Haven’t written a blog for a while and I miss it. The last time I wrote a blog was when England were in the final of Euro 2020, a competition that famously took place in 2021. What a crazy world we lived in back then.
Nothing was real. East was West, West was East. North and South were still as they were tbf. You can always rely on good old North and South to anchor us to reality.
I’ve got an interesting fact about the North and South Pole, actually. According to scientists, if you’re stood at the North Pole, wherever you step you’ll be headed South. Imagine that – being totally surrounded by The South. Pret A Mangers in every direction.
The same applies to the South Pole, but with Greggs.
I think the reason I haven’t been blogging is because I’ve been knees deep in the clip game. A “clip” is a short piece of video content that’s taken from a longer video. It derives from the the word “clippers”. Clippers are an electrical piece of equipment used by barbers for removing items such as head hair and beard hair. Similarly, nowadays a comedian will take a full video and shave off all the scruffy bits, leaving a nice trim. I normally go for a grade 3 with my clips on the side and leave the top a bit longer for styling.
A lot of clips posted by comedians, including mine, feature crowdwork: the comedian is heckled, responds, goes home, gets their clippers out and tidies that bad boy up for social media consumption.
It’s better than putting out jokes because crowdwork is unique to the gig being filmed, meaning if people come to see you based on your videos, then they won’t see the same thing. If you posted all your jokes, then they might be annoyed when they see you do the same joke live.
One problem this creates is that people who follow us clipster hipsters think that’s all that happens at our gigs. We just constantly get abused. That’s only partially true. Yes we get abused, but only because of our poorly received material. There’s a lot of work that goes into this job.
Basically a crowdwork clip is like if they shot a film but they just released the bits were the cast and crew argued with each other.
I like it but I’m feeling more like a video editor and less of a creative at the moment. Some comedians say they don’t like to film themselves because they can’t bear to watch themselves back. I’m making so many videos I don’t feel like I am watching myself back. I’m dissociated. It’s like I’m an intern, being paid zero pounds, to watch this other Eric, Crowdwork Eric, argue with people.
It's good for engagement but Intern Eric is feeling unfulfilled the poor sap.
When I write I don’t feel that same dissociation. It’s all one Eric. Still equally poor and sad, but less confused.
I think it’s because when you’re battling it out in the Clip Wars on TikTok and Instagram, it’s all about making it big. Getting views. Hopefully getting a bunch of followers and then going on tour. And I feel like that process has made me forget who I am. I want to be creative. It’s not about making it big. It’s about being making art and being respected by your peers. It’s still about validation, but just less financially rewarding validation. Validation with all the sweetness removed. Validation Zero.
Actually when I write I don’t think I’m even thinking about validation from peers. Maybe I am after I post it but when I’m writing it’s all about the ideas.
I mean right now I don’t have any ideas. But if you’re a proper artist you shouldn’t let having absolutely nothing to say whatsoever get in your way.
I’m a big style over substance guy. Saying fuck all in an interesting way is a worthwhile aim.
There’s stuff going on – I just don’t know what to say about it.
Gary Lineker isn’t hosting Match of the Day this week because he had a go at the government for how they’re talking about refugees. Not sure what I can add to that debate. A lot of jokes have already been done about it. The main one is tweeting, “Guys, in solidarity with Gary, I will also not be presenting Match of the Day this weekend.”
The joke there is the person tweeting would be a VERY unlikely candidate to present the show in the first place. It’s a nice play on status. Good stuff.
Been done now, though. That’s the problem with topical humour. It’s like when the buffet opens at a wedding, no one actually cares about the people and emotions involved in the occasion, it’s just about getting to the cocktail sausages first.
Do most weddings have buffets? I think I’m from a lower stock of people. Bless me and my scumbag loved ones.
The show will be aired with no presenter, pundits or commentators – just football. That sounds terrible. I’m only in it for all that stuff. I’d prefer the reverse. All analysis, but nothing to talk about. I guess that’s what an observational comedian does. You’re forced to find things. If we just left them in the studio with nothing to do then before you know it Alan Shearer would be coming out with a new surreal routine about soup.
I do back them though, and, for that reason, I also won’t be presenting Match of the Day this weekend.
But, hopefully, I’ll be writing more blogs.
Anyway, that’s about it.
Cya x
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