Journalism

Internet questionairre about Warming Up

What do you think of blogging?

I like it very much. In general I think it is good to record the daily happenings of ordinary people (something that hasnÂ’t happened on any real kind of scale at any other point in history), but from my own point of view it is good to have something which forces me to try and write something funny or interesting every day. It helps me come up with material and I think also keeps people interested in my work as they can come to my website every day and see what rubbish IÂ’ve been writing about this time. My last Edinburgh show was made up entirely of stuff that had started on my blog and I donÂ’t think I would have thought about writing most of it if it hadnÂ’t been for the blog, so itÂ’s been good for me.



How do you think your 'Warming-Up' writings reflect you versus what people see of you on stage and in the media?

The warming up me is a slightly heightened version of myself, but probably more like the real me than anything I have ever done before. Sometimes I will pretend to care more about some trivial incident than I really do for comedic effect, but generally and increasingly itÂ’s about me. I started off determined not to write about anything too personal, but inevitably some days you have to. I think my stage persona has got more like me as a result of this, though again itÂ’s a slightly angrier and more anal version. I donÂ’t really know how the media portray me. I think they tend not to. But ultimately in a blog people are going to get an idea of what youÂ’re like and I do tend to write stuff that will show my bad side more than my good.



How long do you spend writing an entry for 'Warming-Up'?
I aim to do it in half an hour, but sometimes it takes ages to think of something to write and occasionally if itÂ’s something really fun or interesting it might take me an hour. But itÂ’s something I do pretty fast without much revision or planning so itÂ’s improvised and spontaneous and pretty much comes out in one big blob rather than something I worry too much about.

Is there a particular time of day you write 'Warming Up'?
Usually in the morning, but it varies. The idea is to start my working day with it, but thatÂ’s not always possible