E512 Ed Sheeran

24:18People are going to... You're going to have like, you know, freckled stepmother versus like, you know, gambling addict Vietnamese or something. You know, it's getting, that's where it's all going to be bet. It's just constant betting. I think you can feel it coming up in the world. It's like - Would you do one of them? Against a male or female, you think?

24:48Against Caleb. Oh, against Caleb Presley? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, man, you and him both have the mischievous look in your eyes all the same time. So that's how you guys could be related. I had a good night with Caleb. Did you? I was just with him in Lisbon yesterday. Yeah, he's fun. My friend got married and we went to Lisbon. I went over there to see him. Caleb came to a show in Dublin and then we went over there. It was really cool. Lisbon's amazing. Lisbon is amazing. Lisbon's amazing. Caleb's great though, dude. He's very smart, mischievous. He likes to like - Who do you think wins? Between me and Caleb?

25:21Yeah. That's a great question. You and him both get in a cage. You put on those little gloves. But how little the gloves, here's what I think you should have to do. Gloves that are way too small, not just gloves that are like weighted gloves, but like extra small. Yeah. And then your hands are like this, you know, and then you have to fight. Like, oh dang. Did you ever fight at school? Did you do wrestling and stuff? I've gotten beat. I got beaten a decent amount as a lad, I remember. I remember at our school, if you got in a fight during school, this is what they made you do. You had to stand in the hall, whoever you fought, and you had to put your hands on each other's shoulders for the rest of the day and just be there and looking at each other and talking.

25:59So by the end of the day, you were friends with whoever you fought, you know? And all the kids would come down the hall between class and call you a wanker or whatever, you know? That sounds actually quite a good way to solve problems. I thought it was. Because by the end of the day, you had to make each other laugh or figure out what went on. And you realize that like, yeah, you're probably similar. Similar. Yeah. Well, you certainly didn't like. Didn't hate each other by the end of the day. Yeah. Or if you thought the guy was a bully, you got to kind of figure it out with him or. And you work out why he was being a bully or lashing out.

26:31Right. Yeah. What was going on? I thought it was just kind of an interesting program, man. Yeah. I don't have a wife, but I'm probably going to get one one of these days. And so do you, um, do you think it's hard? Cause you're like the love, like a lot of your songs have like a lot of love in them, you know? And so is it hard to still be like, does your wife ever feel like, Oh, you write all the good songs for the whole world? No, I think, you know, we went to, we went to high school together. So we've known each other 22 years now and all of our mates are the same friends. So we're like, we have like a little Suffolk cohort and it's, she's very, she's very comfortable with, she's known me through everything.

27:18So she's not like, there's not really any self-consciousness that comes through it, I guess. And we are, I mean, we're with each other all that I'm going to see her after this to have a little, little break, but like, yeah, we're with each other all the time. So we talk, we talk a lot. I find that lots of little small uncomfortable conversations save arguments. So you just like, if anything ever comes up, and we'll just sort of nip it in the bud there rather than let like resentment build. Yeah, I struggle with that sometimes, man. Yeah, I'll just, I'll want to try and, yeah, I don't know. Sometimes I can feel like right now you should probably say this.

27:56That way everything will be smooth. And there's a part of me that's like, fuck, no, homie. And then you just have to be like, and just say it. And then it's actually fine. I kind of do that with like everyone. I'm just trying to be like as honest as possible at all points. And then there's not really, you kind of see it as like bricks in a backpack. Like you've got loads of bricks in your backpack. And if you can take a brick out quickly, it just lightens the load. So it's just getting the bricks out. Yeah. You know? Yeah, gosh. I wonder how many relationships for years, husbands and wives just sit on their words.

28:28You know what I'm saying? I think a lot. go through every and just sitting on a for a sentence that just one sentence running at you with a meat cleaver yeah yeah and just serving the last sausage brother in the dark hallway yeah like a good man over there in leeds or wherever what's the most dangerous place to be around here here uh i'd say every every area of london has a literally everywhere area is sketchy Like, I think that you cannot be anywhere. I love that. Yeah. It's not, it's not like a segregated city. There's like, it's very. Everybody's scared. No, I mean, the nice areas are sketchy.

29:13The bad areas are sketchy, but you just have to not do stupid shit. Like if you, if you wander around with, I don't know, like a Louis Vuitton duffel bag and a 200 grand watch, yeah you are going to get robbed like yeah like that but just don't do that yeah don't do it yeah i think um and y 'all's robberies all have clues and stuff that's what i like about london clues or like if you know if there's something that happens it's like oh he has a clue you know and the the detectives or whatever then they're hot on your trail that's what i'll that's one of like the i think the things that like you guys i love that everything that you think about england based on movies and like, cause it's the way that I used to view America as well.

29:57I used, I remember going, I was, uh, my wife went to Duke and we went back. My mother went to Duke. Oh, good, good university. But I remember we were in town for something and we were driving past the frat houses. And I was like, I've never been to a frat party. Should we just knock on the door of one of them and they'll be having a frat party like the movies. And like, Terry was like, yeah, I guess so. They're a bit, it's not like that vibe. And I, uh, we went up, I knocked on the door. one of them opened the door and was like why are you knocking on our door and then we went in and it was just like three dudes and one guy who had his face super glued to the floor oh and it was like not the vibe and i was like this isn't like the movies you're like this is he was just literally like this face super glued down and they were just like yeah we don't really know yeah well you it's hard to get that guy up i bet and then yeah there was this in their manufacturing rehyponols or something like that a ghb or whatever a lot of homemade ghb in those areas but yeah it's not it's not like it's not like the movies yeah it's not yeah nothing's kind of ever like i don't know like even today we pulled up in a nodding hill and i was like we're gonna be in love or whatever yeah you know because like hill is quite this is quite like if you're talking about like nice areas yeah it just seemed romantic you know like you'd meet like you know paddington bear is having a coffee with a woman or something over there you know like bestiality yeah yeah yeah caffeine fuel VCRity dude.

31:22That's our new. Have you ever done? Have I ever considered a collab with Paddington Bear? I, yeah. Do you know what? I would love to do a, uh, kids movie. Now, now that I have children, I'd love to do some, some form of animated something with, with music. I don't know if it's Paddington Bear or yeah, something. Cause he's a famous British bear, isn't he? very well he's actually from where's paddington bear from peru yeah he's from he's from well but in the in the book he's from peru he travels over to england he's obsessed with jam is it jam sandwiches or peanut butter sandwich jam and was he allowed to stay after brexit or was he well this is mate this is so i have an irish passport and uh you can only spend 90 days in europe if you're um english so i was like i'm i have the irish passport i can tour more in in Europe, but like none of my crew can spend more than 90 days there.

32:20And it used to be Brexit. I think everyone has agreed that Brexit didn't work. And I don't, I think there will be a time where we will try and backtrack it a little bit and get back into Europe. But yeah, it's, uh, it was one of the, it was such a divisive thing at the time. Yeah. It was like 50 % of the country thought we should leave 50 % of the country thought we should stay. It was a very, very, very small margin that we left. And I feel like the people that voted leave now are like, actually wasn't the best idea. We should have stayed. Yeah. That's how we're feeling. I think after the Mayflower and everything, I think we might build another Mayflower.

