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Now Lord Lucan has died. 2006 is really destroying my childhood. Who is riding Shergar now?
Very disappointed not to get the Robot Wars presenting job, especially given the keen interest I have shown in robots recently. Part of the problem was my refusal to sign the contract because it had a clause forbidding making love with the robots. To even think I would be that unprofessional rankled me, but who are they to speak for the robots anyway. If Sir Killalot wants to unwind by having a small Somerset man enter his exhaust pipe, in the privacy of his own cupboard, then that is his choice. And all the robots made by viewers will be excited to be on TV and want to make a day of it by making love with the host of the show. God knows that none of the contestants on that programme will ever have sex, so it seems wrong and unfair to punish their creations. And if I rewarded some of the looser robots with easier fights, then that is none of the business of the producers.
I am glad I didn’t get it anyway because when the robots take over the world they are going to look very angrily at the humans who made them fight. But I am sure they will reward the ones who gave them sexual pleasure - I care just as much about the robots’ needs as my own. And it’s not cheating.
Still up for doing Robot Whores though. I hear Matt Le Blanc might be up for cohosting.
Back on the road again and flying solo for these first couple of days, as I am doing small venues in an attempt to try out some new material and familiarise myself with the rest. I’ve done some kind of tour every year for 15 years now and it’s ten years since I made my foray back into stand-up proper. I’ve driven up and down these roads many times. In a way not much has changed. Some of the venues are a bit bigger (but some, like the Station pub in Sutton Coldfield where I was today, have stayed the same) and my hair is greyer and now I have people at home to get back to. But I am just a guy, standing in front of some strangers, asking them to laugh at my penis jokes. I hope I am still doing it in 15 years, to some degree at least. And I hope I am still playing venues like tonight’s, whatever level of success or failure I have reached. It’s run by a fantastic team who are proper comedy fans and know how to set up a room and the audience
I hadn’t done as much work on the new material as I had hoped and in the end I probably did around 80 minutes, rather than the 90 I am aiming for and some of the new bits don’t quite fit into the show yet. But the first half zinged along and came in at about 45 minutes, so now it’s just a matter of refining that and getting a good through line for the second half. I think the material resonates, observational at times, but more about the dark things that go on in our heads than how to squeeze toothpaste tubes. I think this has the potential to be one of my best shows, but there’s still a little way to go with it, but excited about the challenge.
As I am in Leicester tomorrow I stayed over tonight and had a couple of drinks with the team before going back to the hotel. Everyone assumes that I sleep well away from the baby and must love touring, but I wake up even earlier in hotel rooms (plus go to bed late cos of the gig). Thankfully there are only about 15 overnights in this entire tour so I don’t have to spend too much time away from my family, who I miss a lot.
The only advantage is guilt free Addams Family Pinball. I think it’s fair to say that my touring priorities may have been one of the things that have changed in the last 15 years.
And a rather extraordinary RHLSTP with Ray Peacock is now out It is very funny, covers some serious topics too and shows the dangers of drinking when attending a videoed comedy gig. Some wanted a trigger warning for social awkwardness.
Video
itunes - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/richard-herrings-video-leicester/id922855595?mt=2
Audio - https://www.comedy.co.uk/podcasts/richard_herring_lst_podcast/episode_98_ray_peacock/ and iTunes.
