Another fun Saturday morning with Andrew Collings' hilarious comedy character Andrew Collins. My proudest moments was coming up with the idea of following Lady Gaga to the toilets to see which one she went in and wondering if she might go to both and do a bit in each.
It's not difficult for me to feel proud.
And then down to Andover where I had a fun time and managed to incorporate an Andover Fist gag which again made me proud.
Afterwards a very nice lady (whose name I have forgotten in the post-gig confusion - please email me for your proper credit and also for your friend who helped you) presented me with a very impressive trophy that she had designed and her friend had made, which looked very much like a British Comedy Award - a playing card in a big block of perspex - with the words "Presented to Richard Herring - Because You're Worth It" at the bottom. She said it was to make up for the travesty that I had never won anything. So all my complaining finally pays off.
It was a very touching gesture and I was genuinely flattered that someone would go to all this bother and expense. It is a reminder, if I really needed one, that the support of the people who come to and enjoy my shows means much more than awards from committees and organisations with ulterior motives.
And it's not even the first award I have received this week. When I was at Blackwood a man called Ryan Evans presented me with a small box which contained a tiny silver platter, and a cheap plastic stand to put it on which was engraved with the words "Best Collings and Herrin Host 2010", which I thought might be a bit premature given the early stage of the year we're in and I only had one fucking idiot to beat, but still. It's an accolade and I am delighted to receive it and I hope I can win it again next year.
Though Ryan had not put as much impressive hard work into his award and his was more jokey, it is still cool to be appreciated. And by the people who directly pay my wages. Both awards made me laugh but also were touching.
Last night as I had driven home thinking about how complex my show had become, almost without me trying, I perhaps thought to myself that it felt a bit unfair that it hadn't been nominated for anything, but tonight, with my own block of perspex safely in the boot of my car and a crappy tin plate waiting for me at home I knew that all that mattered was that the people who like me keep coming to see me.
I thought about how autonomous I have become and how much of my work is generated entirely by myself and which is entirely reliant on people paying money out of their own pockets to see it. Only the new book required anyone but myself to have the confidence to publish it, and whilst I need theatres to book me in, everything I have done in the last twelve months (aside from the occasional TV or radio appearance) is self-generated. Hitler Moustache, As It Occurs To Me, Collings and Herring and Warming Up have taken up a good 80% of my creative time and yet no one asked me to do any of them, and even the ones that don't make me money have hopefully encouraged people to see me live or buy my DVDs from
Go Faster Stripe. Even AIOTM made a small profit in the end and I managed to pay the cast and crew a token sum.
I felt proud of myself, not for making a joke about a dubious report of hermaphroditism or a silly pun, but because for a few moments I allowed myself to acknowledge that I have achieved some impressive and remarkable things. And I would rather that diehard fans appreciated me than anyone else. But if I can't get the Die Hard fans on board, I will have to make do with the appreciation of my own fans.
My progress has been too gradual to really have a moment of feeling that I have made it. But tonight as I drove home, thinking of the many kind words from all the people I have met on tour so far (well nearly all) about the show and the podcasts, I think I started to realise how far I have come in the last ten years.
There's some way to go and in a sense the lack of official recognition has meant I have had to work harder, never getting a chance to rest on non-existent laurels.
But what would you rather have - an award made by someone who liked you at their own expense (and it must have used up a fair amount of time and money), or one from a TV awards ceremony, decided on by people who have an agenda to keep their own jobs or push their own product?
For once I won't undercut my own question with a humorous response.
Thanks for the support everyone. Even though I know you like it when I am rude about you all and dismissive and call you nerds, you know I like you really.
Well most of you. Some of you really are pricks.
