Reflections on Liverpool and The Beatles

I added one more podcast to the giant podcast bin Now you have plucked that podcast out and started listening I took my microphone and found some human vote Recorded all the noises while we spoke I'm a man I want you to enjoy this, that's the plan Hey how you doing, Podcats? It's Adam Buxton here. I'm out in the fields of Norfolk with my best dog friend Rosie. Rosie is pausing. How's things, Rosie? I am doing important business. Yes, sorry to interrupt. She's very well. It's quite a cold, blustery day out here. in the early part of May twenty twenty six. And It's actually really quite cold. I shouldn't have worn shorts. I don't know what I was thinking. Well I was thinking that it was Summertime. After yesterday, yesterday was beautiful. Anyway, now it's freezing. I'm wearing shorts. And it was a mistake. Hey, thank you so much to everyone who came out to the first few Adam Buxton band live shows. It's been a rock and roll dream come true. Not just for me, I dare say, but for the audience as well, who I think have probably never seen. that level of musicianship on a live stage before. We had wonderful support from Anna B. Savage. Wow, she was fantastic. Really nice to see her performing and get to chat to her a little bit. Wonderful to meet some of you as well after the shows. for in depth micro discussions, signatures and creepy hugs at the merch table. Yes, I know we're missing a trick, not doing an unabsorbant tea towel. But uh I don't know, there's still time maybe at the London shows. Still a few more tickets for Brighton on Tuesday and Margate on Wednesday this week. And then we're in Buxton, that'll be in tents, Manchester and Leicester, and we're in London for a couple of nights towards the end of June. There's links in the description for those music shows. Really you should come if you're around. It's been really fun. I might waffle a bit about some of the shows at the end of the podcast today. Also don't forget those Bowie Bug shows at the Lightroom in King's Cross on the 17th and 30th of June. and second and third of July. Those are nearly sold out, so do get in there. Now our my legs are getting stung by net almond shout out before we get into things this week. On the fifth of August this year I'll be doing a live podcast. The only one that I'm planning on doing this year, that's gonna be at Camden's iconic Roundhouse venue, as part of this year's Roundhouse Comedy Festival, where I will be waffling on stage with Mawan Rizwan, the former YouTube sensation turned BAFTA-winning writer and star of TV sitcom Juice. He's a very talented and funny man. I'm looking forward to hanging out with him. I hope you can make it along. Link for tickets to the Roundhouse Comedy Festival in the description. Okay, let me tell you a bit about podcast number two hundred and seventy-one right now, which features a rambling conversation. With American stand-up comedian Josh Johnson. Josh Facts. Josh was born in 1990 and grew up in Alexandria, Louisiana, South Eastern USA, where he was raised by parents who were both teachers. He earned a degree in lighting design for the theater in twenty twelve, and after graduating he moved to Chicago. plans to pursue design work, but soon found himself drawn to the city's comedy scene. Where he performed at open mic nights, honing his stand up skills before eventually moving to New York City. There, in 2018, Josh was named New York's funniest stand-up at the New York Comedy Festival. It was around this time that Josh landed writing jobs on the Tonight Show, starring Jimmy Fallon. And the Daily Show, where he eventually became one of the on screen correspondents in February twenty twenty four. In twenty twenty five, Josh was promoted to the weekly rotation of hosts on that show. Over the last half decade, Josh has built a huge audience on YouTube where he regularly releases full stand-up sets and short specials. Rather than following the more traditional model of honing an hour of material for several months before releasing a special. In his unusually thought, curious, and conversational style, Josh mulls over subjects that have included AI and job insecurity. Race in America, the KKK, and the rap battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. My conversation with Josh was recorded face to face in London towards the end of January this year, 2026. Just a couple of hours after Josh had landed in London to do a few shows at the Soho Theatre. We talked about why Josh has never drunk alcohol, about life in Louisiana, alligator gumbo, how at one time it looked as though he might become a magician rather than a comedian. Then we spoke about David Blaine, pranksters and other people who are determined to mess with your mind. When we spoke, Josh had recently uploaded a set to YouTube in which he responded to the killing of Renee Good by an Ice Agent in Minneapolis in January. shocking events. It was the day after I spoke with Josh that another Minneapolis resident, Alex Pretti, was also killed at the hands of ICE agents. We also talked about another of Josh's sets, in which he discussed Another murder, this time of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was walking to an investor conference in Midtown Manhattan on december the fourth, twenty twenty four, when he was shot from behind by Luigi Manioni. and I asked Josh about one instance of criticism he received, in the form of a heckle from an audience member who felt that Josh was defending the murderer. Unfortunately, in my conversation with Josh, we mistakenly referred to the murdered CEO Brian Thompson, as Brian Johnson, like the ACDC lead singer. Total ignorance on my part. In Josh's defence, he had just got off a transatlantic flight. I didn't realise the mistake until after Josh had left, so it wasn't possible I'll be back at the end to tell you a little bit about my plan to start doing regular QA episodes of this podcast, and I'll be telling you how you can take part in those. But right now with Josh Johnson. Here we go. We'll go Christmas on this, then concentrate on that, on that show about that, and have a ball jazz. First on your conversation, don't mind your talking and Now you've just got off a plane, is that right? I did, I did. And are you a disciplined person when you're travelling? Are you up there having champagne and shots, or are you thinking no no caffeine, no alcohol, I've got to maintain my physical stability. I mean I wouldn't call it discipline. I would say it's more having a weak constitution. Okay. I mean I don't drink coffee because I'm awake, but at what cost? Like like what I feel terrible, I'm jittery, uh, my stomach hurts. Like it it feels like if you could take a magic pill that would wake you up and also make you miserable. And I just don't agree with it. So you have tried it though. Oh, I've had coffee. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I've never had a drink though. But you've never had a drink. No. How come? Uh lots of different reasons, I suppose. But I guess I'll put it this way. If I were to start drinking now, you'd have to find your limit, right? And finding your limit is usually something you do in your twenties. No one wants to help you while you find your limit in your 30s. No one has patience for it. No one has time for it. Like when you're young and you, especially that those first few years, you can even legally drink and you maybe have a bit too much or your friend has to help you home or whatever. It's like, all right, we're all about the same age and we're finding our limit. If someone needs to do that for you in your thirties, you quickly seem like you have a drinking problem. Like almost immediately. Let's let's say it's your third time drinking ever. And even if they know that, even if everyone around you knows they this person's only drank three times, but you are so drunk you need to be carried somewhere. People are like, you probably shouldn't drink. Yeah, I suppose it's like any kind of attempts at learning things that seem quirky and endearing in a young person seem much less attractive in an older person. I mean, I'm finding that now. Just start playing chess. Oh yeah. And I'm very bad. And it's so aggravating to be bad. when you're not a kid. When you're like when you're when you're a kid, you're bad at everything. Mm-hmm. So it's kind of powerful, the course that you're gonna be