Matthew 1.1

From Christ On A Bike: The Second Coming

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Richard Herring: What Is Love Anyway
Live Review

Ah, love – inspiration for poets everywhere. Though not so much comedians, it’s hate and sneering they seem to do better. Is love really the kiss of death of a stand-up?

Richard Herring said he turned his thoughts to the subject following last year’s Christ On A Bike show about religion, after which he decided to investigate another unprovable supernatural force so many people put blind faith in. That and the fact that after a lot of wild-oats sowing, he’s been with his girlfriend for three and a half years, and feelings that she could be The One made him question his own emotions.

In the first part of the show, he talks about the way the word ‘love’ is bandied about willy-nilly, covering all strengths of meaning. It’s the comedy of pedantry, picking apart the linguistics and even the instincts behind such things as a parent’s love for their child. It does feel a little like a thesis at times, nicely written and thought-provoking, but short on jokes – although Herring rummages around for a gratuitous routine about his ‘sexcrement’ to add some rude fun.

Then we turn to his own romantic history from the age of ten, when his first girlfriend lasted just four breaktimes, to now, at 44. He once again turns to his teenage notebooks, a device he’s in danger of overusing, having employed it in his Oh Fuck I’m 40, Headmaster’s Son and Christ On A Bike shows, so by now I think we know where this is going. Sure enough, the poem he wrote censuring another 18-year-old for sleeping with lots of girls reveals his hopeless naivety, cherophobic (that’s fear of having fun) prudishness, and rather tragic loneliness – which leads to chuckles of superiority over the young Herring… or embarrassed laughs of recognition.

His adult relationships have not been without incident, either – especially when he found himself going out with actress Julia Sawalha, after doing a TV sketch on Fist Of Fun about how he was stalking her, Silence0Of-The-Lambs-style. This continues the tone of being pretty interesting, and moderately funny, but the show’s definitely more in ‘like’ than ‘love’ mode at this stage.

However, Herring pulls it out of the bag with a brilliantly funny routine about Ferrero Rocher and geometric progression which, even when you think you can see where he’s heading, is expressed with such evocative and preposterous imagery, you can’t fail to be thoroughly amused. Following that up with a touching, pathos-tinged yet funny routine about his own familial love gives the show the satisfying conclusion, tying up a few strands, sprinkling it with wistful memories, and cracking warm-hearted gags about the situation.

It makes for another impressive offering from one of Edinburgh’s longest-serving stalwarts.

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I must admit to being a serious and long term fan of Richard Herring (so I might be biased), but in my view Christ on a Bike – The Second Coming, as performed on Wednesday 13 April in Nottingham, was the fastest, funniest and cleverest show I had seen for a very long time. With a surgical precision Richard takes his scalpel and lays bare the bones of Christianity, and then proceeds to deconstruct some of its basic tenets to devastating effect. Intellectually challenging and stimulating throughout, this is a dazzling display of wit which never falters for a moment. Whilst as Richard admits, he is tackling a personage no less important than Hitler, this is a tour de force from beginning to end, and without the occasional over-earnest passages of Hitler’s Moustache.rnrnIt will be hard to cap this one.

Geoff F, April 2011

Almost all the funny lines from Ricky Gervais' 'Inside the Actors' Studio' guest spot - Herring's Christ On A Bike, The way Gervais talks to Pilkington - Herring's comic persona in the 90s with Stu Lee and then Andrew Collins in his podcast. Gervais' standup - a few near-misses of plagiarism from Herring... Herring's The Modern Review a fake fly on the wall doc years before The Office.

Roberto, April 2011

Bumming!

Ted, January 2011

I relegated Mr Herring to the back of my 'must see' list after seeing him do a very disappointing 15 minute stint at a BBC Best of the Fest night at Edinburgh a couple of years ago. However, my friend bought us tickets for his show this year, & I was completely taken by surprise by how much I loved it. We also saw him at Pimms Summerfest last night, and giggled throughout his set, even though we'd seen some of the material such a short time ago. Which proves that its quality stuff. I am now a convert, and thoroughly appreciate the bloke with the child-sized hands. Bravo!

Jo Phelan, August 2008

I see far too many stand-ups. I am a comic tart. In my view in the last two years Herring has strode to the front of the pack in the UK stand ups for innovation. In his comic persona he is polite middle classiness on a stick. He collects for charity at every show, always provides a full free programme for longer sets, and keeps an exhaustive blog for his fans. But and it s a big but, he is no longer an Oxbridge silly chappy he is now replete with a midlife crisis - childish and childless - as he puts it - and a cruel streak. His new Edinburgh show is pushing at what stand up can be. Which in truth is worse he asks - Maxime Carr or Steve Martin's poor comic acting? Steve Martin in Herring's World. The new show has left behind the big themes such as Catholicism but keep an abiding interest with the illogic of blaming the victim. He is not one to work an audience beyond what is expected of a stand up preferring to rely on hammering out wonderful turns of phrases. His is for the most part not our own situation but he is Everyman and more importantly funny enough to interest us. This is not a master at work more importantly he is someone with the guts to take stand up in new and for me funnier direction. Something is rotten in the state of Herring and it s to our advantage. Go and see him you missed Hicks, didn t you he is moving into that league.

Ben Heal, September 2006

Richard is one of the best comics of our generation. I am so pleased he still enjoys doing his shows and stays in touch with his audience, instead of disappearing into the safe world of writing. He does do script writing for a lot of major British comedies but doesn't shy away from the intensity of the stage. Well worth going to see him live if you get a chance.

Tom, July 2006

Saw Richard Herring in Edinburgh last August. Was expecting something good, but he was actually harrowingly piss-poor. I laughed once, and that was at a heckle. If it wasn't for his association with Stewart Lee, he'd be little more than a part-time comic dragging his arse from one students' union bar to another. When I saw Herring he deconstructed some of his material for comedic effect (and probably to show off his intelligence and self-awareness); unfortunately, this is something Daniel Kitson does much, much better. Sorry to be negative, but this man woefully disappointed me.

Colin Smethers, July 2006

Not funny at all, quite embarrassing in fact. The two sixth formers behind me laughed their socks off, but no one else did, which pretty much sums it up

Matthew, June 2006

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