32:59What is the Mayflower? The ship that we left on a long time ago. Right. And when you say we, a lot of people. Yeah. I think a lot of people are going to be coming back. Yeah. I really do. and like we might build a june flower july flower i don't know we're gonna build one month we're gonna build a big boat and i think we're coming back cool i just don't think it's panned out as well as we expected over there it's just gotten kind of like a lot of the tradition i think is disappearing in america and maybe that's good like sometimes you just don't i think that's the scary thing about when tradition goes away what is what is the because i see america is like lots and lots and lots of traditions and cultures.

33:37What is the one central tradition that Americans can agree on? That's a good point. I think, or maybe we're just in a phase where there isn't really that, right? And so that feels like scary. But you still, you'll still celebrate July 4th and stuff like that. That's like, everyone will celebrate that, right? Some people now are seeing it as it's like a bad thing, you know, like, but then it's not like we, it's like. I turned up to my first July 4th in a red coat. Did you? Yeah. Let's go, dude. And a flag. Because I was like - And the UK flag. We're coming back. No, yeah. Captain Jack, what is it?

34:13Union Jack. Union Jack. The flags are weird over here as well because I don't think you can fly flags unless the football's on. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. If somebody's flying without the football, like, oh, that guy's - Yeah. He's not doing as well. He's Scottish. And no offense if anybody's Scottish, dude. A lot of people are saying it's not even real. It's just a glitch on the map. But that is, I don't know. Sometimes your body feels good, but guess what? It could feel a little better. Elevate every morning with Tommy John's Second Skin underwear. What you put in your pants can make or break your day, and the luxurious support of Second Skin guarantees everything will go smoothly.

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37:20no we didn't we didn't get to yet we didn't get to do a lot of stuff like that dude we have been are you a whiskey guy uh-uh i don't i don't drink right now really yeah because i'll buy drugs because you yeah my man so a clue what's your uh what's your drug of choice are you like going mad prescription no i think my i guess i'm probably more pretty much a straight cocaine guy you know i would guess yeah i would just i would definitely oh yeah i will even i remember even when i quit doing drugs i would still if my buddy of mine was doing a line of cocaine which i don't recommend to anyone um but i've done it a lot but i would hold the back of his neck while he did it like that's how close i still wanted to be to the action and that's very the back of your neck is a sentimental place yeah yeah it's also like that's quite like i felt if someone grabbed the back of my neck i'd be like what is about to happen yeah it feels but if they cares we just ride just you know just ride shot still quiet there's still a bit of predator in that i agree okay a bit of a really gentle caress that's even worse the gentle caress on the back of the neck oh yeah it's very oh my god just the loitering of the hand is just it's like riding shotgun on a line of cocaine really in a way and it's yeah but yeah so obviously So how long have you been sober for?

38:45Probably about two years right now. Congrats, man. Thanks, man. That's amazing. Appreciate it. I had a couple of years and it's just, yeah, because I get all squirreled out, you know. I'll be in your yard, boy. You know what I'm saying? I'll be in your fucking yard. Oh, yeah. I'll be fucking out there. So now you are the guy with the Red Bull. Yeah, definitely. Oh, I look like I'm making Bluetooth or something. I start, you know, getting the jitters. People are like, oh, my God. That guy's showing up as a router.

39:16That guy's not doing well, you know? So that's kind of the stuff. Oh, that's brilliant. Is it, what's like a, since you've had, you've been obviously very gifted and had a lot of success and worked very hard, all those things. What are some stuff as, that you kind of wanted to do and you didn't? Because touring and stuff takes a lot of time and touring and working and it's like when you're - I've never been to a water park in my life. Yeah. Oh, man. And that's something that I'm like, I'd love to do at some point, but I've never been ever. And is it because like a sunshine thing is like a... No, it's, as I said, like I got, I left school before school finished.

39:57Oh. And no, it's not, that's not, I just, I left. I went to be a singer. I became a singer. Oh, all right. And in that time I was working just flat out to become a singer. And then I became a singer. and then because I, people knew who I was, it sort of limited things that I could do, but I never really did it in that. I was so focused on my career that, you know, there were TV shows that were like massive cultural phenomenons at the time in my age group that I only discovered like five years ago or like I didn't watch any football and I didn't pay attention to this. It was just so I'm going to, I want to do this.

40:32Um, so yeah, there were some of things that I missed out on in that time. One of which being, it's a silly thing, but it's something that I would love to do. Oh, you should get a bus full of, I don't want to say ginger men or whatever and take them to a water park. I think it would be, I don't know if that, I hope that's not an offensive term. It's not, or I think you should get a bus full of - It's interesting though, isn't it? The ginger thing, because it's like, Like it is the last bastion of things that you can't. No, no, no, no. It's things that you can make fun of. Someone on a TV show picked up, they put a picture of a ginger cat on and they were like, this cat kind of looks like you.

41:13And in my head, I was like, if there was someone fat on this couch and you got up a picture of a fat cat, that would be really offensive. So when does the line start? It stops just right outside of ginger, I think. I think so too. Well, in America, it stops you. The only people you can still make fun of are like redneck white people. Yeah. And everybody else is kind of off limits. So it's like, you know. Yeah. But I support, I've always supported people that are really pale with red hair. Yeah. Yeah. Till they come out with an SPF milkshake. I think you definitely, the amount of sort of fun that's made out of you as a kid makes for a good personality.

41:53Oh yeah. I feel like I have more fun than the pretty kids that I grew up with. Oh yeah, dude. dude. My best friend was the good looking kid, dude. Oh, no, not him. He's pretty good looking too, dude. He also looks like a really hot woman in some countries. Okay. I'm not going to name him, but a lot of Slavic areas. He's a nine, female nine, dude. And that's only if he partially shaves um so but no my buddy scott when i was growing up that's whose wedding i was at he was like the handsomest guy and he's just got no chat and he just he but now he was great he was just but yeah i always had to be the other guy yeah you know and um you probably you feel like you've aged like a fine wine right i've aged i've aged um i've aged like a decent provolone i think yeah I don't know if I'd say fine wine.

42:55Yeah, maybe a - Provolone age? Provolone, I'm sure it ages, huh? Just get moldy, right? You've got to get tested every now and then. You know what I'm saying? Keep your pH balance decent. But I was going to say, are there things you started to do in your career that you started, like it was another thing you wanted to start to learn, like learn a language? You know, like Joe Rogan told me one day, he's like, when I'm done with doing this job, I want to paint. And I never thought I would hear him say, I was like, huh? Yeah. Howard Stern paints really, really well. Howard Stern does like amazing watercolors.

43:31You see them and you're like, holy shit. Yeah. Dude, Silence of the Lambs paints, dude. That guy. What's his name? Anthony Hopkins. Anthony Hopkins, dude. Bring him up. Oh, wow. He paints. That's amazing. Did the lambs stop painting? I paint as well. Oh, really? Really? I didn't know that. Actually, at the front of the pub, there's a painting that I did. But it's less, it's more, it's more I just go into a studio with canvases on the floor and just splash loads of color. And when it's done, it's done. But that's more like, I started doing that when I finished. I did this tour that ended in 2019.

44:09And when it finished, I was like, I don't want to do music for like a month. But also I want to carry on being creative and do stuff. So I started painting then. I learned Italian as well. And that was like a thing. I bought a place in Italy and no one, no one speaks English there. So I was like, I have to learn Italian. But those are like the two things that if I wasn't doing music, I'd like to put more time into. And honestly, like discover, I love movies, discovering new things. Yeah. Like movies, like different artists, albums. Will you listen to something or watch something to sometimes put you in like a mood to like create your own music even or to write songs?

