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Into the offices of my evil management corp today to have a meeting about the next tour. I know, I know, we haven’t finished this one yet, but theatres have to be booked early. After the success of the 12 shows last summer and me realising there’s loads of routines I’d like to have another go at I’ve decided to do a best of show called Richard Herring: The Best. Don’t tell anyone yet, it’s a secret (and journalists please don't announce this until the press release comes to you). But this will be 90 minutes of my favourite solo routines, I suspect weighted a bit towards the older stuff, so you’ve got a chance to catch up if you’re new to me, or reminisce if you’ve been here all the time like a persistent limpet. And this might be the show where you can risk bringing undecided friends. At least if they don’t like this show then there is no hope for them and they will have to stick to mainstream TV comedians like Mcintyre, McGuinness and Lee. But it’s also exciting for me to get a chance to have another go at some old stuff now that I am a better stand-up. I am sure I will find some new areas to explore even in more tried and tested stuff. The tough bit is going to be to decide what makes it in.
Anyway the confirmed venues were all printed up in an excel presentation, but even over two pages the information was much too small for me to read. The young team from my management company all seemed fine with it, but I couldn’t see a thing. I have never needed glasses and my eyesight has always been sharp, though I have begun to notice that I find it hard to see very small print, especially if the light isn’t good and tellingly perhaps I now like to write in 14 or 16 size font on my computer. It was a reminder, if I needed one, that I am getting old. But here I am, still tootling along and I will complete the next tour and AIOTM before I am 50. But will I be like Donald Pleasance in the Great Escape, unable to see a bloody thing?
Even though it wasn't the first time my eye sight has let me down a bit, to notice it today, in this room of younger people, it was one of those moments where something comes home and you realise a new chapter in your life has begun. I am cool with that. This book is getting much better as it goes on. I just hope it has a happy ending... oh just skipped ahead. It doesn't. I die in the end. No sequels eitehr.
Later I got my hair cut and, as much as I like to pretend that I have brown hair, sprinkled with a touch of grey, looking in the mirror I had to concede that it’s very much the other way round, except there isn’t any brown. Ah well, it’s a reminder that life is transient and time is limited. If I am honest I kind of like being older. But there’s no comedy in honesty, so I will pretend it’s a terrible sufferance.
The kickstarter finished with an amazing £107,404 with 3736 backers. That extra £7000 will pay off the kickstarter commission and mean we can put more of your money into making some ground-breaking comedy. I am sure we will be looking for ways to put more money in the pot over the next few months, (you can of course, come and see the shows being recorded - tickets available here) but if you missed out and want to join in then all the badge money here will go to the podcasts and if you go for a monthly badge you get access to a secret channel and a monthly prize draw (I made this excellent one-off T shirt for last month’s winner today- and now I am a recognised artist this faux naif works are going to be worth thousands if not millions when I am dead).
Talking of art, tonight my wife went out and so I got the chance to record another 3 Me1 vs Me2 snooker frames. In the final one Me1 had a beer and Me2 had a whisky, but it was only one drink each so it was unlikely to affect them too much. I’d never drink alone, because that is too sad, but surrounded by friends, playing snooker in your basement - what more social a way to have a bit of fun?
You can hear frame 76, before the drink started flowing, here
Frames 77 and 78 will be out over the next couple of weeks. So many celebs are dying that I can only assume they’re falling over themselves to get the arena named after them. Please add a codicil to your will that that is your wish celebs. At the moment I am getting weekly calls from your families to insist your names are removed.
