Three Peaks Challenge, Intrusive Thoughts & Anxiety When Things Go Well

0:00Welcome to the... Welcome, welcome. Yo, right up, right in. Here comes Rami with something profound to say.

0:08Romesh Ranganathan:It's the Wolf and Owl email episode. Thanks so much for your emails. Remember to like and subscribe if you could. Wolfowlpod at gmail.com is the address. Email one.

0:23Romesh Ranganathan:Yo. Yo, what you want? Beak or jaws? Feathers or fur? Sharp teeth or feet with claws? Whatever's preferred. Just kidding, every word in this song's about two grown men dressed up as a bird and a dog. Tom is going to read the first email for me. Do you want me to? I'll do it, I'll do it. Go on then. Dear Wolf and Al, long time listener, first time writing in. I've listened to the pod since day one. Fellow crawly citizen with the Al. Does that work? Do you say citizen if you're from the same town? It's not a city, is it? I've got no idea. What a ridiculous thing to ask me that question. Is it townism or something?

0:58I've got no idea. Anyway. Oh, and over the years, you've really helped me grow in confidence by sharing your own experiences and always picking each other up. The Al in particular has inspired me seeing him run the London Marathon and show that anyone can do it. Oh. How important and beneficial running is. Okay. Between that and everything else you both talk about, it's helped me stop being scared of my own shadow and actually put myself out there, which is why I entered the London Marathon this year and unbelievably got in on a charity place, Mind, to prove myself that I can do something out of my comfort zone and on my own, all thanks to you both.

1:38I'm currently deep in the trenches of training. I bet you are. That's a really mean thing to say.

1:44Romesh Ranganathan:No, but this is the time when you're really in it. You didn't mean that. I did. You were silly grotty the way you are. I bet you are. No, I didn't. But your podcast gets me through every single run. I bet it does. And I honestly couldn't be more grateful. I bet you couldn't. So thank you, Inspired Iguana. Inspired Iguana, thank you so much. That's a lovely thing, man. I think you doing the marathon inspired more people than you'd know. That's actually really nice. If that's true, I mean, I'm sure it is true. Why are they lying and lying? What insane lies to make. I'm going to pretend that I'm running the marathon to make Romesh feel good about himself.

2:22I'm not saying they made it up.

2:24Romesh Ranganathan:I'm saying they might be giving me too much credit for them. No, no, no. I don't think that. I think you doing the marathon inspired me. It certainly inspired me to try and do something. Yeah. What is it? I still don't know. I'm still trying to find that thing. But I do think watching someone you're close to do something, go through a rigorous training regime. And a lot of people didn't think you were going to do it. No. Right? To actually do it twice. And they were nearly right. No, but you did. And do you know what? On both times, second time, I believe, you had injuries. I did. and you still completed it.

2:53That is something, it doesn't matter. And what happens when you're sitting, you know, in your older years, and you're sitting with your grandkids. I'm there now, mate. 60 years old, and Theo's little boy comes running in and goes, Gwendo, Ramesh, tell us about the time that you ran the marathon. Where is he from? I did it, America. Okay. Theo's becomes like a... Theo's gone to America, yeah. Yeah, Theo becomes... He's on Broadway or something. Oh, no, he's probably... Yeah, Broadway, he's done a Marvel movie. Yeah. You know, Mary's an American sweetheart.

3:20Romesh Ranganathan:Speaking of movies... Yeah. Alex has auditioned for the same movie as you. Wow, really? Yeah. Oh, incredible. Which is the one I spoke to you about the other day. Yeah. Oh, okay. That's cool. It's an insane project. Yeah. It's weird that they're going for the two of you for the same part. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But it could go. It's the only audition I've ever done where you have to act without words. Yeah. Which is insane. Yeah. No, literally a lot of this.

3:55oh fuck

3:58Romesh Ranganathan:okay I think you're playing fast and loose without words you said two yeah but that's at the end I added that yeah I know okay but those are words aren't they I added it because I didn't know if you'd know what I was doing I knew what you were doing okay do you want me to do it without the words as intended well no I think I'll get it I can just imagine you not saying the words I don't want to see the whole thing again

4:23Romesh Ranganathan:What have you said laughing? A third time on this.

4:41Yeah. Yeah. So this one is you get back to your room. Yeah. And it's been smashed up. Okay. And you hear something in your bathroom. It's a hotel.

4:54Romesh Ranganathan:Okay.

5:01Oh, for crying.

