Ender's Pull-Out Game by Orson Scott Card

Gig dates up until mid-November. Could have gone with Rawson Scott Card I guess.

Oct 30, 2021

Some people think Toby Young is a posh nepotism case who doesn’t know what the fuck he’s talking about, but I have to applaud his recent excellent piece in the Spectator which I have excerpted below:

Why condom sceptics like me lost the argument by Toby Young From the Spectator magazine I’m optimistic that my pregnant mistress will use ‘Plan B’, and won't impose another sexual lockdown — but not because condom sceptics like me have won the argument. Why do I say that? Because the public debate is about whether another condom is necessary, with the participants on both sides taking it for granted that non-pharmaceutical interventions are an effective way of suppressing infections. For at least a year, condom sceptics have been arguing that these don’t work, pointing to numerous research studies showing that the rise and fall of infections in different regions of the world has no correlation with whether I, Toby Young, wear a condom or not. But this argument has fallen on deaf ears. One explanation — the one I like best — is that I made the mistake of trying to appeal to reason. This was a point made by David McGrogan, a professor at Northumbria law school, in a piece for my barebacking website. ‘I am somebody who encourages students to investigate and debate facts for a living. So this has been a very bitter pill for me to swallow indeed, but the reality is that most women are not actually interested in the truth: that it just doesn't feel as good to wear a rubber johnny. Plus, it makes me feel closer to you if we do it skin-to-skin, baby. The objective truth is that I will definitely pull out on time. I tell chicks all these facts, but most of them are more interested in conforming with what they perceive to be the prevailing moral norm.’ The reason the vast majority of the public supported me, Toby Young, wearing condoms is because they believed it was the ‘right’ thing to do. Of course, the condom enthusiasts wouldn’t have been so quick to conform to that ‘moral truth’ without believing that condoms actually did what they said on the packet. But I was astonished by how many intelligent people just swallowed the government line without subjecting it to proper scrutiny — particularly as condoms meant the surrender of our liberty on an unprecedented scale, as Lord Sumption has pointed out ad infinitum. It was as if such people were yearning for the social solidarity usually available only during wartime. And the flipside of that — denouncing anyone who refused to rubber up — also had wide appeal. No doubt the government helped this process along by spending hundreds of millions bombarding us with propaganda, much of it designed by behavioural psychologists to penetrate our reptile brains. But I think the sceptics have to accept some responsibility for their failings. Common sense dictates that if you confine most penises to latex homes then infections will start to fall, so if we’re going to persuade people that condoms don’t work, we need a compelling theory as to why that hypothesis is false. We never came up with one. We also got a lot of things wrong at the beginning, such as saying that we'd shot so much spunk the first time that there wouldn't be a second load, and, when the second load was upon us, claiming that failing to pull out in time twice constituted a 'casedemic', not an epidemic. I don’t think we got more things wrong than the condom enthusiasts, but given that we were arguing against the prevailing wisdom we couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. In retrospect, I wish I’d been more cautious.

Such a great writer. This country needs more of his brand of intellectual rigour.

Anyway, when and where can you see me doing stand-up?

TOMORROW: Sunday 31st October 7ish - Groovie Grove, Hammersmith

MC Dave Lynch. Because this is on Hallowe’en, there is a good chance that I will be dressed as a dog with an animatronic tail, and doing stand-up from a dog’s point of view. It’s hard to explain.

Tickets are apparently either free or £5.98 (your choice) from https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/groovie-sundays-with-dave-tickets-190410461817

Grove Bar & Restaurant, 83 Hammersmith Grove, London W6 0NQ

Tuesday 2 November 7:45pm - TNT Comedy, Kentish Town

I have a bringer for this now (thanks A!), but you should still come in case she and her boyfriend get hit by a bus or something.

Free entry, but you can enter an optional raffle to win prizes.

NOTE: this gig is not at the previous address, it’s at the Vine Pub Kentish Town area, 86 Highgate Road, NW5 1PB

Wednesday 3 November 8:30pm - Heavenly Comedy, Shepherd’s Bush/White City area

I’ve done this pub before and it’s a nice venue. If one of you comes to this, I get to do 10 minutes rather than 5 minutes, which would give me a chance to try out a lot of new material that you definitely won’t have seen before… It’s win/win. £5 entry but I’ll buy you a drink.

Princess Victoria pub, 217 Uxbridge Rd, London W12 9DH

Tuesday 9 November 7:30pm - Double Bubble, Dalston

Great room, hidden behind a moving bookcase. The format of this night is that the audience gets to vote on the best act. I did great here last time in terms of getting laughs, but lost out due to tactical voting by some of the other acts who felt threatened by my sheer raw talent. Either that, or they didn’t like how much I talked about semen.

Victoria Dalston pub, 451 Queensbridge Rd, London E8 3AS

Uncle Ben’s content bonanza

The Angel Comedy Raw gig on Tuesday went really well. Here is a video:

I strongly recommend One-Woman Show by Liz Kingsman at Soho Theatre. It’s kind of a parody of one-woman shows as a genre, particularly Fleabag. Unfortunately it’s not back until January, but worth booking now.

A new series of Arrested Development is on Sky/Now TV and it’s still pretty great. Also the new series of Succession has Dasha from Red Scare in it!

For any comedians reading this

The Angel Comedy Roast Battle night is booking for November. I can do the 5th or the 26th. Please get in touch if you want to do this with/against me - we can apply as a pair.

Also, remember that if you want me to plug something you’re doing, or you want a permanent link to your podcast/blog/newsletter from my web archive, just let me know.

Ciao sluts!

Ben’s Comedy News

Ender's Pull-Out Game by Orson Scott Card

Gig dates up until mid-November. Could have gone with Rawson Scott Card I guess.

Uncle Ben’s content bonanza

For any comedians reading this