bad at a new hobby or a new game or something. But you get generally good at the things that you do. Especially by the time you're hopefully in your twenties and everything. So when you start something completely new that takes you back all the way back to like when you were bad at something at a child level. It is so jarring because you're like, no, but I remember logic. I have a brain. I swear I can read. And then you get, you know, checked in in like three moves and you're like, maybe I am not as smart as I thought, not just at Jess. But in life. Did you, for example, grow up in an environment where no one was drinking, where everyone was quite together? Yeah, I mean I didn't really grow up around Drinking in that way. I mean I'm sorry to fixate on drinking, but it's always been a big part of my life. And it's a big part of UK life. Not that it's not in the States, but I think the attitudes to alcohol are slightly different in the States than they are to in the UK. I mean, if if anything, it seems like and I I could be completely off base here, but it seems like in the UK drinking has a much closer attachment to third places. Like you're not necessarily always drinking at home and you definitely don't necessarily drink at work, but to build the camaraderie with either your workmates or friends or anything, you you know, you go to the pub. You go to these places where a drink is communal. And so I think that anyway it doesn't have to be the pub. be the graveyard, could be a wood, could be just a wide open space. The the car park. I feel like if you have a drink in the graveyard, I'm never gonna think you're celebrating. Do you have it? Any of those other places you could be like, No, I'm just having a drink and having a good time. Graveyard's the one place where I'm like, uh, they're sad. You have options. They are very sad. Or you're just celebrating a kind of defiance of existence and just maybe i it's a form of embracing Mortality in a very literal sense. Sure. Cause I I will even say this that I Foot When it came to drinking, there were there were different points in my life where One, there was a a long period where I was too broke to like a new thing. You know? Like that right there. It's like there's the barrier to entry right there. Then, you know, y you you can't drink until you're twenty one in the States. And I was like a fairly good kid, so I was I would always worry a little bit about getting into trouble. Even if everyone around me was doing it, I was like Yeah, I don't I don't know. I don't know. And then past that. You know, now you're over twenty one. and maybe you're not broke like you were before, then I would hear from my friends who were like, Don't Like don't drink, 'cause then, you know, you'll have a headache or you'll w whatever the thing is. And I think that I've done my best, decision wise, to like fill my life with things that bring a lot to it and try to like sidestep things that I at least personally feel like I could. overindulge in or or get a problem with. I don't think I would immediately have some sort of drinking problem, but I do Try to avoid problems. Well, that's very wise. I do my best. Yeah. Yeah. But what are the reasons that people are attracted to alcohol? I mean, I would say one of them is that it Frees them from some of their inhibitions, makes them relax, makes them feel that they can communicate. More easily, perhaps. Yeah. And were those feelings never ones that you particularly struggled with? I mean, did you feel quite relaxed in yourself anyway, so that you didn't maybe need to go out and have a drink? Maybe so. I mean I think I think I accept it a long time ago. how like weird I was and am. I think it would be me sort of trying to sidestep them meeting me for a little longer. How do you think you're weird? In what ways? I just I think that The way that I see things, I used to see as a bit of a problem, and now I think of it as like a if I'm being honest, like a like a superpower. Like to me, I think that everything is is connected and related. And so I make these sort of relations that have no Bases and touching each other. do it all the time. And I also think that in a way this may be annoying. I do think that Everyone is the same way we're made of the same stuff. I think that everyone is a bit the same in that if I had your life and your parents with your chemical makeup, I would just be you. I think I think I would just be you. So even when I meet someone who's terrible. I'm not saying that I forgive them being terrible and don't care. I'm just saying like there is a part of me that's like, what happened here? Cause depending on what happen here, depends on if I can understand why you are this way. And if I can understand why you are this way, once again, doesn't mean I'm gonna like you, doesn't mean I'm gonna condone what you do. It doesn't even mean that I'm gonna be even more empathetic. But I think that it will mean that I have a bit more maybe patience with with with the circumstance. And those two things may not seem bad or weird or like they would be annoying, but I think that they creep up in a little bit of every conversation and in times where it's like I guess quote unquote not the time for it. You know what I mean? And so I found that in a lot of conversation, especially young, before I was able to articulate exactly the things that I'm saying now, I would just Do that. I would be the off putting one. If that makes sense. Why would people get frustrated with that? Um I don't know. I mean I think that's such a admirable quality. I think I think it can be. But I think it's the same aspect of a personality that you see in obnoxious people. If you think about it, like you meet an obnoxious person, sometimes none of what they're saying is wrong. They're just saying it at the worst possible time, or they're saying it in a way that rub people the wrong way. And I don't think I was necessarily obnoxious, but I definitely think I hadn't honed when to do this. Like, okay, a good example. I didn't drink in college, but as soon as I was old enough, I would go to bars with my friends. And so I would be with them. They'd order a drink or something. And then I would be like, man, the markup on this is crazy. You guys realize if you just bought a bottle and drank it somewhere else, you'd get way more for your buck. And now everyone's standing there holding their expensive drink just like Oh yeah, you have pointed out that we're gonna be broke tomorrow. And I think that that stuff is like not it's not endearing in the moment, you know. Yeah. With you being Mr. Logic. I guess. I guess so. Yeah. That's a nice way to put it. I would say a downer, but yeah. I googled facts you'll be happy to hear about Alexandria, Louisiana. Oof. Just want to check some of these with you. Sure. Fact check. Oh well this is something you said though. New Orleans. to Louisiana is like you had the most beautiful blue eye, but your whole face was fucked up. Yeah. What do you mean by that? I think that like there's a a mystique and obviously there's a lot of history around New Orleans. And there's a lot of history all throughout Louisiana. But I think that when you look at the systems in place in Louisiana and you look at education, you look at the rates at which people are getting sick, the rates at which people can afford health care, all the things around being there. are not necessarily great conditions. And especially when you put them up against national averages. And that could even be said for some parts of New Orleans as well. But the only thing about New Louisiana that's being held up is New Orleans. That's that's the place where worldwide, whether you're in South Africa, you're in the UK, or you're in Nashville, everyone wants to visit New Orleans at least once. And they wanna hear the music, they wanna eat the food, they want that authentic experience, they wanna see the street performers. So all of that stuff. is like this rare gym. And so I look at New Orleans as one of these last few places in the States that lives up to at least in my experience. I know I'm biased 'cause I've been there so many times, but it at least lives up to the sort of legend. that is told about it. There's like a festival every weekend, whether it's jazz, blues, whether it's art, maybe I'm I'm sure if you talk to someone who grew up there and has lived there their entire