5:14what do you think it's actually all right what's wrong there was a moment it's sort of like like it was quite busy with the body yeah yeah but i mean i mean you make i'm sat down you make

5:26Romesh Ranganathan:him reenact going walking into a hotel room you're sat

5:43Romesh Ranganathan:okay i didn't realize it was like a joke you're doing this

5:53Romesh Ranganathan:so let's do one where you do the act out but i don't know what it is okay cool cool

6:12Romesh Ranganathan:uh you're reading the paper you're on the train and then you remember the time that you shut yourself once no no what was it yeah what is it then it's the end of the world how is it in the world no it's saying in the paper why would it say in the paper what would you find out from a newspaper that's the end of the world because i haven't got a phone it's the olden days it's the olden days yeah like it's before phones and social media i didn't watch the news or listen to that's how you'd react to the end of the world yeah show me again

6:48it sounds it looks like you're relieved yeah but the character's going through a tough time okay all right give me one here's one oh for crying out loud

7:14is that the end of the world too

7:16Romesh Ranganathan:no I thought it was on TV and you're not watching it football no oh watching Mars Singer no no that's not how I react to watching Mars Singer like it was someone you wasn't expecting it to be like it was a big name no no that wasn't what it was I'm watching the news they're talking about a horrible crime and then I realise it's somebody I know that's in the footage oh fuck no that's well good that's a really good one thanks yeah okay okay well anyway inspired iguana sorry we've slightly digressed from your the truth I don't think I've done anything that of that magnitude where I think things like a feet like run in the mouth and I generally think it's something that I find inspiring and I'm I keep on thinking of doing something myself you should do that I actually feel like oh well that's a feet maybe swimming well you know I said about the three peaks challenge.

8:10Romesh Ranganathan:Why don't we do that together? Yeah. That would be something I'd genuinely be invested in. Yeah, she'd do it. Yeah. In 24 hours, that'd be incredible. Scaffle, Snowden. Well, scaffold it. Scaffle, scaffold Pike? Oh, scaffold Pike. I thought you meant I had to scaffold it. No. It's been forever. Okay, we're looking at it now. What's the three peaks? Ben Nevis. Yeah. Scaffle, Pike and Snowden. Snowden. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. That would be the sort of thing if I did that, then I'd know. You heard it here first. Wolf and Al are doing the three peaks challenge. When are we doing it? let's do it in... It doesn't matter.

8:42April for our birthdays.

8:43Romesh Ranganathan:April for our birthdays. We are doing the three beach gym. When is your birthday? End of March. Oh, yeah. End of April. Let's do it between our birthdays. It's your birthday celebration. All right, there you go. Look out for it. Yeah. Email number two. Okay. Hold on. I want to give some advice to Inspired Iguana. You're knee deep in marathon training. This is the really tough part where the distances start to increase, distances start to increase. just find whatever you can do to make it as comfortable as possible make sure you find the right gels you know to fuel yourself on the way fuel properly mandrel electrolytes feel good do you do gels no so why did you say that you can use mandrel electrolytes if you want but they don't they don't do gels you should do gels yeah we should but they taste incredible mandrel electrolytes yeah they do yeah mandrel protein tastes incredible you've not mentioned it for a while what's going on with mandrel it's going well but I feel like I shouldn't mention it too much because it sort of feels like doing a public season.

9:36Romesh Ranganathan:Anyway, good luck to you. Let us know how it goes. And thank you so much. It means a lot to me. You've got a friend in us. You've got a friend in us. It means a lot that you're doing the marathon partly as a result. I think as well, if you complete the marathon, you should have to get a tattoo of Rom on your elbow. Doesn't feel like an incentive, does it? That'd be an amazing thing. People go, I don't want to rank an eighth on your elbow. How about this? Go on, do it, do it, do it. This is what we need. Fucking moment. If you complete it, get in touch with proof and I'll get a tiny tattoo of an iguana on my body somewhere.

10:08Romesh Ranganathan:Oish, sexy. Maybe here? That'd be cool actually. You'd look cool with a face tattoo. Okay, next email. A jelly roll. Good energy in. Good energy out.

