Comedians in Edinburgh
Getting Chai Lattes (series one)
S1E1:
Josh Pugh
Originally not aired on 10/08/2018
For the first episode, I grabbed a latte with Josh Pugh.
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There is, however, no actual evidence that this happened.
S1E2:
James Cook
Originally not aired on 11/08/2018
Wonderful chat with young upstart James Cook today.
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We agreed he could open for me when I start playing arenas.
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Watch this space x
S1E3:
George Rigden
Originally not aired on 12/08/2018
George William Rigden featured in today’s episode of “Comedians In Edinburgh Getting Chai Lattes”.
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George is a fantastic musical comedian with bags of potential. He is doing his debut hour this year in Edinburgh, and to say it’s a great show would be a statement. If he gets his head down, in a few years' time he could feasibly be making a very modest living from comedy.
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A lot of people don’t like musical comedy, but fortunately for George he only has a fairly small room to fill every night and he is almost doing that.
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We discussed how our tendency to hide behind our comedic personas in real life will ultimately be our downfall and destroy any meaningful relationships we make. Just as we find happiness, we will search for reasons to abandon it, preferring an agonising yet more familiar sadness, trading in a life of emotional connection for comfortable isolation, finding brief moments of pleasure in the laughter of strangers.
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Lovely chat! X
S1E4:
David McIver
Originally not aired on 13/08/2018
Episode 4 of my totally unrecorded podcast “Comedians In Edinburgh Getting Chai Lattes” and we have everyone’s favourite silly man David McIver.
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David is someone I really look up to (not physically) and it was an absolute delight to have him on the show. He was one of the first people I met doing stand up and we have remained very close acquaintances ever since.
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David is a short man, but what he lacks in height he makes up for in personal hygiene. One of the nicest smelling men in comedy, David has the ability to satisfy the nostrils of audiences everywhere.
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“David, which do you think is the more important thing to give an audience - laughter or nasal bliss?”
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“The latter.”
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Excellent insight!
Tune in tomorrow x
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S1E5:
Harvey Hawkins
Originally not aired on 14/08/2018
Today’s episode of “Comedians In Edinburgh Getting Chai Lattes” is brought to you by Squarespace.
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Right, on with the show...
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Today we had the extremely forgettable Harvey Hawkins. After watching Harvey’s stand up, you’d be forgiven for thinking he’s quite an interesting guy. 5 minutes of talking to him revealed that not to be the case.
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Realising getting anything out of this guy was gonna be an absolute ball ache, I switched the focus to me.
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“Harvey, I have a girlfriend now. What do you make of that?”
“I can believe that.”
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“I feel like I’m really finding my voice comedically at the moment. In the last year my style has really developed and I’m going into every gig full of confidence. Would you say I’m the best new comedian in the country right now?”
“Nope.”
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Great bit of banter!
See you tomorrow x
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S1E6:
Sarah Johnson
Originally not aired on 15/08/2018
Episode 6 of the smash-hit podcast “Comedians In Edinburgh Getting Chai Lattes” and we have Sarah Johnson. Sarah is like a mother to me, and by that I mean I don’t like to be seen with her in public.
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Sarah was the first guest on the podcast who didn’t offer to buy the drinks. The tension this created throughout the conversation was palpable. Having failed to secure a sponsor for today’s episode, I was already a little bit anxious about how the show would stay afloat financially. Luckily, I was able to claim a small victory by spitting in her drink while she wasn’t looking.
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Stingy since birth, Sarah disguises her financial meanness with emotional generosity. Someone who is always there for you - except when it comes to buying a hot drink - Sarah can put a positive spin on the direst of situations.
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We spoke about mental health and how important it is to not get caught up in the competitive, cut-throat side of the Edinburgh Fringe. Sarah says she likes to imagine herself as being inside a protective forcefield that deflects any negativity coming her way.
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“Sorry Sarah, it’s really bugging me. I’ve organised this whole thing, promoted it, paid for expensive recording equipment that I’ve switched off - surely the least you could do is buy the coffees?”
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“Your negativity isn’t penetrating my forcefield, Eric.”
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Touché, Sarah. Touché.
Tune in tomorrow! X
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S1E7:
Binty Blair
Originally not aired on 18/08/2018
Today’s episode of “Comedians In Edinburgh Getting Chai Lattes” featured a big industry name.
Binty Blair, co-founder of the world famous Hot Water Comedy Club, joined me for a riveting off-mic chat.