life, they'll tell you all the ways that it's not the same. Sure, yeah, yeah. But I mean when I tell you, man. Well I went the last time. had some of the best food I had had. Really since the last time I went. What did you have? I had like crawfish atuffet. I had like um alligator gumbo and everything. Like it was just things that like you could try to find the things that are like that Creole Southern that jambo you can try to find those things in other places. And every once in a while there will be places that are just incredible. that make it exactly right. Not only is it rare, along the way you will poison yourself so many times trying to like capture that experience again. What's an alligator gumbo? So it'll be alligator Meat? And then the the basic, like roux, like the the sort of stew. Of the gumbo? mixed in with some rice, maybe some uh an dulli sausage and some filet, like see like like the type of gumbo seasoning that they use and everything. I didn't grow up with gumbo with gator in it. And so when I had it, it was an experience that was like very singular. Like I I had not been able to taste anything like this before and I haven't had anything like it since, but I did have Gumbo. that supposedly had Gator in it in New York. And I don't think that's what that meat was. Is it white meat? Is it like fish? It's kind of yeah, it's like a white meat. Yeah. Everyone says it has like the consistency, like the the chew of chicken. Yeah. And everything. But yeah, it was it was incredible. So alligators are not protected uh in that part of the world, are they? Or I mean think we're the ones that need protection. Um they're just so common that you can just stick them in a gumbo. As best as I know, you are only not allowed to like hunt or kill baby alligators. But as far as like An alligator who's just like poking out of the water eyes up. I think that's fair game. Gumbo time. Yeah. I could be wrong though. Maybe I had some illegal gumbo. Alexandria, your hometown sits on the Red River. Right near the geographic center. of Louisiana. It was once gonna be considered the capital Of the whole state, right? Yes, it would make a lot of sense if it was, because there's the Red River bridge into Pineville, there's an airport, you know, the there's a lot of opportunity there and it just Yeah. They went uh I guess. What was it like growing up there? I mean, what kind of town is it? It doesn't feel like a city to me. It feels very much like a town. You know? And I think that when I was traveling, especially when I first started doing stand up and was able to go other places. I saw how much of the US that is. How you have your neighborhoods by class. and sometimes how you have your segregated neighborhoods, but then also how even the places that supposedly have money all sort of have the same stores around them and most of the personality, most of the Interesting things to go see. aren't actually in those neighborhoods. And so growing up in Alexandria, I I was around a lot of That Whatever. Like name, brand stuff. We went to the mall. It was very it was it was very regular, except for there were certain Neighborhoods. around my neighborhood growing up that depending on where we were living at the time, were more dangerous, or there would be more things happening that were More edgy. Yeah, yeah. I mean like you know There there were shootings not far from my House. really buy house. Like there were there was really only one or two places that I lived growing up where I would say, oh, this is like fine. This is like a like a middle class place to live. And then the others even if we weren't in dire straits, even if we weren't in the worst conditions. You would hear things going on at night and everything. You would hear things like I remember There was um I w I was really little. and near my grandma's place. they would have, I think there were like two different nights I could hear it. And it was really upsetting. They they would have these like dog fights, like betting with the dogs and everything. And it was something that had to be explained to me. And I just remember being really like, um I didn't cry or anything, but just there are some things that are your first hint that things are not all right. Mm-hmm. You know? Arts and culture. Rather than flashy nightlife, Alexandria has a quiet art scene. Murals, community theatre, and small galleries. Does that ring a bell? Yeah, it feels very generous. It feels uh ba based on where I grew up murals is a It's a very nice way to put it. Yeah, yeah. But but there are I mean there are murals in the in the city and everything, but Yeah, I don't know. Were you not out there creating street art? Nah, nah. I I feel like for me, I always looked at whether it was tags or it was murals as people who were good at drawing. And I was not. So I was like, uh leave it to the expert. So what were you doing? What was your main focus of your leisure time? Good question. I mean, I would read a lot and I was into magic for a little bit, like doing like magic tricks and everything. How'd you get into that? I think I got really into it when I was like eight, as far as watching it. I really wanted to practice it. when I was around fourteen. So then that was like when I probably would have got the best I've been and had learned the most tricks and had memorized the most things and was able to switch decks and stuff like that. And then um yeah, at twenty two, I was like, I know I wanna do like some sort of Show Maybe I could incorporate a few of these things. Did you like um David Blaine and people like that? did. I I like what I like. Because Blaine loves the people freaking out. I mean Yes, yes. And that was my thing with it where The same way sometimes you see a comedian do a joke. And you're like, that's an incredible joke. That's very funny. That joke would not. come off the same way from me. And that's how I felt about David Blaine's magic. I was like, I'm glad he's doing it. And I'm I'm glad that he is willing to like be the person that people are like freaked out by or whatever. Be the creepy dead eyed guy that people people love. But as far as me, I'm just like, No, I don't think I'd be able to Yes. pull that off or would I want to, you know? No, that's a real commitment he's made to being a very certain type of person. Are you familiar with a clip where he appeared on British TV? And he has an eye drawn on the palm of his hand. And he's doing this interview with quite a cheesy presenter on British breakfast television. And They're trying to just have a chat. For Breakfast TV with David Blaine, and he's not having it. He's doing the whole thing as if he's been heavily medicated. And he's all like eyes at half mast, you know, and The guy says, What have you got drawn on your hand there? And he sort of holds his hand up and he's kinda doing a weird stare at the camera and Not really giving the guy any answers, just kind of smiling in this strange gnomic fashion. And and the presenters getting more and more wound up and bemused, like half amused, half just annoyed. Yeah. It was around the time when you hadn't really seen anyone doing that kind of thing before. You know what I mean? Like trolling people in that way. Yeah. Yeah. I mean I I definitely think that you've kind of like hit the nail on the head. Like There are certain personalities that I think get big because in the moment they're filling a void. Like we're we're still talking before influencers and before the sort of like cynical understanding of how you could become famous. And I think that he kind of filled this thing where he was off putting to the people you weren't supposed to be off putting to. But he was doing it like early internet and he was doing street magic around the same time that kids were becoming infatuated with the idea of like pranking strangers on the street. Yes, it was around Jackass's time when for a camera. Like kids have always pranked people on the street. That's like that's just being a kid. I'm I mean like We have a purpose and we're gonna show people this later. And we are gonna make this like basement of tapes. Well that's like Tom Green, I suppose. Do you know Tom Green? Yeah, yeah. And he was sort of doing that stuff. You know, home video enthusiasts. Yes, yes. That's kind of the world that I came from. Like we used me and my comedy partner used to do a homemade TV show in the UK that was