322: Blindboy

Blindboy is a musician, TV producer, satirist, author and podcasting legend from Limerick in Ireland.

He’s one half of the band Rubberbandits

Find him on twitter @Rubberbandits, and see their brilliant Youtube page will give you some ideas of what they’re about.

As you know I adore podcasting, I’ve been doing it for years - and like you I have my favourite podcasts that I check in with every week.

However, the last few months, every time I get a chance to listen, I’m purely devouring the Blindboy podcast. If you’ve never listened - start from the beginning, that’s all I’ll say.

How to describe the Blindboy podcast?

Well in the words of my Irish mate Joe - “Blindboy? He’s got brains coming out of his ears!”

It is an extraordinarily intelligent show, where each week Blindboy points his curiosity at the world and through a lens of critical theory dives into all kinds of topics and issues - all with a central focus on mental health.

Blindboy is very open about his own struggles and his own regime of recovery, which lead him to dive into studying psychology at uni for some time before his band had a breakout hit and academics took a backseat.

But because of that, when he talks about Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, transactional analysis or indeed Freudian archetypes - you know he’s not talking out of his arse.

Having said that - his episode on transactional analysis was so devastatingly crisp and powerful, in one hour it explained more to me than hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars of therapy taught me.

But he’s not just about mental health. History, art, politics, religion - music - oh so much music.

His two-part podcast on the history of disco just has to be heard. 

To have him on this show is a true honour, and I hope that this taste of what Blindboy has to offer gives you an opening into what he’s doing and that you add his show to your weekly listen.

Just a note up top.

Blindboy wears a plastic bag on his head.

With eyeholes and a mouth hole, he speaks from behind this shopping bag mask.

He does it because when the first Big Brother came out he was horrified at what that level of fame did to the people involved, for the little reward they got in return.

So he became Blindboy, and behind his mask he’s able to speak extraordinary truth that someone who had a career to risk could never ever say.

He uses some fruity language.

So perhaps this one is for when the kids aren’t in the car.

Blindboy is touring Australia coast to coast this week

He’s sold out pretty much everywhere but if you get a chance to go - good lord, enjoy it.

Enjoy this Skype chat with Blindboy.

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X OG