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Today I attempted something that some people said was impossible, recording two RHLSTPs in the same night. With Lauren Pattison at 8pm and Bill Burr at 10pm.
I would show them that I was up to the challenge.
So most of the day was spent researching the guests. As Lauren is newer and we’d talked before I could get through her stuff pretty quickly, so most of the day was spent watching Bill Burr videos, F is for Family and listening to him on other podcasts.
He’s a comedian who enjoys to stir things up and question received opinion, though he straddles the line well because, I think, he admits that he doesn’t have any answers. And he’s often asking the questions that will have occurred to most people but that they are afraid to ask in case they offend someone. Which is a problem with society, not comedy. Shutting people down and making them repress their thoughts and not allowing them to talk about issues is not the way to make them change their mind.
I don’t agree with him on everything by any means, but his on stage persona is solid and likeable, even when he’s pushing things too far. I’ve always liked that kind of comedy. I guess I’ve done a fair amount of it myself. It’s one of comedy’s many jobs to be the spanner in the works and the grit in the oyster.
We also have a similar journey to where we are now. He’s less than a year younger than me, we were both doing the clubs in the early 90s and getting some TV work without really breaking through. He started podcasting about eight months before I did, which was his proper breakthrough and led to him being on Breaking Bad and starring in movies and led to me doing Pointless Celebrities (and I don’t want to tip the scales in my favour, but I’ve done it four times and been on Tipping Point too).
After a really positive and enjoyable chat with Lauren Pattison, who is still smiling in spite of life having thrown a few shit-cakes at her this year.
You can see it here.
Or wait a few weeks for the podcast.
As soon as that was done I got a call from Bill’s manager saying he was going to have to reschedule the interview. It was all a bit last minute but there was a good reason and it wasn’t like the day was wasted because the research holds good for whenever we do the interview. But I could have used today to write my book which has ground to a bit of a halt, so that was frustrating.
But it was my own hubris at believing it was possible for a man to do podcasts in one night. Like driving at over 5mph that could cause your brain to explode. I’d had a lucky escape.
The Michael Spicer RHLSTP is now up
