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Richard Herring getting twitchy in lockdown: 2020

Started by MojoJojo, June 05, 2020, 02:54:47 PM

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letsgobrian

Quote from: beanheadmcginty on November 20, 2021, 10:01:49 AMSurely Scott Aukerman could sue him at this point? Fair enough copying someone's idea for a laugh, but once you've started making money from it then it's a step too far. Especially as the execution is so much worse.

It's a public domain parlour game, there's been commercial iterations of it long before CBB's version. For example: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/677/would-you-rather

non capisco

I would like the scenario of Aukerman's legal team describing Herring's actions as "a classic Would You Rather blunder" though.

olliebean

There's at least two dozen books called "Would You Rather" on Amazon, and Herring's only comes in at no.7.

sutin

Although it was an unnecessarily mean thing to say about someone he worked with for years and is associated with, Stewart Lee couldn't be any more on the money when he said Rich operates in his own bubble and has no ear for comic intonality.

Pink Gregory

The shame is, considering how much that he has written, Herring could probably write quite a good book, about anything.

Haven't read How Not To Grow up or Talking Cock, I mean in this stage of his career.

and yet this is what we have

Magnum Valentino

How Not To Grow Up is bad. Amazon sent me a copy to review and when I reviewed it, Rich and Collins made fun of me on their podcast and people in the comments started hassling me.


Mobbd

Quote from: Magnum Valentino on November 20, 2021, 04:42:21 PMHow Not To Grow Up is bad. Amazon sent me a copy to review and when I reviewed it, Rich and Collins made fun of me on their podcast and people in the comments started hassling me.

That's amazing.

I remember How Not to Grow Up being the first time I was a bit disappointed with Rich's work. As well as being largely old material (from his brilliant Oh Fuck show) it was just a bit dashed off, rushed for reasons I couldn't understand.

But at least it was an actual book. Codified human experience and reflection.

The EQ books are very nothingy. Would You Rather is beyond the pale. The cover (urgh, that cover - and this may be the publisher's doing rather than Rich's) actually says "for anyone aged 6 to 106!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

EggsLikeABird

One thing I'll say about Richard, though, his ability to die regularly in front of a crowd who is there for him mostly is quite something. Those intros he does where he just rambles, waits for a laugh and continues on has gone past the point of cringing, and its just acceptable. He marched through it. Fair play.

He's incredibly mediocre, though. His books, his interview style, his stand up. Its all just bland and unoriginal, like if he sticks with the same run of unappealing shit, we'll get it eventually. I'm glad Time Gentlemen Please did well for him financially so he can continue going nowhere, though.

Mobbd

Quote from: EggsLikeABird on November 21, 2021, 06:40:39 PMOne thing I'll say about Richard, though, his ability to die regularly in front of a crowd who is there for him mostly is quite something. Those intros he does where he just rambles, waits for a laugh and continues on has gone past the point of cringing, and its just acceptable. He marched through it. Fair play.

He's incredibly mediocre, though. His books, his interview style, his stand up. Its all just bland and unoriginal, like if he sticks with the same run of unappealing shit, we'll get it eventually. I'm glad Time Gentlemen Please did well for him financially so he can continue going nowhere, though.

God, those intros. I remember thinking it was a bit odd in the early days of RHLSTP/RHEFP how he was happy to have a notebook out like when Geoff Tipps does comedy. I guess it was a vestige of when he did audio-only podcasts; I suppose it would have made sense for him to continue this if the video element was simply a fly-on-the-radio-studio-wall situation but he's on a stage with an audience!

But then I just got used to it, just as, I imagine, did those more recent audiences giving him zero response you mention. The new development of him hurriedly reading through one of his blog posts to almost no response is shockingly dire. The way he is signposting the "jokes" that just about survive on the page but die and burn and sound self-congratulatory (despite being abysmal) when read aloud. The first time I noticed him doing this was the blog about the missing Prince George tree but he's done it again since. It's a truly baffling state of affairs. It's okay that he reuses ideas in different media but why can't he just remember the story in his brain and summarise it for the performance, riffing off it in real-time like, you know, a comedian would? Basic fucking presentation skills that even office workers know about.

He used to balance out his mediocrity with a sort of self-awareness of it, of leaning into it, and creating a shabby but consistent and increasingly funny world around it. But now he seems to be leaning into any vaporous old shit almost as if his only mission now is to milk whatever bilious dregs he can out of the world his younger self devotedly and industriously built but which has now essentially failed. I don't like this and it makes me genuinely sad. I remember him saying that he'd like to be like Ken Dodd by working into his 80s. Hmm. Might need some new schtick for that, Rich. And you might need to stop reading off bits of paper that your tired fans have already read.

turnstyle

Quote from: Small Man Big Horse on November 20, 2021, 09:49:52 AMI discovered this week that the "Would You Rather?" book is different from the emergency questions book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Richard-Herrings-Would-You-Rather/dp/0751585718 - the absolute gall of the man to chuck out shit like this astonishes me sometimes.

Quote from: Amazon ReviewerAs usual Richard Herring has written a very funny book. Perfect for long car journeys and even dates! Great buy. Would recommend.

Somewhere, there's a woman escaping through the toilet window of her local Wetherspoons.

Tokyo van Ramming

Just listening to the latest Office Hours 9-5 podcast and one of the callers asked a couple of Emergency Questions from the book.

Absolutely sickening convergence.

Virgo76

The Problem With Men wasn't a bad book, in fairness.

sutin

Quote from: Virgo76 on November 27, 2021, 08:26:07 PMThe Problem With Men wasn't a bad book, in fairness.

I need to get that.

