The Peacock and Gamble Podcast - The Peacock and Gamble Podcast: Edinburgh Fringe 2012 Episode 22 (Al Murray)

Episode Date: February 7, 2021

"Edinburgh Fringe 2012 Episode 22 (Al Murray)" from archive.org was assembled into the "The Peacock and Gamble Podcast" podcast by Fourble. Episode 107 of 128.

Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah Peacock and Gamble Peacock and Gamble Peacock and Gamble Peacock and Gamble Peacock and Gamble Peacock and Gamble

Peacock and Gamble Because it's not hell Peacock and it's not play Gambleville is this way Peacock and it is out Gamble Peacock and Gamble, Peacock and Gamble, Peacock and Gamble. Because it's on air, Peacock and Gamble's not playing. Gamble really is Ray Peacock and it is our Gamble. Peacock and Gamble, Peacock and Gamble, Peacock and Gamble. Here they are. It's the Peacock and Gamble Edinburgh podcast. Just welcome, by the way, I'm Ed Gamble, that's Ray Peacock.

I'm Ray Peacock, escaping, escaping. This is just proof that it's far too late in the fringe now. It's far too warm in this room. Yeah. Things have gone wrong because Ray just did the intro to this podcast. He's got his head back and he's got a slice of turkey breast on his face. No, it's not. It's one of the guard's face.

It's one of the guard's face? Yeah, one of the guard's faces that I've cut off. Right. And I'm putting it over my face. Right. And I'm escaping an ambulance. Right, you have gone absolutely mental. Let's silence with the lambs. I'm putting it over my face and I'm escaping an ambulance. Right, you have gone absolutely mental.

Let's silence the lambs. I'm genuinely worried about you. This is how Annabelle Lepsh escaped. He didn't escape with a bit of Bernard Matthews

sliced turkey breast on his face. Oh, I'm sorry mate. Was I meant to get an actual bloke's face to put over my face? You weren't supposed to get anything.

This was not agreed as a thing. You didn't have to do this. Oh, now he's eating it off his own face with no hands. That is disgusting. Oh, now he's eating it off his own face with no hands. That is disgusting. Turkey.

Right, what did you all have for breakfast this morning? Ray Peacock had turkey from his own face. Yeah. He had face turkey. I'll eat it as quick as I can. All right, thank you. In fact, I'm gonna eat it now and just cut this bit out. Okay, five shows left as of now, as of today.

I'm still eating, I've gotta cut this bit out, haven't I? Right, I've finished it now. just cut this bit out. Okay. Five shows left as of now, as of today. I'm still eating. I've got to cut this bit out, haven't I? Right, I've finished it now. Right, okay. Right, good. Okay, so five shows left. That wasn't real time. Yeah, I know.

I know. I just caught a bit out where I was chewing. I know. It was much more painful than that. I've still got a bit in my mouth. Yeah. So five shows left, mate. Five shows left at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Yeah. Of the world premiere performance of Peacock and Gamble. Don't even want to be on telly anyway. Yeah. Which, if you wanted to catch it before it ends, is at 9.40 at the Pleasance Dome Dome every night until the end. Until the end. Until the 26th.

We're not doing the 27th. Yeah. And then on tour. And then on tour all over the country. And then probably on telly. And then probably on telly, even though ideologically it probably wouldn't stack up right. But that's why one of your channels, your digital channels, would go,

that's kooky, I'll do that. So we want to be on a kooky digital channel. All right, I'll settle for Sky Atlantic. No, mate, that's not to settle for. Why, is that good? Yeah, it's brilliant. All right, hey, Sky Atlantic are interested. So all you other TV companies.

Because I think they mainly do imports and stuff. Right, well, we could go away and send it back. alright hey Sky Atlantic are interested so all you other TV companies probably I think they did mainly do imports and stuff right well we could go away and send it back alright okay we're going to go and make our show by ourselves in Spain and we're going to send it Malta

we're going to do it in Malta and we're going to send it back yeah Sky Atlantic if you're interested we're going to make it in Malta yeah and then you can show it in the UK. Yeah, over here in the U of the K.

Yeah, United Kingdom, that counts for. Yeah. So, you seem to be flagging a bit. I'm a little bit. I'm still poorly, man. Yeah, you're still poorly. Yeah, I'm trying to get through it. No, you're doing well.

Struggled through our show last night. You did very well, though, mate. My voice is a bit shot to shit. Yeah. But I'm doing my best to do them singing in the show. Yeah. And talking along with it. And shouting, I'm doing my best to do them singing in the show and talking along with it and shouting and being giddy

yeah Naughty Keith was a big push last night yeah really struggled kept feeling like I was going to cough yeah and also

there was a big struggle because I had that sort of you know that horrible disease where you get two horrible women at the front yeah yeah

and they they're weird because they're talking in a supportive way I think they're called audience cysts. Yeah. We had a couple of audience cysts

last night. Yeah. In the front row. Two women, two drunk, far too drunk. Yeah. Answering back

all our speech. Yeah, yeah. That we were saying to each other. Yeah. I mean, if anything, if it was at a bus stop it would have been rude.

Yeah. Because it was a private conversation. It was infuriating. Absolutely infuriating. Threw the timing of the show off. Yeah, completely. But they were quiet. They were like quietly chatting. So it'sating. Threw the timing of the show off. Yeah, completely. But they were quiet. They were like quietly chatting.

So it's not like people at the back could hear them or knew everything was going on. Oh, poor. That's made it a bit about it. If you're in the front row of our show, if I got my cock out, it would be on your lap. Yeah.

And I have nothing to write home about, but it would be on your lap. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're that close. Yeah. So yeah, horrible. Because he would just put it on your lap

I'd do that anyway I also we actually stayed backstage for a bit because we felt like they were the sort of people that would wait for us

and go oh that was really good we helped you yeah because I think I would have at that point kicked them in the leg although I tell you what

I did kick one of them in the leg I forgot to tell you that on the way out no when we do there's a little bit where we do some sketches when I went over there give her a right crack as I went past give her a right. Did you? I forgot to tell you that. On the way out? No, when we do, there's a little bit where we do some sketches.

