My comedy shoes may give me the ultimate power to never be unfunny again (though I think I was wearing them when I "heckled" Munnery and they weren't able to help me overcome tiredness and general crapness on Monday night's show), but they have proved to be a bit uncomfortable and are rubbing at the back and causing me to bleed. But all comedy is based on pain and so I am perservering with them in the hope that once they are worn in the bleeding and agony will stop. I've had a great couple of shows this week. I've been getting around 80 people on week days which would have been terrible any other year, but which is pretty impressive compared to any other act at the Pod and comedians all over town are complaining about a lack of audience. And I've been messing around a lot more and coming up with new stuff which has been fun. It means I'm starting to overrun again, but no-one seems to mind and it's clear that getting more relaxed and riffing is making the show a lot better. I can't wait til I no longer have a 60 (well 65) minute time limit. It's interesting how much this show rests on people buying into me and sort of suspending their disbelief a bit. That's not quite right, as everything in the show is true. It's more about the audience suspending their coolness a bit and going along with CNPS and the stupidity of the quest. This is much easier when I am able to let myself go and have fun. I failed on Monday and the impetus of the show was gone, but today after a cold reception to the first few minutes, I started to enjoy myself and so did the audience. It's entirely my fault when it goes wrong and the show is still OK, but it doesn't become special until I bring these strangers into my private world. And when I'm on form it's great what new stuff springs up. Today it suddenly struck me that if Hercules was chasing the Cerynian Hind for a year then they must have come to some sort of arrangement about breaks for sleeping, eating and excreting. It's great to be so relaxed that you can go off at a tangent. Some days it won't work, but when things are right and you're wearing magic torture shoes it's a thing of beauty. I love my stupid job.
I had lunch with Stewart Lee as we were doing an interview thing for the Scotsman (it will be in on Friday apparently). We just had to have a conversation that they then write down. We were both hungover and tired after a big party last night and not particularly inspired. But whatever we said will be the first Lee and Herring routine for five years. So order your copy now and check out how haggard we look in the photo (I'd had two hours sleep)!
