482/21401
A frustrating day of trying to get to Chelmsford and back through heavy traffic on the way there and rain and road closures and traffic accidents (not involving us luckily) on the way back.
The bit in the middle was fun though.
I was taking part in the Essex Podcast Festival and was talking to my occasional collaborator Stevie Martin, who I am pleased to see is starting to enjoy the success that her incredible talent deserves, and Vittorio Angelone who I have not met before, but whose stuff online I've been really impressed with.
Check out one of his stand up specials for free here.In the conversation with Vittorio I joked that he was probably in primary school when I started podcasting. Ludicrous notion. He was in the first year of secondary school.
He gave me a headstart, but it seems like his podcast business may have overtaken mine. And I think he deserves it. Mike and Vittorio’s Guide To Parenting reminds me a little bit of what I was doing with Andrew Collings back in 2008 before Vittorio had pubic hair (maybe not, he is of Italian heritage), only in that it's a freeform chat that doesn't seem to care to much about the legalities of what is being said. It's good that some portions of the podcast Universe are still like the Wild West, even as great swathes of the land has been brought up by corporate interests and it won't be long before every podcast is hosted by Ant and Dec.
Obviously I only do one podcast a week, which is lucky, because if I was doing two, in the middle of a tortuous car ride, then I imagine my brain would stop working in the second one and I'd spend minutes failing to remember the name of one of my favourite writers and telling the audience of the real life death stories that haunt me every time I think of them (and force them to be in the same boat). I tried out a couple of new emergency questions - and am thinking that I should maybe write a whole new book's worth to new ones, just to keep things fresh. The EQs still lead to interesting places that the more biographical stuff doesn't always (at least in terms of untold stories). I don't know what make this podcast the limited success that it is (and it rocks in terms of longevity) and inevitably there's a bit of an ebb and flow to how funny or interesting they are. I still love doing it, mostly. The audience seemed to have a good time, in spite of the nightmares that I may have given them.
Afterwards a woman claimed to have come all the way from Japan to see the show. I assumed that she was joking. But she had RHLSTP stickers on her phone case as she got a selfie with me. I feel I should have been more effusive with gratitude, just in case she was telling the truth. To be fair, I need more fans like that. Most of you pricks wouldn't have travelled from Braintree to see me! There was a respectable 220+ in tonight and it was a good start for the Essex Podcast Festival.
Check out their other shows here. Worth travelling halfway round the world for, but please don't come any further than that. Or just go in the other direction.
This one is really worth your time so please do listen