44:48My creative process is just basically like do it, like just get in and do it. And if it's bad, forget about it and move on. So I've tried to be creative every single day, write a song every single day or two songs every single day and not worry about whether it's good or not. Like not be like, uh, I feel like some people think that like writer's block is a thing where you're like, oh, I can't write songs, but you can write songs. You just can't write good songs. So just like keep writing, get the bad ones out. Exactly. Yeah. So shape of you was written on a day and we wrote four other songs that day that no one's really heard.

45:23And shape of you came out of that. And if I hadn't written the four bad songs, I wouldn't have got the one good song. So yeah, just a process of just constantly doing it. But I don't think I've ever really watched the only movie that I've watched to create something was I did a song for the hobbit and they, they showed me the movie and then they went, this is the point where the song comes in and your song has to convey this and bring the audience out of the movie. And it was a point where Smaug's going to the big, um, town at the end and he's going to destroy it and cover it in fire and flames and blah, blah, blah.

45:56So they were like, we need you this chaotic bit and then a calm bit and you basically taking the audience out of the cinema. So that was the first time I've been like inspired by a movie, I guess. Wow. That's a pretty cool task, huh? Yeah. Really cool. And And also in that process, you're essentially working in a creative medium that you don't really know anything about. And you're so excited. Like I was so geeked out to be working with like Peter and Fran and then getting to do the press tour with all of the actors and stuff. And you're suddenly there in a world that you don't really belong in.

46:26But it's like, it's like what the reason musicians are obsessed with sports players and the sports players are obsessed with musicians. And it's because each can do something that the other can't do, but there's still like a level of dedication you have to do to get to that point. And, um, I love being on the other side of the coin. I went to my foot, like went to one of the Celtics games the other day and being like, Oh yeah. You get in free over there. I'm sure dude. They're like, he made it. And no judgment, dude. It's all good, man. If I show up, yeah. If I show up like at a remedial reading center, I fucking get in immediately.

47:06Yeah. Yeah. The Celtic, but, but my point is being on the watching it and I've never really had an appreciation for basketball before. Cause I've never really like, I've been to like a couple of games, but like something clicked on that game and I was like, this is so exciting and they're so skilled and it's so fast. And like, what I loved about it is in, in football, if you're losing five nil with 10 minutes to go, you've lost. And And then basketball, you could be losing like by 20 or 30 points with the last two minutes to go. And it just could go bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. And then win. It's like really exciting.

47:40Yeah. Who's your basketball team? Basketball? I don't know. I don't know, dude. Actually, I like Caitlin Clark's team. I started following her in college and I like I'll watch her highlights and stuff, you know. She plays for Indiana Fever now. But me and Caleb went to an Iowa Hawkeyes game where she broke the record. Wow. Which was pretty cool, dude. I like Iowa. a lot. We were pretty high. I like Iowa too, man. You know, in Iowa, I played IndyCar in, in Iowa. Really? Yeah. I remember race or no. No, I was just playing the gig. I waved the flag. Not, not very well. Um, I remember walking. You bring the union jack to that and people will get a little T.O.

48:17I think someone there, as I was walking to stage, someone grabbed my arm and looked at me dead in the eyes was like, welcome to God's country, Ed. oh my god i loved it oh yeah that sounds like the ghost of high cholesterol found you dude like in a charles dickens novel or something um damn yeah i'm trying to think oh yeah some i'm trying to think of um yeah have you ever gotten asked to go play for like a chic or anything over there and like a in like a castle or anything like that or where like in um the desert or anything? Uh, no, uh, probably, probably my, yeah, I've, we get private show requests.

48:59My thing is like, I never want to feel owned. Like I don't want someone to be like, you do this, you do this because I've paid you this. So like, if I'm ever going to do a private show, it's usually for like, it's usually for like a company's end of year party or something. And they're just like, just do a show. You turn up and you play the show. But I would feel weird if someone was like, you come and you sing this song at the time that we tell you to sing it. And you just, I like touring. I like playing shows. So I do my shows. And if I'm ever going to do a private gig, it's usually someone just saying, can you just do the show that you do there, but in a smaller place is what I would prefer to do.

49:37Right. Yeah. Not like, yeah, come perform it in this wet cage. it's 640. Yeah, come and play a cover of this song that isn't even your song to my daughter while she eats breakfast. Like, I'm not, that ain't me. Yeah, that's like kind of, that's almost a very expensive ASMR, it sounds like as well. But one time I got offered to go to this place in the Middle East somewhere and it was like, like Luda La Harta or somewhere, a place you hadn't even heard of right dude so it could have just been in new jersey or whatever but they were and it was like a there was like a chic and you had to be behind a big plexiglass area you would come in perform there he would be eating there with like 90 of his girlfriends or whatever you would perform and then and you lie down and he shits on your chest there may have been an afters i'm not sure bro i didn't know but i didn't read the whole fanflit either but um i do know that they were allowed to ask a few questions at the end and then you got to eat but you had to stay in this area by yourself through the plexiglass while they all and you went you did it well they had a great time i didn't go and what was the what was the fee for that the fee was probably 1500 dollars what is it like do you have a private fee like if someone goes come play a bar mitzvah yeah you have a fee yeah now i would have a fee for sure because it's like, what else do you want to do with your time?

51:04Are you already relaxing? Are you going to be missing something that's important? Because now I have to set up time where I'm relaxing. It's like I had to set up time to watch Baby Reindeer. I had to put it on my calendar. Good show. You know? Good show. I thought it was good. I hope they do it again. You know, I'd hate to, I hate to, for them not to go through it all again, especially the guy kind of went through a lot. Oh, as in do like a sequel show? Yeah, or just both of them. Just figure it out. Didn't they talk about they are doing a season two and it's like from the perspective, isn't it like it's the court case or something like that?

51:34Apparently she's like a hair side of the story. Wow. I can't wait. Well, good. Good. It's balance. Oh yeah. It's very fair. We need balanced news out there because yeah, we, yeah, I love that lady. That's the crazy thing. You almost start to fall in love with the lady. You didn't think? No. Piers. The way she was talking to Piers Morgan. Have you done the Piers Morgan show? You know, he just asked me to do it. You're going to do it? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know enough about, it's hard for me to know what British people are up to, you know? Like some cultures, you can kind of get a read on them and you're like, what's going on?

52:13I think Britain's very direct. I think he'd ask you a lot of very direct questions and you wouldn't, but you don't strike me as the sort of person that like needs to navigate direct questions. So I think you'd be fine. I did his show like 2013 when he was on CNN and I found it a great interview. Yeah? Yeah. You enjoyed it? Yeah, he's like a research guy and he doesn't like, he just asks you the questions that I feel like people would want to hear, I think. Yeah. A hundred percent, man. Do you feel like you'll make different music since you have like a family and stuff now? Does that start to like, I guess it's kind of a silly question, but it's like - I made an album that my fans weren't like over the moon about because I feel like I was in quite a happy point of my life.

52:57And so the album didn't have much tension. It was just, I made a record. But yeah, I feel like my, you know, just because I'm married with kids doesn't mean that like you don't have tension in your life. I feel like even more so there's been things in my life that have happened over the past two years. So I think the music that I'm making at the moment is more like the music I was making in my early twenties when there was a lot of tension going on in my life. But you definitely, you go through periods of time, don't you? I'm sure you go through periods of time where you're like, things are good.

