I Was in Crisis Long Before Midlife
ill-advised by Bill Nighy
In this episode of 'ill-advised' by Bill Nighy, the host tackles a range of quirky topics including hat addiction, midlife crises, and personal anecdotes from listeners. He humorously advises a listener with a growing hat collection to embrace it fully, even
Key takeaways
- Hat collecting can be a joyful and meaningful personal expression rather than something to be tamed.
Main topics
- Hat addiction and personal identity
- Midlife crisis myths and physical health indicators
Notable quotes
You've come this far, and it could be a lot worse. It could be Porsches or it could be, you know, illicit substances.
Conclusion
Bill Nighy wraps up the episode with warmth and wit, encouraging listeners to embrace their
Transcript preview
Speaker 1 (0:03) We're here. Speaker 4 (0:04) You made it. We're back, as Jimmy Fallon would say. You're here. It's ill-advised by Bill Nye. And we're in season three. Who knew? Who knew there'd be a season one or two or three? But we made it and we're here. And concurrently with season three, you can also join us in the back room, which is where some of the big stuff happens. You'll have to get past the doorman. who we have yet to cast. There are many candidates, because those who attend the back room will remember that Gordon was our doorman, who was very successful and much beloved. Nobody frisked you quite like Gordon. And people miss him. But we are auditioning replacements. But that auditioning process is ongoing. And you get to pick. How about that? Anyway, we're very pleased to be back, and we're hoping for some rain. because the long, hot summer has been too long and too hot for the likes of me, frankly. I don't have clothes for that. I've had to get used to being jacketless. If there were any climate change deniers left around after this summer, which I'm sure there will be, one of the surest indicators that climate change is a thing is the fact that I go out in public without a jacket, which I have never done in my adult life until... two years ago when it became kind of impossible. I used to wear a jacket whatever the weather because I felt exposed without one. But I'm now, I'm almost more accustomed to being jacketless than I am to be jacketed. So if that doesn't mean there's something happening, I don't know what. And I forgot to say good morning, good afternoon or good evening depending on where you are on the planet. which may not give you too much pleasure, but gives me an enormous amount. So thank you. Welcome back. We've got all kinds of stuff. We've got all the usual features, including the band word feature, which is without question the most popular. The band word feature went boom across the world from the moment it was suggested. And also our other, we hope, well-loved feature called But You Don't Understand I'm Like With The Band, where we invite you to tell us about. bands you had, hopefully embarrassingly named when you were teenagers, and some of the hopefully embarrassing lyrics that you wrote for your signature tunes. There will also be Book of the Week. I will read a bit of the book and tell you a little bit. I'm not a critic, but I will tell you a little bit about the book and perhaps why I like it. And then, of course, there will be another popular feature, playlists, which give me quite a lot of pleasure to compile. So there'll be all kinds of music coming your way. That's exciting. And we'll have many questions from all over the world, hopefully about the most inconsequential elements of their lives. And remember, this is what they currently call a safe place. It's a refuge for the clumsy and the awkward, for people who don't get out much and can't handle it when they do. So let's get started. Speaker 1 (3:29) Hi Bill, Bob here from Williamstown, Massachusetts. As a child, I was a New York Yankees baseball fan and always wore a Yankees baseball cap. My grandmother said it would make me go bald. It did. Now I'm in my 70s and my hat addiction is spiraling out of control. I own all kinds of hats, some quite expensive, that I only wear a couple times a year and yet I buy them. I recently shopped for a denim flat cap. I found one that was sold in four shades of denim, so I had to have all to match my various shades of denim blue jeans. Any advice on how to tame this madness, Bill? Should I tame it? Speaker 4 (4:14) Thank you, Bob. Thanks for that question. It's a good question, and I have an immediate response, which is, why do you want to tame it? Come on. You've come this far, and it could be a lot worse. It could be Porsches or it could be, you know, illicit substances. I think hats is fine. And the fact that you, I don't think, for instance, I don't think your grandmother was right. I don't think the baseball cap made you bald. And I don't suppose you do either for a moment. But therefore, don't blame the cap. But given the absence of hair. even more reason why you should indulge yourself. And if I was in your situation and there were four different colors of denim, I would have done exactly the same thing. I would have had to have had all four. I wouldn't have left the shop without them. Why would you do that? I love when I was young and didn't have any money. And I used to hear about people with money going into shops and buying like there was a shirt they liked. So they bought four of them or they bought five of them or there were socks they liked. So they bought six pairs or underwear. They bought six pairs. And I thought it was so glamorous and such an exotic idea that you would ever have enough money to buy more than one thing at a time. And I'm not. getting the violins out. It's just that there was a time when you didn't have any money. And now I have got money and I have bought, you know, two shirts or six pairs of socks, or I'm about to buy six pairs of socks tomorrow because I'm going to Hong Kong next week. And I figure I deserve six pairs of lightweight summer socks because it's going to be. I think it's going to be hot in a way that I've never been hot before. So I'm going to buy some appropriate socks and some, this is too much information, but also some boxer shorts for the same reason. And yeah, and the hat thing, you need a hat. You need all kinds of different hats and why not? I mean, I went to a funeral recently of a very, very, very dear friend of mine who was, she was famous for her hats and they were mostly wide brimmed. quite you know highly colored hats of various shapes and sizes and at her funeral all of the women from nine to ninety all wore one of her hats and they put her very favorite purple wide brimmed floppy hat on the coffin as she was brought into the church and it looks so great because all the women were wearing these glamorous hats in different colors. And it was just a, it was very witty and funny and it was dear and affectionate. So maybe, I don't want to talk about your funeral, Bob, but, you know, we've all got to work it out somehow. So maybe you could get everyone at your funeral to wear one of your hats, which I think would be a pretty cute idea. And they get to take it home. So that's something to remember you by. So if it's up to me, Bob, keep going. You can't get enough hats. Speaker 5 (7:22) Hi Bill, my husband is having some kind of midlife crisis. He's joined a gym, he's signed us up for an ultramarathon, he's building an extraordinary amount of Lego and he's talking about buying a Porsche. Whilst we have a solid marriage, this is a testing time. Could you please advise how we navigate this? Thank you, Tracey in Durham, UK. Speaker 4 (7:44) Tracey, I think maybe you should... book an appointment with the doctor and just have his thyroid checked. Because I have a very, very good friend who had a thyroid issue. And I went around his house once. And he was like a man on fire. He was normally a very relaxed figure. But he was insane with energy and ideas. And he was saying things like, Speaker 4 (8:18) I was wishing I had a little red sports car. And then I