| Multimedia | 
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| Ref No | BSUCA/Events/1/1 |
| Collection | British Stand-Up Comedy Archive Events |
| Title | Richard Herring in conversation with Oliver Double |
| Name of creator | Herring, Richard (1967-), comedian and comedy writer; Double, Oliver, 1965- |
| Date | 08/04/2015 |
| Duration | 1 hr. 31 min. 53 sec. |
| Extent | 1 audio file Broadcast WAVE Format (BWF) |
| 1 folder |
| Description | Audio recording of Richard Herring in conversation with Oliver Double recorded at the Gulbenkian Theatre on 8 April 2015. There is also one paper file of Oliver Double's interview plan (BSUCA/Events/1/1).
Audio summary: Introduction Music [2.12] Oliver Double [OD] introduces the 'In Conversation' event, with Richard Herring, the first event for the British Stand-Up Comedy Archive. [4.53] Richard Herring comes to stage & greets the audience [5.05] OD explains that the conversation will focus on the way in which Richard works starting with the present moment and looking back. [5.15] OD inquires about Richard's cycle of work, works. He asks how he established his way of working; premiering shows, bringing it to the Edinburgh Fringe festival, touring further and then releasing a DVD. [5.39] Richard answers that this process began once he ended his double act with Stewart Lee and naturally evolved. He goes on to explain more in depth about his yearly routine and how material progresses throughout this process. [10.15] OD picks up on Richards discussion about themes in stand-up. He asks whether Richard was one of the first to do this and whether he ever gets to June in the year and doesn't want to do the show he advertised in January. [10.53] Richard discusses the 'deadline' aspect of Edinburgh shows, how his material developed into thematic shows and how they began to use audio-visual elements. [13.18] OD, in reference to Richards plan to do a retrospective shows on all 11 tours, asks how he will actually do this. [13.29] Richard says he thinks this will be OK, and that the memory aspect doesn't worry him. [14.29] OD asks questions on behalf of Matt Hoss on Facebook, asking whether these shows are inspiration for a future show or a personal challenge? And will he be wearing a Hitler Moustache for the shows? [14.50] Richard discusses how this tour does not intended to recreate the DVD's and describes how the nature, and his opinion of, the Edinburgh festival has changed. [18.54] OD asks about Richard being a comedy fan since childhood. [19.05] Richard describes how he always wanted to make people laugh and discusses his early comedic inspirations. [22.04] OD asks whether Richard performed at while at school [22.08] Richard describes his school experience and his friend Steve Cheek. [22.49] OD asks about the material Richard has brought to donate to the archive. He refers to a specific excerpt from a script from one of the first things he did with Stewart Lee. [23.02] Richard explains how he met & wrote with Stewart Lee while at Oxford University. [26.07] OD asks about another piece of material; Richards notes following a meeting for Radio 4's 'On the Hour' programme [26.58] Richard describes how he came to work on this programme and the various comedians who contributed to it. [28.28] OD talks about how this show was the birthplace for Alan Partridge and asks whether there were specific writing teams on this show. [28.46] Richard describes the various writing teams for 'On the Hour' and his reasons for leaving the show. [30.48] OD then asks about Lee & Herring's move to TV with programmes such as 'Fist of Fun' and 'This morning with Richard not Judy' and the 1990's cliché of comedy being the new Rock 'n' Roll with things like Baddiel and Newman becoming huge. [31.11] Richard describes Lee & Herring as 'cultish' and 'underground'. [32.59] OD asks about the release of 'Fist of Fun' on DVD through 'Go Faster Stripe' [33.22] Richard first describes his inspiration for the two aforementioned TV programmes. He then discusses the intention and process of the DVD release. [36.15] OD asks about how Richard has made a kind of maverick comedy career after initial fame in the 1990's and, with touring, releasing DVD's etc, how does the economics of that work? [36.48] Richard describes his changing attitudes towards TV work and his fondness of comedy blogs and podcasts. [39.24] OD shows the audience Richards Sony Radio Academy