Warming Up

Monday 17th November 2014

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The penultimate recording of this series of RHLSTP (and not sure we’re putting out any of next week’s stuff as it officially extras for the forthcoming TMWRNJ release) involved amusing and interesting chats with Sue Perkins and as a slight change of pace author and Christmas Cake enthusiast Ben Goldacre. When I had chatted to him at his flat for Richard Herring’s Objective a few years ago Ben had offered us Christmas Cake even though it was autumn. He admitted that he loved Christmas Cake so much that he kept a store of it in his freezer. I don’t get many of my guests a gift for appearing, but I thought that I had to buy him a Christmas Cake. So I popped into Tescos on my way to the gig and spent £10 on a lavish Tesco Finest cake. I couldn’t wait to see his little scientific face light up.
Ben accepted the gift in the spirit that was intended, but after the show he nearly left it behind in the dressing room. I told him that he must take it and he said, “Oh, is it really for me.” 
“Of course it is, Christmas Cake-o,” I told him, “Everyone knows that you love Christmas Cake.”
“Oh thanks,” he said, looking a little less enthused that I thought he’d be. “Since I’ve had kids I don’t really eat as much Christmas Cake. I eat a bit more sensibly now.”
What kind of a world is it where settling down can affect a man this much. If Ben Goldacre no longer eats mainly Christmas Cake then what hope for the rest of us?
He still took the cake though. Hopefully this will be the cake that sends him spiralling back into cake addiction.
Ben is a fan of the podcast and also admitted that he falls asleep whilst listening to it. Not because it is boring (or not just because of that) but it’s just he listens in bed. I nearly returned the favour tonight by falling asleep on stage. Not because he was boring, but because I have picked up a minor cold and was pretty tired. This is a long enough evening even when at peak fitness. 
Interestingly I found that talking to a non-comedian meant that I was a bit confused between the real me and the podcast “character” (who is admittedly very similar to me). We talked about some complex issues and being fatigued did not really help me express myself as well as I would have liked. But it’s cool that this podcast can encompass clever (and clever clever) discussion as well as dating six foot tall penis men. I felt a little punch drunk by the end of it all. But I can’t complain. This is such a fun way to (fail to) make a living. I spent the day reading Ben’s new book “I think you’ll find it’s a bit more complicated than that” (which I would say in a sneery voice every time it was mentioned in the podcast) and watching Sue Perkins travelling up the Mekon river (on a TV show - I am not a super rich stalker) and then got to be mildly rude to both of them tonight. We have enough podcasts in the bank now to take us through to more or less the end of January and we’re doing more in May, June and July.

We’ve financed the filming and editing of this series through the kind people who donate a pound or more a month here, but that will use up a few months of donations, so I think from now on we might only film the ones where we have a really big star name so we can start saving up cash for a possible monthly AIOTM (or another exciting project), but the free audio will continue. But we need to do some sums and work out what’s possible. It’s really all in your hands. Make a donation if you can. Continue to enjoy the free stuff if you can’t. And thanks to Chris Evans (not that one) who has put an awful lot of time and work into getting this stuff online with little to no reward. Buy a DVD from www.gofasterstripe.com as a reward for him. But like the prick that he is, he’ll only put that money back into making more obscure and money-losing comedy. What a hero!