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10:46Romesh Ranganathan:Dear Wolf, Al, Cat and Swan. I love the podcast. And this is a lesson that's got me through some tough times. Whenever I feel low, I know I can count on the Wolf and Al to pick my spirits up. That's nice, isn't it? When you guys had a few weeks off, I had to go back and listen to old episodes. I've re-listened to everything from the start. listening to episode 34 Romesh mentions his worst gigs were at Tunbridge Wells seeing Rob Beckett tomorrow at Tunbridge Wells, my condolences and wondered why neither Tom or Romesh have come to Tunbridge Wells as Tom avoided it because of Romesh's past experiences what I want to know is when you guys put your tours together do you avoid areas where you've had bad gigs or do you find them as a challenge to come back and prove them wrong hope you both come to Tunbridge Wells and I hope Tom convinces Rom to go for sweet beers with the locals and me keep up the amazing work guys and please you bring so much joy to us all can't pick an animal name so I love Pat Tunbridge Wells why is it not on your tour thing?

11:37I I I've never thought about not having you should do it yeah I would do Tunbridge Wells it's just not I don't I think at the moment we're we've gone with a smaller group of dates to try and sell tickets I think that we're very worried

11:48Romesh Ranganathan:is it possibly going to expand the tour yeah I mean if we could sell a few more tickets in the places we're already in it would mean it would incite us to go to some other places I think there are places which I haven't chosen to go to because I don't think I had particularly good tour shows last time. And also where you've had bad gigs I think. I mean for some reason we're going to Ireland again. That's where you're Irish, so that makes sense. You're always going on about it, aren't you? I love being Irish. It's a very one way street when it comes to selling tour tickets. I mean this will come out after the Ireland shows.

12:24So by that time hopefully the sort of depression.

12:26Romesh Ranganathan:Do you think the part of the problem is that people don't really see you as Irish because of the way you present. I also think that they don't see me as funny or a comedian for the shit lack of ticket sales. I think it's completely fucking irrelevant whether I'm Irish, Canadian, French. I think it's fair to say that people go, nah, don't really fancy that on a Saturday. But anyway, you're going. Yeah, but you know what? And last tour time... Can I just say in your defence? Yeah. island yeah ticket sales always slow um it's gonna be a hell of a four days there yeah um i but you know what i really let it get to me in the last tour to the point where it started really crushing my confidence and my mental health it really like what did just really bad tour sales right and it really i ended up really just being very much questioning what the fuck am i doing and why why did i didn't know that i don't think you told me that no well i was i i found it very very hard and I found it very like, so I think, but this time around, I'm taking it less personally and I'm trying to just, actually just be like, fuck it, it is what it is.

13:32It's for the people who come, hopefully I can put on a good show. But I can't, you know, it is what it is. Yeah. And you can't let it, you know, wreak havoc in other parts of your life.

13:43Romesh Ranganathan:I do want to just counteract this. Yeah. And I know you're saying the island ticket, but you do big rooms everywhere. so I don't want people to suddenly think that oh yeah no no no but what I mean is but no the problem is people if you say things people believe them but you're selling really well across the country yeah there's places where there's good ticket sales I'm just saying I've looked I look so much you're seating plans and everything but no for some reason that one just doesn't sell but also I don't want people to think that's what I'm saying is I'm worried about you you know I don't want you to I don't want people to think that's what the case is across the whole tour oh no no no no it's only the island dates than most of the UK ones.

14:21It's Scotland, Wales, most of the north of England, anywhere outside Surrey and Essex. Southend's done well, though. Yeah, Southend has done really well, and so has Chatham. But I don't think... I suppose you do. There's certain places you hear other comedians talk about having really bad gigs. And I think there's probably three or four places that people sort of speak about.

14:47Romesh Ranganathan:It will be a long time before Guilford see me do comedy again really really I enjoyed Guilford both times I did it did you yeah well I guess everyone has different bars don't they but Guilford is not going to see me anytime soon with regards to Tunbridge Wells I did say by the way I've got nothing against Guilford Tunbridge Wells I did have when I started just death after death there yeah and so obviously then you get to a point where you start to associate Tunbridge Wells with a bad time. And also, you know, that sort of proved people wrong. We're not like, we're not, this is not, you're not a politician.

15:27Romesh Ranganathan:Like, if they don't like you, they don't like you. Do you know what I mean? So, in certain areas, they've got different types of humour. If in Tunbridge Wells, for some reason, they don't like Romesh Ranganathan, fine. So, maybe, look, now that you've sent the email, and now I feel a bit bad about it, do you know what? Do a little work in progress. I'm going to come and do a work in progress. I'm going to, literally, after this podcast, Because of your email, I'm going to message the flow off the curb and say, please, can you put me in? So there you go. There you go. You've made it. Look, man.