7612/20551
A bad night's sleep tonight, made worse because I thought how hard today would be if I couldn't get to sleep soon. I had a drive to London and back and two RHLSTPs to record. The show, as you know, must go on.
It was a struggle, but off my tits on Lemsip Max and with two great guests, my worries flew away - I didn't feel too exhausted and we recorded some lovely stuff. Steve Pemberton last did the show 11 years ago (I think it was released 11 years ago to the day) and his first appearance (with Reece) was only episode 11. Neither of us could believe so much time had passed. He is a lovely and obviously funny man and we got some good stories and my tiredness meant it even got a bit silly and out of control at the end.
Then we did a live book club with the uncontrollable wonder that is Lou Sanders whose unpredictability is now almost always within acceptable boundaries these days. Her book "What's That Lady Doing?" is so honest and funny and also upsetting and sad, but Lou owns her life, good and bad and has embraced her shame, I think in the hope that we will all do the same. Because however much some people might convincingly pretend otherwise our lives are, at least sometimes, a total fucking mess. Lou is such an individual free spirit and some people in her life took advantage of that or tried to stamp her down and at times she was her own worst enemy too, but she has emerged from all of that and is still her own person, still very much Lou Sanders, still a one off and is really making it work for her. Tomorrow she starts on Dancing on Ice and I don't think she could be happier about that!
This will go up as a book club quite soon (whereas you'll have to wait til 2024 for Pemberton).
Buy her book now. It's truly extraordinary. As is the author.
Even with roadworks on the A1M the drive home was not as bad as I had feared. I listened to an audiobook and then to Colin Murray talking about whether The Darling Buds of May should be in Telly Heaven or Hell and it was very vehemently placed in the latter. Though the chat really made me want to watch it. The past is a different country. And the TV of the past about an even older past is definitely a very weird place indeed. How was this such a popular show? Was it just David Jason and "perfick"? To be fair I still occasionally use the word perfick in a post-modern way when replying to texts. I will write "perfick" and then add "(perfect)" in the pretence that the recipient may not understand my hip reference. I am funny.
I was very glad to make it home without falling asleep at the wheel. Not today death. But one day you will claim me.
