Rosie Wilby
Published: Tuesday 22nd November 2022
One random comedian, eight random questions, it's the ultimate test of funny person and fate. This week we welcome the on-stage and on-page wordsmith Rosie Wilby, who will be in Kent on Friday. Expect happy bunnies at Kent's Gulbenkian Theatre.
"I'm looking forward to Funny Rabbit," says Wilby. "The MC is the fabulous Oliver Double. I've met him at some more academic types of events, comedy and philosophy conferences and the like. He is a man who knows his comedy."
The seasoned surrealist (and Britain's Got Talent semi-finalist) Noel James is also on board. And her own set? Light or dark? "Much of my own material is linked to my books and solo shows about the psychology of love," she explains, "though there may be a topical ad lib or two."
Wilby's latest book The Breakup Monologues - inspired by her podcast - is now available to pre-order in paperback, "with a new cover and a few small updates".
Or you may prefer the already-out hardback or audiobook. How did she find doing the latter? "Narrating the audiobook in a tiny, dark booth was a bizarre experience. There's only one person (the engineer) listening. And they're behind a soundproof glass window. So you can't even tell if they're laughing."
There's a lot to be said for live audiences. Rosie Wilby, your Random 8 await.
What was your childhood career dream?
I spent much of my childhood locked away (well not actually locked anywhere - my parents weren't monsters) in my bedroom inventing my own cartoon characters and painstakingly drawing my own comics. I dreamed of having my characters published. One of them was a reluctant canine superhero, Superdog. He did not look unlike Snoopy.
Which low-key law would you introduce?
When researching my first book, I performed a comedy set at a sex party before the sex all started (that is one situation in which people do NOT appreciate you going over your time).
On entering the space, everyone signed up to a 'pal' system, where you couldn't enter without a mate who would vouch for you and promise to take you home if you were being a dick. It actually fostered a brilliant sense of accountability.
I would like to introduce that in many situations - for example, you couldn't go swimming without someone who would vouch that you're not going to piss in the pool.
What's the most regrettable thing you ever bought?
My wife and I just bought a coat rack and shelf to put up by our front door. We had not measured up properly and now cannot open our door.
I'm sure I've bought more regrettable things in the past. However, I can only remember all the old sex toys that gathered dust and never got used. And I didn't want to mention those. Oh god, I just have...
Ever gatecrashed anything interesting?
At York University I once swam the lake, in order to avoid the official entrance and gatecrash an exclusive barbecue that one of the colleges was hosting. My friend had told me I'd become something of a folk hero if I did it. However I had not thought through how soggy, stinky and obvious I would be. I was ejected fairly quickly.
Another time I gatecrashed a party, someone asked me who had invited me. I had heard someone mention the name Clover. I said I was a 'friend of Clover' and we had gone to school together. It turned out Clover was a child.
Is there a book or show that changed your life?
Writing a book has changed my life because there is an incomparable sense of achievement wrapped up in finishing. Does that count?
What should be Britain's next national anthem?
Club Tropicana would get everyone smiling.
Which historical figure deserves more attention?
I spoke about the English sexologist Havelock Ellis in one of my old shows. He was writing about homosexuality, transgender psychology and more back in the 1890s.
Ever walked out of a film, before the end?
Blair Witch Project. A drunken man had decided it would be really fun to jump out on people from behind the seats, which made the experience a little too real.
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Love comedy? Find out moreRosie Wilby - The Breakup Monologues: The Unexpected Joy of Heartbreak
In 2011, comedian Rosie Wilby was dumped by email. Obsessing about breakups ever since, she embarked on a personal quest to investigate, understand and conquer the psychology of heartbreak.
Part memoir, part investigation, The Breakup Monologues takes on the big questions about our life-changing separations in the modern age of ghosting, breadcrumbing and conscious uncoupling.
In Rosie's trademark immersive, investigative form, the self-styled 'lesbian Louis Theroux' puts her own relationship under the microscope in a 'sex lab' and explores how a split parallels the effects of withdrawing from a drug, why friendship breakups can feel like the worst endings of all, how polyamory changes the conversation about commitment, how breakups can sometimes be empowering and lead to exciting new life journeys... and how ultimately they can even help us to stay together.
The Breakup Monologues brings together all that she has learnt from her own life and from conversations with her podcast guests, friends, fans, relationship therapists, scientists and sociologists to create a wonder of humour, heartache and psychology that will strike a chord with all. The book features anecdotes and insights from Richard Herring, Dolly Alderton, Sofie Hagen and Ayesha Hazarika amongst others.
First published: Thursday 27th May 2021
- Publisher: Green Tree
- Pages: 208
- Catalogue: 9781472982308
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- Published: Thursday 19th January 2023
- Publisher: Green Tree
- Pages: 208
- Catalogue: 9781472982285
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- Publisher: Green Tree
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- Publisher: Bloomsbury
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