53:27yeah i feel quite settled quite happy and then suddenly a bombshell happens and then you have to yeah yeah so i feel like that's for me always creating music i can see like back on my albums there's like a lineage of like this is where i was at this point this where i was at this point and i feel like if all of the albums sounded the same it'd be boring yeah you have to evolve in some sort and it's good to have like this is the album when i was like the album when i i made an album in covid quite settled quite happy we had our first child and yeah i listen to that now and it's not, there's no like heartbreak songs on it or sad songs or blah.

53:59It's just kind of, it is what it is. Yeah. Cause a lot of times it's like rip my fucking heart out, Eddie. Yeah. Yeah. I think I'm getting back on this one. I think, uh, that's what we want, man. But, but this is what you're saying about taking time off. You have to take time off to actually live life. Like if I'm on the road, I think this is another thing why people who get successful early have their age freeze. Cause when I'm, I'm on the road, life does just pause because you like today you wake up, you get on a plane, you fly here, we're doing an interview. You might go out for dinner tonight.

54:28You go, there's no like actual real, real life interaction in your actual personal life being lived because you're constantly working. So you'll go back. I always found this, but you'll go back home and you'll press play on your life again. And then you'll be like, holy fuck, so much has happened. How do I keep up with this? You've, your friend who was dating this person is now not dating this person. You've missed that whole thing. Your dad might be going through something. You've missed that whole thing. Like your brother's doing this. It is weird. that's a really great way to say it too yeah it's like you just put it on pause and you go and do your thing and you come back and you press play on you but it's like the whole world has been right pressing play yeah and i think i think everybody can even relate to that too i mean going and touring and that kind of thing is a little separate different because you kind of get taken out of your life almost and then go and then you just drop right back into your life okay well like yeah even for me it's like well was i dating somebody oh shit i never responded my sister invited me to this and that thing's over now and it's like why oh yeah just like and then you look at old emails or sometimes like your thoughts processes will have changed and things you wanted to do and move forward with three months ago you're like ah that's not the thing i need now some things you're glad you didn't move forward with some things you're like oh dang i missed out yeah yeah exactly but some of that's kind of fascinating when i started podcasting an online store was one of the furthest things from my imagination having a place to sell things or sell t-shirts or this or that and it started off my buddy ken was making our uh t-shirts in his basement and things started to grow and as the business started to grow we we had to grow and so did our store and that's where shopify showed up to help from the launch your online shop stage to the first real life store stage all the way to the did we just hit a million orders stage.

56:17Shopify is there to help you grow. And now, thanks to Shopify, our website is able to fulfill the desires of things that people want. If they want a shirt, they want a hoodie, or they want this and that, we're able to meet them where their wants are. And I'm thankful for that. You can sign up for a$1 per month trial period at shopify.com slash Theo, all lowercase. Just go to shopify.com to grow your business no matter what stage you're in.

56:59This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. if you are going through some moments in your life that are troubling or you're not feeling like yourself or you just can't seem to meet your life where you need to be, then you may need to talk with someone. I've been there. I do it every week. Therapy is a part of my life. Better help. If you're thinking of starting therapy, give better help a try. It's entirely online. It's designed to be convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist and switch therapists at any time for no additional charge.

57:46When life goes fast, it's important to take a moment, and sometimes you need someone else to help you take that moment. Take a moment. Visit betterhelp.com slash T-H-E-O today to get 10 % off your first month. That's better help.com slash T H E O. Did you ever like, dude, I'll notice sometimes like I get scared to like see people in person. Cause I feel like I'm not going to be able to, um, like live up to whoever they think I am. Does that make sense? Or is that like really egotistical thing to think? Do you think? No, I think especially like the position that you're in and the kind of like cultural significance of who you are and what people perceive you to be.

58:35I definitely get that because you might be having an off day and people are like, Hey, be the guy. And you're like, right, fuck off. Like, I just want to like, chill out. Um, so yeah, definitely. But I think that my way of moving through life is always just be like, always be completely honest of what it is at that point. So I remember being, I was like, I will usually say yes to photographs. If I'm with my kids, I'm like, look, I'm with my kids. I'm trying to be a dad. But like, sometimes if I'm feeling off, like my, my aunt died and I was at a train station and someone was like being really, you know, like a fan and like, come on.

59:09And I was like, I'm like, my aunt has just died. Please. I just need a fucking moment. And in, if you are honest like that, people get it. Like no one's, but if I'd have just been like, fuck off, like suddenly it's a thing. But I think honesty throughout, this is what I was saying earlier about just like saying truthful things when they come into your brain it's people get people appreciate honesty i think yeah that's a good point and maybe they can feel it too that's always the thing i think that gets weird as you get older if you if you even think about telling a lie sometimes even a small lie i'm like it just feels like it's the lies if you tell lots of small lies then you then have to keep up on like who did i say this to and who did i do this so that's If you go through life and you're just - Who did I tell I was a mime?

59:52And then you're fucking, everybody you meet, you're like, no, that's it. That should be something that in your spare time, when you're trained to train you to do stuff. If Joe's going to be an artist, you should train to be a mime. I would love to see you be a mime. Fully painted, just be fucking great. And they're always stuck in the smallest apartment. It's like, first of all, get a better job, you know? And fucking get out of that rat trap. that's what I always think about those guys but that's a lost art isn't it miming yeah what else is a lost art dude there used to be a lot of mimes Ed yeah pull that up dude how many mimes were there probably in 2010 or 2005 let's fucking go back since we have access to all this online

1:00:43And mimes were some of the first mixed people as well. nobody wanted to kind of see it like that. I'm not sure there's much records of mimes. Yeah, it's quite a niche subject, Theo. It's quite like, this is another thing. When you are trained to be a mime, you got to make the mime archives because then we can rely on you. When we Google, we're like, Theo's got us.

1:01:07Isn't it? It's kind of perfect, dude. Niche. Yeah, wild. First of all, I'll say this about mimes. They're lazy, dude. I'll straight up say that right now, bro. And mimes, well, magicians are comedians' arch nemesis, right? And that's been since like the beginning of time, dude. But I'll say this also, mimes can suck it. I'll go ahead and say that right now, bro. If you're a mime dude, bring it, bro. I think the day that you learn to be a mime, you'll actually learn a bit of appreciation for it. You'll be like, actually, this is way harder than I thought. And then you'll be making, you make the mime archive.

1:01:46That can be your side hustle. There should be. Who was the most famous mom? Oh, well, there was Charlie Chaplin, wasn't there? He's British. Marcel Marceau. Marcel Marceau, is he British? No, I think he's French. Yeah, sure. I'm sure the Brits commandeered him. I'm sure they put a flag on his back at some point and said he was British. Bip the Clown, his name was. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Who, Marcel Marceau? Yeah. Let me look a little bit about him. Marcel Marceau, can you zoom in on that so I can read that there, brother? You go up to the top. Marcel Marceau, 22nd of March, he was born. Oh, he lived for a long time.

