Mark Eitzel

Gay Men
Sometimes you just have to drag yourself out the house. Last night it was cold and wet. I could happily have jumped into bed with David Sedaris. I almost did. But Mark Eitzel, another brilliantly mercurial gay man, was in Galway so I girded my loins and headed out to hear him play.

Drink Driving
I got in the car and drove to the show. Sadly, it's in the nature of driving that one can't drink. This made going out on this freezing night feel like even more of a chore. My mood brightened as a session recorded earlier that day with Eitzel came on the radio. It was a good omen.

Soft Drinks
One of my major bug bears about Irish pubs is the price of soft drinks. Not that I buy them very often but the notion of paying perhaps three euro for fresh orange and lemonade is outlandish. I went to the bar and ordered a pint of tap water. This just happens to be my favourite soft drink. The fact that it's free was only a bonus. I did feel guilty about ordering it though:

Conversation With Barman
"A pint of tap water please?", I asked the barman.
"Just to get started", I found myself adding".
I almost threw in "I'm very thirsty" but just restrained myself.

Audience Help
I've been to see Mark Eitzel a few times now. He comes over as a reluctant performer. You get the impression he'd rather be at home drinking. Last night was no different and at one point I thought he was going to simply walk off. Myself and some other audience members sensed the danger quickly though and gave him some positive heckling to boost his fragile ego. Another pint appeared from the bar and we got him over the hump. It ended up being, as always, a great show. The best yet.

Wise Wife
"See", my wife said to me when I got home, "you don't need drink to enjoy yourself". As usual she was right. Just, I won't make a habit of it.