It started with a cardigan strip tease and the Perth Concert Hall audience was hooked.
Old Man saw John Richardson on fine form on Sunday night, laying out his neuroses for public consumption and inviting his audience to revel in them.
From sitting in his pants in a Premier Inn, tortured over whether to go for a Pot Noodle, to suffering shingles because he can no longer muster the energy not to have them, he would have us believe his stumbles through life from one mini-misery to the next.
His endless spare time between gigs also gives him the chance to peruse his Twitter account and revel in the abuse he gets from strangers, while obsessing about the fate of the fans into whose lives he catches an online glimpse.
One punter in the Perth crowd may have been particularly shocked to be outed as the neighbour of Pete Wishart MP suffering a serious case of broadband speed envy.
Fans of Eight Out of Ten Cats will be familiar with his agonising over order, rules and cleanliness but self-mockery turns his uptight irritations into charming foibles.
Every man will recognise at least a part of themselves in Richardson’s ridiculous rituals (a bit too close to the bone too many times for this reviewer’s comfort).
As he points out, he knows he’s a good person but other people just keep doing things wrong.
Richardson’s schtick is an unsociable and irrational hatred of social norms – and it appears to be genuine – but he betrays a warmth and empathy with his audience which reveals why he is so popular.
That, and being able to stack a dishwasher properly.