So my
Guardian rebuttal was in the paper today. That's all I really wanted, just to be able to put the record straight for anyone who might have read the original article and thought I was racist. That was my only real concern. Possibly an apology from Brian Logan for writing an article that might be so misconstrued.
This is as far as he was prepared to go. There's a comment section there and Brendon Burns, along with many others have their say. I am happy to draw a line under it. You read your own conclusions from it. I have got to give an account of myself and my show and hopefully it will have piqued the interest of some readers and those who might have thought one thing about me on Monday, might have more of an idea of what I'm about.
That bit about people not being intelligent enough to understand irony, that was in the original article is something I wish I had addressed too. I was saying that a comedian has to do his best to make sure he has a reason for doing his routine and to make his meaning clear enough, but if there are audience members who don't get irony or not able to understand that it's possible to say the opposite of what you mean to make a point then that can not be the performers look-out. I may have said in the interview that this was down to intelligence (though again this might have been a little out of context too or said without enough thought) but I don't actually think it's an intellect issue. Plenty of "clever" people don't get irony and it is something that can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of what exam results they got or however you judge intelligence. But as long as the comedian is happy that his point is well made for the majority of people, then I don't think you can factor in the people who aren't going to understand or aren't going to listen or whatever. If 100 people are in a room and 99 of them understand irony, then it's not the performer's fault if one of them is incapable of understanding the device. You don't change things for that one person. Just as if there are 100 people in the room and one of them doesn't understand English you don't decide to do the rest of the set in mime. And it would be rude to the other 99 to give more than a nodding acknowledgment to the problem. It is up to the person who can't understand irony or English to either learn about it or go to a gig where these devices are not used.
Anyway, that was just idly floating around in my head. Let's draw the line.... here.
Except that thanks to all those of you who emailed the Guardian to complain, their independent readers editor (might not be correct title) is putting something in the paper on Monday too. And so the thing drags on. Bringing publicity, but no doubt starting to piss some people off. So let's forget about it. The line is drawn. I've moved it down a bit. It's here.
Good final preview at the Live theatre. Got a bit of heckling action from a Newcastle man who disputed that people from Sunderland were equal. I laughed at this and said that I am sure Bobby Robson was looking down from Heaven giggling along at such spirit, though I wish I had pointed out in the later routine how people from Newcastle and Sunderland are so similar that their enmity is as ridiculous as any of the others that I mention.
The same guy got angrier when I chastised the audience for not voting, making them as good as racists, shouting "At least I don't have a Hitler Moustache," which I think maybe meant he had missed the whole point of the show and why I had the thing on my face in the first place. He was prowling around looking angry in the bar afterwards and I thought it might come to something, but he and his friends left, with him giving me nothing more than a few angry looks.
The next performance will be at the Fringe, which is hard to believe. Some rough edges still to knock off and about five minutes to lose, but it's in good shape and with all the additional interest this week, I think it might be worth you buying your tickets in advance. See you up there.