genuinely made by us with Video cameras and stuff, but we always shied away from those pranks. We did a few. But we were never really comfortable with it, you know. Yeah. Yeah. Well you just have to You have to be really open with the idea of making and leaving a bad impression. Yeah. You know? In a way that polite society used to frown on. Like we used to really not go for someone was just rude for attention. Yeah. I mean and personally speaking, I still frown on that. Yeah. Yeah. I'm just I'm blown away that there's no limit. Yeah. Like it's got to the point now where You know, jackass and some of that stuff is one thing because you can even in the moment kind of see the bit. Like in the moment. If Johnny Knoxville goes to a yoga studio. and he's got a fart noise maker in the back of his belt loop and he's doing yoga with everybody and they're playing the fart noises at random times and even Johnny doesn't know when's gonna happen. It's like someone even in the yoga studio could be thinking Oh, this is like a funny thing. Like this is what I'm trying not to do every time I do yoga. I'm trying not to fart, right? I think it's a very different thing for a kid to be like, I'm gonna go to this yoga studio and throw anthrax on everybody. And it's like, well, that's now you're just doing terrorism. Like now this isn't even a prank anymore. Yeah. There's a guy I know, Guz Khan, who is a fan of this YouTube guy. I think there's lots of them. do just weird things. I think he's an American guy. goes up behind people in supermarkets. And just makes a weird noise right in their ear. Mm-hmm. Kind of a slightly sexual noise. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm and people. generally fucking hate it, you know. Yeah. Yeah. Can imagine. Either they're very angry because they think that maybe their sexuality is being impugned somehow if it's a guy, you know or sometimes if it's a gay guy, they think that they are being Teased. Mm-hmm I mean there there's just so many bad reactions that you can have to that kind of thing. Someone invading your space, making a weird noise. Like some people like my friend Guz, he finds it hilarious. But it makes me so uncomfortable to watch it. And the comments underneath I think it's generally divided into But the younger you are, the funnier you find it, right? Sure, sure. I think it's also based on like how real people are to you. Mm-hmm. I'm not even saying that None of these things can be funny. I'm saying that When you watch it, do you feel like you're watching it happen to a person or do you feel like you're watching it happen to another character? And I think that really colors your experience of how you Watch some of this stuff, you know? Yeah. It just seems strange to me that You'd be watching that on a platform that is all about real life, really. I mean Maybe that's bullshit. But that was my relationship with YouTube when it first started, was like this is where real people, ordinary people outside of the media, are able to express themselves and post things. So it is sort of by definition. Like these are real people. Yeah. Um, so it always seems weird. And you know, some of these people in the in the video that I'm thinking of. Salim the dream is the guy. Y you know, they get violent with him and they just they come after him and he runs off. And there's a certain he includes those ones as well, where he looks terrified. He looks kinda terrified. He would he's pretty good at stay very blank. and not really giving a good reaction, which is half of the thing that freaks the people out, because they go, like, What's the deal with this guy? Is he on drugs? Is he mentally unwell, what's what's happening here. Mm-hmm. But he includes the bits where he really gets his ass kicked as well. He's just running away from these people. Anyway. When did you then get into the rhythm that you're now in currently of putting out material Weekly even more often than weekly sometimes? Yeah, sometimes. So In the what twenty twenty three, I think it was. My buddy Brian was like, Why don't you like really start putting this stuff out? Like whenever I see you, your set is different. And I know you're not doing anything with it. You're just doing different stuff because you get bored with what you were doing or you feel like it's finished and so you move on to something else. And I was like, Oh yeah, yeah, I mean, he's not wrong. Like ever since I was doing open mics in Chicago, I would really have like a different thing. And when I was a little kid and I was writing. Uh Because backing up even a little bit further, before I even had an interest in magic, I always really loved comedy. Oh really? So yeah, so I would watch comedy specials on TV. Who are your favorites? A lot of the Comedy Central comics were like my first exposure. And then there were some of the Def Jam comics as well and the Comic View comics and stuff. So, you know, I was watching like Christopher Titus, Bill Burr, Wanda Sykes. uh Martin Lawrence, a little bit of Eddie Murphy. Uh Eddie Griffin. You know, I I was just watching these people and I was just like, This is the coolest thing. But I still didn't realize it could be a job. I don't know why I categorized it the way in my head that I did, but in my mind I was almost like, Oh well because I had seen D. L Hugley, have a special, then have a show, and then have a special. I almost kind of thought you had to be like a crossover actor slash. comedian for them to let you get up there and do an hour of comedy. Yeah. Or a kind of nuclear fireball like Eddie Murphy with such a massive personality. Yeah. I'm not saying you don't have a massive personality. Oh no, but I hear you. I hear you. It's But your your tone and your delivery is so distinct from so much else. And I'm struggling to think of comparable comics from back then. Like with was there anyone occupy the same sort of space that you occupy now? I mean, hopeful not. Not that I can think of. It'd be nice to uh be unique by discovery. That'd be that'd be cool. I suppose the reason that Perhaps most people wouldn't upload stuff they were doing on stage is that most comedians workshop things and they don't want them to be out there prematurely. Uh to the point where they ask people not to use their phones in their sets because they want to keep a lid on what they're honing for as long as possible until they feel it's ready to be seen by a a wider audience. But you're working almost the opposite way. There's nothing wrong with that model of doing comedy. I think that That way of doing comedy brings people a fantastic show. like a really special show. And I'm not saying that I won't revert to that one day of of being like, Oh, actually, you know, I'm really enjoying doing this hour. I think I'm just gonna do this hour until I don't feel like doing this hour anymore. But I also find that there's something in a different way special about making something that is just for the people you're performing for right now and no one else and then it's over. And I'm lucky that through uploading it gets to live longer and gets to have other people enjoy it who weren't at the show. But at the core of it, I'm just trying to like share something specific and special with people. Do you have then bits that you can fall back on? Like at the moment you're on tour, right? Yes, yes. You've just done five sold out nights at the Beacon Theater in New York. That's Three thousand seater. That is massive. So we're Each one of those five shows different? Or were there is it modular? Are there bits that you can move around and fall back on and Well I guess you could call it modular in that there were definitely some jokes and stories that were only But then there were things that crossed over into other shows and in a different order. I've had people come to two shows same night and be surprised that they were even slightly different, but I've also had people come to three different weekends and see that the weekend is different. At the end of the day, I'm still enjoying doing the jokes that I like the most. Sometimes there's a joke that whether you feel like it's developed or not, you just have so much fun doing it that you're like, yeah, I just want to do this tonight. And so yeah, sometimes I don't put those things out because I'm having too much fun doing them. And then when the time is right, when it goes with the set, I go ahead