Yeah. When I went over there, give her a right crack as I went. Give her a right crack on the leg, did you? Yeah, yeah. But it was an accident. It was, no,

it's kind of amazing. I kind of came out angry. Yeah. But also then, then happy because then I thought that's been our first disruptive element in the audience.

Yeah. For the entire run and that was show 22 or 21. We've got more. I know we've got more but I just think that's a long time

for there to not be a disruptive element. But I hope that's not the mood of the week. No, I don't think there would be such a thing as a mood of the week. Right.

There's no, you know, it might happen again but touch wood, it won't. But I just think as I can make a comment saying that I think

it's amazing that there's been no disruptive influences up until this point. Yeah. 20, 21 shows. But it's amazing that there's been no disruptive influences up until this point. Yeah. 21 shows. But it's took this long for me to feel the need

to go out and buy a pea shooter. Yeah. I bought a pea shooter and also a catapult. Yeah, no, it's amazing that it's taken Ray this long to turn into

Dennis the Menace. And for my catapult, I've got peas for the pea shooter, that's sorted. Yeah. For the catapult, I've made a sort of

big blob of plasticine with drawing pins sticking out of it right okay like I mean you can't even see the plasticine now yeah yeah

because there's that many it's about 500 drawing pins right okay just all meticulously placed around it like a sharp golf ball yeah and I'm going to put that

in my catapult yeah and then if I see those ladies around Edinburgh I will fire it at the back of their heads yeah okay if it happens in our show again

I'll just fire it straight into the person's face. Right, okay, straight into the face. Which I think, that's still a bit in character, isn't it? No. For me to have a catapult. Yeah, but not with a, like a big pinny glob fire out of it.

Yeah, it wouldn't be that neat, would it? No. Well, I'll work something out. You just do whatever you like in your dreams, mate. But that's the other difficulty, isn't it? When we have a disruption, which we've not had so far last night, is that we're sort of locked into the characters

as well it'll be quite nice most of the time when you just want to scream at someone it's frustrating you just want to really shout at them

and then just start crying and yelling at them and then just taking all the frustrations out on them totally break them and I mentioned it

on Twitter and our guest today Al Murray he immediately responded saying, why do they do it? Yeah. And I wanted to write back saying, well, they do it at your show,

because you ask them. At your show they do it, because you walk out and say, oh, all right, what's your job? What's your job? But no, it's true. But this is a nice interview we've got today. It's really nice, yeah.

It's an interesting one as well. We've had a few of these in the podcast this year, where it does straddle sort of being like messing about and having a laugh yeah with some quite salient points

and some quite interesting things about comedy but what we find is well I think what we found is that together we're absolute idiots and

we don't have anything interesting or constructive to say about anything it's mainly sort of tits and farts yeah and then other people not always like that

but when you bring that element in it calms us down a little bit as well Al came in here very educated very well spoken very intelligent clearly

hot and sweaty had a glass of water dripping he was he was dripping but he brought us down we've also just recorded our almost last interview our penultimate

I believe today we did it we've just recorded that, which is very sexy. Yeah, it was dirty, wasn't it? Yeah, with Angela Barnes. Filthy, like end of the pier filthy. Yeah, and it wasn't her.

No, not at all. We went proper, like, got in a really sexy mood, didn't we? I think we were just getting horny. Yeah, so look out for that one, the horny Angela Barnes interview, which will be coming up soon as well. We'll be releasing that one late at night.

Very late at night. It is an ex. It is an X one yeah but today Al Murray Al Murray yeah lovely man

there was a man on Twitter was pestering me to have Al Murray as a guest yeah even though we'd already recorded it yeah so I said

absolutely not never gonna happen let's do that we have an agreement that we will never interview Al Murray and Alport not gonna happen

yeah so it's a little treat for you in it as well that little treat for you that man as well, that. Yeah. A little treat for you, that man who said that. Because we'd already done it. We'd done it already.

Yeah, so it's not your idea, actually. Yeah, and recorded in beautiful sound. Yeah. As you'll hear as it goes on. So let's have a good time with Al, and we'll see you again in a minute. Peacock and Gamble, Peacock and Gamble. Al Murray. Al Murray.

Al Murray. Al Murray. How long do you reckon we could get away with just saying Al Murray. Al Murray. Al Murray. How long do you reckon we could get away with just saying Al Murray? Well, we could probably spin it out for, you know, a

good half hour. Because people would be sat there going, well, it is him. Yeah. Can we stick with it? Al Murray. Yeah.

Al Murray. Al Murray. Al Murray. I like this. It's nice, isn't it? Yeah, it's good. I don't have to comment with any content. I promise you. We want you to isn't it? I don't have to come up with any content.

I promise you. We want you to leave here thinking in your own head that your name doesn't mean anything anymore. Do you love that when you do that with a word? Yeah, yeah. It's destroyed. Yeah. Yeah. I had one, I think it was suspect once.

Yeah. Suspect. Suspect. Suspect. Suspect was going around my head until I I couldn't be certain that was the word yeah yeah yeah yeah

I love doing that yeah yeah it makes you realise how fragile a language is well I'm thought Al Murray I'm thought with it I'm thought with it

yeah Al Murray identity existence straight in Alan Murray no no never

Alistair Alistair I'm an Alistair Alistair Murray and I have this thing where people come up and go, Alan! And they think what they're doing is like they're taking things up a gear.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like being more knowledgeable and friendly. A friend of mine once went up to Vic Reeves and went, Hello, Jim. Like that. And he went, Fuck off. Really?

Yeah. It is a weird one, isn't it? Yeah, yeah. But people do that. They go, Alan. Hello, Alan. Or the thing is Alan

and I'm like well who's Alan yeah there's no Alan here weren't you Alan in Harry Hill though yeah yeah that may arise

I remember Rob Rouse used to call you Alan all the time and I was impressed I was really impressed that Rob called him Alan I basically didn't bother correcting him

because he no there's no point he'd have gone to pieces he'd have literally fallen apart. Good old Robin Rouse. Roberts and Rouse.