Award for his Leicester Square Theatre podcast. In this podcast Richard interviews various comedians and has 'emergency questions' in case he cannot think of a relevant one. Ollie decided to create some of his own. 1) Would you rather have a tail like a monkey or a long lizard tongue? [40.56] Richard opts of the monkeys tail. [41.26] Question from OD 2) if you had a house-sized chocolate bar, what chocolate bar would it be based on? [41.31] As its part of his routine he answers, Ferrore Rocher. [42.00] Question from OD 3) Would you rather have a version of David Cameron as a border terrier as a pet or a tiny Ed Miliband growing out of your neck? [42.11] He answered David Cameron. Richard discusses the usefulness of such questions and how the Collins & Herring podcasts helped his career. [45.22] OD talks about the podcast being a 'I can't believe someone has done this and I'm listening to it' kind of show. [45.39] Richard describes it as completely improvised and as a way to explore himself. [47.37] OD asks about how much Richard writes for his shows and the way in which he actually works. [48.08] Richard claims that his working style has varied, commenting on the different processes behind shows such as 'Lord of the Dance Settee', 'Oh Fuck I'm 40!' and 'Christ on a Bike'. [50.24] OD asks whether Richard has ever done any kind of rehearsal? [50.29] Richard discusses the evolution of his working process and the power of improvising in front of a live audience. [57.16] OD compares comedy and the theatre, arguing that in the latter, there is more of a clear divide between life and art, whereas comedy seems to merge these two aspects. Ollie asks Richard to comment on this. [58.32] Richard discusses controversial routines and the idea of challenging the audience. [1.02.15] OD asks about the social conscience running through Richards work. He references the British Cartoon Archive held at the University of Kent and asks Richard to comment on politics in comedy. [1.02.51] Richard discusses how 'political' comedy often not challenging its audience and this is something he tries to amend in his own work. [1.07.58] OD then advertises Richards online podcasts and the 'I paid a pound' system for paying for it. He also tells the audience that Richard sells some of his memorabilia on eBay and one of his notebooks used for the podcast was sold for £1,300 [1.08.53] Richard discusses his reasoning behind this system and explains how it helps to fund his future project. [1.13.27] Questions from Facebook 1) Do you think Stewart Lee has let himself go? [1.13.24] Richard answers Yes. [1.13.55] Questions from Facebook 2) What happened to the curious orange? [1.14.04] Richard could not seem to remember. [1.14.21] Final Facebook question: Has alternative comedy got anywhere new and exciting to go to? [1.14.37] Richard discusses the 'fantastic state' of comedy at the moment and the opportunities that the internet can hold for alternative comedy. [1.18.19] OD calls for questions from the audience. The first question is who has he enjoyed interviewing the most? [1.18.39] The one that leaps to Richard's mind is Sara Pascoe. [1.20.05] Audience member asks a question about Richards speed in this performance
[1.20.23] Richard explains the origins of his fast paced performances. [1.22.37] Audience member asks Richard about comedy as a career [question inaudible] [1.23.07] Richard responds by discussing how comedy should not be pursued for money, but believes there are ways to make money and be rewarded for good work. [1.26.29] Audience member asks Richard about how being a father will impact his comedy shows [question inaudible] [1.26.41] Richard discusses how it is important for comedy to reflect real life, something he will continue to pursue. [1.30.19] OD thanks Richard Herring for participating in the conversation. |
| Notes | Listen to some extracts from this event on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/stand-up-comedy-archive/sets/british-stand-up-comedy-archive-in-conversation-events |
| PhysicalDescription | Audio file WAV LPCM 48kHz 16 bit stereo |
| Category | Audio recordings |
| Access conditions | Available for consultation at the University of Kent's Special Collections & Archives reading room, Templeman Library, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NU. |
| Copyright | Richard Herring; Oliver Double; University of Kent |
| Level | Item |