Quote · Parenting Hell with Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe
S12 EP47: The Juggle Is Real
Where this was said
Touring Life Infantilizes You — The Mental Load of Normal Parenting
At 32:32 · chapter starts 31:40
The conversation takes a surprisingly honest turn when Rob reflects that the mental load of managing daily parent life — knowing which parent's name to remember, which child needs what kit for what activity — is more cognitively demanding than touring. Touring is hard in the sense of being tiring and away from home, but the actual tasks are simple and scripted. Josh illustrates the point vividly: on a tour date, someone brings him tea and fizzy water on the first-class train, a driver picks him up from the station, his dinner is fetched, his soundcheck lasts 30 to 45 seconds, and then he has two hours of doing nothing before the show. And he still has the cheek to feel tired. Both hosts land on the idea that touring 'infantilizes' you — a word Josh uses — stripping away adult responsibilities and creating a dependency that makes normal life feel overwhelming when you return. [1] — Josh Widdicombe "Josh Widdicombe laid out exactly how little a touring comedian actually has to do: someone brings tea on the train, a driver picks you up, …" 31:45
Josh Widdicombe laid out exactly how little a touring comedian actually has to do: someone brings tea on the train, a driver picks you up, dinner is sourced for you, your soundcheck lasts 45 seconds. The hard bit isn't performing — it's the travel. Being fully looked after makes you helpless.
Josh Widdicombe reflected that touring as a stand-up comedian means being so looked after — first class trains, someone fetching dinner — that it infantilizes you and disconnects you from daily adult responsibilities.