Everyone in everything Harry does is called Alan. Yeah, of course. It was little Alan and I was big Alan. Well, I would have put money on you being called Alan. So it's Alistair. Yeah. Wow, proper posh, aren't you? Yes, if you want.

Let's pretend that Al's really posh. We can pretend that if you want. Well, my first experience of you as a stand-up wasn't the pub landlord. Was it the machine guns? It was, yeah. You came to our college. It was affiliated to Leeds University, so please don't think I just went to college. It was you, Simon Munnery, Boothby.

I think Jenny whenever we have anyone even a year older than him he has to prove it immediately who was this it would have been

around 96 maybe slightly earlier no it would have been earlier because I ditched the machine guns by 94 I think oh god how old am I

so I went to uni at 92 it would have been 92, 93 do you know what it could have been the catalyst for why you stopped

well maybe it was at Bretton Hall College oh god I remember that gig in a big fucking marquee it was horrendous

it was awful and I was honestly I was in the middle as a comedy fan literally wanted to stand up and go what are you all

doing well the thing and I remember because a friend of mine went to Bretton Hall and she'd always gone about what a brilliant place it was

and how everyone was you know like it was like a really truly artistic environment yeah you know and she you know

she's like the lion out of Born Free you know the way she talks about you know she's truly free and happy there and what amazing

sensitive wonderful creative people everyone was so I and I remember thinking this gig is going to really rock. Yeah, yeah. These people are going to love what's put in front of them. And I think everyone had a hard time.

Yep. And it was just generally vile. You did best out of everyone. Yeah, I know. But that really, I mean, with that machine gun, that doesn't say much. Yeah. It doesn't say much. Because that was just like noises and mime and...

Yeah. Yeah, God. No, it was horrendous. And League of Gentlemen came out of there, didn't they? Are they contemporaries of yours? My best friends.

They're my best friends and I gave them the idea. For whatever it was they did for that village. Whatever that was. I think they left the year I got there. Right, right, right.

And they were all spoken about in very revered tones like they're going to be massive and I had an initial fucking show with them like initially

I was like better than rubbish better than rubbish let's die down now isn't it I'm a big fan I am a genuine big fan but yeah

I had that weird thing going on that sort of cocky youth thing of being like well that's why thing going on, that sort of cocky youth thing. Yeah. Of being like... Well, that's why I got into stand-up, was that cocky youth thing.

Really? Yeah, yeah. Because I was at uni with Stuart Lee, you know, he was in the year above me at uni. And even though we are the same age, because I had a year off, he still treats me like he's in the year above me. Really? Really?

He talks to me like I'm in the year below him. Which is the thing Paul McCartney said, George Harrison said about Paul McCartney said George Harrison said about Paul McCartney he's a year older than me when we were at school and he still is you know

Stuart just has this thing where you know the thing is you really ought to think about this you think cock off I make my own mistakes

thank you very much but Stuart but we were all you know we all did a review together and everything, and I knew Rich pretty well. Rich? Herring.

Rich. You're aware of his work. Richard Herring. Oh, he's the guy who records things on phones. Yeah, he doesn't. Yeah, he records a podcast on his phone. Oh, blessing. It comes across as very disorganised.

When you get there and you've slept across town and you're taking time out out, you're busy shooting, he's recording on the phone, you wonder why you're bothering. Sometimes I think it might be better if Richard... Richmall. It's Richmall. Richmall.

If he just wrote his podcast down. Just write it down, yeah. Just write it down, maybe he could set up a blog. Well, he could send me some questions and I'd answer them. We'd all be happy, wouldn't we? And no one has to be messing about.

I could watch the cricket and not have to cross town at a crucial period of play. Yeah, being insulted as a professional and a respected member of the comedy community. Be cooking gamble, be cooking gamble. Anyway, Stuart, because he was in the year above me, left the year before me, went to London and started getting gigs. And I remember thinking, well, he was in the year above me left you know the year before me went to London and started getting gigs and I remember thinking well my act

with the machine gun this is as easy as funny as what he's doing yeah if he can do it this should be a piece of piss was that one of them then hey

there was sort of part of one of them yeah most of them were like most of them are just sort of clearing your throat and stuff but they had a proper microphone

through a PA they sound amazing, you know? It was. I remember that night being, that night, that gig, and I don't want to keep bringing it up for you, because it was horrible. And it was because they were all drama students as well. And it was like, you should know better.

You should know better. This is, you know, this is going to be you in like a few years' time. Yeah, yeah. And you'll have to deal with this, and you'll remember tonight. But the sound effects were fantastic. Thanks. Like, proper impressive. Yeah, yeah. Well yeah I got three years

out of it when it was actually it was wafer thin and I always I mean I actually still do admire those comics who've done the same set

for ten years do you admire it genuinely in a kind of way the people who do the twenty the same twenty for ten years because Steve Bowditch

is an old mate of mine who's great at showing legs and all that and he used to talk about how it becomes like because he's done the same set I mean probably for twenty years because Steve Bowditch is an old mate of mine who's great at showing legs and all that and he used to talk about how it becomes like a because he's done the same set

I mean probably for 20 years now he says it becomes like a sort of mantra like a zen mantra and the time because it's literally

exactly the same every time it's just the way the time moves around changes and you know you could sort of stand above the material

and look down on it because it's so familiar and I sort of almost at one point I used to really envy people that were content with being able to do that but also

it would drive you obviously drive you mental in the end I think it is that it's more for me it's not like you shouldn't be able to do that

because of course you can that's like saying to a butcher you've got to cut all your meat differently next week yeah as a job so I understand that but is that what you say be able to do that because of course you can. That's like saying to a butcher you've got to cut all your meat differently next week. Yeah, yeah, yeah. As a job, I understand that but is that what you say?

That it would just be like, really? Like the, you know, the entertainer thing that's all behind the eyes.