He's churning out books like he does podcasts now, and probably with the same level of care.

beanheadmcginty

Anyone excited to hear Deborah Meaden answering emergency questions? Anyone?

petril

Quote from: Pink Gregory on November 20, 2021, 05:22:02 AMSurely the point of Emergency Questions is as a sort of party piece, where you read them out to serve the same purpose as they so in the podcast?

Listening to a list of questions and silently chuckling to oneself at the possibilities seems like disturbed behaviour.

coverage of comedians doing the bit before they actually write anything funny is great deso

sutin

No idea who that woman on this week was but lord she was annoying. When she talked about how cold some (now) comedy legends were to her at the Cambridge Footlights, I thought 'yeah, i'd blank you too'.

Shaky

Quote from: EggsLikeABird on November 21, 2021, 06:40:39 PMOne thing I'll say about Richard, though, his ability to die regularly in front of a crowd who is there for him mostly is quite something. Those intros he does where he just rambles, waits for a laugh and continues on has gone past the point of cringing, and its just acceptable. He marched through it. Fair play.

He's incredibly mediocre, though. His books, his interview style, his stand up. Its all just bland and unoriginal, like if he sticks with the same run of unappealing shit, we'll get it eventually. I'm glad Time Gentlemen Please did well for him financially so he can continue going nowhere, though.

To be fair, a lot of his schtick is intentional rambling and carrying a deliberately weak joke past the point of no return. Same with the Ian News etc in Fist of Fun or the reliance on silly catchphrases like, "Moon on a stick". It's what he's always done. Reactions may vary, of course.

Quote from: sutin on December 23, 2021, 12:01:21 AMNo idea who that woman on this week was but lord she was annoying. When she talked about how cold some (now) comedy legends were to her at the Cambridge Footlights, I thought 'yeah, i'd blank you too'.

You don't know who Miriam Margoyles is?? She's annoying, yes, but been in plenty of stuff.

sutin

Quote from: Shaky on December 23, 2021, 01:02:53 AMYou don't know who Miriam Margoyles is?? She's annoying, yes, but been in plenty of stuff.

I looked through her credits and the only things i've seen that she's in are Little Shop Of Horrors, the Baz Luhrmann Romeo & Juliet and the first two series of Blackadder. I don't remember her characters in any of those, none of which i've seen in at least 2 decades. Herring was talking to her like she was famous, and she's an OBE, but fuck if I know who the hell she is.

Shaky

Fair enough - she does seem to have become a national treasure a la Dench and she's much "loved" here in Oz as well, despite being quite a tedious woman.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

I haven't heard of this person, therefore how can they be famous?



whatabulb

Quote from: Ballad of Ballard Berkley on December 23, 2021, 05:44:46 AMI haven't heard of this person, therefore how can they be famous?




to be fair she was only in Little Shop Of Horrors, the Baz Luhrmann Romeo & Juliet and the first two series of Blackadder

what even is a blackadder

DrGreggles

Quote from: Ballad of Ballard Berkley on December 23, 2021, 05:44:46 AMI haven't heard of this person, therefore how can they be famous?

It's like not knowing who Paul McCartney was in the 1960s.

Icehaven

#682
I've heard of her and thought she's fairly famous but then I've only seen her in Blackadder and adverts for talk shows she's guested on that I didn't watch. And she was on Adam Buxton's podcast a while back but then everyone has.

While we're on the subject of podcasts and not having heard of famous things, I've been listening to Andrew Gold's On The Edge podcast recently (basically a Louis Theroux tribute act) and Gold, an English man in his early 30s who now lives in Europe but grew up in the UK, had seemingly never heard of Basil Brush, The Whole Of The Moon by The Waterboys and the Serenity Prayer. I find this hard to believe but then I'm nearly 10 years older than him. Is that normal or did he grow up under a rock?

Magnum Valentino

I am wrong in thinking the 'never heard of them' dismissal never seems to be used for men?

Mobbd

#684
Quote from: sutin on December 23, 2021, 12:01:21 AMNo idea who that woman on this week was but lord she was annoying. When she talked about how cold some (now) comedy legends were to her at the Cambridge Footlights, I thought 'yeah, i'd blank you too'.

It's okay not to have heard of Miriam Margolyes but it's also a little odd. Unless you're 12? It's okay to be 12.

I can't speak for her performance on RHLSTP yet, but her chat show badinage is usually second to none so I'd be surprised if she didn't deliver on this. Is she not a treasure trove of indiscreet anecdotes and surprising x-rated filth?

If the chemistry didn't work with Herring somehow, check out her appearances on Graham Norton's telly thing (a show I don't watch but for MM's clips on YouTube) and her recent lockdown interview on Louis Theroux's Ground Up podcast.

jobotic

Quote from: Magnum Valentino on December 23, 2021, 09:32:59 AMI am wrong in thinking the 'never heard of them' dismissal never seems to be used for men?

I always think it about those American alpha-male podcasters that people seem to love so.

I don't know what Serenity Prayer is either.

paruses

Quote from: jobotic on December 23, 2021, 10:56:54 AMI always think it about those American alpha-male podcasters that people seem to love so.

I don't know what Serenity Prayer is either.

is firefly flim?

pigamus


paruses

I think you might know it if you heard it. It might be most famous these days as the one that close AA meetings:

God grant me the serenity to something something, the something to accept the something something, and the something to something something.


Isn't it to do with St Augustine originally? Maybe that's a different one. That might be an appeal to God about chastity: God grant me something but not right now.

I really should learn the key words to these things.

sutin

#689
Quote from: Ballad of Ballard Berkley on December 23, 2021, 05:44:46 AMI haven't heard of this person, therefore how can they be famous?

Because she's a guest on RHLSTP, like Jackie Weaver and the presenters of 'Answer Me This' before her!