.9 to release and then The Best Bits.  That’s when I’m off.  2.9 is a treat for me.  Hard work and not the greatest of Paris content but it’s my podcast and I don’t care.  It’s never been only about Paris.  I have two very special guests with me.  And I love them dearly for being a part of my journey, whether voluntarily or under duress.  We all agreed on the same best bits for episode 2.10 which was nice.  However, it means I need to come up with more material.  The cover photo for the episode is beautifully crafted and staged by them. 

I’m also looking at having Paris photos for my blog entries – it’ll make Instagram a little more difficult (and interesting) so I’ll have to come up with a system to remind myself of when the photos were taken in order to find them easier as it’s a round a year between blog writing, blog entry and Instagram post. 

And then there’s the Spotify blogcast that I’m hoping to release in January.  An entry a week.  That’ll be about 2 years of episodes, I suspect.  The hard work is sort of done as the entries are already written and I could simply keep the cover the same as it’s for An Englishman in Paris; I want them to be an organic growth which means no advertising or anything.  Less stress, less pressure, more legacy. 

Another thing that I’ll be attempting to is this narrated narrative.  I’m looking at getting mic’ed up and talking to myself.  This is one that, whilst in my head seems like a great idea, may end up becoming a useless waste of time and effort.  Rambling on to myself whilst not looking like a nut-nut isn’t an easy task.  And if the wires aren’t fitted properly or the batteries aren’t charged or even if the mic isn’t recording, it won’t be worth a blog post, let alone a podcast episode.  Trial and error.  But nothing can prepare you for actual fieldwork.  Just talking out loud is a mission all by itself.  However, ambient recording will simply be a case of a dead kitten on a coffee table or my tripod handle sticking out of my bag. 

Wearable merch won’t be a problem.  I’ve gone a little overboard, recently.  Hoodies, t-shirt, vest, sweatshirt and baseball cap on top of a duffel bag and messenger bag.  Season 3 is ready to go.  Material aside. 

All of this is great but I’m not getting time for my running and the material I’m writing is putting my brain into an early state of fuzziness as I pressure myself with early mornings.  That said, my life routine hasn’t been great of late.  That should soon settle down – Christmas aside – and then I may be able to focus on the external aspects of my creative life. 

Depending on how much I write between now and Paris, I’ll either be taking a new notebook with me – I think it’s going to be a white one, but I can’t be sure – or I’ll be taking a new notebook with me and also this current one.  I have either 4 or 5 notebooks remaining which I reckon are going to enough for the next two years at this rate.  Don’t forget, this Tu Manges l’Orange blue notebook started life as my storybook.  My first blog entry in this notebook is from last year, 23^rd October 2023. 

What a year it’s been!