1:02:262007 was a French mime artist, actor, most famous for his stage persona, Bip the Clown. He referred to mime as the art of silence. You know, Mr. Bean was kind of like that, wasn't he, The Honest? Mr. Bean, I think - It's fascinating. Well, it's fascinating because he, essentially every country understands Mr. Bean because there's no talking in it. I heard a rumor that he, when he did the show, got them to agree to never show it in Italy because he liked holidaying in Italy. So that's the one place that, I think they had the movie, but they didn't have the TV show. So it wasn't just constant. So you wouldn't remember him as much.

1:03:04Did you ever get to meet him? There was a period, he was going to be in a music video for a bit. So we were actually in touch on email and it was, I think the idea I had was very vague. And I think that was the problem. It wasn't like, this is what it is. This is when it's happening. And it was basically, I was kind of like, would you be interested in this? It might be this. And he was just like, it needs to be more solid than that. But we had, we had a good exchange. The guy who I did, did you watch the movie yesterday? Yesterday? No. No. Anyway, the guy that made that movie, I'm in the movie, I play myself in the movie, but the guy that made that movie, he wrote Notting Hill and Love Actually and Four Weddings and the Funeral, he wrote Mr.

1:03:48Bean. So he's very close with - He wrote, so that was a, it wasn't just that guy made it up? No, well, they did it together, I think. I think it was a stage show to begin with. So they did a show called Blackadder, which was, I think it's the best British comedy ever. It's basically - Blackadder? Blackadder. and it's set in, it's the same characters, but set in different periods of time. So there would be somewhere there in the, is it the Tudor time with, and then there's one in the Georgian time. There's one in World War. Black Adder. One. Oh, Mr. Bean's in it. Yeah, he's the main guy. So they did that at first and then they did Mr.

1:04:26Bean. I need to go back and watch this then. Black Adder is like an all time classic. Really, really good. Wow. I watched, they do a Christmas Carol and that's my like Christmas routine as I always watch Blackout A Christmas Carol. Oh yeah. Yeah. I watch Family Man. Have you seen that? With Nicolas Cage. Cool. You and the wife should watch it this year, man. I've got a massive cardboard cuss out of Nicolas Cage in my house. Really? Oh, then you'll love it. You should put it up. I watched Mandy and was just like, I'm sold. I got to have some of that. Have you seen Mandy? Mm-mm. It's fucking bonkers.

1:04:57Can you pull up the scene of him? Just type in Nicolas Cage, Mandy, toilet scene. Mr. Bean, what a great man. I wonder if his children are loud and he's like, oh, this isn't what I wanted. Yeah. Yeah.

1:05:38Wow. It's a great movie. Yeah. God, that alone, that even just that much of a moment of something that feels so real, that is our political system right now in America. Somebody said that you used to do like open, go to comedy mics. Did you ever? Not for me to do comedy, but I used to do it to, actually, no, I did actually. I did a, um, I used to play with this. Um, they were an improvisational rap group called the Banderman. And he was a comedian who rapped and made, uh, he basically would be like, they had a song called what's in your pocket. And he would rap about what was in everyone's pockets and make it funny.

1:06:17So I played with them for a bit, but no, for me, it was more, um, the scene that I was a part of was very cliquey and very like the cool kids over here. And I was always part of the misfits. And, uh, you would go and play these gigs where everyone on the lineup would have an acoustic guitar and they'd all be singing love songs. And I'd just be another one of them. Just not as good. I wasn't, I was 17, not 25. I had, my songs were very like rudimentary and like not great. And I saw, uh, I found like this guy, actually my, my best mate Jamal ran a, uh, a YouTube channel that was primarily rap. and he put me on that channel and then suddenly there was a whole uh group of people that were like oh we actually quite like this acoustic music so I would turn up at uh hip-hop nights first and grime nights and soul nights and and I would play and I would get a better reaction because it was just different it was something that would stand out whereas I did not stand out in the acoustic scene because it was just the same as everyone everyone else interesting and so and then I started playing comedy night, comedy nights, poetry nights.

1:07:20I would turn up at different things. I used to get roasted whilst the toughest gig I ever, ever played. It was an all black comedy night in, um, central London called the Sunday show. And I was booked for this show. And as I was setting up my guitar, the guy on stage was roasting me being like, what the fuck is this white kid doing with this tiny guitar and blah, blah, blah. And it was probably one of the best gigs of my life. I got on stage, I instantly, I instantly went into a rap tune. I dropped this song and this song and this song. And the reaction was better than anywhere. Cause I think people were expecting me to fail.

1:07:56And because I didn't, it was even better. And, uh, yeah. And those, I think that is what gave me my first bit of success. My first buzz, the buzz within, uh, the kind of grime and rap community in the UK. I think that was the first place I felt welcomed and accepted and celebrated and still is. Like I still feel more love and appreciation from - The misfits? No, from the grime and rap community. Yeah, in the UK. Interesting. Yeah, you know, that's such a good idea, dude, like to take whatever your thing is and put it into go to the space that's different because then you're the different thing.

1:08:40It wasn't, to be honest, it wasn't like an idea. It wasn't like a light bulb moment where I was like, but even when you say it though, it makes me think like that's, it really is like, there's no way you can't help but stand out, right? So like - I think it has to happen organically though. Cause I feel like if Jamal hadn't put me on his channel and he put me on his channel, the Sunday show booked me for their comedy night. I did that. And then whilst at the comedy night, it's a very organic thing. I think had I just turned up at the Sunday show, they'd be like, yeah and maybe it wouldn't have gone the same way right oh that's a good point that's a good point but you have to change up the environment that you're in and really challenge yourself that's pretty brave yeah i used to do some black shows like predominantly black shows in the states dude it was hard sometimes but when you killed it you killed it oh you killed it dude yeah and people would stop basically very but i bet it's either like you kill it or you bomb there's no in between I mean, there's no like all right shows.

1:09:31And when you don't do good in front of a black audience as a white guy, you feel the pain of hundreds of years.

1:09:40You feel, I mean, my pain traveled all the way back to England in a boat. And then got off and experienced more pain. I was like, how much pain is inside of me? Dude, I remember tears coming out of like the inside of my throat. and I was like I didn't know I had tear ducts in my what is that the worst that you bumped um no I fucking bombed pretty good over the years Eddie I um yeah I've had some bad ones I've had one where you came out it was like a battle of the bands at a school you had to come out between all the bands they didn't know they just thought you to come out in the beginning they boo me off stage they don't have to go out six more times dude wow and every time it just I feel like the It hurts so bad.

1:10:27My eyebrows, sorry to interrupt you, but one time I was so shocked, one of my fucking eyebrows fell out of my head. From like, it's called - So what makes you appreciate it though? I feel like anyone that has had success on stage has had to have been booed, have things chucked at them, have moments where - The shock, the trauma. Some girl's like, something's on your shirt, and it was my fucking eyebrow, dude. I was like, oh, shit. That's fast. Yeah, so that kind of stuff, to not be able to protect your tear ducts from the wind just because you had a bad set, dude, that's the kind of shit that people do, that we do not need to be going through.

1:11:12Yeah, I think sometimes the tough parts are like, sometimes I'll drift out of what I'm actually doing when I'm on stage. I don't even know what it is. It's not like I'm daydreaming, but sometimes you'll just, I don't know. I'll kind of go on autopilot. Not because I want to, it just sort of happens. And you have to drop back in, you know? I do that sometimes. I did that. I do it quite regularly on Perfect because it's just, I'm not having to think about what I'm doing with my feet. And occasionally I just drop the second verse by accident and I just kind of come to and I'm like, oh, I've just not sung the second verse and the song's now like a minute and a half long.

