The avant garde world goes snooker loopy

Richard Herring's obscure Me1 Vs Me2 Snooker podcast is to be showcased in a festival of extreme avant garde art.

In the project, now into its 78th episode, the comedian recreates his lonely childhood by playing himself at snooker on a tiny 6ft table, commentating as he plays.

Now he will be bringing the show to the Tempting Failure festival of performance and 'noise' art, taking place in London in July.

But Herring insisted: 'This is not an art exhibition, but a genuine sporting contest. I am annoyed that I will be sharing my sporting arena with a load of pretentious artists, doing poos in bowls and making their genitals perform karaoke. Frankly they should all grow up.

'If they want real danger they should try playing snooker against themselves in a basement for five years and see how they come out of that.'

Writing on his blog, the comic added: 'I can finally properly announce that I am one step closer to the Turner Prize as the world of extreme performance art has realised the cultural significance of Me1 Vs Me2 Snooker.'

'I love the fact that what I am doing is considered extreme,' he added. 'Though am of course furious that the only place I can play publicly is at at a festival of art and not sport as it should be.'

The podcast has become increasingly cult – or less popular – starting with 30,000 subscribers, but now claiming less than 5,000 as the two Herrings – one a 'happy, if dull family man', the other 'a more volatile and unpredictable force' – battle it out on he green baize.

The blurb for the Tempting Failure event on July 28 at the Hackney Showroom, describes the podcasts as 'sports-based tedium' which 'punishes' listeners.

But it goes on to claim the matches have 'much to say about the human condition: the tripartite (or more) nature of the soul, the battle for control over your own impulses, the ultimately unwinnable contest that is your own life, the pointless ways we try to fill our time and the fragile nature of our mental balance'.

The Tempting Failure festival will host more 50 performances, involving 85 artists over nine days. Click here for more details.

Published: 6 May 2016