GLASGOW-based theatre-maker Gary McNair was awarded a Fringe First for his Letters To Morrissey, a touching, funny and beautifully crafted story show exploring idol worship and growing up in working-class Scotland. McNair’s Locker Room Talk, his verbatim show about what men say about women, also drew considerable acclaim. The Traverse associate artist lets us in on his day.
7.30AM: Breakfast together as a family, including current favourite activities such as squishing blueberries for the porridge, singing songs about what we’re eating and pretending Elmo is on the phone (the phone in this case is a banana). Couple of story books, couple of games, a jigsaw or two and try to find a new answer for “why is it raining again?” that doesn’t leave me too depressed.
9.30AM: Get on my bike and cycle to a cafe with my laptop and a notepad. Spend the cycle convincing myself that today is the day I stop drinking coffee. By the time I arrive I feel like a strong, independent human that takes his buzz from life, not caffeine.
9.45AM: Arrive at cafe. Order coffee. Start to feel a bit of self-loathing for this decision but then coffee arrives and I realise that coffee is brilliant and I should never question that again.
10AM: Open laptop. Get going. This week I’ve been starting some new writing and organising a fun event. The event is a pun contest: The Champipunship, which I started a few years ago and now hold annually at the ABC in Glasgow. It’s a huge amount of fun. I’m finalising contestants, drawing my visual puns for the picture round and dreaming up songs for the house band (The Pun Lovin’ Criminals) to perform.
NOON: Back on the bike. Head home to my office. Change of project, change of space. I’m getting started on a new piece of theatre I’m writing. As I’m at the very beginning of a project, getting going can take any form. Reading books, watching films, listening to music, doodling – anything that allows me to let thoughts flow and my imagination run. Today that is listening to podcasts and tidying my office (I’ve let my office get very crowded with the remnants of now completed plays, so to get started on something new, the decks must be cleared).
1PM: Office tidied and it now feels like a creative space. I notice that the rain has stopped so I go for a walk outside. Going for a walk really helps my thinking and ideas start to flow. I stop on a bench and take some notes, which I will take back home to help me get writing. I write really well with music on. Today is a Joni Mitchell day. Write for a few hours.
5.30PM: Dinner as a family. The rain is still off so we jump at the opportunity to go to the park and play a little game of basketball (our two-year old’s favourite activity at the moment) while there is still enough light in the evening sky to do so. Walk back along to the house playing some awesome songs (seriously, if you have kids, or even if you don’t, listen to Caspar Babypants, he’s awesome) from my phone and we can smell some fires on in people’s houses. I love autumn.
8PM: The wee one is in bed and we are on the sofa, waiting as quietly as we can before the supersonic ears upstairs are asleep so we can catch up with each other and watch some sitcoms.
10PM: Start the tidy up.
11PM: Bed. Regret drinking coffee. Tomorrow I’ll definitely stop the coffee.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here