The monologist/author/actor Spalding Gray often struggled when asked what he did for a living. 'I’ll chose writer this week,' he would say. I can relate to that. But here goes.
As a broadcaster and podcaster I've presented over a dozen programmes for BBC R3 and BBC R4 on subjects ranging from Ivor Cutler, Ken Campbell and time travel to the art of public speaking. As a podcaster I produce and present Adventures in Nutopia and The Ways of Water, have co-hosted the popular Odditorium Podcast, co-presented and produced Watling Street with author John Higgs and co-presented Seeker! The Ken Campbell Podcast with Daisy Campbell.
In 1999 I co-founded Cheeky Guides Publishing and have written philosophical travel memoirs The No9 Bus to Utopia and The Haunted Moustache, and have co-written The Odditorium, The Mysterium and The Odysseum. In 2020 The Cult of Water was published by Rough Trade with illustrations by Pete Fowler. In 2023 I self-published The Singalong-A-Wicker-Man Scrapbook. Yeah, niche.
Since 2004 I've been hosting Brighton’s Catalyst Club, a monthly salon at which three guest speakers from all walks of life take to the stage to talk about their passions. To date we've had nearly 1000 speakers on subjects ranging from werewolf erotica to adjustable spanners. More recently these events have been running in Lewes and Shoreham.
As a monologist I've toured several solo shows and performed at Soho Theatre, Somerset House, The De La Warr Pavilion, Tate St Ives, TEDx,WI, Idler Academy, MOMA, Wilderness and Port Eliot festivals and the Lowry Theatre. Together with fellow musician Eliza Skelton we have entertained UK festival and cinema audiences with Sing-along-a-Wickerman. I still get a cheap thrill watching audiences reactions when we ask them to tuck into the edible foreskins and umbilical cords found in the 'goody bags' that we give out at the start of the show.
And finally there's Oddfellow's Casino. We celebrated our 20th anniversary in 2021 and have released 9 studio albums to date. We’ve performed at festivals across Europe and had our music featured on various radio programmes, independent films and podcasts. We blend pastoral psych-folk with orchestrated pop and occasional bursts of squalling guitar. Give us a listen, you might be pleasantly surprised.
It is worth noting that I'm a medical man by rumour only, though I'd be happy to whip out your tonsils in exchange for a packet of biscuits. Chocolate Hobnobs are a favourite.