1:11:44But you do, you get in a, there's certain things. I'm sure there's certain routines that you just know so well that your mind just sort of wanders. yeah and then how do you make them feel new and to surprise yourself too you know and i think it's good every now and then to completely rip up the rule book of what your performance is and just as well yeah that's a good point um do you uh does was being a father something that really kind of like people talk about it all the time that it does so much for him was it as much of a surprise for you it seemed like you had a lot of love in your life with your spouse so it wasn't like a, yeah, I think it's, you just, you selfishness ceases to exist, I think, because suddenly all your decisions are made based on, I've got two daughters now and it's made based on what's best for them, you know, rather than what's best for me or what that's for my wife.

1:12:32And that sort of simplifies life in a way because you, you, there's not as many questions. It's just like, well, what's, what's right for these guys? And then cool done. Um, But yeah, I think, you know, I was a real party boy, like real, like I loved getting on it. Oh yeah. In all aspects. I got the gear. I think, I think probably like five years ago, me and you would have had a lot of fun together. Yeah. But I think having kids really, really dialed that down. I stopped, I stopped drinking spirits. I stopped like smoking and doing all these, you know, having wild nights. Like I don't think I've seen the sunrise since having kids, but obviously you're sober when you see the sunrise with, with kids.

1:13:14But I don't, you know, I go to bed at like midnight now, even if I'm having, I drink wine and I drink like one or two beers. And that's my vice, I guess. We have to be a proper parent. You have to be a parent. You have to be a leader or whatever you have to, or you have to feed this when it wakes up. Yeah. You know, I think it's like being in college, I bet with like a roommate that can't cook or whatever. And you're like, do you know, do you know what I see it as? It's your drunk mate at college that you need to get home from the bar and you're feeding them bread constantly and water. It's kind of that.

1:13:48And they sort of fall asleep. It's kind of like that. You sort of waking them up, like feeding bread and stuff like that. And then they're sort of falling asleep in their chair. It's kind of like that. Dude, one time I got in a taxi to leave a bar when I was in Charleston, I used to live in Charleston and I forgot to, I guess I was drunk. I just passed out. The guy drove around, dude. He drove like$190 worth. I finally fucking wake up, dude. He's just driving, bro. And we're like still like about 12 minutes from my house. So I get home, I owed him like$220, dude. It took me like two weeks to pay that guy.

1:14:22God, man. Just things like that that I just don't miss about. Sometimes just being wasted, dude, or hiding out in somebody's yard. You have better conversations now. Like if you're having a conversation with your mate and you're sober, it's more like, yeah, I find I don't waste time in bullshit. Like I'm not out at one, you know, like in the way, but shit doesn't get as weird either. You're not, you know, I feel like I, I say it in one of my songs, but I feel like past 2am it's like nothing's happening. You're like all sitting around a screen watching YouTube videos and like chatting about the YouTube videos.

1:14:59Whereas I think like, I feel like my friends call me the sparkler because I shine bright for a very short period of time. So I'll go out at eight and I'll be home at 11. But in those three hours, like I'll have fun. Yeah. Oh, that's a good guy to be. Yeah. I'm going to start working on that. I'm going to save up all my good stuff for eight to 11. Eight till 11 is a great time as well. And then you're in bed by midnight. I usually get up at like 5am anyway. So you're like in bed by midnight and then you're fresh-ish in the morning. You're a workout guy? Yeah, I like to work out, man. It's fun. Nothing too crazy, but I do like it.

1:15:34But like every morning you'll do a bit of exercise. Yeah, four days a week I'll work out. Pretty swell. I like doing the sauna. Yeah. Ice bath. And I like doing the ice bath, man. I don't know if they work or not, but they tricked me into believing they do. For me, it's less, I like, I don't mind if they work or not, but it gets my core body temperature down. I'm a big sweater. Are you really? Yeah, yeah. I sweat. Like if I'm on stage, I just drip, drip, drip. You're just leaking, huh? Yeah. Well, I think there's something in the Irish blood where I, heat just does not agree with me, you know?

1:16:07Because you brought your own heat. Of course the sun would be like, who the fuck is this? You know what I'm saying? Stepping on my turf right here. But if I go in a sauna, I'll usually be sweating for like three, four hours off. So getting in an ice bath almost, it's kind of like a cauterizing a wound. You just, it's done. Yeah, I like, dude, Ireland was so, I never had seen, I did, I grew up in New Orleans, right? In that area, in Louisiana, like Mardi Gras, people being drunk, right? I never said it. It's a different thing of drunkenness. It's just in the, it's like people, we went into a bar, it's people in there.

1:16:49There's no furniture, right? Just people holding each other up. I think drinking, it's like, you can't even let the guy stop drinking. They won't fucking let. Dude, I remember we're in the bar outside of the bar. They built another bar around the exit door. You open the exit to the bar, you're in another fucking bar, dude. But drinking culture here is different than America. Like we would, like I found when I lived in Nashville, it was like sports bars. You go to a sports bar to watch a game to drink. And you would see people there on their own drinking a huge vodka tonic, just like I'm here to get fucking drunk.

1:17:26There's Irish bars on the motorway in America. I'm like, who the fuck is driving to an Irish bar? But so, but here, if I'm like, for instance, I saw my best mate Nick yesterday and I was like, oh, let's go out for a couple of pints. And we would go out and we caught up and we had three pints of beer. And then that was it. And that it's our culture here is very much built around. I would, you know, I'm, generalizing, not, not everyone loves drinking, but I would say like 80 % of the people in England love a beer every now and then, or so, and you would go out and instead of getting shit canned every time you go out, you know, like I would go to these sports bars and it would basically be like everyone in, in the sports bar in America would be going with the sole purpose to be dribbly drunk by the end of the night, taken home in, in an Uber.

1:18:12Whereas in, in England, it's very much and, and Ireland and Scotland and Wales. It's a regular, with my friendship group anyway, a regular thing to have maybe like one or two pints at the end of a work day. And then maybe on a Friday, you'll have like six pints and a bottle of wine. You'll go out and do the shots and blah, blah, blah. But it's far more just part of the culture to do it regularly. Yeah. Yeah. It seems like they wear it better here. It's not alcoholism to drink every day here. Whereas in America, if you drunk every day, it'd be alcoholism. Because obviously people take it too far here as well.

1:18:49but the general thing I think is, am I right in saying that lads? Like you would go out for a couple of pints after this and it wouldn't be like - Well, I think we treat every event with beer. Yeah. Oh, are you sad? Have a beer. Are you happy? Have a beer. Yeah. Is it a wedding? Have a beer. Is it a funeral? Have a beer. Yeah. But it's not alcoholism. It's the culture. It's just the culture. It's not like I wake up every morning and I'm like, I need a beer tonight. It's like you get to the end of the day and your mate will be like, oh, I'm in central London. Do you want to go for a beer? rather than like, I need a beer.