And so many of them, I think Bowditch is a good example for that but so many of them are so clearly unhappy and clearly, I mean Steve's very, he's a

well and he does lots of other stuff as well so it's not really an issue yeah but no some of those yeah some of

those guys have been I mean every now and again I've you know when I when I go go and do a circuit game I find

myself on a bill and it you know how 15 years elapsed and I'm on the same bill with these same fucking

buckets you know is there no new is there no one new you know it's really funny saying fucking puppets yeah yeah but what's you know is there no new is there no one new you know it's really funny but that's yeah

and that's the other sort of corner of the market but it's like they're still getting books and stuff and still it's got to lose something

in the 15 years of doing it you'd think without the spark yeah but that's the impressive thing though so that's that's where you can go

well actually it's actually quite clever it's learning the spark like you're still enjoying it yeah pretend yeah performing that's the impressive thing though so that's where you can go well it's actually quite clever the spark like you're still enjoying it yeah it's the

Bob Monk has isn't it faking the sincerity yeah Monk has never faked it very well though

no he didn't I mean that's his great quote isn't it once you've learned how to fake sincerity you know you

got it made you think but look yeah and I'm a big admirer of Bob Monk has but I

used to say I used to have it in my set and I stopped saying it when he died but I used admirer of Bob Monkhouse but I used to say I used to have it on my set and I stopped saying it when he died but I used to say that Bob Monkhouse genuinely looked like

when he walked on stage he'd just been sucking someone off backstage and he'd swok out and go mmm before he started I love that you could

say that when he was alive but now he's dead well because you're not libeling him now no because because then then he would have had a right of reply

if we ever ended up on the same gig for example but you know it's one of them where it felt like it felt alright because it's

sort of a comic imagining you going on after Monk House doing that line like oh fuck it I'm going to do it I'm going to do it

why not be cooking gamble be cooking gamble so we're in Edinburgh now you've been in Edinburgh certainly longer than me just re-emphasising again the summer

or like the ever in general ever I'm just making sure that people know right that for today I'm not the oldest person

on the podcast I know I am the oldest person on this podcast yeah you am the oldest person on this podcast. Yeah, you are. By a considerable distance, I think. And we had Macmillan and Jimmy Cricket the other day as well. Yeah. I am a spring chicken in Edinburgh.

You were a star in Edinburgh when I did my first Edinburgh, which was in 99. Yeah. Was 99 the year you won the award? It was the year I won the Perrier, yeah. And the fuss, there was a fuss as the, yeah, the Perrier, yeah. And it was the year, and the fuss, there was a fuss as well, wasn't there? Oh God,

well there was a, yeah, there was a fuss, but my now ex-wife, God bless her, was having, was pregnant, and we,

and my daughter was born here, and Scarlett was born here, so to be honest, my eye was not on the ball, with that big controversy. So, weirdly, that one sort of whistled past me,

and Avalon have got that, they've blown the letter up, that N. So, weirdly, that one sort of whistled past me. Avalon have got that, they've blown the letter up that Nika sent, with all the dates scribbled out and changed, you know, and all that. And it looks really, you know, I wasn't engaged with that thing at all. I was worried about prenatal checks and going home, you know. We should explain what actually happened was, was that the old Perrier Award announced suddenly that you weren't eligible. Yeah.

Well, because I've been nominated three times previously. Yeah. And I think the third time, I remember the first time, I mean, it's such, you know, these things are so ridiculous. And more like a passage of time. Oh, it was a good, yeah. And now looking back, I'm like, what? Yeah.

The first year, I remember when I was nominated, I think, looking back I'm like what the first year I remember when I was nominated thinking well that's what the fuck's happened here that's ridiculous

the second year just thinking well this is surely I'm going to win it because this never happens and then I didn't

the League of Gentlemen won it and sorry my idea full circle look what you've done to me

and then you know if that Bretton Hall gig had gone well I'd probably still be doing the machine

I know I know there's so many things I'm wanting to do just one giant what if

the whole thing and then the third year I got nominated I thought well I was surely surely

this I will win even though you know the moment you start thinking like

that about anything it's going to pervert you and, the moment you start thinking like that about anything, it's going to pervert you, poison the well. And then the fourth year, there was that big hoo-ha, well, you know, they're never going to back down from that,

whatever. And then I won it, which was sort of odd, but also kind of not the main event that week. Scarlet was born on the Monday, you know, so that whole week was a newborn baby in Edinburgh, dealing with all that

you know and isn't that weird though that I could name you winners since who would have gone and the best thing that happened to me that week

was winning that award even if they'd had a child on the Monday and that we could go through winners since I think that was a pivotal point in that award I think we could go through

winners since and go well he wouldn't have been bothered. He would have still been doing his hair. And that's the week I got my baby and had my first child. After winning that, did you feel then like it was a clean slate and you could just get on with what you were doing? Well, no. I thought, right, well, I can't go back to edinburgh it was my first thing because you know

with a family it just got more difficult and also i just kind of felt that chapter has you know i've got to close this chapter yeah because it because it had become like it had become a big deal and i didn't want it you know you don't everyone's looking at the wrong thing and you want them to you want them to like what you're doing rather than whether you're caught up in controversy yeah you know what i mean and also i felt and uh i felt i'd reached my boundary with only doing an hour and i can't do only an hour anymore and make the app work properly i think so i have to do longer yeah and the cranking cutting a show to fit it into an hour is really unsatisfactory or doing it really fast

like some people do you know like to try and cram it in I just felt like I'd come to the end of that road really yeah

and that was also before because people now do do more than an hour in Edinburgh yeah like Stu you said about Stu

I think Stu's an hour and twenty isn't he yeah well he's lucky I mean I've got an hour ten slot this year and I'm finding it

