Comedian set to bring journey of self-discovery to theatre
He's a multi-award winning comedian and podcaster with a string of successful Edinburgh shows and a large collection of Queen memorabilia.
John Robins has done a lot over his career, winning the Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2017 and the Gold Aria Award for his BBC Radio Five Live show and appearing on TV shows such as 8 out of 10 Cats, Live from the BBC and Mock the Week.
However, as he will admit, it hasn't all been sunshine and rainbows, as John has had to overcome a growing addiction to alcohol and his current tour HOWL, which played to a sold-out crowd in Birmingham and will hit Telford on November 15, covers a difficult period in his life.
He said: "The tour covers the last two years, with a bit of lockdown thrown in, and covers my journey with alcohol as I stopped drinking in November last year, so half the show is written before then and half after then.
"It's been like addressing my relationship with alcohol and difficulties of sobriety and of alcohol and some of the anxiety and behaviours that alcohol brought about, which are sort of funny looking back in retrospect.
"I think I'd always known that alcohol was too big a deal for me, but I'd always convinced myself that I was in control of it, doing things like Dry January and making sure I had a day or two off a week, but I was never able to control the amount I did drink, so the more of it I tried to moderate, the more obsessed I became with it.
"The year before I stopped, it sort of became a problem as I was drinking every day and the person it turns you into is a difficult person to like, but luckily, quite an easy person to make fun of."
For John, the issues he had faced with his drinking left him feeling like there were two different people, but he was able to turn the corner and find a way to cope and manage, ending 2022 as a sober man.
The emotional journey he went on forms a large part of HOWL, a show he describes as "not being about mental health, but being mental health, with rage, joy, tears, anxiety and humour."
He said that made the show more relatable to people watching it, saying: "The more specific you are about your experiences, the more people will go 'oh yeah, that's a bit like the time I did this or I once had a panic attack in Tesco', even though what I'm saying is unique to me.
"Sometimes, it's more about self-loathing than self-deprecation, but I think that's something we've all had, especially during the pandemic as we were forced to come to really come to terms with our worse habits, which is an interesting area for stand-up comedy.
"It's like analysing myself, looking at what my brain does when it's got no stimulation and how it goes nuts and gets obsessed about small things and I think that's quite a unique way of thinking."
John said that he hoped that people might leave the show having been entertained, but also thinking about themselves and whether it's been a cathartic experience, although the primary part for him is to make people laugh.
He said: "You're asking people to give up their hard earned cash to see you perform, so you can't just stand there and moan, you've got to put on a really punchy hour-and-a-half tour show.
"It's also great to back out there connecting with people again because so many people have only heard me through podcasts and have not be able to see me live because comedy changed over the last few years.
"It's also nice to be back performing in the West Midlands again as I hadn't been back since doing a Christmas show and the people are always very friendly, have a great sense of humour and aren't afraid to laugh at themselves."
John said that the show was not about his story of lockdown and said it was more of a story of self-discovery.
He said: "It's me coming to terms with who I am and who I am without alcohol and the behaviours that came with it.
"It's a different experience this time around as, previously, there would have been a lot of focus on getting to the hotel bar before it closed, whereas now the tour car will have non-alcoholic beer and maybe finding a nice restaurant afterwards."
John Robins will bring his HOWL tour to Telford Oakengates Theatre on Wednesday, November 15, with tickets costing £23.50.
To find out more and to book tickets, go to telfordtheatre.com/whats-on/comedy/john-robins-howl/4803
