Hey,

I'm avoiding the temptation to just post a few lines to say I haven't been blogging, and that as I'm away for another week from tomorrow, this will remain a blank space.

But.

I'm gonna make an effort, because I care.

I've been watching a lot of standup. I watched the Bill Hicks documentary and his final live show. This is hardcore. This is taking comedy above the easy, and challenging the audience. It's a guy speaking about why he's angry, and if he makes people laugh along the way, then thats great. But you get the impression he doesn't really care. It's fearless and awesome and if he hadn't died so young (aged 32, ten years ago) he'd be doing the exact same thing now, only with a different parade of clowns to ridicule.

Then I watched Tommy Cooper. This is the art of making people laugh by just existing. It's stupid and clever, and simple and complex. This is silly, he says, so why are you laughing? What is it about a small hand movement that is so funny? Why do bad magic and bad jokes get better reactions than good magic and good jokes?

This is just me bullshitting, of course. The entire tribute to him wastes time with other comedians saying the same thing ("Oh yeah, Tommy was just really, really funny") without the reason. There is no reason, so there can be no analysis. Its ethereal and transcendent because it doesn't require context. It is a much more simple comedy that Tommy exploited, so simple, only true genius could even begin to understand it.

I'd really like something to be annoyed about, but apart from the things that really make me angry that are here for ever, I haven't really got anything new.

Speak soon

Craig (I love you, Boo xxx)