Jono, Ben & Megan - The Podcast - Dai Henwood On Daffodil Day!

Episode Date: August 24, 2023

We talk to Kiwi comedian Dai Henwood!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Important day today, raising money for the Cancer Society, and there was a special last night, a comedy special on TV, hosted by this next guest. Yes, the wonderful Di Henwood, and welcome to the show, mate. Pleasure, boys. Oh, nice to see you too. Always a pleasure. We've always worked around each other for many a year. Yeah, you're right, actually. I was actually thinking back on it, and I was like, crocky dick, we are getting older. We are, no.

In a good way. Yeah, it is. Yeah, no, when you've been sifting around doing the same job for 20 plus years, you're like, this is... I feel like that when I'm gigging now with comics who are the age when they were born, I started doing comedy. Yeah.

Because I started doing comedy in 1997. So now it's just like, oh, wow. And I'd always been the young upstart because I'd been – everyone I worked with was always about 10 years older than me. I got Corbett who's about 60 years older than me. So, you know, I remember I started the day after his 80th birthday in 1997. And so I was always the young guy in the crew.

And now I'm like, oh, I'm sort of looked at as the old guy. But the good thing is Corbett's still around. So you're still the middle-aged guy now. Yeah, exactly. Well, but before we get into the importance of Daffodil Day, which is today, can we just get the up the whas, the warriors, the conversation out of the way? How good.

How good. Up the whas. I love it. It's gone from a huge screaming chant of up the wires to now people walk past you in the street. Up the wires. Yeah. Up the wires.

I feel like it's the new sign off on emails and stuff as well. We can put them in. Everyone loves the All Blacks, right? But no one is as just gets to every part of society like the Warriors when they're doing well. I watched Stacey Jones had a big interview and he said, when the Warriors are going well, they're the New Zealand Warriors. When the Warriors are going badly, they're just a team from Auckland.

Industrial penrose. And it's so druid. Hey, now, good work last night too. Live comedy special. Live comedy special. High risk, high reward. Exactly. That's how you want it.

I personally now think all stand-up comedy should go out live. So credit to everyone who was on the show and credit to everyone who donated as well. Daffodil Day today, Cancer Society raising funds for it. Now, it's been around for many years and many Kiwis will know, you know, the buckets outside the ANZ, banks around and wearing the daffodils. But what does the money go towards? Well, that's the thing.

You see Daffodil Day and you know daffodil day cancer, right? But Cancer Society is one that does just fully tangible stuff. So I've been brought on by NZ who put on the show last night. They've supported them for 33 years. Wow. And so they've brought me on as an ambassador this year. And the Cancer Society delivers, if you're coming in to do cancer treatment from outside of auckland they provide accommodation for you and your

that's expensive accommodation's expensive lifts to treatment and back from treatment massage therapy i've used it for actual counseling and therapy my wife's used it for actual counselling and therapy. My wife's used it for counselling and therapy. Because a lot of people these days do therapy, right? Yeah. And because it's accepted and people realise it actually helps. But I've really lent on those. And, you know, when people think about those services, accommodation in Auckland, driving, therapy, they tangibly cost money.

Yeah. So your money's going to them to support that. Because, unfortunately, a lot of people in zealand don't realize when they get cancer they're entitled to the stuff that the cancer society provides for free because it becomes i know i lost heaps of work because i had to go under treatment yeah stuff got very tight and so having you know being able to do therapy that really helps and not have a 250 dollar bill it's huge you know so it's awesome the work they're doing and i'm just stoked i can raise a bit of awareness for people around why donating is such a good thing what a great cause to to get behind too and how are you doing? Oh, mate, I have just finished last week my 20th round of chemo.

Wow. This was a block of six that I was doing. I do six rounds of chemo, then I have about four to five months off, then I do six rounds of chemo. Unfortunately, we're not at a point of trying to cure it because there's nothing out there at the moment that can do that. But I look at myself like a classic car, right? I just got to spot weld, do a bit of spot welding,

do a bit of cut and polish, fix the upholstery so I can get to the next beach hop. That's my plan. And look at the classic car, I'd take you for a ride, mate. Hey, you can put a steering wheel on me and drive me home. You're raising awareness for this and going through your own journey as well, Di. And people have reached out to you from all over the place. That must be a pretty amazing thing.

