RHLSTP Revived

[Small Man Big Horse]

Am I the only one simply bored with the format now?

Yeah, I have, there are some episodes I'll occasionally listen to, but it's nearly always someone who hasn't been on before and who I really love. Even then I might no make it to the end as Herring relies on the emergency questions way too often.

Also, concerning Herring commenting on the dwindling live audience, I did go once (when Mackenzie Crook was the guest) and I enjoyed it well enough, but when the podcast was released I can't remember anything interesting being edited out, so it seemed a bit pointless being there in the flesh. I get that there's the odd interview which contains material Herring's had to cut (or an entire show that was never released) but I can't imagine it happening that often, so haven't yet felt the urge to return.

That said, if he ever got Stewart Lee back on the show I'd buy a front row ticket immediately!

[Mobbd]

I'm trying to remember a thing I heard on RHLSTP once. I could have sworn it was on the Johann Hari episode but after torturing myself by listening to it again, I couldn't find the nugget I was looking for.

It was something about not touching your hair, how touching it all the time will thin it and you'll regret it when you're older.

Does anyone remember this? Who said it? C'mon, CaB Hivemind! I hope it wasn't on the Hari episode and I just fucking missed it.

Not that anyone gives a tuppeny shit, but I think I found it. It wasn't Johan Hari. I think it was Joe Lycett. He was quoting The Sunscreen Song/Everybody's Free by Baz Luhrmann:

Don't mess too much with your hair
Or by the time you're 40 it will look 85

Not relistened to Lycett's episode yet but I'm satisfied that this'll be it.

I chanced upon the song randomly elsewhere, but then I was able to look up "Baz Luhrmann" at a website called https://rhlstprhlstp.com/.

Just wanted to mention this website here as a useful reference resource for all trying-to-remember-bits-of-RHLSTP needs.

[Huxwell]

I did skim through a few episodes trying to find it for you but couldn't.

[Mobbd]

I did skim through a few episodes trying to find it for you but couldn't.

Aw, thanks Huxwell.

[centristmelt]

It doesn't need to be before an audience really does it?

[Mobbd]

It doesn't need to be before an audience really does it?

It shouldn't need to be (plenty of great podcasts are not) but the Zoom episodes are the absolute worst. Real non-events.

[Twilkes]

I wouldn't generally listen to it if it didn't have an audience, and haven't listened to much of many of the Zoom episodes - makes it a show and instils some sense of performance in the guest, if not the host, and must change the dynamic and some of the responses in comparison to a one-on-one dry recording. Most of the funny stuff is raised by having an audience response there.

Off-Menu seems to be the opposite for some reason, the live shows seem to miss what makes (made) the podcast great.

[Mobbd]

Blimey, he's talking to the Mayor of London in the latest one.

Sound quality is a disgrace but I'm interested enough to listen to a book club episode for once.*

*I was interested enough to listen to the Iceman one and I liked it.

Edit: Sadiq is doing the media-trained thing where he keeps saying Richard's name like some sort of robot pretending to be human.
Edit: Sadiq just said "choleria" when he meant "cholera." Weird.

[Thosworth]

Sound quality is a disgrace

It's always so jarring when the adverts he records in his house come on. Luckily the appalling, tinny sound quality means I know when to stop skipping forwards, as it massively improves when they return to the LST.

Extraordinary that someone podcasting as long as him is still producing audio worse than a 15-year-old Twitch streamer. I remember years ago in Edinburgh he regularly mocked all the 'audiophiles' who complained about the bloody awful sound quality. If he's deliberately been ensuring it's always been shit since then, I congratulate him on how long he's carried this joke on for.

[Mobbd]

Extraordinary that someone podcasting as long as him is still producing audio worse than a 15-year-old Twitch streamer. I remember years ago in Edinburgh he regularly mocked all the 'audiophiles' who complained about the bloody awful sound quality. If he's deliberately been ensuring it's always been shit since then, I congratulate him on how long he's carried this joke on for.

Yeah, I don't know. It's odd. Podcasts have moved on so much since those days and he's got to catch up. It's so basic! I remember when he had all his new podcasting equipment installed at the start of lockdown, but he's using it to make even worse audio than in the C&H days when it was recorded on an iMac internal mic.

[Mobbd]

Blimey, he's talking to the Mayor of London in the latest one.

Sound quality is a disgrace but I'm interested enough to listen to a book club episode for once.*

*I was interested enough to listen to the Iceman one and I liked it.

Edit: Sadiq is doing the media-trained thing where he keeps saying Richard's name like some sort of robot pretending to be human.
Edit: Sadiq just said "choleria" when he meant "cholera." Weird.

He wasn't so bad in the end. Relatively human. I think he was a bit nervous to begin with, which is sweet really.

[Hat FM]

i always find it odd how bad the audio on the behind the scenes interviews are. is that also a joke?

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

he did the same keep saying the presenter's name thing to Jennifer Saunders on on HIGNFY years ago. I thought to myself he's going to become mayor of london one day.

[Speak]

Are the opening stand up sections supposed to be shite? They're fucking terrible, but I quite enjoy them in a perverse way. Is he supposed to be "in character" or something? Just shockingly bad. Love it.

[Matthew Dawkins Jub Jub]

Are the opening stand up sections supposed to be shite? They're fucking terrible, but I quite enjoy them in a perverse way. Is he supposed to be "in character" or something? Just shockingly bad. Love it.

