Thanks for your many messages of support. Don't worry I am not down-hearted. Quite the opposite, but nice to know that so many of you dig what I am doing, man. And a bit of controversy never hurt no-one huh, Daddio?
Funnily enough I was asked to do an interview with a journalist from the Times about controversial comedy this afternoon. So it hadn't been a bad thing to have all this stuff occupying me for the last couple of days. I made the point that the more offensive the world is, the more offensive comedians have to become. And yet I am pleased I am not just doing controversial stuff. There's a mixture of humour in the show. The journalist was writing about a show in Edinburgh where comedians are encouraged to do the material that they would be afraid to do in their acts. I am not sure that there are many things that I wouldn't do in my own stage act. There are a couple of things that I have found very funny that I might think twice about - such as the phone messages that me and Peter Baynham used to leave each other supposedly from serial killers and other notorious criminals and suspected criminals or the idea that me and Stewart had about doing a charity record for the perpetrator of an awful mass murderer from a few years back, all the proceeds of which would go to building a statue to him in the town that he'd done his crime in. The song would go something along the lines of "Maybe if you had been a bit nicer to him, he wouldn't have done this." But part of the humour of it (apart from the fact that it was totally sick and unacceptable and thus funny) was that we ourselves would have to genuinely unveil the statue as a surprise and then see how long it was before we were ripped apart by the crowd. This is an idea that used to make us cry with laughter, but I would never do it in its full version (ie mentioning the actual incident) because it would of course be much too offensive an idea, even if people understood that the joke was about the inappropriateness. But then I wouldn't do that joke in a special night of offensive comedy either. I don't think. Who knows?
I suppose the problem with a special show of offensive stuff is that people are primed and expecting it and will be baying for worse, but if you just slip the occasional thing into a show not billed as being offensive then it has more surprise and power. It's an interesting distinction. Well maybe it's a boring distinction. Maybe discussing the mechanics of comedy is never going to be that interesting.
The gig tonight went fine. It was powerful hot and it was the most reserved audience I have had for a while. But most people at least had the occasional smile crossing their lips (maybe my hard man reputation had gone before me). The admittedly small room was packed beyond capacity and it's been gratifying that most of my previews have been well attended this year, which hopefully is a good sign of things to come. I still haven't finalised what's going to be in the show and am still playing around with stuff, so it promises to be fun. I'm heading up on Sunday, and I guess once I am there and sniffing in the hops it will all seem a bit more imminent than it does at the moment (there's only a week to go, which even as I write that is not sinking in). You have experienced enough Edinburghs with me to know that these hopeful feelings can turn around and doubtless there will be days of disappointment and depression, but in a way there is less to lose than ever now. If I can stay playful and relaxed and enjoying myself this could be a special (if ramshackle) show.
Hope you can make it along some time. Do book ahead. Tickets going well. Details to the right.
Love you all xx.
