Main Menu

Tip jar

If you like CaB and wish to support it, you can use PayPal or KoFi. Thank you, and I hope you continue to enjoy the site - Neil.

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Support CaB

Recent

Welcome to Cook'd and Bomb'd. Please login or sign up.

March 28, 2024, 11:38:02 AM

Login with username, password and session length

Histor's Eye

Started by Catalogue Trousers, October 16, 2021, 09:30:04 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Ferris

Quote from: Replies From View on October 17, 2021, 05:26:42 PM
He's not saying it's rubbish to be invited onto Richard's podcast, with all the nostalgia that people might hope for - he's pointing out that Richard is self-absorbed, and he is.

He's also implying that he's above all that, and what Rich is doing is of less value. Now that may be true, but is it something you'd say about an old friend, publicly, in print, for no reason (because as far as I'm aware, nobody asked him to do that interview he just decided to do it and put it out)? I think I'd just avoid the topic, and politely demur if asked directly. He's gone out of his way to publish an opinion, and seems to gloss over the other reunion stuff they've done since 2001 (I can think of at least 2 live shows).

That all seems needlessly cunty to me, and again I say that as a huge fan.

Re: ADF, yeah I doubt Stew was on the phone to them begging to be their pseudo frontman, but when the offer came in he could have said no thanks, or well I'll just re-record the vocals if you like, or after seeing the final video saying "christ don't put that out I look absurd". Maybe he's only looking like a berk ironically, ahhh do you not see, but it's hardly a pinnacle of his output for me.

Replies From View

Has everyone appreciated that he said:

"I haven't really spoken to Richard, aside from during his podcasts when he would ask me to remember things he had done"


and not:


"I haven't really spoken to Richard, aside from during his podcasts when he would ask me to remember things we had done"



He isn't dissing Richard's decision to interview comedians and reminisce about the old days.  He isn't saying that he is above that choice.  He is saying that when he's been on Richard's podcast, he has been invited to spend a lot of time talking about Richard.  Which I think is a fair enough observation, (it comes from a deeper understanding of Richard's character than we are privy to, but it's pretty obvious as well to any listener/viewer of Richard's output) and he backs it up by saying that during their working relationship, Richard was insular and uninterested in learning from other people.

Thursday

Plinny is actually smarter than Histor though. In Histor's Eye and Ian News, Herring's character is actually the bigger idiot. Both very pompous, very delusional and self-important, bigoted as well. Plinny secretly shares the real Stewart Lee's actual views on things, while I think Ian Ketterman has a more childish innocent view of the world that's more correct than Ian Lewis.

Ferris

Quote from: Replies From View on October 17, 2021, 06:55:38 PM
Has everyone appreciated that he said:

"I haven't really spoken to Richard, aside from during his podcasts when he would ask me to remember things he had done"


and not:


"I haven't really spoken to Richard, aside from during his podcasts when he would ask me to remember things we had done"



He isn't dissing Richard's decision to interview comedians and reminisce about the old days.  He isn't saying that he is above that choice.  He is saying that when he's been on Richard's podcast, he has been invited to spend a lot of time talking about Richard.  Which I think is a fair enough observation, (it comes from a deeper understanding of Richard's character than we are privy to, but it's pretty obvious as well to any listener/viewer of Richard's output) and he backs it up by saying that during their working relationship, Richard was insular and uninterested in learning from other people.

He says Rich lacks musicality or curiosity outside of his own esoteric world and compares his podcast to an exercise in remaining relevant and likens him to whatshisname Osman. Then he talks about being the last comic left[nb]from his graduating year at Oxford no less - how's about that for a ludicrous lack of self-awareness. He's not been at borstal[/nb] like he's a Vietnam veteran or spent 30 years working on an oil rig.

Like I say, big fan of his work and professionally he always seems decent and willing to give people a leg up but it doesn't stop me thinking he's probably not a massively nice guy to hang about with. Even his Oxford mates who he deems worthy of the title of former-comedian (sorry, "comic") Al Murray and the other guy get a few jabs about their output. And this is all unasked for! Nobody has said "hey Stew - tell us what you reckon about Moor's commercial work", he's just put it out there.

Fine, I doubt anyone except him and CaB has read the piece because it's on his website that I doubt gets high traffic, but he still published it for no reason I can see (though I haven't exactly looked for one).

bgmnts

To be fair, he is probably the best in his field. 
If anyone can be arrogant, it can be him.

chveik

Quote from: bgmnts on October 17, 2021, 07:19:51 PM
To be fair, he is probably the best in his field. 
If anyone can be arrogant, it can be him.

quite. and Rich must be such a narcissistic pain in the arse to be around, and he hasn't done anything of value in years

McChesney Duntz

Quote from: FerriswheelBueller on October 17, 2021, 06:44:58 PM
(because as far as I'm aware, nobody asked him to do that interview he just decided to do it and put it out)

For what it's worth, it wasn't a vanity piece he did just for his website - it comes from here: https://www.ledocument.com/issue-eighteen/stewart-lee

Ferris

Quote from: chveik on October 17, 2021, 07:23:53 PM
quite. and Rich must be such a narcissistic pain in the arse to be around, and he hasn't done anything of value in years

Yeah but it's one thing you saying that, it's another coming from a former colleague and double act partner.

