The comedian has just released his debut album. He discusses songwriting, his recent memoirs, the problems with modern politics and why we all need to open up
On a muggy summer day, Adam Buxton is talking me through the songs on his debut album, Buckle Up. “There’s one on there called Standing Still,” he says, “which was written when I was feeling absolutely bleak and lost and is about opening a packet of pasta when all the pasta spills. I thought: ‘You can get a joke in there about being a fusilli billy and maybe that will distract a bit from the more earnest and pain-laden lyrics about how, every morning, I drink a cup of tea and it helps me with all the thoughts I have to smother.’”
What are these thoughts? “I get overwhelmed by the world and, the worse the news gets, the harder it bites,” he says. “I get existential fear and I think I should go and join Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and work with them. But then, is that really the best use of my talents? My wife is like: ‘Please don’t join MSF. It’s really helpful to have you around here. And, also, I think you’re good at doing your podcast and that helps people.’”
