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I was really hoping to get a good day of writing in today. But after writing yesterday’s brilliant blog and composing my monthly newsletter - http://ymlp.com/zDhC3V, I decided to go for a run before getting down to the serious business of writing filmed stuff for AIOTM. My fitness is gradually returning and I managed to get down to the river for the first time in ages, before deciding to get out of the rain and have a coffee. Then I walked home and it was time for lunch and then I had a bath. And then I was really, really tired. I lay in bed thinking about doing some work, but really wanting to go to sleep. It’s great working from home because you can work in bed. But less good because you can also go to sleep in bed. Alas I did neither and just dicked around on Twitter - which can sometimes lead to creating jokes. But I need to work on the ideas I have.
But then I got depressed about our civilisation slipping down the toilet and the inevitable destruction of the human race and by then it was time to bathe my daughter. Because even though she’s going to live in a future of climate change, anarchy and nuclear apocalypse, it’s very important for now that her bum is clean.
And I had a lot of fun nearly chatting with her. She can sort of say a few things. I have taught her to put her hands to her mouth and shout “Mama†when Catie is not around. She doesn’t shout it loud enough to get Catie to come though. I have to instil a sense of panic. But after a stilted day of getting nothing done it was great to have proper laughs with my girl who found it really funny every time she splashed the water. I think she got that it was funny when some of the water went on my face and I looked cross (though she’s learned that from Justin), but she found it funny pretty much every time.
Of course writing is always like this - you know if you’ve been reading this blog for a while how much of my time is wasted trying to build up the motivation or doing anything I possibly can to avoid applying myself. It’s as much about the fear of failure as anything. I so want to make AIOTM as good as possible so the amazing generosity of the kickstarter crew is rewarded. And then that fills me with dread that it will be rubbish and that I have lost it (if I ever had it). I know I should do it sooner rather than later as it’s going to be a nightmare organising film crews and actors, but another day went by and I had nothing.
I should have just slept. The running had wiped me out, but hopefully if I can get back into it it will energise me in the future. I had to stay up til 10 as I was going on Iain Lee’s radio show to promote his forthcoming appearance on my show. We have a bit in common, I think, having both nearly got our breaks in the 90s, only to see the people we worked with head for super stardom as we plugged away at our less high profile stuff. And we chatted about how we both envied each other’s shows in the late 90s, he because it was clear we had artistic control over what we were doing, and me because his show seemed to have the complete backing of the channel it was on and was given lots of series.
He wondered why I wasn’t on TV much any more. I wonder that too. What happened?
We only had 15 minutes tonight, but I think there will be much to discuss on Monday. Tickets are selling fast, so book now if you want to see him and the brilliant Tony Law.
I mentioned that we’d met before. I could only recall seeing him at a stand up gig at the BBC radio club, but I had forgotten that he’d interviewed me in 2001 in this slight car crash of a chat caused by his lack of preparation and my incorrect sense of superiority (I think I am saying something like "Wow, Iain Lee is telling me I don't do comedy" when I am off mic after his "gaffe". Wasn’t I fat? In a different way to the way I am now. Baby faced and bloated. Amazed I lived into the next decade.
Iain wondered if our mutual resentments might come to the fore next week. I don't really care if they do, (for my part I just feel a bit embarrassed about my misplaced self-belief) but I am looking forward to talking to him.
You can hear our less awkward chat from tonight here.