It has been really quite emotional and quite uplifting like when i was public with my story i didn't realize that the tips and tools i was putting out there would help people just sharing my story would help people who are in a similar boat to me when i'm not doing chemo in my off weeks i've been traveling around the country doing gigs and people coming up to me and sharing their stories and connecting and seeing I'm helping people sort of helps me in a way. So the selfish side of it is I am, by helping people, I'm getting something out of that. Even to the advice of what you can do if someone's going through a friend, you were saying you can come around and take out the kids for an activity

and things like that, giving people those ideas. On TikTok and other socials, I've been sort of putting out there a few tips and tricks. And that's the thing. If you do know someone who's going through cancer, don't try and, I suppose, ask them too many questions like, what can I do? Because people have so much decision fatigue. I'm dealing with so many different medical professionals having to make massive decisions about treatment about this so saying what can i do to help is almost too much if you're close to them you know their kids just go hey i'm taking your kids to kelly towns i'm taking your kids to the zoo if you're not close to them it's a bit weird yeah exactly i was like

you definitely have a good relationship with your kids if If I turned up at your house, I'm like, tell your kids, mate. They're like, oh, I don't know. And it's that sort of thing of just doing something or when you see someone go, hey, do you want to talk about it today or not? And bring around a meal or something like that. You're rather than asking, here it is, you can put this in the freezer or whatever. We've had friends who just show up with some kai and, you know, it's at exactly the right time. So there's so many things you can do. I sort of, when something pops into my mind, I chuck it out there.

And I thank everyone who's gotten in touch as well because, I mean, I'm sort of sliding into people's DMs in a positive way. I know. It's good. Do you ever think, because I imagine you've been quite philosophical on this whole journey yeah uh that there's some higher being who's put you through this really shit experience to help others yes so there is so a lot of people fall into different groups of a lot of people are f cancer i'm in a massive battle and i fully respect that but for me that hasn't been me. I've been more, it's part of my body that's sort of just mutated.

I need to send it some love. And it's actually, I have found it quite a teacher, and it has taught me so much. I'm a way better person, I personally think. Well, not better person, but I think I've grown more, and I've realised how important it is to connect with friends to really dial in on just being there for your family and your friends and your kids and that so it's taught me so much in that however i'm ready for it to go now yes no no no question about that you love luke because i

mean it's just everything would be in perspective now yeah i, I reckon, because to me, it puts a clock there. I've never been, I hate dealing in timelines, but it's worth being aware of the clock because it makes you go, actually, I just need to dial in on today, you know? Just have fun with the kids. Like now when I take my son down to the park to kick a footy round, I just love that.

When I'm just hanging out doing some colouring with my daughter or something or collecting shells at the beach, I just dial in and love that moment. Don't wait or look for this huge amazing time that's going to come. Oh, when I retire, we'll be in Fiji. Just enjoy now. Enjoy those little moments. And I think everyone should look at the clock occasionally and actually go, come on.

We all have that clock, you know, but you don't often think about it unless you're in a situation like you. I read this stat that there was something like by the time your kid's 15 or 18, you've spent 90% of the time you're ever going to spend with them. Wow. And by the time they're 12, you've spent almost 50% of the time you're ever going to spend with them. Wow. And by the time they're 12, you've spent almost 50% of the time you're ever going to spend with them.

Jesus. Because, you know, when they're kids, you're with them every day, all day. Then suddenly as teens, maybe an hour or two a day, then when they leave home, you know, sure you catch up for dinners and Christmases and that. But you're right.

So that then put it even more in perspective. Yeah. Actually enjoy these moments, man. Well, Jackie Brown is a good friend of all of ours who would say, if you're lucky, you get 18 summers with your kids. You know, the 18 hanging out with them. And then, you know, and it's like, yeah, jeez, there is that clock. It's crazy.

And if you look at the weather last summer, were there 70? Let's cancel that one out. It might be right. Oh, jeez. Well, we've all ended up with glassy eyes In the studio this morning But great message, Di And congratulations on supporting the Cancer Society

But not only that, also going through your own experiences So how can people donate today, mate? It's easy You can text DONATE to 4559 And that'll do an immediate $3 donation And also, if you're in Wellington Later in the year, at the end of November, I'm doing a show I finally wanted to do called Die Hard.

Great pun. You'll see the poster. It is the original Die Hard poster, but with me in it. I love it. And every ticket that gets bought, $5 from that, immediately goes to the Cancer Society. So you can go to laughwithdie.com and that'll direct you in the right place.

But text donate to 4559 and there'll be an immediate $3 donation. Support the Cancer Society. Thanks, Dan and Zev, for getting behind it. And I love you boys. You too, mate. You too, buddy.