Walking around and pointing a camera at yourself is embarrassing. Especially when you're pushing a bike and you're dressed as a soldier. I live in a small town and people are starting to recognise me as that girl who dresses up and walks around pointing a camera at herself. She must be incredibly vain, and what does she do with those videos anyway?

It's even more embarrassing to be sat inside a tumble-drier dressed as a soldier, playing the guitar and singing along to ones ipod in the local launderette.

When I arrived it was empty. I thought great and immediately got myself settled in the tumble-drier. Everyone in Totnes decided to do their laundry that day. I explained myself maybe fifty times. In the end I wrote on a piece of paper "I AM MAKING A VIDEO ABOUT THE STATE OF MUSIC IN THE LAUNDERETTE BUSINESS" and stuck it on the door so that I could get through a full take of me singing the song before someone stood in front of the camera staring at me saying, what the?

I did meet some interesting characters in the launderette, which is pretty much guaranteed in this town. Totnes is hippy central. It's like living in a time-warp. Here it is still the sixties. Hitch-hiking is a main form of transportation and everyone looks you in the eye for a little too long (unless you are pointing a camera at yourself).

My original idea had been to take the soldier garb off, put it in the wash, revealing a wedding dress underneath. I was then going to go the gym and punch the hell out of a punchbag wearing the wedding dress. To be honest it was a bit of a nuts idea, and when it came to it, with all those spectators I didn't have the guts to whip the wedding dress out. Walking down the high street in a wedding dress pointing a camera at myself would have been one step too far. But alas the wedding dress costume will have to wait for another day. For when they make a bride of frankenstein game.

So things to look out for in this video are; half a wedding dress poking out from under my jacket; and my obscenely early night, given away by the bedtime clock. I was very, very ill on the day of making that video and after shooting clips of me cleaning my teeth and shutting the curtains I literally turned the camera off and slept for a hundred years in my soldiers hat. It was half past six.

Watch.

Written by Rebecca Mayes

You can support Rebecca by buying Dressed as a Soldier



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Rebecca Mayes writes the Rebecca Mayes column.

"Welcome to my blog. I thought I'd let you in on a few of the secrets that go on backstage in the world of Rebecca Mayes."

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