and let it go. And I think that that sort of process keeps me open-minded about creation and it build a a rhythm and a cycle for progress and it and it allows me My hope is that it allows me to get better faster. Right. But then do you allow yourself to use a bit that you particularly like more than once or a few times? Or do you consciously think, Well, I've done that and that's on YouTube so I'm not gonna do that anymore? I don't really do things that I've put on YouTube again. If my feeling ever changes around that, luckily I've you know put out enough things that it's not like they'll be like, oh he's doing this one again. But I find that repeating the stuff that I put on YouTube doesn't serve the new thing that I'm trying to do. So sometimes the new thing that I'm trying to do is so much about another topic or different mindset that I'm in that it would almost be shoehorning it in to repeat something from you two. I mean in the last few days you put out a bit post the killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis. How do you even begin to approach talking about something like that in a comedic context just days after it's happened? Yeah, I mean I think that the way you go about it Or at least what I did was you see what happened and then you are very honest and and present with how you feel about it. And then I tried to be honest about what every aspect of what it looked like to me. And I went over it and over it and over it several times before I ever did the show, trying to decide how much to talk about the shooting specifically versus do I take into account that people will have seen it by the time I'm doing the show. And so I don't need to go into some detail. I can just speak about how we feel about it. And then I think that Once again, everything being You know. related, everything being connected. What is it with Renee Good and with Ice in Minnesota and with the sort of fear, the imbalance of how people are approached by law enforcement and what people do with their power? And I think that all those things Even if you don't live in Minnesota, even if you never go, even if you never come across a border patrol agent or an ICE agent in any country that you live, everyone has an association with someone abusing power. Everyone has an association with narrative building. Everyone has an association with being an innocent bystander of a horrific tragic event. Right? So w in all of that universal emotion. you now have everything you need to create something that people can relate to. And so You do everything that you can to make the set that you are doing funny because funny is supposed to come first. And I think that sometimes when people see someone did a joke about this thing, I think most people who don't do comedy think to do any joke about any subject means you're making fun of. And that's not always what it is. You know? Sometimes the only way to talk about depression, to talk about drug abuse, to talk about suicide, to talk about being in a dark place. is to do jokes. that relate you to the thing, but are not making fun of someone who's suffering. And have you had times where You've stepped into hot water and you've had to go through a sustained period of people coming at you for something you've said. Either on TV or in your live shows? Necessarily. Like I mean, I I I guess I'd be surprised if you had because of the way you talk, because of exactly what you just described, which is really giving a speech that is supposed to be communicating how you think people should feel. Instead you are just trying to shift the way they think one step. Sideways. You know, it's a very kind of humane way of Tackling those subjects. Yeah, even if it even if they don't change their mind, even if they just understand how other people think. Right. That's actually I think that does more for empathy than anything. Even if you could bully people for a time to have the right opinion, quote unquote. You're never gonna know who's genuine and who's pretending. You're just gonna know what's the thing to say. Right. And so I think that trying to change people's minds or trying to like shame or bully people into thinking the way that I think would be one, a misstep because I don't think that it you're ever gonna get genuine change that way. And then two, what if I'm wrong? Mm-hmm. Like what like I'm I'm not infallible. So what if I'm wrong about something and then I try to bring a bunch of people with me? I'm not trying to convince you of of anything. I'm trying to show you how other people see things. Mm. You know? You did that very effectively with your bit about the guy that shot the uh CEO, the the Oh Luigi? Yeah. The healthcare Oh yeah guy. Um what's the name of the company? Um United Health. United Health, right. They provide medical insurance in the US. And you did Well they don't, so Right Yeah. So funny enough, actually, when I was at the Beacon I got heckled because I was actually doing a joke about Luigi and then this guy started heckling me and he was like, he's a murderer. Right. He's a murderer. And I let the first one go. And then finally he yelled again, he's a murderer. And I was like, what? And the guy screamed again, he's a murderer, you asshole. And I'm like, well who did he murder? And then he's like, uh, you know, he was a father, meaning Brian Johnson, right? Yeah and I was like, oh, okay. Well, you know, United Health was using this like faulty AI that they knew wasn't operating correctly, but they still left it doing what it was doing so they could deny more claims. And it's the practice of insurance companies to do their best to deny you your claim because that means they get the money for free. You know what I mean? Like this thing shouldn't even be legal the way that they operate. And so, you know, Brian Johnson, through his practices, definitely killed people. Maybe we don't want to look at it that way because when something is not present, and that's what I said to the guy, I was like, who did he kill? He was a father, you asshole. I'm like, okay, all right, I'm an asshole. But you saw Luigi shoot him. And I did I never really try to engage with hecklers in that way or anything, but this felt like different. And I was like, you saw Luigi shoot him, but you didn't see when Brian Johnson was denying claims for cancer patients for people that needed heart surgery, that be like there are actual solutions out there. As bad as the American healthcare system is. There are actually solutions sometimes right in front of a person. There's medicine that they need, there's care that they need that they could have access to. The care and the medicine have been invented. And then they go to their insurance company and their insurance company is literally waiting for this person to die. So they'll stop calling so they can keep the money. And so I told him, I was like, so maybe murder only matters to you when it's in person. And he didn't say anything after that. And I think he stayed for the show, which I thought was wild. But like to me, that's sort of at the heart of the matter. It's like I could have spent 10 minutes just trashing this guy for interrupting the show and like, you know, there's thousands of other people here, but you got in your feelings enough to try to interrupt the show and everything. But to me This moment's better served by pointing out a thing. You came to the show. I mean, I'm surprised that you like me, especially since I did an hour on Luigi and you're here six months after that. Maybe he hadn't seen that. Because you know what? I went into watching that clip, your hour on Luigi. Maybe with some of the same feelings as your heckler. Thinking That guy's a murderer. And you do say in the thing, you say Very clearly, like, I'm not up for murders. I don't want people murdering each other. You don't want like a total lawless society and and you don't want just random killings as a way of settling issues that ought to be settled in other ways, right? So we all agree on that. But I think for some people that story was so polarising and so emotive because it did seem like a divide between people who were sort of advocating vigilante justice as a way of sorting out society's ills. As opposed to something more to do with the process that we're all signed up to for better or worse. And I always invoke my parents in conversations like these because they were