The premise of this show is simple – Rich Wilson (ex bus driver, young father and gay sauna worker) sits down with funny and interesting guests to talk about men’s mental health. On the night we went along the guest in question was comedian Richard Gadd, who has his own show (Baby Reindeer) at the Fringe this year.
As the mother of a young boy I am all too aware of the pressure many men face from a very young age to quash their feelings, not to cry, to play ‘manly’ sports and to engage in physical combat. It’s nothing less than exhausting to watch my son grow up in this culture and to support him to go against the tide, to talk about how he feels, to cry when he needs to and to understand that hitting other people is not a necessary requirement of being born a man.
So seeing this show on the Festival bill was like a breath of fresh air, and it didn’t disappoint. If you’ve seen Gadd before you’ll know that his comedy is rooted in a hugely traumatic experience, and his introduction to his experiences opened up an inciteful and thoughtful discussion about how the added layers of perceived masculinity we heap upon our children from a very young age can have repercussions on their adult lives far beyond simply forcing them to play a sport they don’t enjoy.
At some points it felt as if the discussion meandered slightly and the show might benefit from a tighter format, but part of the appeal is Rich’ assertion that he is feeling his way as much of the rest of us when it comes to men’s mental health, and in publicly tackling the subject and attempting to turn the ingrained concepts of masculinity on their heads, he is doing the men and boys of this country a huge service and should be supported to the hilt in these efforts. Wilson has a podcast with the same title as his show, which I’d urge you to listen to even if you can’t make it along to see him in person.
Insane in the Men Brain
Gilded Balloon Teviot
