Jungle gave Maxwell a new perspective on life
ANDREW MAXWELL TALKS ‘I’M A CELEBRITY’, TOURING, IRISH AUDIENCES AND MORE AHEAD OF HIS SLIGO GIG THIS WEEKEND.
From the wilds of the Australian jungle before Christmas, a whirlwind few months for Andrew Maxwell continues with his Irish Tour this spring.
The Dubliner – who appeared in ITV’s I’m a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here before Christmas – takes to the stage at Andersons as part of his Reality tour on Saturday, February 22nd, having played the first of 16 gigs over the next month last Thursday.
His visit will be his first time in the north west for two years, and he says it’s a place he always looks forward to returning to.
“It’ ll be my first time in Sligo for two years, so I’m really looking forward to it,” Maxwell told the Sligo Champion.
“I’ve been there loads of times and love getting over to the west coast – maybe other counties get more of the limelight but Sligo has a real quirky vibe to it.”
The well-travelled comic has become an established name to audiences around the world, having entertained in all corners of the globe. Many Irish people will remember his appearances on RTE’s The Panel, while he has also become a household name in the UK through his many media appearances on prominent BBC shows such as Mock The Week and Have I Got News For You.
However, the most recent departure for Maxwell was a stint in the jungle on I’m a Celebrity, and he says the unique experience provided an opportunity for reflection.
“It changed my perspective on life,” he says, having spent 16 nights there in total.
“It’s a really amazing experience. Before you go into the actual jungle, you’re in lockdown in a hotel where your phone and all that is taken away, the means by which you live is taken away. You don’t even know the time of day.
“In there, there’s a lot of time to contemplate. But you’re not missing your phone. There’s no sugar or sweets, maybe a tiny bit of fruit. For the first three or four days, everybody is shaking almost. Like, there are two killer animals in the jungle with you - deadly snakes and the funnel-web spiders - you don’t want to get bitten by either of them!
“But you do become at one with the jungle. The only way to tell the time is by listening to the jungle, because it changes as the day goes on. You’ve so much time on your hands – even on days with a trial, they only take an hour or an hour and a half – I was there for 16 nights and for 4 or 5 days I did absolutely nothing. Obviously, you’re interacting with your campmates but like one day I spent four or five hours watching birdies twitter to each other. Of course at certain times your mind turns to your loved ones.”
The attraction of touring his home country is one that always appeals to Maxwell, who still spends a lot of time this side of the Irish Sea despite being UKbased for over 20 years.
“I live in the UK, near London. I moved to England in my early 20s with a load of other Irish comedians to do the circuit over here, because it was quite a small circuit in Ireland.
“But I’m still at home a lot of the time. I still mix with all the lads I grew up with, my Mum and Dad are still here and I work a lot here as well.
“The thing about Irish audiences is they are laughing all the time, even between jokes. It’s almost like they’ve decided before they arrived that you’re funny – that they say ‘I’m going to a gig, and I’m going to laugh’.
“It’s always a pleasure coming back to Ireland and I love the chance to get to go to the west coast and Sligo, so I’m delighted.”
Andrew Maxwell’s Reality Tour comes to Andersons in Sligo on Saturday, Februrary 22nd. Tickets are currently available on www.ticketmaster.ie.