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Friday 28th April 2017

5268/18188
A lovely gig in Exeter tonight, with just over 300 people in. A little bit down on last year and 80 or so less than I managed in 2012, but still enough to have a great gig and to justify the long drive through (we suddenly remembered) bank holiday traffic.  
After the show I experienced another loiterer at the table, this time a young man, dressed rather priggishly or fogeyishly in a bow tie (I think, but if he didn’t have one on, he gave the air of wearing a bow tie, which is the same thing). Unlike the man in Hertford he didn’t try to lure me into a trap, but like him, he did ask me why I thought Christianity was fair game and other religions weren’t. Given he hadn’t been a dick about it I was prepared to debate it with him and more prepared than last time too. 
I explained how I felt the same about all religions, that people were welcome to believe what they wanted, but so was I, and that it wouldn’t be possible to do routines about the Koran due to no one in the audiences I have knowing enough about them. But I did again point out that the routine I do in this show involves figures from Judaism and Islam and in that sense it is doing the job that Christians weirdly want to see happen, of taking the piss out of other religions, even when they are clearly hurt that I have lightly mocked theirs. Not a very Christian attitude.
I dealt with it without being rude though, said I felt the same about Islam as I did about all religions, that I wasn’t afraid to say that I thought it was rubbish too. I asked him what he’d like me to mock in Islam, because the problem is that neither I or I correctly suspected, he, know enough about it to make an entertaining evening out of it.
I thought I’d been fair and explained myself well, but he didn’t really want to listen, just express his annoyance. He referenced my routine by thanking me for the programme which he would now use as toilet paper. I remarked, a bit too late for him to hear, that that wasn’t a great idea as the programme has glossy pages, not as absorbent as those of the texts of any of the major religions.
Again it didn’t make me happy to make an audience member sad. But it’s a shame he didn’t want to enter a meaningful dialogue, like the vicar who came to Bournemouth. 
It was a bit more entertainment for the people in the queue though and at least this time I was pleased with my eloquence on the subject. It’s a huge compliment to Christianity that enough people are aware of the ins and outs of it for me to be able to do a 30 minute routine about two passages from the New Testament.
We drove up to Cheddar after the gig and ate cheese and drank some wine with my Aged Ps. But I was pretty much blasted and was asleep before midnight for once.
 
The Emergency Question kickstarter books are now at the printers and we’ve received the proof sheets and it’s looking good. You now have a chance to read the book before anyone else and own a complete set of proofs by bidding in the latest eBay auction - they’d also look pretty cool framed. There’s a few other bits and bobs there too including some very rare signed leaflets for old shows. All the money will go towards making new podcasts. Bid here.


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