certainly people who believed in law and order and believed in You know, that like as flawed as those systems are, they were like, Well, this is better than the alternative. This is better than total anarchy, you know. So the thing I was trying to get across, and the thing I'm still trying to get across, even with that heckler, even with that interaction, is that I understand the people who firmly and fully believe in law and order. I also find that throughout history and in every country, the people that believe the most in law and order are the people who are the best served by the current law and order. Right. And so I find that that is a false problem to put out there, that it's either exactly or it's total anarchy. When really I'm actually trying to advocate that It should be a lesson and a stark warning to everybody that if you leave this thing intact, if you leave this version of law and order intact, that's actually what'll lead to anarchy because it's actually serving so few people that people celebrate a murder that takes place in like Public. That's not normal. By any measurement of law and order that is actually serving the whole of society, no one would be able to do that. Do you know I mean if Brian Johnson was sitting alive but in jail right now for his business practices, no one would celebrate his murder. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. Like and I don't even know if people are celebrating so much as openly not caring. And I think it's a reflection. They are openly not caring the way Brian Johnson openly didn't care about people. I think for a lot of people, they're like We're just signed up to this system, whether you like it or not. I appreciate a lot of people don't like it and are very vocal about when I say this system, I suppose I'm not purely about the capitalist system, whatever it is. Mm-hmm. But it's like You know. whether you approve or disapprove, this is the way society in the affluent West works. You can have a job as someone who runs a company. that is superficially legal and superficially respectable, but actually if you dig into what it does and the impact that it has on people's lives, it's pretty disgraceful. You know, shrug. That's the way society works, you know, that that guy still has more of a right to live his life than someone who's outside of the whole system and just decides that he's gonna execute someone on the street. Not only do I agree with you, but I'm saying that I could see how me going about even tell some of the jokes the way that I told them might seem like I'm more in favor. I'm more saying like, guys, this is what happens before things go bad. And that has to be addressed. And so I look at like Some of what some of the responses to what's happening. As Let's say you were sitting with a family member. And someone walked in, walked into your, to your home. and told you, said it out loud, stated their intention. your family member, I'm going to assault them. And then they start walking towards them. Are you gonna say, hey, that's illegal? Are you gonna say, hey, that's just not done? Maybe you call the police, you tell them to get out, whatever. But once they put their hands on your loved one, what do you do? Do you turn into a killer? I mean, do you to to protect them. And I'm not saying that Luigi thought he was protecting anyone. I'm not gonna ascribe any intention to what he did, but I can tell you right now that the people who are supportive of what he did are those people who are down to the point where the a hand is on the throats of their loved one and they don't know what else to do. So if someone walked in and let's say, this is just for the sake of argument, if someone walked in and just as they're putting their hands on the throat of your loved one and you aren't sure what to do, because you're not a killer, someone runs in and hits them with a baseball bat. knocks them out, maybe kills them, whatever. There is a sense of relief where it's like, all right, we got the bad guy. And it's something that we've actually been trained to do when it comes to like shootings with police, right? If a police officer shoots someone that was supposedly doing something illegal that was supposedly a danger to the public, we get to breathe some sort of sigh of relief. Yes. Well, that is that's the conventional narrative for most entertainment, isn't it? Yes, yes. Is like That is the cathartic release you want in a film. You support The cop who is not playing by the rules because he serves a greater justice and he doesn't want to dot the I's and cross the T's. And because the rules have handcuffed him. Yeah, yeah. Right. And so we've been playing at this thing for a really long time and it's coming to a head in a way that's very concerning. Mm-hmm. And the and that's the kind of thing like if I was to really have a conversation with that heckler and like Like sit and chat with him. I would ask him, I was like, okay, obviously you're not supposed to kill Brian Johnson. Everybody clear on what's supposed to happen, not supposed to happen, not supposed to kill Brian Johnson. What do we do? Yeah. And I don't say that as in what do we do because murder's the only other option. I say what what do we do? Practically speaking, practically speaking how do we move forward. And if you have no answer. then I think people might murder, you know? I think all of that comes across really well. It's a really fascinating thing that I hadn't seen again. I feel like I didn't get that perspective anywhere else, really, on that particular issue. It's really um impressive and and refreshing and sort of makes you feel a bit hopeful as well, I think. Because I do think that People have to accommodate the the possibility of finding some common ground and and trying to shift their perspectives on things and not feel so fearfully locked into one way of looking at the world or or following people who have a very specific way of looking at the world. Yeah. I mean it's like when you find out I don't know if you've ever had this. Have you ever found out you've been saying a word wrong your whole life. Yes. And then you're like, oh, everyone I said it in front of Oh, jeez. Oh no. It's like that's why it's hard to get people to have a cult. Because if you're in a cult, you told everybody. Yeah, yeah. You told everybody it's like, no, we just wear the robe because it's comfortable. And now everyone's like, you're in a cult. And you're like, no, I would have caught on if it was a cult. And then finally there's like a day where the leader's like, Hey, everybody, drink this. And you're like, oh whoops. Yeah. No, it's very uncomfortable to feel it's annoying as well. It's not just uncomfortable, it's just annoying. Life's hard enough without having to do more bloody work on yourself. Yeah. You know what I mean? And and kind of unpick yourself and think like, oh God, if I'm wrong about that, what else am I wrong about? Yeah. Because it can all come crumbling down. Yeah. Every once in a while you'll have somebody who changes their mind about one thing and they're like, well maybe maybe everything's a lie and you're like oh wait whoa whoa whoa now we're jumping. Mm. Before we conclude then, I wanted to ask you about your impression of the UK. How many times have you been over to the UK? I know that you did the Soho Theatre in Walthamstow. Have you been across that? been one other time and I enjoy coming, but I am trying to learn. as fast as I can things that you would normally pick up if you just lived here. So like the differences in sensibilities between the burrows and stuff between like north and south and east and everything. And I feel like I'm catch on to a little bit of it, but I don't have much of it. And I mean if you listen to Elon Musk, then the UK is just about to tear itself apart in a civil war. I mean, listen, I'm not saying it's perfect and there are definitely tensions in the UK and all sorts of problems that are ongoing. And I also have to acknowledge that I live in a very uh I live a nice, cozy, privileged life in all sorts of ways. However, I do travel around a certain amount and I don't see the same UK that Elon Musk sees from What I actually like about Elon is almost nothing. But one thing I really do like about him is that he reminds me that I don't need more money. This is the richest man in the world and he is terrified of everything all the