Quote from: McChesney Duntz on October 17, 2021, 07:24:47 PM
For what it's worth, it wasn't a vanity piece he did just for his website - it comes from here: https://www.ledocument.com/issue-eighteen/stewart-lee

Fair enough, still think it's a shitty move but less so I guess? Not massively moved the needle though tbh because the point still stands that he's having a pop at a few people for no reason I can see. He can do what he likes, but that doesn't mean he's immune from my (functionally worthless) criticism.

Pranet

They did say nice things about each other, before they fell out.

I can imagine that both of them can be difficult at times (and tbf perfectly nice most of the time).

bgmnts

Quote from: chveik on October 17, 2021, 07:23:53 PM
quite. and Rich must be such a narcissistic pain in the arse to be around, and he hasn't done anything of value in years

Yeah not taking the piss but the reason I dont listen to RHLSTP unless there is a guest i'm hugely interssted in is because of how irritating Rich Herring is, at least on stage. That desperate aura.

gotmilk

I find the needless bitterness regarding Simon Bird pretty rude. Bird's act isn't so similar as to warrant that kind of criticism.

ajsmith2

Simon Bird like a Birds Bird.

Gurke and Hare

Quote from: jamiefairlie on October 17, 2021, 04:40:49 PM
Back to 'the eye', I truly love the way it just gradually descends into utter insanity over the weeks, ending up eating itself with absurdity, it's fantastic.

A lot of TMWRNJ is like that - you can pretty much see where they found out they weren't getting another series and the compliance level slips, like in the When Things Get Knocked Over, Spill, Or Fall Out Of Cupboards where Emma Kennedy very clearly mouths "Fucking hell".

Captain Z

Some random unconnected thoughts:

They still liked/tolerated each other enough to do some reunion shows in recent memory.

Stew had a somewhat affectionate/"in character" joke about Richard Herring's approach to comedy in Content Provider, but left it out of the TV recorded version.

Richard seems to regard Histor's Eye very highly and put forward his Histor puppet as a Taskmaster prize under a category something like "most prized possession" (he won it back). Greg Davies also recalled the segment fondly.

I love the different design of the two puppets, particularly Pliny's wonky eyes perched right on the top of the head.

king_tubby

The Lee/ADF thing is incredibly cringe but the record with Laura Cannrell from last year is great, so swings and roundabouts.

Anyway, thanks for this thread, I'm going to pour myself a glass of wine and enjoy re-watching all of these.

Ferris

Yeah we've diverted a bit (a diversion for which I am partially guilty) but I love the Histor segments. Tremendous work.

king_tubby

Herring's Cornish faced voice is a delight in this.

McChesney Duntz

The Histor puppets were the work of one of the SOTCAA lads who used to hang around here, weren't they?

Alberon

It's often said that TMWRNJ got away with what it did simply beacuse no one from the upper levels of the BBC were aware of the show, let alone watching it.

All it would have taken was one manufactured flap in the papers and the whole thing would have been binned earlier than it was.

ajsmith2

Manufactured flap like a bird's wing flaps.


madhair60


Pranet

The Ian news thing- I know such a thing is difficult to believe, but my given human name is Ian.

Anyway, I really liked Lee and Herring. One evening when they were on Radio 1 I had missed the first half of the show for some reason, and when I turned it on I heard "And now the news for your name" and they went into Ian news. Which did discombobulate me briefly. I mean, I knew that they had a thing for the name Ian and I knew that Radio 1 couldn't actually target name based news to each of their listeners. But still. Pretty much the perfect listening experience for that, could only be bettered by someone called Ian who had never heard of L&H tuning in at exactly the same time.

AsparagusTrevor

My uncle's name is Ian, and he had his programme signed by Stew after one of his shows, introducing himself as Ian News. Stew seemed really happy about the reference, giving a pleased little smile and signing 'Good evenianiang".

Pranet

Once got Ben Moor to sign a book for me. He said "Are you an I.A.N Ian or an I.A.I.N Ian, you know the Lee and Herring thing?" Yes I do know that Ben how many people do you think are aware of you and not aware of Lee and Herring? Actually that is awful of me probably quite a lot and he seemed lovely and I really liked the show I'd just seen him do that is why I was buying his book off him.

AsparagusTrevor

The TMWRNJ Wikipedia page is ridiculously comprehensive, I wonder if Rich wrote it himself (with all the self-indulgence edited out by another user)

Thursday

It was probably someone here.

Gurke and Hare

There's a since-reverted edit removing any mention of Lee from the article.

lazyhour

Quote from: Gurke and Hare on October 18, 2021, 09:49:07 PM
There's a since-reverted edit removing any mention of Lee from the article.

A brilliantly deranged thing to do.

madhair60

Deranged! Like free range hens, I hate hens