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Aldershot this evening and lovely to sit in the green room with Lee Mack and Adam Bloom, like we were back in the 1990s. Amazingly the show was not sold out, but we'd sold 400 tickets which is certainly the most I've managed in Aldershot, so thanks to my guests for that.
I am nearly better. I had a bracing PT session this morning, which I flew through and I didn't start to feel tired today until the drive home (luckily Bec was driving). Another drop in weight too. I made a veg chilli for lunch and then put some more in a thermos so I could have it hot for my dinner too. I am a new man. Though to be honest I wouldn't fancy risking going out on the streets of Aldershot even at 5pm on a Friday night. The whole place gets burned down each weekend and then rebuilt.
A lady called Vanessa had flown in from Canada especially for this gig. Which was crazy enough, but she also ended up in Aldershot so there's nothing else she can do, apart from visit the Alpine dry ski slope and the military medicine museum. She seemed to think it was worth it. And also enjoyed my shout out calling her insane.
It's eight years since Lee had done the show and he's enjoying incredible success, so obviously I mainly talked about the projects that have failed to light the public imagination. He responded with grumpy good humour. For a man who claims his ultimate ambition is to stay in at home watching football on TV he gets an incredible amount done. He has recorded the 100th episode of Not Going Out, though feels he probably can't go for the record established by Last of the Summer Wine and get past 295. I wouldn't put it past him.
I am glad the gig was on a Friday so that Lee didn't have to miss any football (though I think he wouldn't have done it if there was any). So nice of him to take time out to be on the show.
Adam Bloom has written a fantastical technical book about stand up, aimed at people who are already stand ups who want to improve their acts. I've been reading it over the last week or so and been forced to think about whether I apply all the advice to my own set. I think I could definitely do some work on making sure my stuff is as perfect as possible and I have always struggled to work out what my comedic persona is - mainly because it varies from project to project and within RHLSTP adapt it a little bit to match up with the guest (I can be low or high status, loquacious or quiet, straight man or funny man depending on the circumstances). The Herrin character in the Collings and Herrin double act was nothing like the Richard Herring character in Lee and Herring and even the style of my stand up shows vary a bit from year to year. As Adam says none of the stuff in his book is hard and fast rules and you can do the opposite of his advice and make your act work, but you do need to understand the rules to break them. I wonder if I should have a more defined persona and outfit for my stand up version of me, at least. But maybe my persona is a bit more Zelig. It's interesting to think about it and Adam has some dynamite observations and theories that I think will improve the act of comedians at pretty much every level (though we both think that you'd have to have some gigs under your belt before what he says starts to make sense). I know people think I work hard already, but I think I am a little bit lazy and as much as I enjoy perfecting a show on stage throughout a tour, the book has made me determined to do a bit more work on it off stage too.
Buy the book here. Adam was also very excited about self-publishing and has some good advice about that too.
So two more interesting and funny podcasts in the bank and I was delighted to be feeling well again.
I get 10 days off from RHLSTP now, though have ended up agreeing to do another podcast with Greg Jenner in Merseyside and am doing two stand up gigs next weekend, so half term is not really going to be a week off.
One of my favourite RHLSTPs ever has gone up as a Book Club today (but there's lots more in there than just the book).
It's with Simon Farnaby. Don't miss it.
