This is\u00a0exactly how I was introduced at an event last Saturday: “William Gallagher, the best writer who was available today and is in our price range.” It is a tremendous line, it got a laugh from the audience and from everybody I’ve told it to since, including you right now. And I think the reason it works, the reason it is funny is because of course it’s true.<\/p>\n
If you’re producing an event, you want the best person you can get. And then inevitably, you have to settle for the best person you can get.<\/p>\n
When that’s me, then I don’t care how many better people you asked first, I call it a win.<\/p>\n
Normally, though, you don’t get people saying anything even remotely like “we wanted Phoebe Waller-Bridge but managed to find this guy in a bar ten minutes ago and figured he’ll do in a pinch.” No, typically you make me, or whoever, sound great because then at least your show doesn’t immediately seem like it settled for rubbish. Better to be seen to make a poor choice of guest than to admit you only had a poor choice.<\/p>\n
So usually, I don’t get announced as being cheap and available. But even as that introduction last weekend said I was both of these things, it was also saying that I was I was welcome and that I was with friends. It said that they knew I’d be delighted by the line. That line and the laugh it gave me knocked the pre-event nerves out of my system, too. And at the same time, it completely conveyed to the audience the warm tone of the entire event.<\/p>\n
By being frank, even as a joke, it was saying we’re all in this together and we all get it, we are all friends there. And in every sense, that set the stage.<\/p>\n
That is a remarkable feat for one opening line.<\/p>\n
I’d tell you now that it was said by poet Jonathan Davidson<\/a>, except he was worried later that I’d not been okay with it, so I won’t tell you his name until I’m sure I’ve reassured him sufficiently. And until he’s far enough away to not hear when I tell you I am stealing that line for every event I can manage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This is\u00a0exactly how I was introduced at an event last Saturday: “William Gallagher, the best writer who was available today … Continue reading