1:19:21It just sort of, yeah. Yeah, that's interesting, dude, because a lot like by the definition of alcoholism, I mean, everybody can decide for themselves if they're an alcoholic. That's one thing I know about that program. Like you have to decide, like there can be like the rules that kind of help you decide, but it's a personal decision, right? But yeah, people would look at a lot of people in Ireland and be like, oh, everybody here is an alcoholic, like nine out of 10 people. even some people in comas or whatever drinking you're like that's new but yeah but like that but it's not the same because I think it's a misconception oh I agree I when you say that it's like because I don't I actually don't like the the culture of like people viewing Ireland as like an alcoholic country it's like it's not it they they, you know, we can have a good time, but it's not like, I don't know.

1:20:15It's the same, same in, in, in England. Like it's, it's just the culture. Yeah, I agree. But they're good. Germany's the same. It surprises me how good at it they are. I think that's what surprised me. Just that like, practice. Wow. So we drink from a very young age, irresponsibly or responsibly, but like I had my first beer when I was like 12, 13. And you learn how to manage your alcohol by the age of 16. You know, if I drink this many cans of Strongbow, I'm probably going to throw up. So I'll drink this many cans of Strongbow. Whereas I think in America, it's very much like 17, 18, 19. Maybe it's even just getting to college for the first time where you're then finding out what your boundaries are.

1:20:57France, they start drinking wine from like five. Oh God. They give tiny glasses of wine to their kids and it makes them respect alcohol. Bye. I'd watch that online if they had that.

1:21:12To be honest, no judgment or anything. And I don't know any of the children, but, and I wouldn't want to know any of them, but I would watch them drink a little bit of wine, dude, and just, especially you can't, you know, do anything bad to the screen or whatever. There's a YouTube video. I actually wanted to do it for one of my songs. Bloodstream was to have a video of compilations of babies trying lemons. Get up, get up. Baby's trying lemons for the first time. Here we go. This is so good.

1:21:52Oh, whoa. Whoa, he couldn't handle it.

1:21:59Anyway, we're good. We're good. We're good. Oh, that's remarkable. Do you think about like, like what else you want to do? In life? Yeah. Or just like, yeah. Do you start thinking about like, oh, what's something new you want to do? Getting to do that movie thing sounded really cool to me. I'm going to segue into, um, I've been doing probably for the last seven years stuff with music in high schools. Cause the, in my area. So basically when I, in like 2017, 2018, my old music teacher came to me and he was like, look, the government is currently in charge. Do not value art at all. Like arts, drama, music.

1:22:37And they cut all the funding for comprehensive high schools. So my music teacher came to me and he was like, look, we're going, I think they had to share like between art, music and drama, like 700 pounds per year, like for all three subjects. So I started funding that at my local high school. And then you see a like massive uptick in like kids doing production, kids doing songwriting, kids doing this. So then I just started keep putting it. I built a recording studio there. There's like loads of like proper instruments that aren't broken. And you just see the school getting better at music. So then I started doing that in the county that I'm from.

1:23:14And we've just now changed it to do it nationwide. and I'm now visiting more high schools and places that really need music funding. And you see what a difference it makes too, because I'm not, I'm not an academic person and in the real world, I would be viewed as stupid, but I excelled at music and therefore people think that I'm good at something. And so I found it massively helpful to be in a state funded school that really encouraged that. And they've basically cut funding in England for it. So I'm doing what I can to get funding for it. But I think getting the new government will be better at it, I think.

1:23:57Oh, that's remarkable. But the thing that like, that's kind of what I want to segue into is music education, because it worked so well for me. And I know it can work so well for other kids. I'm kind of like proof that normal kids can just pick up guitars, work hard and, and, and, and do it. And our, our country as well, like what we're famous for is our art. We're famous for music with the Beatles. We're famous for painting Damien Hirst. We're famous for movies. You've got like Danny Boyle coming out of here, Christopher Nolan. And, uh, the government is just putting importance on maths and banking and you know we make arms but no one is no one is proud that we make arms and no one is proud that our banking is really good but they are proud of our art and so for a government to be like the art doesn't matter like where do you think the art's going to come from so i think that that for me is the next part of my career is getting up proper proper proper funding and art music drama back into schools and actually Ireland do a very good job of it.

1:25:01Ireland are very, very pro their arts because they know that that's their cultural currency. You know, you two travel the world and they, and they see that Banshees of Inner Sheeran comes out. Everyone goes to watch that movie. And, um, they're, they're Ireland are very, very good at recognizing that and funding. There's lots of Irish, uh, because people travel around the world as Irish superstars in all aspects. and they spread, people are like, oh, Ireland's awesome because so-and-so comes from Ireland, so-and-so comes from Ireland. And it's the same in England. Like British music, there's Adele, there's Harry Styles, there's Stormzy, there's me.

1:25:36There's like, musicians travel the world and we, people are like, oh, that's a British musician or that's a, you know, a British artist or a British actor or actress. And that's what we as a country are proud of. We're proud of our football as well. But in terms of like art, and it's so weird that no importance is being put on it. It's not even that the importance isn't being put on it. It's like completely stripping the importance of it and just being like, this doesn't matter. Sorry to get all - No, but when you kill that in a culture, it's horrible, man. Even like you said, like when you said earlier about like going to that NBA game, right?

1:26:11You don't realize till you sit there at the front row or until you get close to something - How important it is. How important it is or if you could even be good at it. Like I remember standup comedy, I'd seen it like videos people had like um dvds would get passed around the neighborhood like chris rock and stuff like that and I'm like oh this is cool but until I was in college and actually went to a show not then until that moment did it hit me like this is what I could do that this is even a thing that you could do like just seeing it on a on a screen it just didn't it didn't really am I right to assume that in school you would probably be like I don't know what I want to do what am I good at?

1:26:49I'm not very good at history. I'm not very good at English. I'm not very good at this. And then suddenly you find comedy and you go, this is something that I can really excel at. And I think unless you give kids that opportunity, and also I feel like you can destroy a kid's confidence at age 12 by just being like, yeah, you're not very good at that. And if you give a kid, I was given confidence by my music teacher, by my dad, by my friends, when I wasn't very good at all. I listened back to the music that I was making when I was like 14. My friends were nice. Yeah. I listened back and I go, I go fucking hell.

1:27:22My dad was not honest because he was just like, this is great. And my confidence was built and it's got to a point where I then was like, I'm going to release my first single and I'm going to make a music video. And then that was the song that got successful. And had I been like, Oh, I don't know what I'm going to think about that. I think that's also like changing the culture of that, of like, like I went up to Sheffield the other day to do a couple of school and music course visits. And they were amazing, like way better than I was at 14. And I feel like all it takes is for someone to be like, you're really, really good at this.

1:27:58And then they go, oh, well then I should carry it on. Yeah. And well, having the equipment, like you're saying, like putting that equipment in the schools, dude, that's so cool. Because if you have a camera and you have like a podcast set up or something you can record something you can do anything the second you do that one step now you're in a whole new purview or whatever the next yeah and then you're like now what's possible it's like but until you can get that first step well yeah do your first show and you go right well i've done one wasn't that good i'll go and do it again i'll make it better and then it just improves yeah you don't know what part of you wants to do until you like it's almost like a metal detector you're like a metal detector and until you kind of go over that little whatever that is in the, in something inside of you kind of goes off, you know, it just, all you need to do that.

1:28:43That's the thing as well that I say to kids, I'm like, you only need one thing that you're good at. You just find the one thing that you enjoy that you're good at. And you just work really hard at that. And then it will work. You go like the music industry is if you want to work in the music industry, you can like, I was, uh, the day that I made it in my mind was I was gigging around, gigging around, not getting paid. I got booked for a wedding and I played this wedding for like 200 pounds. And I remember getting that 200 pounds cash and being like, oh my God, this is half my rent for playing a gig.

