Actually an unexpected moment happened just now. The Magdala. It’s a pub we love in Hampstead. We wanted to end the walk there every night, but it got temporarily shut down under very suspicious circumstances. The same way “team know how” from Curry’s found twenty year old mouse droppings behind an oven in my flat and used it as a reason not to install the new oven or take the old one down the stairs. If you know the game and have an agenda you can use regulations to your advantage. Apparently they found historic droppings in the Magdala somewhere and called it an infestation. Someone was in on it, I guarantee you. I call FOUL.
Tonight we ended the walk there. They’ve reopened, but the manager was leery of us stopping there every tour. She even tried to hit us with a minimum bar spend which was a bit “fuck you” but I like them so I rolled with it. Mostly we are going to The Garden Gate where they take your first born in exchange for badly casked lager. The nights the Magdala manager told us it would be okay to go to them, we will go to them, because I prefer them.
The Magdala had an excellent kitchen, excellent staff and was one of the best pubs in Hampstead. The negative stuff is about people wanting to turn it into flats. It’s such a shame. Money and greed using social media to try and destroy an important pub in the area, and one with proper history.
Pubs die all the time. Brian has a show about it. Choir of Man. It is always a loss to the local community when they go. Public houses are a way of bringing people together. They’re important for communities.
We had a great night tonight, and no rain despite expectations. And yes, that unexpected moment I referred to:
I left, told a couple of people I was leaving first. But I was trying to leave discreetly which is impossible since I’m wearing my hat and cape in order that there’s no possibility I’ll forget it. And everyone in the pub had been on the tour and suddenly I’m leaving a pub and someone starts it and suddenly literally everyone in there is clapping for us… For me under the circumstances. Yay etc. I’m the fruiting body of the mycelium that is Siwan. I’m visible in my big hat. It’s hers not mine but I’m the one shouting.
Waheyyyy etc. It was a pleasant validation. I just chatted shit to them for a few hours. We take the validation where we can though. And I’m fucking good at crowd-work now. Been doing it ages. Won’t do it for what they offer with most of the bad contracts across the major immersive shows in the industry. Often I see breakdowns looking for people with the skills I have where they want to try and pay them in buggery. No.
Anyway.
Tomorrow I reckon it’ll be soaking. I’ve bought some wax for my cape… Let’s see. It’ll still be fun even if it’s wet.