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Hot Water is Liverpool’s first purpose built comedy club and I have had the pleasure of smashing it to pieces many many times. Packed every night and full of atmosphere, it’s the perfect place for a new comic to cut their teeth (those scousers are violent lol).
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By far the most handsome guest on the podcast so far, Binty’s peng physique made conducting the interview very sexually frustrating. Despite being scorching hot, Binty doesn’t just rely on his looks. Funny, charming, intelligent — there aren’t enough words in the English language to do this guy justice.
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“Eric, no matter how much you lick my arse, I’m not gonna book you for weekends.”
“Hahahahaha, what a funny thing to say… how about a weekend spot in September?”
“I have to go now, Eric.”
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Great guy.
See you next time! X
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P.S. For personal reasons, involving the filing of a lawsuit from my ex-intern Darren, I will be taking a few days off from the show. I’ll be back on Wednesday to bring you more boundary-pushing content.
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S1E8:
Kirsten Brown
Originally not aired on 17/08/2018
Hello everyone, I normally hate airing my dirty laundry in public, but this fucking stinks.
It’s come to my attention that Marc Maron thinks it’s acceptable to belittle newer podcast hosts.
A Chai Warrior (what I call my fans) got in touch yesterday to let me know the latest episode of Marc’s podcast “WTF” is a complete assault on my show. I haven’t verified this claim yet, but apparently Marc had Bobby Ball in the garage and they spent the whole time slagging off the show for being “too unrecorded.”
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Umm, yeah, that’s kind of the point guys...
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Marc is someone I respect, but if he’s gonna carry on being an absolute gobshite, then I will have no hesitation in banning him from ever being a guest on my show.
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How about we all stay in our lane, do our art, and just make our own fans happy, Marc?
Right, sorry about that, let’s get on with the show...
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Probably the nicest chat I’ve hard so far, Kirsten Brown came on today’s show determined to leave a good impression.
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Kirsten rocked up with a gift, in the form of a Curly Wurly bar, and set an example for all future guests to follow. The complete opposite of a diva, Kirsten’s only worry seemed to be whether I was having a good time.
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It was so refreshing to have a proper chat with someone so genuine. Sometimes when you’re out in Edinburgh and talking to other comedians, it can feel as though they’re weighing up how important you are to their career. They look at you like you’re a piece of meat — either a tasty rump that can nourish their chances of success, or a rotting off-cut to be discarded as quickly as possible.
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Kirsten said she felt this too.
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“It’s almost as if they’re looking over your shoulder, scanning for someone more important to talk to.”
“I know exactly what you mean, Kirsten.”
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The conversation ended when I saw Sarah Millican on the table behind us and went to try and talk to her instead.
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Tune in tomorrow! X
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S1E9:
Dan Nicholas
Originally not aired on 25/08/2018
Today’s episode of “Comedians In Edinburgh Getting Chai Lattes” featured the enigmatic Daniel Nicholas. Returning from the show’s mid-season break, the conversation got deeper than my ongoing legal battle with ex-intern Darren.
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With regards to Darren, my lawyers say I’m not supposed to say anything, but I have a burning desire to try and put things right.
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Darren was someone who was with the show from the start. The brains and energy of the operation, he put everything into it. He would come up with special features, book guests – he’d even do 10 minutes of stand up in the middle of the coffee shop to warm up our involuntary live audience. He would bomb horrifically every single time, but he kept going, and that’s what I admired about him. He was the best producer/cohost/plucky-sidekick anyone could ever ask for.
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But he was also much more than that. He was my friend. We met a few years ago at the University of Warwick: I was 18, overwhelmed by university, and searching for a way to feel better. And Darren just seemed to have the answers – to my maths assignments, specifically.
Copying off him for three years helped to form the rock-solid foundation of our friendship, and because of certain things I did, that friendship is no longer there. It’s hard to believe that foundation has fallen apart.
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Last week Darren decided to leave the show and it’s made carrying on with it very difficult for me. But for the fans, I want to try and put the last two episodes out there.
So let’s crack on and find out about Dan Nicholas.
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Dan is a quirky act who self-identifies as an “alternative comedian.” He told me he saw all these comedians doing well-crafted, polished, funny material and decided to do the alternative.
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Besides being a maverick-comedian, Dan is also very perceptive. As tears were streaming down my face, Dan clocked that something was up.
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“What’s up, Eric?”
“Well, it’s just, I’ve kind of fallen out with someone who matters to me and it sucks.”
