Warming Up

Keeping busy today, but no time to do any writing, as I had to book a guest for tonight’s RHLSTP (Mark Watson stepped up to the plate), do my research and then, in the afternoon I recorded an episode of Brett Goldstein’s excellent “Films To Be Buried With”Podcast (don’t know when that will be out, but it was fun to revisit my past via films). That took two hours and I had to go straight into getting the kids washed and into bed (having missed giving them their tea- don’t worry their mum was more than on it) and then after eating my own dinner, do another 75 minutes of talking with Mark Watson and then collapse drunk into bed. I’d had wine with dinner, whisky with Mark and for some unfathomable reason had had a glass of Baileys with my wife at bedtime. It’s like I WANT to make tomorrow’s teaching and childcare a living Hell!

I’d also done stone clearing first thing, but the tech was playing up, so I bumped it up to a three podcast day (four if you count the old RHLSTP that was released as well) and did a chapter for the audiophiles who have been neglected by all my TV (Twitch) success (150 people watching me, but mainly chatting amongst themselves) 

It is the originals that I truly love. Stone Clearing has been ruined by going mainstream. But I am making tens of pence every time I go out on the field and I’d be crazy to turn that kind of money down.

There’s a possibility that either the snooker or the stone clearing might feature in an upcoming TV show though, so that is going to blow this thing wide open! I will be paid and everything. And I am going to cash the cheque and take the money to my wife and burn it in front of her,  shouting, “I told you this would get me back in the big time. You thought I could never make money out of it, well look!”

And she’ll say, “But why are you burning the money. Surely if you destroy it then you’re actually proving me right.”

And I’ll say, “No, I am proving you wrong. And also I don’t want to have to share the money with you when you didn’t believe in me.”

And she’ll say, “I was, at worst, ambivalent about the whole thing, but still supported you, as I always do in your stupid projects, knowing that somehow you occasionally make one actually work.”

And I’ll say, “…. Well… um… Enjoy your burned money.”

And then walk out feeling pretty happy with myself for once again winning the competition that is marriage.

I chatted to Brett about how, for my little family at least, things are not as bad as I thought they would be. We’re basically a month in - maybe halfway through lockdown, but let’s face it, probably not - and  though it’s been very stressful in lots of ways I am more enjoying it than despairing. But I’ve got my stones and my snooker to keep me sane. And also alcohol.

I am aware that this is not the case for everyone (well I assume the alcohol bit is) and I have been lucky and fallen on my feet, even with all the work that got cancelled the lost earnings. I guess you’re only lucky til you’re not. But I could equally spin the exact same circumstances into a tale of woe so I guess a lot of it is about you won perspective on life.

With all these podcasts and zoom chats and all the Mes to keep me company I am probably being more social than usual, without the annoying part of having to actually go out. 

As my wife doesn’t have a blog there’s no way of finding out how she thinks it’s going.

RHLSTP with Steve Mcneil of Go 8 Bit is now up on video

And audio 

1741 people tuned in to see the live RHLSTP with Mark Watson. You can catch up here. And it will be out as a podcast in June (though Mark shut his laptop before the audio had downloaded so it won't be the high quality that the audiophiles are used to).

If you like what we're doing on Twitch why not pay using Ian Amazon's money, like this.

Here’s the schedule for podcast release - there’s the possibility that it might change a little bit, but those of you who have been patiently (and impatiently) waiting for Limmy don’t have too long left now. Though if we’d put the podcasts out once a week rather than spunking them out like there’d always be the theatre and guests to record more then you’d have been waiting another 16 or 17 weeks. What young fools we were. We could have had a silo of podcasts to get us through this thing. 

But our stupidity is your gain, as there are lots more remote RHLSTPs to come (we might even start doing 2 a week)

Next Wednesday at 8pm you can see me talking to Robert Webb from Robert’s Web. It’s all on Twitch and all free (and as you can see below will be released as a podcast eventually)

29th April Fern Brady

6th May Limmy

13th May Sir Michael Palin

20th May Aisling Bea

27th May Adam Buxton

3rd June Michael Spicer

10th June Mark Watson

17th June Robert Webb

24th June ?