1:29:16Looks like we made it. Exactly. And in my mind, then I was like, I could just play weddings for the rest of my life and I'm fine. I can do music. And it's about finding the, you know, me getting 200 pounds for playing covers at a wedding, isn't me playing Wembley stadium and making my albums and stuff like that. So it's not necessarily the dream, but it is doing music as a career. So you can find, if you said tomorrow, like, right, I want to be a chocolate taster and I'm going to be the best fucking chocolate taster. You could potentially make that a career if you just worked harder than other chocolate tasters or gamer, or I don't know.

1:29:51Especially in the UK, Willy Wonka's from here. He is, right? Did you ever meet him? Willy Wonka? No. Did I meet? I think I might have met Timothy Chalamet. Somebody must have, I'm sure. I'm sure someone's met him eventually. Yeah. Fuck lucky. That's the kind of people that you know, some people you don't get to meet. You know, some people, the government hides them. What about the queen or anything? Can you text her or whatever? Oh, she's dead. Well. Oh, the new queen. Oh, is there a new one? I didn't know. Did they get a new one? Sorry. I didn't know. And I'm sorry that she's deceased too. I did not know.

1:30:33Yeah, she died in 2022. Oh yeah. And then King Charles is now the king. I did like her Jubilee. I played her gig and there's an amazing picture of her shaking my hand and smiling. And people are like, oh, she was pleased to meet you. And actually a comedian had just told her a joke. So it looks like she's really happy to meet me, but she had no idea who I was at all. But the picture says a thousand words. There you go. Do the royal people, what are they doing? What is it really like over there when you go over there? I don't think it's, I don't envy it at all. I wouldn't want to live that lifestyle.

1:31:11I remember being in Japan once for the Rugby World Cup and I met one of them and he was like, you know, he's six, seven years older than me. And he was like, this is my first time in Japan. And in my mind, I'm like, I would have just assumed that you go everywhere all the time. But I think it's very much like it's a working job. They go and open hospitals, open care centers, go and do this, go and do this. And it's, I wouldn't envy the lifestyle at all. I think it is quite restrictive. I don't think you can just be like, I'm going to go do this. I think like, have you seen The Crown, the show?

1:31:43Because like, even when they go on holiday, they go on holiday and they have to do like a press shoot before the holiday. And then people just take photos of them for the whole holiday. Because it's kind of like you allow, because you are funded by the public, the public own your life. Yeah, it's got to be where we are, didn't it? Yeah, so it's not something that I would necessarily envy. It's something that, it's a big debate in this country whether people agree with it or not. I personally think it gives a certain grounding for, there's a historical aspect of it. And when things happen, it's like Americans love seeing the ceremony that's over here.

1:32:18like when the queen passed away, the funeral is like very impressive. And it very much, I don't know, represents England for the world. You know, England, look at it. Yeah, because I think England is something, there are a lot of great things. It's like very proper and it's like - There's a lot of things that I would not agree with as well. I think it is very like - It's rigid almost. It's a very polarizing subject. But yeah, but I definitely wouldn't envy - The lifestyle. Yeah. Oh yeah, it seems like it would be tough. Like you're such a con, and you have to be a concierge to your own country and you have to be such a representative.

1:32:54And never talk about anything negative. Their thing, they say never complain, never explain. So anything that happens, they just. Right. You're just a middleman. Yeah. You can't show any emotion. Like even at like funerals and stuff, like you know, not meant to cry and stuff. It's like really quite hardcore. Oh yeah. Gosh, I remember my first funeral, dude. Not fun, are they? I was not good at funerals. No. I was the worst, dude. I feel like they're then needed to mark it, though. I missed my grandmother's funeral. I was doing, did you see that court case last year that I was in? You know about that?

1:33:30I was in a court case last year. All my friends are criminals, to be honest with you. She died at the start of the court case, and the funeral was like midway through it, because she had to be buried. And you couldn't go. I couldn't, and I still feel weird about it, that there was no marking of the like, you know, seeing a coffin be put into a grave and covered. And I don't know, there's something in me that's like, even like visiting her grave now, there's not, it still feels like an open book. Yeah. Open door, I guess. I think funerals are important for the ceremony of like marking it. It's kind of like the first day of grief as well.

1:34:09Because before you go to a funeral, there's like a weird month or whatever where everything's like really fucking intense and grief stricken. and then kind of the funeral is the day that you go now we start processing it yeah yeah yeah it is kind of wild dude does any of your music get played at funerals too or not yeah i've got a song that i wrote about my grandmother called supermarket flowers which um is a popular funeral song if if that's like a thing to be proud of like i've got a popular funeral song but yeah it's such an important it's a song that it's a it's a moment that people don't think of that much that needs a song kind of in a way maybe i don't know as a songwriter maybe people do think about specific moments that need songs, but.

1:34:47I definitely do. Like, I definitely know what I would have at my funeral. Same as I would have at my wedding. You know, you'd know, you'd know what. What tunes you want? There's a Irish folk song, which is like always the final song that is sung on a folk night, which is called the parting glass, where it's like. Are the pogues or no? No, it's like traditional. It's like, it's. Of all the money that I had. I spent it in good company. And all the harm that I had done, alas, it was to none but me. And it's basically like all of the things I did. And all I've done for want of wit to memory now I can't recall.

1:35:33So fill to me the parting glass. Good night and joy be with you all. It's basically the last drink of the night. this is uh i sort of feel weird i just sung on but no but there's a farewell but yeah it's a um the last drink of the night and it's basically everything that's happened it's happened and let's have this final drink and then get on with our lives and i think that's quite a nice way to like go out of this world basically being like of all the of all the comrades that ever i've had i uh i'm i'm sorry that i'm going away you know like it's like a it's just a message to people i like it?

1:36:10No, man. I appreciate you sharing that too. Yeah. It's nice. It's nice, man. That from everyone that's ever spoken about you, I've heard you always seem like a person that just shares the gift of who you are with the world as clearly as you know how to and navigate that the best you can, man. So I appreciate you singing. That's nice, dude. And yeah, and I appreciate you spending time with me, man. Thank you. Yeah. Thanks for coming as well, man. I really, really have enjoyed this. I feel bad that I call, that I referenced the term ginger and I feel bad that I mispronounced the name of this place, man.

1:36:37Oh, that's all. I thought you were doing it on purpose. Okay. I was all good. No, no, the ginger thing. I wasn't the ginger thing. I'm actually like, I have a good sense of humor. So I'm fun with being, uh, yeah, I just shouldn't have said it though. But I'm like my, my, my point is if, if it's, if this is on limits, then, you know, other things should be too. Yeah. You know, it shouldn't be the only thing that's on limits. Oh, I agree, brother. And let me tell you this, we're turning on all the limits. One time. I don't doubt it. We'll get you all to a live show and turn on all the limits. I hope you make a million more wonderful songs and just keep blessing us with your gifts.

1:37:16Thank you so much, Ed Sheeran. Nice one. Thank you. Cheers, man. Now I'm just floating on the breeze And I feel I'm falling like these leaves I must be cornerstone Oh, but when I reach that ground I'll share this peace of mind I found I can feel it in my bones But it's gonna take