time. He's trying to make you scared of everything all the time. Might try and make you scared of everyone. I don't know what what drug he took or what happened in his life because he used to be tr like really trying hard to just be kind of funny. Yeah. There was a time in like twenty thirteen where he was just like posting memes and was kind of funny. Let this sink in. Yeah. And it's like he still posts memes and I guess he still tries to be funny. But now it is all geared. From a perspective where somehow He is the richest man in the world and still not safe. And that that is like Oh okay, then I don't need to get to the finish line. Jamie, you tell yourself that if you have a certain amount of money or whatever, that you'll be happier, happier, or whatever. But then when the actual richest man in the world is in the White House twitching. twitching from like using drugs and just like kind of being off in space and everyone's complaining about him because he's so annoying. And nobody likes him. And all he does all day is just post memes about how the UK has fallen. And how like the UK is basically Africa now and all like all of these like fear mongering, hate mongering posts, you're like Oh, okay, like money. That and that's kind of reassuring to know. There are, however, legitimate things to complain about in the UK. I googled what some of those are, an aggregation of some of the most common complaints across TripAdvisor and places like that. Weather number one. Yes. Nobody likes British weather. Even though I think in its defense quite nice except for these months that you're here, actually. If you had December, January's hard. Yeah, if you had a stack of books to read, this would be perfect. Yeah But around this time, January, February maybe. Changing now with the with the climate. Shifting so much, but It's fucking depressing and it really gets to you, just the lack of sunlight, the lack of vitamin D is is hard. But um And you really feel it. People complain that things in the UK are too small. Rooms, fridges, beds, cars, food portion. Food portion. I think that must be a distinctly like American complaint coming over here. I feel like every plate of food I've had since I've been here has been full. Customer service. Fewer smiles, less small talk, no one checking in on you every ninety seconds. I mean, to me, those are all positives. Yes, because here's the thing, with customer service If they can't help you? Talking to me extra is not gonna make me feel better. Yeah. You know. I mean, having said that, I do the the the smiliness and um superficial at least helpfulness of American customer service, when I used to travel there in I used to go with my dad. He was a travel writer and he would take us to the States in the seventies and early eighties. And that was the thing that stayed with me was I love how friendly they are and they're so you know. Sunny and have a nice day, and it didn't seem insincere to me at all. It just seemed like they're so nice. I love them. And I do miss that sometimes in the UK. But I think customer services may be getting a bit better. Over here. Humour though, pe people complain about British humour. They say there's not enough reassurance that the person is joking. That sometimes Oh too dry. Too dry, too sarcastic sometimes. Okay. Have you found that? I haven't found that, but I I I could see how I guess I could see how in conversation in comedy I haven't found that because I find British comedians funny. But I guess what I could relate to from what they're saying is if I don't know someone and they are joking with me, that's when I could be like, oh, I guess they just don't like me. Cause it because we don't know each other and you're joking with me and it's very dry. I don't know this from you not liking me. Okay. Yeah, but Yeah, I th whereas I think usually it's a sign that people do like you. Yes. In this country. I think they feel comfortable and they feel comfortable enough to be dry. Yes. Rather than make it absolutely clear that they're joking. You know. Yes, yes. Accents. Apparently A lot of people, especially Americans, expect a quote British accent, which I would imagine is Uh something close to my own accent, um middle class, maybe upper middle class, R P receive pronunciation. Or something a little bit more like you know, British people used to speak like on the BBC. Um yeah, like There's a thing I I I was even wondering about this with with someone before, so I I feel like I need to ask you now. What happened to everybody from like the twenties to to present? Because the Americans also have this. Like Americans have that old baseball like I'm next at bat. And it's like that thing is not how anybody talks. Like at all. And so is that a thing that happened here where you watch old British movies and they're talking in a way that no one talks now? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's a comedian called Harry Enfield who is brilliant, and he had a character who he called Mr. Chamley Warner. And he would make these fake clips of old British TV shows, black and white shows. And he would do this voice. Kind of, um yes, the way that people spoke in those days and um British television and delivering everything in a very staccato strange Yeah way. And no, I don't think anyone I mean there there are still posh people who talk like that. And you occasionally hear them on the train having loud phone conversations in a very happy way, totally unselfconscious way that always amazes me. And you know, we have politicians who are like that. There's a guy called uh Jacob Rees Mogg. Who sounds like that really. A little bit. But it did change, yeah. It used to be the specific stated policy of the BBC that people should talk that way. And if you didn't, if that wasn't your natural accent, then you should learn how to do the accent. That's so funny. But then they stopped. Then people began to embrace the idea that actually it would be better to have more diversity of accent and influences. I mean they must have done that in the US too, where Where they were like, No this is how you talk as a radio presenter. But I I I suppose even in the early T V They must have been like no you have to give it more huh at the top. Yeah. Cause that's crazy. Cause, you know, you you see even some of these old World War two real sense of it. I mean maybe more so World War One than World War Two. But yeah, you would see them come on fighting for the boys at home. That's right. Yeah. And you're like, okay, but did anybody say that like when he stepped away from the mic was like, anyone wanna go get lunch? Like Like or did he talk normal. Yeah. Can't help noticing, dear, that we haven't had sex for two weeks. Yeah. Yeah. It's like it What if it never went away? Like that that guy's like the guy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, I hope you are treated very well. by all of us here in the UK. No fingers crossed. I bid you a warm welcome and uh wish you the very best of luck for your shows and I look forward to seeing you live in person, but I will continue to watch and enjoy your YouTube videos. Oh thank you. I really appreciate you uh I really appreciate you doing this, especially after getting off a plane. It's just Oh, yeah, you know. Have a good rest. And uh thanks a lot, man. Thank you. Hey welcome back. That was Josh Johnson. I really enjoyed meeting Josh and talking to him. Incredibly sharp, unusual kind of guy. I really recommend checking out some of his videos on YouTube, I've posted links. in the description to several stand up sets, including the one that he recorded in the wake of Renee Good's killing, and the one in which he talked about the murder of Brian Thompson. But I'm very grateful to Josh for making the time to talk to me, especially as he Just got off that flight blime. Okay, Adam Buxton Podcast News. Myself and my new podcast production helpers, Claire Broughton and Diggery Waite, are trying to figure out a way to do a Patreon bonus area, if that's what you call it, for this podcast. It's not something I've ever done before, but I'd like to give it a try. Not least because I've never really had regular contact with you guys, with the podcast, people who listen to the podcast, other than Christmas time when we take anecdotes and jokes and things like that for the podcast with Joe. But this would be an opportunity to do a a semi-regular