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Sit Down, Pedal, Pedal, Stop And Stand Up FAQ

1: Oi... why aren't you playing near where I live on the 2009 leg of your tour?
This is far and away the most frequently asked question.
The first thing to say is that I'm genuinely really, really flattered that you want to see the show. I really am. It means a lot to me. Thanks.
If you're referring to the first part of tour - the bit that I'm doing by bike - well then, there's your answer. The thing is, this wasn't originally conceived as a tour. Before I decided to involve gigs I decided I wanted to do a big bike ride. I thought about going from Lands End to John O'Groats but the cliche of it kind of put me off. That and the fact that Land's End isn't the most southern or John O'Groats the most northern point of Britain. So I thought I'd do a bicycle ride between Britain's true extremities. From the most southerly to the most easterly to the most westerly to the most northerly points of the mainland.
Then I decided that I'd try and gig every night as I went.
So the route was planned first. It would be insane to take a cycling diversion of several hundred miles just to include your city. It doesn't make a great deal of financial sense to tour this way. You don't find many tours taking in 30 seat village halls as well as 2000 seat theatres. But I kind of like the fact that I'm going to play in some unlikely venues and some people who wouldn't normally get to see a show will be able to come along.
If I said I was going to walk from London to Norwich playing a game of table tennis each night as I went you wouldn't be upset that I wasn't taking my table tennis game to Leeds now would you?

2: Right, so what about the 2010 leg... you're still not playing near me?
I've extended the tour because of demand. But unlike the cycling bit where the route of my ride dictates the towns I can play in there's no way I can completely control the towns this more conventional batch of shows will reach. I don't book venues, they book me. So maybe I'm not playing in your town because your local venue didn't want to book it or maybe it just wasn't available on a day that worked. There are two or three cities that I'm going to in both '09 and '10 - that's simply because the venues are really confident that they're going to sell out and wanted another show...

3: How are you going to get a show together when you're cycling every day?
It's not a show about the journey. I'm not going to be telling you about my day in the saddle. I don't think of shows like Better World or Googlewhack Adventure as stand-up. In those shows I tell you a story from start to finish. In this show, instead of telling you one story, I'll tell you about... well, lots of things. In whatever order. Y'know... stand-up.

4: I'm a cyclist. Can I come with you for some of the tour?
I really wasn't expecting anyone to ask this. But they do. I want to avoid a situation where I end up feeling responsible for people who wouldn't normally do that kind of cycling and I want to make sure I don't end up being a tour guide because I don't have a clue what I'm doing. If I let 5 people come along with me that'd be another 5 people I'd have to feel responsible for and it's bad enough being responsible for myself. While I enjoy road-cycling it's foolish not to acknowledge that there is an element of risk involved. I did however ask for Human Sat Navs to come forward - people who know what they're doing and who know their way around each area - to guide me each day. But I think I've got more than enough volunteers for now and I don't want to suddenly end up with large groups.

5: Will it be the same show on both legs of the tour?
The tour's title, Sit Down, Pedal, Pedal, Stop And Stand Up obviously refers to the fact that for the 2009 tour I'll be cycling from venue to venue. While I won't be cycling for the tour extension I've kept the same title because I don't want to falsely advertise it as a brand new show. Stand-up is a constantly evolving kind of thing but it would be ridiculous to throw away a whole show after just 32 gigs. So I expect it to be, if not the same, at least substantially so.

6: When are tickets on sale? What time does the show start? Can I park at the venue?
The venues are more likely to be able to answer this than me. If I have their details I've put them with the dates...

Tour Dates. Top of the Page.