Sunday's gig, probably coupled with respite from some of the stresses that have been bugging me, has really given me an increased feeling of positivity about comedy things. I've got a gig on Friday that I'm looking forward to, and I'll be doing the new song which seemed to work really well on Sunday again. I may also do another new bit, which I've written the second draft of today. It's always risky to do something new, so I'll have to gauge whether I think the audience will be supportive, but if I make them supportive first...

I've broken my own rules twice in the last day. Here are the two rules:

• Don't sell yourself short doing weird gigs
• Comedy songs are bad - there has to be a good core joke

I'll explain how I've broken these rules.

Weird Gig
I've signed myself up for what promises to be an odd gig in December. It's something that's just above an open spot and yet also has a competitive element to it. It looks like a showcase, but there'll be judging. There's also a high chance that there'll be no real outcome to the showcase. I've heard weird things about the people running it and I don't know whether the best I can achieve from this gig is something I'd aim to achieve at all.

However, I have had to pull a few gigs here and there, so sticking another one in the diary to replace those pulled gigs is no bad thing. It's not far to travel, and if it gets weird, then I think it will make a good story. If it goes well, that's great. I can't see how badly it can go if it goes wrong, therefore. Plus, what I've heard about this endeavour is mixed and I feel like I'd like to see what my own opinion is, rather than rely on others'.

So, off I'll trek and see what will happen. It's strange. There are few gigs I regret, but of those I regret the most, it's rarely been the weird and wonderful ones - it's usually been ones where my own confidence has been misplaced, or ones where simple stupidity has made a potentially good gig go bad.

Comedy Songs
I'm not a fan of the whole comedian-with-guitar genre. I lie. I like musical comedy. Listening to "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue", I'm always praying for a musical round, especially the wonderful "Just a Minim". Likewise, during a Bill Bailey show, a part of me always wants him to get on with the music. I like it when it's done well. I actually can't abide "quirky songs". A song that is more of a song, than a musical absurdity or collection of punchlines set to music, bothers me.

Another rule in comedy songs is to get to the point and then stop. Quickly.

I don't really like a comedy song where it's all a long set-up to a single cheap punchline. (A quick setup to a cheap punchline is ok - it's the musical equivalent of a one-liner... provided that that one liner NEEDS music to make it work.)

However, I have written a quirky comedy song, which revolves around a cheap punchline.

It came about when I wrote a list of what I consider to be potential song titles for an album I've joked about writing, but maybe should attempt to write. If I'm going to be away from the stage for a bit while doing up a house, maybe I should use some spare time within the house to make a studio album of songs. So why not try to list what they might be called and then see what songs come out of that?

If Friday's gig goes well, I may (or may not) try this newest of songs, which appears to have a bit of a Gospel feel to it. It probably wants playing on the piano, but that's a separate issue altogether. Piano is still too unwieldy for a stand-up stage... maybe my one man show, though...