Bookmark and Share

Wednesday 5th May 2021

6731/19651

The fifth of May be with you.

Even though the Mae Martin RHLSTP has now been bumped til later in the week (and as it’s a daytime record we aren’t going to put it on Twitch, but it will be out in less than a fortnight) I spent the day catching up with her work and as so often with RHLSTP, just an utter joy to do so. Her book, “Can Everyone Please Calm Down?” is a guide to modern day sexuality which I suspect is aimed at a younger audience, but it really should be read (or listened to - the audio book is fab) by my stupid generation of fucking bellends (not all boomers). It surprises me how many people who used to complain about how square and right wing their parents were are now comfortable occupying the same disdain for the younger generation than they encountered in the past. Have they no self-awareness? Or are some of them just so self-obsessed that they only ever believed in things when there was an advantage to them. I can name a few left wing firebrands who were very against capitalism when they were poor, but defend it vehemently now they are rich and you realise - oh, they were never really right on, they were just annoyed that people had money when they had none, and that people want their money now they have some.
I don’t think they’ve even changed their minds. They’ve remained consistent in backing themselves. And have pulled the ladder up with them.
I can’t say that I am immune to looking after myself, though I was never overtly political and didn’t go on marches or campaigns or kick up any real fuss about stuff as a student and young comedian. It’s often the ones who made the most noise who turn out to leap sides, though occasionally they’ve just gone so left wing that they’ve gone all the way round past infinity and come out right wing.
I would hope that your views would change a bit with life experience, but also think that I have probably grown more of a social conscience and moved forwards from my teenage mindset, which would, certainly by today’s standards, seem sexist, homophobic and casually racist. Mae’s book makes me think of my generation, who were brought up to use gay as the main insult (to equal both lameness and actual gayness), where most comedy sitcoms and films had the joke that a man was worried about being accused of being attracted to (or even touching) another man and where we were pretty repressed and terrified about sex in general. I guess you could be my age and look at the freedoms that the younger generations are starting to push through and feel jealous and get angry. I  feel a bit sad that things were so repressive and polarised, but I am delighted that to some degree people are allowed to be who they actually are now. Maybe the older generation has always just felt that young people are freer than they were and getting more and maybe the young people never are. But what’s positive about Mae’s book is that it’s all being talked about openly and freely and with pride and humour.
Possibly like my own recent book, the people who really need to read it, never will. But come on 50 and 60 year olds. Don’t be like your parents. Or worse.
It’s not so hard. Let people be what they want to be. Then you get to be who you want to be too. Maybe you’re cross because you aren’t who you want to be. Because when it comes to who people sleep with or how they deal with their own body, gender or whatever, that’s really not your concern. And it’s weird if it becomes your concern. Especially if it takes up most of your time.
Mae’s comedy drama Feel Good is also blazingly good. It packs in a lot of characters and ideas, but is a charming and realistic look at a modern love story, with enough problems and jeopardy to keep it fizzing, but enough sweetness and humour to make it loveable.
Just an utter pleasure to make this most of my day’s work. 
I also showed my age properly by attending an online talk about the treasures of Sutton Hoo from the British Library. I am cool.
And then it was the kids’ bedtime and I got to play a game where you had to take on the shape of a household object, and then whoever was leading the game would say they were spring cleaning and you were going to be tidied away. You’d have to say “You can’t tidy me away” and then give a clue as to what you were and they had to guess. It’s a lot of fun, give it a go. But it was mainly funny because Ernie just straight away said “I’m a crocodile” which not only made it easy to guess, but also was not really a household object. Utter and pure joy. Don’t go out and see comedy - just have a couple of kids and wait six years (during which time you will be mainly tired and unhappy) and then you will get the best laughs of your life.


Bookmark and Share



Can I Have My Ball Back? The book Buy here
See RHLSTP on tour Guests and ticket links here
Help us make more podcasts by becoming a badger You get loads of extras if you do.
Or you can support us via Acast Plus Join here
Subscribe to Rich's Newsletter:

  

 Subscribe    Unsubscribe