Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

I am having a little problem with falling asleep at the moment.

The other night I went with He of the Big Mouth to see Kristin Hersh of the Throwing Muses doing a live event, combining readings from her memoirs, guitar accompaniment, solo songs, and the projection behind her of huge, dreamlike paintings. Dreamlike, or were they actual dreams? Hard to say, because I was only awake for about two thirds of it. It was a completely brilliant two thirds and I am sure that the additional one third was also excellent but I can't say for certain, because I was fully unconscious at the time. Big Mouth, with the benefit of having seen 100pc of the show, reviews at the bottom of this post.

Then this weekend I went to stay with aforementioned Big Mouth, and on Saturday night we watched Infamous. This is the other movie about Truman Capote, which came out at the same time as Capote and was completely ignored. Completely and unfairly ignored, because the film is fantastic, featuring excellent performances from Toby Jones - hilarious yet poignant - as Capote, Sandra Bullock - uncharacteristically restrained and showing off her dramatic abilities - as Harper Lee, Daniel Craig - muscular and volatile - as the murderer Perry, and a host of brilliant names such as Isabella Rosselini, Juliet Stevenson and Jeff Daniels all providing impeccable support. Of course, when I say that the film is fantastic, what I really mean is that the first half is fantastic, as I slept all the way through the second half. I can't even compare Infamous with any real honesty to Capote, as I fell asleep in that as well, and the only reason woke up is that I went to see it with my sister and she fell asleep as well, and her snoring woke us both up.

I have long had a problem with falling asleep in the theatre. Great shows that I have snoozed through include the award-winning Nicholas Nickleby (parts one and two); Shared Experience's adaptation of Wide Sargasso Sea; and Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet. And I don't think I was awake for more than half of my MA in Anthropological documentary. Admittedly they did insist on showing us three-hour-long epics about crop rotation in Kenya. But I still remember the sensation of being dragged into sleep about twenty minutes into Shoah, the world-famous documentary about the Holocaust. I remember thinking, 'these people have survived the most horrific treatment imaginable to humanity, the least you can do is stay awake'. But it was not to be. It should be becoming obvious by now that it is not a question of getting bored. But seat me in the dark, dim the lights and show me ANYTHING AT ALL and I am liable to start nodding off.

The irony is that I am a terrible insomniac. I can't fall asleep lying down in bed with anywhere near the same ease. I am also a ridiculously light sleeper, so that any sound or light at all wakes me up - I have to travel everywhere with earplugs and a sleep mask. I can't sleep with anyone at all in the room, let alone in my bed with me. I literally can't remember the last time I managed to sleep through an entire night without waking up at least once.

Perhaps I should try sleeping sitting up with the television on and seven hundred people watching it with me at home?