I'm finding it really even that really really hard it's still a plush yeah well yeah because the because I mean you know boring things

you know I think audiences have 20 minute attention spans so you take the first 20 then the second 20 third 20 fourth 20 like that yeah

and you pace the show across it and an hour and 10 you know you reach a natural pause and then and then you have to crank them up and then you have to stop and it's kind of yeah it doesn't work i find that really hard i mean just really really boring no one's interested technical things you know i think people are interested i

think no i genuinely do because here's another thing i think you flatter to deceive because you're far more technically minded than you let on on stage. Obviously, you can't. Well, probably. It has that character. Right, first 20 minutes. Yeah, probably, yeah. Because I remember years and years and years ago, like this even predates 99,

about mid-97 or something, I booked you for a gig in Watford at the Hogshead Pub. I don't even know what it's called anymore. It was a pub gig in Watford. Don't look for it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I'd been hoodwinked into running it. Right anymore it was a pub gig in Watford don't look for it yeah yeah yeah but I'd been

huddled into running it I was running another gig in North London somebody had asked me to do it but it was with a budget it was £120 to book an entire night

and every now and again they'd go can you get a well known act and we'll give you a little bit more money and we'll get a better act on and I had Dave Thompson and you

I remember this kick it was like literally I was going I am giving somebody £100 to do comedy that is £100

yeah they're going to be delighted right and I remember you coming doing it and again Rouse was there Rob Rouse was there

yeah and backstage afterwards backstage in the little bit where they keep on a beer, which is probably where you got the idea from. Arguably. Yeah. We were talking to you about interaction with the audience and that sort of thing,

and going off in certain directions. Yeah. And you had, I don't know if you still have it, but you had a plan. Yeah. A written plan about where... How to structure this stuff and how to make it work. How to make the lines all fall together. Yeah, but it was also about interaction. Yeah. So was if it goes that way it goes there because yeah yeah yeah

and it was really i mean i remember rob but that that year i mean that was the year i where i decided i had to properly engineer that build that into the act yeah i was really working on it that year yeah because the because what i used to do before was like pick two people and they'll be who'd be nicknamed i'd give them nicknames and they they'd essentially perform the same studio roles every night yeah yeah and then I got to

the point where I thought actually because the other thing is I was going crazy doing the same stuff over and over again well the

way to the way to break that is to actually learn how to improvise with an audience yeah so I came up with those sort of

situational flow charts yeah he says this do that and if he says that do this yeah something and I wrote down, Stuart Lee, God bless him,

he always says, well Al's got this sort of Rolodex in his head and he just picks the one out that he needs out of the file. Well actually that sounds impressive for a start. It's not what I do, it's where I started. The thing with Al is he knows what he's doing. Dear old Stu has to be in charge of the argument.

thing with Al is he knows what he's doing. Dear old Stu has to be in charge of the argument. But I was, at one point, I wrote down 20 jobs, 20 likely jobs to come up, and three responses, pub landlord reductionist responses to each one. Did the mental exercise and screwed that up and threw it away, but I'd done the thinking. And so it just got my gears going for for how to do that and then and then it's the thing of you know you remember save two or three people up and you just know that at some point you're going to be able to reinsert them and and make a routine you're doing yeah suddenly fresh you know of course yeah i was i mean that year i was really i was really madly into cracking how to do it because i remember seeing someone at

i think it was Richard Morton, I saw him at the comedy store once, where he said to some bloke, what do you do for a living? And the guy goes, well, I'm a toy maker. And Richard just went, fucking hell, it's Geppetto. And I remember at the time thinking, wow, I can't do that. Wouldn't it be brilliant to be able to do that? Because maybe that's what he always says.

And maybe the guy didn't even say that. I can't remember if he replied I think he repeated it back but it just it just seemed like kapow the instant instant

instantness quickness quickness speed immediacy immediacy of it was brilliant and

and that's something I wanted to get my hands on but with the character because the character doing it because I'm a big fan of have you ever read of David Mamet's is about acting

he's really brilliant on the subject of acting he goes you know it isn't back story it isn't what happened when you were nine when you were nine

it's what you're saying now how you're behaving right now is character and tells you everything you need to know so like that was my view with the pub learning

because you literally have a conversation with the audience and they'll get wind of who he is quicker than coming on and going

oh I had a terrible day in the pub today and then it's fourth wall and then it's a monologue

and it's gone and in comedy clubs you can't come on fourth wall too much because they tune out

you tune out and it's gone I felt that a bit in our show this year sometimes where there's little moments where I think there's one little argument early on you now and it's gone you know. Yeah. I felt that a bit in our show this year you know sometimes where there's little

moments where I think there's one little argument early on where I felt it last night like we were doing a play. It didn't bother

me because I think we interact so much that it doesn't really matter. We've got that out of the way already it's all direct stress first of all

but it's just a little moment where we have quite a fast discussion where last night I did feel like oh it's just us here. I quite like that

yeah I think here you can do that in the films you can do but I think in Cabaret in a London comedy club situation yeah yeah yeah you can really run into trouble with it you know

because it's also the SM58 on the microphone stand which is the thing I have a real problem with I hate pictures of comics with microphones yeah same

same because the microphone and the elbow absolutely means you're a comedian yeah and you know with I hate pictures of comics with microphones same because the microphone and the elbow means you're a comedian and you know lads with

microphones and the fact they're holding a microphone means they're going to tell you something really out there

and you can move in here because I've had a microphone in my tie since 97 in a piece

of blue tack in my tie because I wanted to piece of blue tack in my tie because I wanted to be able to use both hands and also when I'm holding the pint glass

with a microphone as well I get in a terrible tangle but also I was really into being physical with it

and waving my arms around if you want to know what the banging is that's our banging the table after being told

I've only done it twice do you want me to bring it back and the microphone and see but they're being told I've already done it twice do you want me to make it back but the microphone and I see people smart enough

to know better in their picture it's as if it's as if to say look I'm a stand up comic but it's people who some posters of people who are

very very famous for being stand up comics that's how people know them John Bishop's photo in with the microphone that's how he came to prominence so no one's going how people know them. John Bishop's photo. Yeah. In with the microphone. That's how he came to prominence. So no one's going to go, oh, it's John Bishop.

