Live Comedy
John Robins: Howl
Award-winning comedian, broadcaster and podcast host John Robins is embarking on his biggest live tour to date in 2023 with brand-new show, Howl.
He says:
Holy Shit! Johnny JR is hauling his old bag 'o bones back on the road. That's right folks, 50 MILLION podcast downloads and I daresay the odd Perrier Award knocking about the place isn't enough to hold this firebrand away from dropping truth bombs left right and centre. Well, that's one way of looking at it. Another is that the four years since my last tour left me with a hell of a lot of staring time, and if I don't start screaming in regional arts centres soon then I may just burst.
The show I am touring is called Howl, and feels pretty well summed up by these kind words about previous outings of mine:
"Robins exploits his misery for every single possible laugh - transforming his pain into one long existential comic howl against the human condition" The Scotsman
"A particularly startling brand of funny, this level of self-exposure - because it's taboo, particularly for a man, to be this distraught in public, far less while encouraging people to laugh about it" The Guardian
If I thought lockdown was hard, then this last year has been an absolute pile of shit, I drove around the UK in a Kia Sportage in an attempt to get away from everything. Did it work? Did it fuck. This show isn't about mental health, this show is mental health. In all it's rage, joy, tears, anxiety and humour. Isn't that what comedy is? There's even a bit where I'm pretty scathing of the disingenuous platitudes of the modern wellness industry.
"Hot dang! Get me a thousand tickets!"
If you've seen me before you know the drill, if you haven't hold on to your butts.
"Has this been written by some jackass American podcaster John? Someone who puts their feet on the table in interviews and vapes a lot?"
No I'm just fooling with you [hides vape]
This show won't end with something glib and preachy. Nor anything particularly uplifting. Nothing will be set to music. There will be both bangs and whimpers, it will end on a good old-fashioned laugh. That's my motto. I'm also trying to edit out all the bits about golf if that sweetens the deal?