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Dan laughed. It was that mocking kind of laugh you receive when you’re having dinner round your posh mate’s house and you ask if there’s any ketchup.
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He grabbed me by the cheeks, looked me straight in the eyes and said, “Eric, let me tell you a little something about life.”
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He said a natural part of growing older is that friendship’s drift. Nothing is permanent – you learn that anyone who ever loves you will one day discover you weren’t what they thought you were.
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“Love is built on an idea of perfection,” he said. “When that idea is shattered, so is the love.”
Well, after he said that, I got even more sad and decided to wrap-up the interview. As I looked mournfully into my chai latte, I thought that maybe he was right. Maybe it was just one of those things and Darren is gone forever now.
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But Darren, if you’re still following the show, I just wanna say I miss you. I’m sorry for being a prick, for never giving you the credit you deserved. I’m sorry for all the times I made you do those degrading things because I thought it would be good for the show. Making you get naked for an unrecorded podcast segment was a step too far. In trying to make the show good, I lost sight of what was important.
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And that’s you, mate.
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I’m sorry that I still insist on calling you my intern, when really it was just as much your show as it is mine. My ego doesn’t want to admit that, but it’s true.
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I’ll always remember when I did the first episode with Josh Pugh and forgot to turn the recording equipment on. You looked at me with a glint in your eye and said:
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“This is the show.”
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“What?”
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“This is the show, Eric.”
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In that single moment you changed podcasting forever. Meanwhile, I was working out how to take the credit.
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But now, all the fame, all the industry respect, all the Chai Warriors that turn up at my shows – it means nothing to me. I’d give it all up to be friends with you again.
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Please come and get a Chai Latte with me soon.
I hope you know I love you.
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Anyway, to everyone else, the season finale is tomorrow. It will feature the return of Josh Pugh + a very special guest.
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See you tomorrow x
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S1E10:
Josh Pugh
Originally not aired on 26/08/2018
Today was the season finale of “Comedians In Edinburgh Getting Chai Lattes” and as I sit here writing this over one final solitary Chai Latte, extremely high levels of both pride and caffeine course through my body.
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Two weeks ago I had a dream. That dream was about the time I pooed myself in year 5, but when I woke up I had the idea to do this podcast. I haven’t looked back since.
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In the last fortnight, I’ve had the honour to speak to some of the people I most admire and respect in the industry. Apart from the episode with Harvey Hawkins, every chat I had was deep and interesting, giving me a glimpse of what it means to be a comic. And the best part is: not a single word of it was recorded.
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But although you can’t go back and listen to any of those conversations, I think the success of the podcast speaks for itself.
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It’s so easy to feel gloomy at the Fringe, to sit here at the end of it all and think, “What the fuck was that all about?” But if you’d offered me this experience a month ago, I’d have bitten your hand off. In fact, I’d be chewing up your forearm, devouring your flesh, mercilessly tearing you to pieces with my teeth, breaking you apart bone-by-bone.
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I guess what I’m trying to say is: don’t come to me with mystical offers about my future, because I WILL eat you.
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What’s made doing this show so exciting is that no one could’ve predicted it. And I don’t wanna know what comes next, I just wanna keep riding this wave.
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But anyway, one last time, let’s do this...
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For the final episode, we had Josh Pugh. Josh was the first guest I had on the podcast and it seems only right that he’s the final one.
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Probably the person I most look up to in the circuit, it’s always a privilege to sit down with Josh. On the first episode we did there was a lot of joking and banter, but this time I wanted to see what was below the surface, find out more about Josh as a person. I just couldn’t work out what questions to ask.
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“Can you show me how to get deeper inside of you, Josh?”
“Gladly, Eric.”
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Josh then proceeded to open up for me and let me inside. In the interest of privacy, I can’t divulge any details of what happened next. However, I want to end the season with a thank you to Josh.
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It’s out of character for me to be sincere, but Josh is a real role-model for me. He works hard every day, produces really funny and original stand-up, and rarely moans about anything. Josh said he’d try and get a special guest for my last show, and then risked his reputation and dignity by asking every TV name he knew to come on the podcast. They all said no, but just the fact that he tried for me meant a lot. Josh has always supported and encouraged me, and that’s much more important than whether he can book me Mark Watson.
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So – thanks Josh, you’re a great guy. I just hope I remember you when I inevitably surpass you on the ladder.
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Anyway guys, that’s about it.
Thanks for the memories xxx
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