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Cover image credit: Thumbnail: YouTube · Have A Word Pod

What's Wrong With Me?

Adam Rowe

YouTube · 2024 · 61 min

A loud, self-deprecating hour about hypochondria from a Liverpool stage.

Adam Rowe has made a career out of being the loud, opinionated bloke at the pub, a persona he has ridden to massive podcast success with Have A Word. For this hour, he directs that blunt attitude inward, trying to figure out exactly why his brain and body seem to be breaking down at age 31. He is a self-admitted hypochondriac, a heavy drinker, and someone whose anxiety is steadily getting worse, making for an hour of self-deprecating stand-up that relies on rhythm and timing rather than easy crowd work.

The special was filmed at the Liverpool Empire Theatre in May 2024 and released for free on YouTube later that year. Rowe spends the hour explaining his terrible physical fitness, his failures with personal trainers, and the struggle of dating a woman who does not drink while he remains dedicated to hangovers. The centerpiece of his relationship material is a highly specific, painfully funny bit about attempting to watch a football match in bed with his girlfriend, complete with a play-by-play breakdown involving former Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano.

Rowe is an experienced club comic who has opened for major acts like Bill Burr and Shane Gillis, and that stage-hardened efficiency shows. He builds tension during personal stories, particularly when talking about his childhood, before releasing it with loud, exasperated rants. The show features a notably high production value for a self-produced YouTube release, matching the scale of his hometown venue.

The set list

3 bits
  1. Reflecting on his late mother's alcohol consumption

    Argues that drinking two bottles of vodka a day for 22 years is horrific but statistically impressive, comparing her endurance to Michael Schumacher driving and Margaret Thatcher's 'Iron Lady' title

  2. Dating a non-drinker

    Explores how having a teetotal girlfriend forced him to examine his own drinking habits and amplified the misery of dealing with severe, unsympathetic hangovers

  3. Extreme hypochondria and debilitating hangovers

    Describes needing intense empathy when hungover, lamenting the accusation that his condition is 'self-inflicted'

How it plays

Tone
Vulnerable, honest, self-deprecating, and punchy
On stage
Naturally charismatic, relatable, and self-deprecating, resembling a friendly bloke in the pub
Pace
High-energy entrance, quickly settling into an up-to-speed comedic flow featuring impassioned rants
About
failed relationships and breakups, alcohol and severe hangovers, hypochondria and health anxiety, family upbringing, football

What the critics said

Praised for faultless storytelling, raw emotional honesty, high production value, and universally relatable material

In the room: Raucous, warm hometown reception at a sold-out theater

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: standupd.com, adamrowe.co.uk, letterboxd.com, blackpoolsocial.club, mumblecomedy.net, clownster.co.uk, en.wikipedia.org, haveawordpod.com.

Backstory

Filmed in Rowe's hometown of Liverpool at his bucket list venue following a prolonged tour and a series of personal breakups

Details

Released
Taped
The Liverpool Empire
Runtime
61 min
Where
YouTube
Director
Will Hutchby & Alfie Brown
Topics
Before
I Know What You're Saying (2017)

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