Says awkward thing. [nervous laughter]
repeat for eight minutes
Introduce guest by one of their least known projects. [music]
guest sits down
Engage in slightly combative conversation if the guest is a goer. If not, stumble through for 20 minutes.
guest is uncomfortable
Emergency question.
repeat until end.

[Twilkes]

Steven Wright is appearing on one of the upcoming Book Club episodes, Zoom chat though obviously.

[Uncle TechTip]

Says awkward thing. [nervous laughter]
repeat for eight minutes
Introduce guest by one of their least known projects. [music]
guest sits down
Engage in slightly combative conversation if the guest is a goer. If not, stumble through for 20 minutes.
guest is uncomfortable
Emergency question.
repeat until end.

I think that's a little unfair, you could write something equally pithy about most long running podcasts. It's a format, it follows the format.

[centristmelt]

I love how Richard is almost bemoaning people in his blog for not turning up live - if they haven't heard of the guest, or the guest isn't interesting / funny enough, then audiences simply aren't going to part with their money and come really.

[Twilkes]

I love how Richard is almost bemoaning people in his blog for not turning up live - if they haven't heard of the guest, or the guest isn't interesting / funny enough, then audiences simply aren't going to part with their money and come really.

But they were turning up prior to Covid, ticket sales are apparently down and never recovered to previous levels. There's a tour coming up which they're quietly confident will produce more revenue than the London shows.

No I'm not his agent.

[centristmelt]

But they were turning up prior to Covid, ticket sales are apparently down and never recovered to previous levels. There's a tour coming up which they're quietly confident will produce more revenue than the London shows.

No I'm not his agent.

I've been to one before and really enjoyed it - don't get me wrong. But the guest list does seem particularly uninspiring as of late.

[centristmelt]

Double post, sorry x

[Huxwell]

Looking at the seating maps, he looks to have sold around 75? tickets tonight. And about the same for all of the other shows except 3rd July (Ben Willbond, Larry Rickard & Bridget Christie) which is nearly full and Sarah Millican on the 17th July, which is nearly half full.

[Snrub]

Steven Wright is appearing on one of the upcoming Book Club episodes, Zoom chat though obviously.

For a second I thought that was going to be Steve Wright of "in the Afternoon" fame. Love the show, Rich.

I'm always behind with this and listened to the Suggs one before and whilst I like Suggs (and so does Rich), Suggs just sounds he's going through the motions telling well worn anecdote after well worn anecdote. Kind of seems a waste when Rich gets these people on and they just trod that path. Never sure if it's Rich's issue or theirs.

[Mobius]

Are the opening stand up sections supposed to be shite? They're fucking terrible, but I quite enjoy them in a perverse way. Is he supposed to be "in character" or something? Just shockingly bad. Love it.

That's been his thing for years really hasn't it... He did the same on As It Occurs To Me (aiotm) and whenever there wasn't a laugh or an awkward titter he'd go "I just wrote this 20 minutes ago!"

Everything he does has that slapdash amateur feel, which I suppose is part of his charm but it's also a good defense to anyone not liking it. "I didn't really try so you can't really slag this off" vibe.

[beanheadmcginty]

It genuinely does feel like he's on a downward trajectory in terms of popularity. Not sure why as I don't think he's any worse than he's ever been. Maybe we've all finally got bored of his schtick? I feel sorry for him really because I think he's a fundamentally good lad and contributed so much to my formative comedy years. But I just can't be arsed listening any more.

[centristmelt]

Maybe he should just take leaf out of Buckles' book and not do the interview podcasts all the year round.

[MoreauVasz]

Herring cuts quite an existential figure really... He's been around for ages, has written for some really successful projects and is an icon of British comedy (albeit a minor one).

He's got himself into a position where he has had a live talk show on the go for about a decade now. In the West End. At a time where talk shows aren't really a thing anymore.

He's also successful enough that he can do these more experimental and personal arty projects and still maintain a pretty good lifestyle.

He has unambiguously 'made it' and can do what he wants with complete creative control. And what does he do? He picks up stones, endlessly interviews the same 15-20 people who are all mates, contemporaries, and colleagues. Oh and he does a podcast on the kinds of books they sell in supermarkets.

I struggle to think of a more comprehensive career-long self-bodying: He's an artist with nothing to say, a talk show host who doesn't know who might be interesting to talk to, and a literary figure who doesn't read interesting books.

I look at the varying strands of Herring's output and I think of what could be achieved by those formats if they were in the hands of anyone other than a thoughtless middle-aged man with nothing much to say.

[shoulders]

That's what comedy is now, largely white middle aged men sitting around doing very little but having mild banter with each other. Low effort sag, it must be said reflecting the audience it serves.

[MoreauVasz]

As someone who only really started trying his hand at arty stuff fairly recently, I sympathise. I really do... This stuff is hard.

But Herring went to an elite university and has spent thirty years being professionally creative in the public eye.

He has complete creative autonomy and a devoted audience that pays him to be creative and what has he got to offer? 'Oh... Get one of the League of Gents on again, that'll do' or 'Emotional intelligence? Wow... Bit of a mind-fuck'.

Honestly, if I had spent thirty years as a professional creative and my career had ended up there, I'd be rueing the decision not to sack of going to college and getting a job at Cheddar Gorge. At least then I would have been able to fool myself into thinking that I had a bit of potential or something to say.

[Uncle TechTip]

You guys are so harsh. On the other hand, there aren't that many 90s comedians still visible outside of the literal stand up circuit. He has a family, and this thing, maybe spending months writing a show doesn't appeal to him. Let him work his career how he wants.