Ain't No Cure for the Summer Time Blues :-(

There's always so much going on during the summer ... and it makes me a little tetchy.

Today is the last day of Ricky Gervais's standup show at Madison Square Garden and I just can't go. At least it's being recorded for an HBO special. And the trailer for his new movie is up on his site, so I'd definitely be there.

Loads of my favorite 80s Brit bands are on tour, as well. Who did I hear was going to be in New York? Was it the Cure? I'll think of it. Maybe I'll make up for my current doldrums by booking tickets to one of those.

There's a new Ricky Gervais podcast! There's a new Ricky Gervais podcast!

Ricky Gervais has had a ocassional podcast for a long time now.

If you lot haven't heard it, it features the co-creator of The Office and Extra, Stephen Merchant and a friend of their called Karl Pilkington. Essentially, it's three lads sitting around, having a go at each other. But the wildcard is this Pilkington. Evidently he was their producer when Ricky and Stephen had a radio show on XFM, and according to Ricky the best way to describe him is that he's a "shaven monkey with a head like a f**king orange."

The best part of the show is Ricky's reaction to Pilkington's "observations." (Once, famously, I think they were talking about eating rude parts of a kangaroo and he came out with the gem, "I could eat a knob at night," which was then turned into a dance mix -- actually several dance mixes.) Who knows if it's an act, but in the world of the show, Karl sort of skates through life, taking it all literally. (i.e., People who live in glass houses shouldn't knock about with actual stones, or their house will broken, etc.) There's no way to convey the tone of the show, so I won't try, but it is hilarious.

I encourage you to jump on the free podcast, available here if you have iTunes in America. This appears to be a one-off, a favor to a former boss who is now running New Music Express's station in the UK. I think the last one they did was in November of '07 and it may be donkey's years before they do another, with Ricky doing two movies and coming to America to do his standup show. Beside, the M.O. seems to be to send these out for free, and then sell each series ones some time has gone by. My suggestion is to listen to the ones that are still on iTunes and if you like them as much as I do, by the other downloads later. There are many hours of hilarity.

Everything is available throught the Ricky Gervais site, Ricky Gervais ... Obviously.

The one, the NME broadcast is pretty representative. Some out-loud laughs, but no "first-time-you-saw-the-Fawlty-Towers-where-he-beats-up-his-car-with-a-branch" moments. (Nick Hornby coined that description.)

Totally worth listening.

SPEAKING OF PODCASTS, check out The Secret Policeman's Ball. Yes, the comedy institution to benefit Amnesty International came back in '06. Stephen Merchant does some of the interviews. He was a little too hard on Jimmy Fallon and a a little too easy on Chevy Chase, but it turns out that in addition to co-creating history-making TV shows, he is very good interviewer.