So apparently there’s this new film, right, called “Young Washington”, and at the end of it, Kelsey Grammer talks directly to the audience. It’s not as if the film is breaking the fourth wall with a character suddenly turning to us, it’s more a separate advert that will presumably be ditched when this thing finally goes to streaming. But it’s Kelsey Grammer, he’s talking to the audience, and he’s asking them to buy more tickets to this film, whether or not they then go see it again.

“With your help, ‘Young Washington’ can be America’s #1 movie on the 250th anniversary of our nation’s birth,” he says, according to Slate magazine. He continues: “we can send a message loud and clear that America and the principles that helped shape her are still worth fighting for.”

There’s irony for you.

Follow. There’s a wonderful, I mean seriously wonderful episode of Grammer’s most famous sitcom, “Frasier”, called “The Candidate”. In it, psychiatrist Frasier rehearses filming a TV promo for a local politician, then not to spoil this, learns something that suggests this man might be mentally unfit for the job. Frasier now has to record the promo and every line that had seemed positive in rehearsal is now laden with extra meaning. Same speech, totally different meaning overall, it is a truly, enviably fine piece of writing by Chuck Ranberg and Anne Flett-Giordano.

I don’t think Grammer appreciates this, or would appreciate having it pointed out, but every word in that “Young Washington” speech of his is fine, yet its meaning is totally changed because of Grammer himself and the fact that he is a full-on Donald Trump fan. Kelsey Grammer is MAGA, even now, even after everything, and even as the US celebrates 245 years plus 5 under Trump.

Calm, William, calm. I started this today intending to write to you about this ancient business of whether you can like someone’s work if they themselves are problematic. I was going to tell you that someone once said my writing was worthy of Patricia Highsmith and, wow, did I feel great until I Googled her and read about her politics.

Actually, in the middle of the night I thought of a gag to do with this. I thought of how it’s a shame I wasn’t told this today, when Google is so poor that a search on Highsmith would only return sites to buy her books. I could’ve enjoyed the praise so much more.

Then of course there’s that Woody Allen line about “I just can’t listen to that much Wagner, I start getting the urge to conquer Poland.” And then there’s that Woody Allen. There was a long time when his “Hannah and Her Sisters” was my favourite film and maybe that naturally faded away over time, but recently I was in a conversation about it so I started to watch it again. Immediately, just immediately the music on the soundtrack, it’s so glorious and evocative, it slapped me back to when I first saw it, I was back relishing Allen’s and my memories of New York City.

I realised, though, that there was now so much going on in my head about this film that I wasn’t watching the film. I stopped it, thinking that it used to be that my only criticism was how Michael Caine isn’t great in this. Now I also question the journey I remember one woman’s character has where she eventually comes to see Allen’s character is right, that’s bothering me.

Just now, writing to you, I figured I’d compromise and listen to that brilliant soundtrack. I have it on vinyl somewhere but there’s only a tribute act version on Apple Music and checking Amazon, I learn that the CD is selling for £200 and up. The landscape film poster I used to have on my wall as a student is now available, with some digging, for £150.

I think I’d still rather pay that than go see “Young Washington” and spend the whole film dreading Grammer’s speech.

Grammar is fascinating, though, and yes, I’m trying to get my mind back onto the point. That point to me is about the wall between a person and their work, but it’s also specifically the way that he speaks of fighting for America’s principles when his avowed hero is fighting against them. You know this, it’s very definitely a right-wing thing where you must shout as loudly as you can in favour of the thing you are actually destroying.

I’m never going to see “Young Washington”, I’m safe. It doesn’t appeal and the one review I’ve seen says it’s pants, but even though it’s only a tiny chance that streamers will forget to remove that Grammer ad at the end, it doesn’t seem worth the risk.

Maybe I should go write more Highsmith-like prose. While, this is certainly true, that “Hannah and Her Sisters” soundtrack is playing for free in my head. God, it’s good.