QA or AMA where you guys could send in any questions you wanted to ask. And we'd pick a few and I would Uh talk about them and answer them. And that would end up being a regular Patreon bonus. But to get the ball rolling, we'd do it as part of the run for the main podcast, so you wouldn't need to be signed up to Patreon to hear it. Anyway, there's an email address in the description of today's podcast. For anybody who would like to send in a question they'd like to ask. And in a few weeks' time we'll record an episode of me answering some of those questions. Thereafter we would do it exclusively for our Patreon subscribers. Uh and there would also be other bonus materials. which we haven't nailed down exactly yet, but we're just kind of gauging the level of interest at this point. So if you are interested, first of all, in doing the AMA and then possibly in being a Patreon member, drop us a line to the email address in the description of today's podcast. I look forward to hearing from you. So how have you been? Wherever you are. It was really so great to meet some of you after the band shows recently. Earlier this year, when I was feeling a bit. overwhelmed and uh despondent and I was moping about a a little bit at home. My wife said to me, I think it's gonna be good for you to get out of the house and do some shows with the band and meet the podcast. And she was right. The show's have been really fun. I've loved play with the band, and if I say so myself, I think we sound pretty good, on the whole. My guitar playing, which was at beginner level, seems to have got even worse, but luckily Joe, Mount, Gabriel Stebbing, and Michael Lovett from the band. are really excellent players. So apart from singing, I tend to be more of a Roxy Music era Eno, firing off samples, playing the odd bit of random synth noise. For some of the shows we've also been getting members of the audience up on stage to play Eno Synth. On a little critter and guitari uh handheld synth box that I bought years ago after seeing Gaz Coombs using one. There's a video of me and Gaz playing I Believe in Father Christmas by Greg Lake. for a show I did years ago called Adam Buxton's Shed of Christmas and in it I am using the little handheld synth. And we got some very good emergent cinos up on stage. Shout out to Sarah, Evan, and Luce from our recent shows. I think I'm getting a bit more relaxed on stage, maybe even a little bit more tuneful as a singer. First night of the tour was at the Liverpool Tongue Auditorium T U N G, which is part of the Yoko Ono Lennon Centre. Beautiful venue. Very nice and modern and fancy. We had a few technical issues that night. And we were quite nervous, so it was a little raggedy. Also there were a few famous faces in the audience that night. I won't say who they were to preserve their anonymity, but That always tends to ratchet up the nerves a little bit as well. The next morning I got up early and I went for a walk in Liverpool to get myself some breakfast and found myself in the sort of main shopping drag and the touristy part of town around Whitechapel. and I came across the statue of Brian Epstein, the Beetles manager, outside where the North End music store, NEMS, once stood, where Brian Epstein worked and where members of the Beatles used to shop for records. And the statue is of 27 year old Mr. Epstein striding off from the record store in November 1961 when he went for the first time to see the Beetles playing at the Cavern Club in Matthew Street just round the corner. And I've been to Liverpool a couple of times, but I've never really done the So I pointed myself in the same direction as the statue. And a few minutes later, there I was in Matthew Street, which is lined with Beetles related bars and imagery. And I was standing in front of another statue, this time of Laura Laura Cella Black in a blind data. She was also managed by Brian Epstein, of course. And there she is in a mini dress in brass form. with her arms outstretched. Looking a bit Jesusy it has to be said. Where the entrance to the cavern club would have been when the Beatles were playing there, back in the early sixties. And I was there for a little while in the early morning before the other tourists started arriving, enjoying that weird feeling of bathing in the memories held by a place where momentous things once happened. And I was enjoying standing exact where the Beetles would have come and gone around sixty five years earlier, separated only by time, and in the scale of things, such a microscopic sliver of time. And imagine all the other people who have stood there in that spot. A Laura Laura people who are also fascinated by the Beetles and that story and anyway, I felt I was communing with them like John and Paul. on an acid trip, staring into each other's eyes and saying, I know, man. I know. It was all quite trippy, especially because while I've been travelling around, I've been listening to the audio book of John and Paul, A Love Story and Songs by Ian Leslie. Brilliantly read by Chris Addison. And a lot of people had been recommending that book to me for a while. If you don't know it, it examines the personal and professional relationship between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. via a selection of songs that were pivotal for various reasons in the course of their twenty-three year friendship from 1957 when they met to 1980 when John Lennon was murdered. And instead of just hitting all the usual plot points in the history of the Beatles, Ian Leslie charts the inner workings of a friendship that started when Paul was fifteen and John was 16. Paul's mother had died of cancer the year before they met. John's mother died in an accident the year after they met. And over the next 13 years, that's all it was. 13. It's nothing. They wrote Beetle song together. Which partly provided them with a way to express some of their feelings about their various losses, as well as their feelings for each other. friendship and love, but also the insecurity and the competitive tensions and resentments that are so often part of a close friendship. Especially if it's also a creative partnership. Yes, I know what you're thinking. It's very similar to the Adam and Joe Six music song wars story, isn't it? Adam McCartney writes sausages, encourages Joe Lennon to write some original material too. Joe ups the ante with European supermarket, and from there the limits of garage ban creativity are pushed further back, week on week, with Joe initially dominating the competition, causing Adam to suffer severe creative anxiety, which forces him to step up and write some of The defining songs career. Mind of a Pirate, Festival Time, and Party Pom Pom. Meanwhile, Joe Lennon starts taking too much LSD, gets addicted to heroin, switches his emotional allegiances to a Japanese artist, and goes off the rails before cleaning up and reasserting his musical dominance with bangers like Antiques Road Show. and la la lumely, only to lose interest in the project when Hollywood comes calling and he starts to believe he's Jesus. I'm just saying don't be surprised. if Ian Leslie's next project is the Adam and Joe Song Wars story. But yeah, John and Paul. A love story. Hard recommend. Alright, that's it for this week. Get those questions in for the QA episode. Book those tickets for the band and for Bowie Bug and for live podcast with Mawan Rizwan. And don't forget I'm at the Charleston Festival in East Sussex this Thursday the fourteenth. Talking to Miranda Sawyer about the 90s, DIY TV, doing some reminiscing, playing a few clips, having a great time. Hope you can come to that. We're on at 9 PM. Thank you very much indeed to Claire Broughton and Diggery Waite. for their production support. And conversation editing. Thanks very much to Seamus Murphy Mitchell for his production support. Thank you to everyone at ACAST. Juliaces with my sponsors, much appreciated. Thanks to Helen Green. I saw her the other night in Bath. She came along to one of the band shows. It was lovely to see her. She does the artwork for this podcast, of course. But thanks most of all to you for coming back, listening right to the end. I appreciate it. Creepy hug. How's it going? Good to see you. Beautiful buds. Until next time, we share the same hour space. Please do go carefully, and if it makes any difference at all, I love you. Bye! Subscribe like subscribe subscribe