Tim Minchin on how 'trials and tribulations' become the 'rubble upon which you build new good stuff'

Virgin Radio

17 Sep 2024, 08:48

Tim Minchin told Chris Evans about his new book, ‘You Don’t Have To Have A Dream - Advice For The Incrementally Ambitious’.

The actor, comedian and composer joined The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Prestige Flowers ahead of the release of his new book on Thursday 19th September. 

The book relates to his three most beloved university commencement speeches, which have amassed over 100 million views online. Speaking about the first speech, which he gave at the University of Western Australia, the Aussie star said: “I got offered an honorary doctorate, which is like a fake degree, which I happily accepted, because the real ones are really hard and the fake ones are relatively easy, you just have fun. 

“But the obligation is to make a commencement address, and that speech just went super, super viral and got known as ‘the nine life lessons’. And that's really just me putting on my, ‘Oh, I left uni 20 years ago. This is what I've learned about a nice way to go about life.’ sort of thing. It's pretty pretentious. I sort of had a crack, and people seem to like it.”

Referring to another speech in the book, he told Chris: “The next one I did for Mountview, which is a London theatre college, and I did that speech on the stage of Matilda The Musical, in about 2015, I think. And that's about fame, really, or it's about being an artist. And it's meant to disabuse young actors of the pervasive belief that to be an actor is to try and get as famous as you can and that's the most valuable thing that can happen, is that you get huge.

“Not that everyone thinks that, but that is a pervasive idea. And so it's really talking about my experiences of meeting really, really famous people, and how that is not great. It's not a great thing to happen to you, and it's not the sort of thing you should be aiming for. And it just talks about how you should aim to put good ideas into the world.”

And regarding his speech at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts, he said: “That was largely directed at musicians, and sort of creativity and authenticity, and knowing that if you want to be an artist, you shouldn't worry about what the artists that you like are like. You should know that you are enough and that you will be unique and individual just by virtue of having had your experiences. 

“Because that's a massive battle I fought all through my 20s. I was like, ‘I'm just the most boring middle class sort of… I've got nothing to say. Why should I be an artist? Where's my point of interest or uniqueness?’ And as it turns out, you just have to express your feelings, and that that'll do, if you're lucky.”

During his conversation with Chris, Time said: “A big theme of Upright, and a big thing I learned after losing work and all that, and all the things you go through in life that are non-ideal, the trials and tribulations, is that out of that rubble, you build your new stuff. 

“And that's a thing that you can't get ahead of the game on even in the moment. Even with the wisdom that the pain and heartbreak of the trials and tribulations of your life eventually will be the rubble upon which you build new good stuff, when you're in a new bit of trial and tribulation, a new bit of pain, you can't even push yourself two years ahead and look back on it. You just have to go through it, even though you've gone through it before. And you know that it turns out all right, usually.”

He added: “I've always read a lot, and I can take in ideas. My comprehension of stuff is reasonable, but you don't know it til you know it. You can understand it in the abstract. And unfortunately, a lot of lessons come with experience and age.

“The poop is the fertiliser for future flowers, and if you sit in that, it does mitigate the pain of the trials and tribulations. It does work, but you have to really sit in it because your body's like, ‘This sucks. Everything's gone wrong. Why do I deserve this?’ The less you bake in that as defensiveness or a chip on your shoulder, the better. I was pretty chippy!

“Sometimes, a bit of a scream into the void and a punch of a boxing bag is a necessary part of the pathway out as well.”

You Don’t Have to Have a Dream - Advice for the Incrementally Ambitious is out on Thursday 19th September.

For more great interviews listen to The Chris Evans Breakfast Show weekdays from 6:30am on Virgin Radio, or catch up on-demand here.