Odd thing fame.
It is not something that I have ever craved and I suppose this is a good thing?
It was more that from a very early age, I figured out something that I could do and wanted to possibly pursue for a career (being funny) as opposed to just wanting to be famous.
It worries me when I see the younger generations for whom ‘fame’ is their goal – by whatever means. Social media has provided new and dubious pathways to being famous – ‘influencers’ they are now called and if ever fame was based on a veneer?
This is not to say that I would liked to have become more ‘famous’ since this would have meant greater comedy success. But it has been over 15 years since I have managed to do comedy on telly, so I am well used to my diminishing stardom.
And why I was able laugh my head off when appearing today with Tom in the Daily Mail that I am referred to as ‘his friend’. This could be humiliating since this is the same newspaper who has covered Eclipsed with a double page spread. And last year, this newspaper reviewed my show in Edinburgh, (4 star, dontyouknow) and now I am reduced to ‘friend’.
Well, in keeping with Eclipsed, this ‘friend’ is still at the coal face and will be trying to arrest his gentle descent to obscurity by hitting Edinburgh this year, with his new show, The Glory Year. Come along by all means and add your shoulder and laughs to this noble cause.
My eldest son will be attending at some point. When he came last year, a photo of us appeared on the front page of the Edinburgh Evening News, with the caption, SPIDER-MAN HITS TOWN.
If, however this year, a photo of Tom and I appears in the Edinburgh press and I am referred to as his ‘friend’ and not Dom Holland, star of the fringe… then I will be gutted and I might even call time.
You have been warned!