4882/17802
In the past few years when I’ve played St Albans it’s been in a small pub with a capacity of about 60, but today I was heading to the massive St Albans Arena and was astonished to discover I’d sold about 400 tickets. There’s just no second guessing this tour (the last four dates I’ve had 103, 800+, 105 and now 400), but it’s unusual to do so well in a venue I haven’t ever been to. Who knows how that works?
I had thought, when this one was booked in, that I might be living in the city by the time this one came along, but we’re still resolutely in the Bush and the house we liked here was sold to someone else just before Christmas. It’s a shame, for today at least, as it would have taken me about 8 minutes to walk home after the gig.
I do like this place though and I guess it’s still possible we might end up here. Before the gig I went to Pret a Manger to try and write my Metro column. I was feeling supremely uninspired, so I’d like to thank Bono for addressing a senate sub committee (why?) and saying "I think comedy should be deployed. It’s like, you speak violence, you speak their language. But you laugh at them, when they’re goose-stepping down the street, and it takes away their power. So, I’m suggesting that the Senate send in Amy Schumer and Chris Rock and Sacha Baron Cohen, thank you.” It gave me a jumping off point to discuss the most dangerous gigs I have ever done and whether it is possible to defeat IS with jokes. I have to say that all indications so far are that they can’t really take a joke about themselves or that bloke that they like. But Bono is right, no modern army has attempted to counter the enemy with millionaire comedians and if you don’t try it then you won’t know. I am not sure that sending in a sexually confident woman and a Jewish man is the best plan, but I reckon Chris Rock could probably win them over. Everyone loves him.
I know I argued that comedy can do a lot to confront fascism (though as Peter Cook observed the satirical cabaret clubs in 1930s Germany didn’t necessarily do that much to dent Hitler’s ambitions), I think that that happens over a longer period of time by gently changing people’s minds (though I can equally see that arguably comedy mainly just reflects how people are feeling already) and won’t do the business just by parachuting comics into armed conflicts.
But I’ll give it a go if President Obama wants to give it a shot. At the very least it should give me another one or two Metro columns (depending on how long it is before I am beheaded). But I insist that Bono comes along as my support act and goes on first.
It was a good gig in the place that I live in in an alternate Universe and the staff and crew especially cool. Thanks for having me. You shit all over those Harpenden idiots (I can say that, because I used to live there)!
Another frame of Me1 Vs Me2 Snooker has just been released. It will never stop. Until you all agree that it is the greatest achievement of humanity.