What is that microphone? Oh, thank God. Yes, he's not an opera singer, is he? Yeah. But that scene for me is all about that sort of vague

dumbing down of it. Yeah. That vague popularising of it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like kind of boy bandy, isn't it? Put him in a suit,

white background, very, very clear what's happening kind of boy bandy, isn't it? Put them in a suit, white background, very, very clear what's happening. I don't mind it as much, we have an ongoing discussion on this, I don't mind it on posters as much if it's a genuine live shot. If it's a live shot, that's different. That's different, but if you're in a photographic studio,

the thing that really makes me laugh is the sort of deadly serious comedian face. What are you doing you big poof you know you're a clown you're supposed to be we're clowns

we're meant to not take ourselves seriously we take work seriously by all means but not yourself because then where does that

leave the world if you're taking yourself seriously how are you possibly going to take the piss out of anything else it's like Barry Humphreys that brilliant Barry Humphreys line always make sure you can laugh at yourself because you never know you might how are you possibly going to take the piss out of anything else it's like that

brilliant Barry Humphreys line always make sure you can laugh at yourself because you never know you might be missing out on

the joke of the century but you see all those thinky pictures and you think oh you great big nuts

we had a discussion like that didn't we again it was an Avalon discussion where they said because our post this year

we're very sulky on it yeah but they said people might think you're a ranty act that you're we were going I think it's

I think it's clear I think your face makes it very obvious yeah yeah Ed's face on it because Ed is far more sulky stupid

I was stropping whereas I'm just on my arms with a genuine frown on my face which isn't what we do on stage it wasn't so we do on stage. No. So we understood it from that point of view,

but it was about us having a sulk about not being on telly. And I think that was that concern. It was the concern of people will think you're a moody, ranty act. And it's like, look at Ed. He looks Chinese. There's no thing. Look how he's got his lips all pouty as well. Yeah.

But then there's a lot of preposterousness in stand-up at the moment. I mean, I'm really... I'm finding the political tilt of comedy at the moment really wearying. Right, OK. It's almost as if there's a whole lot of people who think, thank God there's Tories are back. Yeah, that's a changeover. So I can say Tory over and over again and people will agree with me.

Yeah. And, you know, the other thing, I mean, my other big, you know, I don't know about you, but I got into comedy because it didn't look like a job,

because it looked like not getting up in the morning. Yeah. It looked like being able to do what I really wanted and fuck about. Yeah. And get paid cash in hand

and all that. So I am not going to lecture anyone on politics. Yeah. Because I'm clueless. So really, that hundred quid in Watford was

exactly what you wanted yeah that's the other thing is when I do do club gigs and they give you 120 quid in

cash you're the king of the world it can go into offshore bank accounts but it's that cash

you don't have to be gone you don't have to be gone in an hour you don't have to sign for it and no one will ever know that's gone yeah yeah

keeping the economy afloat I'll put a general 200 pound on my tax 140 of these no I know what you mean I know what you

mean and then yeah then it comes down to that I mean you know there's people who've got their own thing and they want to, you know, they want to do political stuff

and that. I think there's a genuine place for it. And of course there is, but there's this sort of, there's this sort of dog whistle in it now. Absolutely. And it's as wearying a trope

as ginger people. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, it's a loss of fun as well. It's a loss of fun. It's also a division. There's a divining line between genuine political humour and satire and then just lecturing people on it. And people have been doing like proper political humour and satire all the way through anyway. Yeah.

But it's only now that the whole lecturing thing has come back. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's very simplistic in a way. Yeah, I think it's a Bill Hicks fallout there. I think it's a thing of... Have you seen Gavin Webster's show? No, I've not. No, I've not seen it yet. No. Bill Hicks wasn out there I think it's a thing of have you seen Gavin Webster's show no I've not no I've not seen it yet no Bill Hicks

wasn't very good yeah yeah I liked Hicks and I've gone I've been more quiet about that yeah like since the

man's death because it became such a you used to have a line about him looking like he'd sucked someone up didn't you

I always thought I always thought Bill Hicks had been backstage with Bob Monk no I remember feeling like I discovered Bill Hicks like when he with Bob Monkhouse. No, I remember feeling like I'd discovered Bill Hicks

when he was gigging around and he'd done Edinburgh and that and I saw him in Leeds and it was like, this bloke's going to be enormous.

But I never thought he'd be enormous in the way that he ended up being. No, but that's death for you, isn't it? It is death for you,

yes. I saw him here when he came here and I remember thinking, he's here. And I remember thinking, he's pretty good, but not thinking, lo, he walks amongst us, touches wounds,

any of that. He was really good. And there used to be, and it's gone now, there used to be proper cultural cringe in Edinburgh. When an American comic turned up and we did shit together, everyone would be like,

this guy's amazing. And Americans could come here and really kind of make quite a big noise usually because they were so much

more polished I mean polished British stand up is a really recent arrival at the party you know what I mean and so

I remember it must have been 93 no 94, 95 when did he die? He died in 94 right so it would have been 93, no, 94, 95, I think, when did he die? He died in 94. Right, so it would have been,

so, yeah, so it would have been, yeah, 92 maybe. Yeah. Seeing him, and him being really,

you know, mega slick, and then doing that whole, you know, I'm going to tell the same joke to the entire, you know, all that,

that whole, that whole really mega slick thing, and people, people, people, you know, kind of loved him because he was American

as much as anything else, because emo would come and blow people away, because supposedly he was American as much as anything else because emo would come and blow people away because he had his shit together I mean he's brilliant

but you know what I mean and I remember seeing Bill Hicks in that light rather than this guy is putting it to

the man what he's become this sort of counterculture figure it's almost disappointing even though it's a weird double thing I think, even though it's what should...

It's a weird double thing, I think. Well, it's nice. I mean, it's actually nice that it can happen, that a stand-up can be taken seriously in a way. Yeah. That's sort of nice,

but it's weird where it's fallen. But it's where it spawns. Yeah, it's where it spawns. And it's all, you know, American foreign... I think Gavin's thing is, you know, American foreign... Whinging on about American foreign policy

is all very well, but it's not entertainment. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It is. And that Polish thing is right. I think even now, though, because when we were previewing, I remember people saying to us, we did that festival in London somewhere. And we had a good night in that theatre and a really nice show. And the bloke that ran it went, you're the only act that's come. And it was lots of big acts as well.

