A rather odd man with a backpack wandered up to my work today and asked many strange questions. He looked like Michael Palin and for a moment I could have been fooled. After realisation that he most definitely was not the mighty Palin I was losing patience (lets face it I probably would have lost my patience if Michael Palin walked up and asked 100 stupid questions too).
It was like being a tourist information point - he wanted to know what the fringe was... was it religious or political? I told him it was art - but it got me thinking... The fringe is all around me just now I have to fight my way into work and usually arrive with handful of flyers (despite my "no thankyou" efforts to dispel the enthusiastic fringe-evangelists). I stand at the bus stop to go home and the people that walk past are all different colours. I dont mean that racially I mean literal - orange and blue and pink - and with the most bizarre props. The worst fringeans being the street performers at the top of the road that shout things at you as you walk past - so that the crowd of 30+ people laugh at you - I wish I could make out what they say. Everybody is vying for my attention - desperate to tell me how exciting their drama will be or how amazing their musical is. To be honest even the most raving of reviews wouldnt get me to go near a musical! I feel kinda sorry for all these poorly paid performers who come to edinburgh and have to spend the best part of their day convincing people that they are talented.
It does bring a good atmosphere to the place and I am looking forward to seeing Iain Archer play on Thursday (I went to see him when I was 15 in Belfast!) but I'll be glad when they all pack up and go home :-)
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