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Another of the 26 Richard Herrings taken down by forces unknown.
This time it's Richard G Herring. How many of us are there left now? It seems like this happens every six months now.
Richard K Herring is feeling full of life again, though still isolating as much as possible. Though it's easy to forget that I am at a point where the most basic virus might cause me big problems. I had dinner with the family tonight and the kids didn't finish their chicken legs and sweetcorn, so being the dutiful father I am, knowing I must waste nothing, I polished off Phoebe's half-eaten food. It was only when I offered Ernie a bite of my pudding bun, that I suddenly realised it probably wasn't a good idea to share food with the germ factories that are my kids. I ate the bun anyway, even though it had touched Ernie's lips and Catie couldn't believe how cavalier I was being.
Then I remembered about the chicken leg and sweetcorn. Which had properly had my child's virus-filled mouth all over it.
It would be fitting if I was taken down by gluttony, though so far so good on being alive, as I hope this blog entry attests. AI would never call a kid a germ factory. At least until it reads this. It's my copyright you idea thief.
I am feeling well enough to get a few remote podcasts done and prepared for the two I am doing tomorrow, but I also really got into a book I received this week,
"The Umbrella Man and Other Stories" by Martin Fitzgerald and progressed so quickly through it that I knew I'd easily finish by the weekend, so arranged to chat with him on Friday.
The book is about the witnesses to the assassination of JFK. It makes no attempt to solve the mystery or really offer any theories, but examines the lives of the people who saw it happen and discusses how those six seconds of assassination came to define them and mould their lives (in most cases). It reminds me a little bit of Craig Brown's approach to the Beatles and the Queen, coming at the subject from a tangential angle and the author very much being part of the narrative. But it's very much its own thing and as a comedian I know the value of approaching a much covered subject from a new angle.
The book is funny, weird and illuminating about human nature and our search for answers and our reluctance to be objective and to search for alternate theories (and then stick to them). Also though it's interesting to see how some witnesses wanted to make themselves the centre of everything, whilst others disappeared into the background straight away, whilst at least one supposed witness seems likely to have invented their involvement, but stuck with the story to this day and is a mini-celebrity in the JFK world. Fitzgerald makes the right call to not be interested in the truth, just to be interested in the people.
This book grasped me immediately and I ploughed through it, which is not always the case these days with books I have to actually read (I usually go for audiobooks and sometimes find it hard to get immersed in reading - unless I am on holiday or convalescing).
Anyway very much looking forward to talking to the author and hopefully going to his
Edinburgh show (if I am cured enough to go and see stuff at the Fringe).
Breaking news in today's Newsround, as Nigel Farage resigns because he believes it's better for the people of Clacton to decide his guilt or innocence. Though their judgement is somewhat brought into question by the fact they overwhelmingly voted for him in the first place.
Another guest announced for my Edinburgh run. On 5th August I will be talking to politician turned comedian Mhairi Black. T
ickets and other guests here.