They went, your show's ready. Your show's ready's ready this is amazing like you really you knew it inside out and it was everyone's been reading off paper and that and it's amazing and we were going it's because it starts in a week i mean i mean i remember i remember you know sitting in the in the pleasant spa in 93 week one you, preview week, and people with giant piles of paperwork going, I haven't learned it yet. And you think, we open up, you're charging people money on Friday,

you donut. What are you doing? So I was always ready. We've had a puff and on some donuts. So I was always ready in April. Yeah. I was well set in April and cutting in April,

you know, cutting stuff and making sure that, you know, cutting stuff and making sure that, you know, because, I don't know, I think the alternative comedy scene,

which is what we sort of, you know, distant, you know, we're homo erectus from the, was punk, came out of punk

and punk is anyone can do it and punk is not about polish because I think the American thing comes from the Catskills and there was a reaction to that. So super shiny and mega slick. Yeah. You know, we have gentlemen amateurs in our arts culture.

And Americans have hardball professionals, you know. Yeah. There's a difference in musicians as well, I think. But speaking of Hicks as well, though, there's also an element where what you do could influence people in that thing of going, I'm going to just make it up. Yeah, I know. With my comedy, I'm going to just make it up with my comedy

I'm going to do that I'm just going to go and just make it up just walk on the track and just talk to people and get it all from there and it'll be fine so that could influence

I'm saying that you could have a yeah no no we're a bit of diving yeah so you're doing the Puppet Amateur this year yeah is it two so you're doing the Poplar Landlord this year

yeah is it two shows you're doing we were doing two shows we're doing the quiz as well we only did

three nights of that because it's that's an hour and a half and we have to do it at midnight

because it's not really something because it's so ramshackle yeah and midnight brings the

pricks yeah and it's exhausting yeah the second dose is just you know

yeah I run around a lot in that as well which I find increasingly difficult you just run past that I know

which I regret do you regret it though I do yeah was it showing off no it was I was shouting down at you no it's my daily struggle with making my

you know like I don't like I'm not really mad about exercise and boring yeah stupid boring you know, why not read a book

while I have a wank? And that is a bit of exercise. That is cardiovascular. Because you've got to concentrate on the words. Yeah, exactly. But no, it's this thing of, all right, come on,

you can still get up these stairs quickly if you wanted to. And then, you know, you get to the top and there's burning in your head. Yeah, yeah. I learned very early on. Just take it slow

just don't worry about it no one's watching no one's watching just do it at your own pace you were watching Al because you

were stood at the top of the stage yeah tell him to slow down what on earth are you doing

I don't listen have you done other characters since doing the programme on stage no no we did the

sketch show thing that opened to mixed reviews but that's alright I don't No, no, we did the sketch show thing that opened to mixed reviews. But that's all right, I don't care about that. And I did a load of different characters in that. There were two I wanted to pursue, but because the programme didn't get recommissioned and ran out of juice. I mean, the Publand to me really felt,

when people say, who are you going to do, why don't you do something else? I feel like saying, well, should we ask Jack Dee if he's going to do a cheerful hour? Yeah, of course. Why not? I am trying to... I've got to write a book at the moment. A classic thing. January, I'd say to myself, hold January off. I'm not going to do

a thing. And then one night I have an idea for a book. Start writing it. Write 50,000 words in a month. send it to a publisher and now I've got to write it, right? Yeah. But he wants 100,000 words

and basically I've written as much as I was interested in. Got this, you know, bloody thing to do but it will probably turn it into sort of a Dave Gorman style presentation.

Okay, nice. Chat but not in character which I've never done before, never done me. Yeah. I've never seen the point. But you can do you. I could do me, so to speak.

There's lots of people who do me, but the way it works out, they never do. Yeah, but this is going to be about something and I wouldn't mind talking about something I'd find easier. I mean, I don't know how some people have the nerve to go on as themselves.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Knowing a lot of comics. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You think, well, how can you go on stage and present yourself as a coherent human being? But that's sometimes the joke. Well, maybe. Don't ever go at me about it. I'm a little smasher.

That's the grand jest, yeah. So how long off that will you be to think will that be next year that'll be

for next year for next summer yeah it's about why I like history

so it's kind of like yeah you are a bit because I'm into it but it's

because my dad is massively into it yeah and you know we didn't go

to football we went to Waterloo and looked at the battlefield and Normandy and the

Ardennes and Holland and you know and the ardenne and holland and you know and that's i and i you know grew up on that reluctantly once i was out of my sort of action man phase but but i'm seriously interested in it now yeah and uh i'm always reading about it everything so this book's about growing up with that in your life yeah as a as a pastime and and my my dad god bless him he's really picky with war films. You can't watch a war film with my dad because he'll go,

well, look, they're too close together and that officer wouldn't be wearing binoculars because they're used for a sniper and, you know, literally like that.

I mean, the book's called Watching War Films with my dad because I remember him taking me to see A Bridge Too Far when I was eight. Right.

And he knew, from his national service and his time in the army, he knew a lot of the people who'd been at the Battle of Arnhem who were his senior officers. Yeah. So he knew from his national service and his time in the army he knew a lot of the people who'd been at the Battle of Arnhem who were his senior officers so he knew all the stories he knew all the inside

all the things that haven't made it into the history books because they're either dreadful or they're like too terrible for anyone to know anyone surviving to know

and there's a scene in the movie where this German tank comes over the bridge and starts blowing up all of the British houses on the side of the bridge. And it's the wrong tank, right? They made the film in 1977, it's the wrong tank.

They've got a contemporary tank and dressed it to look like a World War II tank. But it doesn't look anything like the right tank. I was eight though, when my dad took it. And I'm like, well, tank, yeah, pfft. I don't know, our boys are in trouble. And he couldn't help himself. He leant over and he went, that's the wrong tank. You know, and scene. And that's it. That's the end of the film.

And every time I watch it now, because it's a good enough boiling down of what happened for a movie. It's a movie. I can't watch that film now. He couldn't stop it. He couldn't help himself. He just couldn't help himself. My dad has a massive problem with any film

where it's set it's set during a historical event or a set at a point in history but it's a fictionalised account of someone who wasn't real

within that event like he can't bear it he can't cope with it even if it's an amazing film he can't cope with it yeah well people get really funny about it

I mean being in Scotland you know Braveheart it's just hilarious it's just it's hilarious that that's influenced anybody because it's you know it's i mean i mean being in scotland you know braveheart braveheart thing it's just hilarious yeah it's hilarious that that's influenced anybody because it's such dreck and uh but anyway you know i think that says more about now than it does about them yeah yeah but anyway so this book's about that and why i'm interested in history okay and i made it made a couple of history documentaries so there's a lot of stories from doing those and yeah you know

what it's like talking to these you know because talked to a lot of veterans, which was really interesting. But there is also the thing of once you get to 80, you've got your patter down. Yeah. Stories about when you were at Pegasus Bridge. And we met a couple of professional anecdotes. And that was quite interesting. Because are they being honest? You don't know.

It's a learned story. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They were doing the same 20 for 60. Well, yeah. That's exactly it. Yeah. And there was one guy in particular, and he's since died,

called Wally Parr, who was an absolute pro-anecdotaliser. Right. And there's a couple of people who were also at the battle. Because he's in a book, and he's in one of the books and obviously Stephen Ambrose

who wrote Band of Brothers obviously talked to Wally a lot and Wally is at every, in the book, I mean this isn't denigrating Wally Park because he was a very brave and incredible soldier but he is at every single

major fucking band. And there's a couple of the other boys who go, yeah well Wally, a couple of the other boys who go yeah well Wally yeah a couple of the other veterans yeah well Wally

yeah mate yeah of course he was there oh yeah oh we all remember tag along Wally but you know no I mean I'm not

he was I'm not having a go he was a brilliant brilliantly interesting man but he had his patter down and that's quite it's quite interesting running into that

when it's history and you want tell me the truth tell me the truth and that's quite it's quite interesting running into that when you want to when it's history and you want tell me the truth tell me the truth and that's really interesting but you know so the book's about that because what

also the book's about like what is it what is history because it isn't what happened then and that happened then it isn't that it's you know

it's how we tell stories actually how we tell stories about ourselves you know World War II is one giant moral projection that people you know it's a thing you can project War II is one giant moral projection that people you know it's a thing you can project

anything you want onto it morally so that's what history is every history book you will ever read is about now it's not about then

no no I'm not pulling you up there it's history what history is is when it's all all the things

that happen it's like 1066 back in the day yeah it was that sort of stuff the war all the things that happen. It's like 1066, back in the day. Yeah, it's that sort of stuff. The war. The thing is, I've got to write 100,000 words, right? So I've got to spin this bullshit.

Yeah, you can say all that. But when it comes down to it... It's Harold with an arrow. It's all like, you know, pyramids and all that. All the olden times things. It's the spinning journey. Yeah. It's black and white cobble street, Jack the Ripper, that sort of thing. pyramids and all that all olden times things it's olden times it's the old spinning journey

yeah it's black and white cobble street Jack the Ripper that sort of thing but I see what you're trying to say I'm going to pull you

on that so if anyone's thinking of buying Al's book bear in mind he's coming at it from the wrong perspective it's out next Christmas

Al Murray there Al Murray the pub landlord but he wasn't the pub landlord justble. Al Murray there. Al Murray. The pub landlord. But he wasn't the pub landlord just now. Just Al Murray. He was Al Murray the bloke. Yeah. But it's still the man who's inside the pub landlord working it.

Yeah. So that was a night. I did enjoy that interview. Yeah. I thought it was really good. There are some of the interviews. I've enjoyed all the interviews. Don't get me wrong.

But there's some interviews where I've come out and gone, that was a belter. Yeah. That was a really, really nice one. Also, for you, it's in terms of the edit as well see that one was pretty straight up relatively easy yeah it was relatively easy

where sometimes it's got nothing to do with the quality of the guest or it's the way the interview goes so sometimes it might end up

being more bitty we might discuss lots of topics and lose a thread halfway through then come back to that for a later and that's more

of a difficult edit or we might wait if someone's relaxing as they go on in the interview we might take something from later in the interview and put it to the beginning to make the flow better. There's lots of things. But Al was straight in there. Straight down the middle of the

line. Banging on. Giving it all out about Estia. I mean I zoned out on the Estia bit. Oh, no idea about that. Thank you. No idea. We also had a quite long chat with our friend Raji. Yes. Who was on a show with him once but I cut that out. Yeah, we cut that out. Because I felt it was unfair on Raji. because basically we all agreed he's a prick. So I didn't want to put that in because I thought that would be a bit unfair on the prick. A bit unfair on the old prick. We didn't think you were a prick Raji.

Let him be listening to this. He never listened to it when he was on it. He didn't did he? No. Weird. So there we go that's the show for today.

Don't forget our show Peacock and Gumball don't even want to be on telly anyway still every night at the Pleasant's Dome 9.40pm that's a nice late nearly late night show yeah okay come in at 9.40 and then we'll take you to 10.40 oh get out on the beers mate don't take that some bamboo right all the audiences from now onwards yeah for the rest

of the run wait for us yeah wait for us yeah whatever's after the show right make a big fuss about us then we'll all go down to pub together knock some beers back if there's any girls there we'll probably have sex with you alright definitely

with a Johnny on I like that I'm just happy mate that just now when you plugged our show you used the correct name

for the venue thank you very much see you soon the Peacock and Gamble Edinburgh podcast is a ready production hosted by chortle.co.uk today's guest is Al Murray and my show The Peacock and Gamble Edinburgh podcast is a Ready production, hosted by chortle.co.uk.

Today's guest was Al Murray, and my show is The Only Way is Epic at 8.55 at George Square Assembly, going on the road into the rest of the UK shortly. All music by Thomas Fun the Ray. See you tomorrow. Nice. Poor Thomas.