Blindboy Boatclub

David Chambers, known by his professional pseudonym Blindboy Boatclub, is an Irish satirist, musician, podcaster, author, and TV presenter.

Blindboy Boatclub
Blindboy Boatclub
Birth nameDavid Chambers[1]
Born1984 (age 38–39)[2]
Limerick, Ireland[3]
Medium
Alma materArdscoil Rís, Limerick, Limerick School of Art and Design[3][4]
GenresSatire[5]

Boatclub is from Limerick and is best known as one half of the Irish comedy hip-hop group The Rubberbandits, who wear plastic shopping bags as masks to conceal their identities. He regularly discusses mental health, masculinity, and other socio-political issues.[6][7]

Since 2017, he has been making The Blindboy Podcast,[8] a podcast featuring interviews and coverage of social issues. He has also published two collections of short stories,[9][10] and appeared on a number of television and podcast programmes. Between 2018 and 2019, he produced a BBC Three documentary series, Blindboy Undestroys the World.[11]

Personal life

David Chambers was born in Limerick in 1984,[2] where he attended secondary school in Ardscoil Rís.[3] While at school, he met Bob McGlynn and formed the satirical comedy pairing The Rubberbandits (performing under the pseudonyms "Blindboy Boatclub" and "Mr Chrome" respectively).[4] Chambers later attended the Limerick School of Art and Design[4] and in 2015 he earned his MA in Social Practice and the Creative Environment, which he'd say "It's an MA inside in the art college, which is perfectly suited for artists who work away from galleries, and tend to focus on society".[12]

Chambers was diagnosed with autism in his 30s following comments from Blindboy Podcast listeners.[13]

Podcast

Originally touring and performing as part of a duo, Chambers (under the name Blindboy Boatclub) has produced a number of "solo" works, including a podcast which covers topics such as mental health, politics, culture, music, and history.[7] In the Blindboy Podcast, Boatclub sometimes provides "hot takes" and social commentary alongside personal stories and "absurdist riffs".[7][14][15] The podcast has also included interviews with people such as Bernadette Devlin McAliskey, Spike Lee, Emma Dabiri, Colm O'Gorman, Cillian Murphy and other comedians, activists and academics.[15][16][17][18]

The podcast reportedly has 250,000 weekly listeners in Ireland and over a million worldwide listeners monthly.[14] Boatclub has also played live tours of the podcast around Ireland and the UK,[19] also touring in Australia,[20] New Zealand,[21] and Canada.[22]

Twitch stream

Beginning in 2020, Boatclub began a regular Twitch stream, which to date has featured him playing Red Dead Redemption II, while also creating live music using a combination of guitars, keyboard, drums, cowbell and his own ad-libbed vocals, and interacting with fans. From January 2021, he reduced the stream to just Thursday evenings, in order to concentrate on other work.[23][24]

Television

Boatclub made a five-part documentary series called Blindboy Undestroys the World for BBC Three which explored contemporary issues in the UK.[11][5] The 2018 pilot episode, which covered the housing system in the UK, was long-listed for a BAFTA award.[25] This was followed by a four-part series in 2019 which looked at precarious employment, anxiety, the internet, and modern slavery.[26]

Boatclub has also appeared on several Irish programmes, including The Late Late Show and The Tommy Tiernan Show.[27][28] He has also appeared on Russell Brand's Under the Skin with Russell Brand and The Trews web series.[29][30]

Books

He has published two collections of satirical short stories:

  • The Gospel According to Blindboy. Gill Books. 2017. p. 304. ISBN 9780717178872.[31][9]
  • Boulevard Wren and other Stories. Gill Books. 2019. p. 304. ISBN 9780717189502.[25][10]
  • Topographia Hibernica. Coronet. 16 November 2023. p. 288.[32]

References
  1. "Complaints over Rubberbandit's Holy Communion comments rejected". independent.ie. Independent News & Media. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  2. "Blindboy Boatclub: the man behind the mask". thetimes.co.uk. The Times. 22 October 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  3. "Rubber Souls". advertiser.ie. Galway Advertiser. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  4. "Jokers unmasked as middle-class lads". independent.ie. Independent News & Media. 17 December 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  5. "BBC Three – Blindboy Undestroys the World, The Broken Housing System". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 31 October 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  6. "Blindboy Boatclub reveals why he wears that plastic bag on his head". independent.ie. Independent News & Media. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  7. "Blindboy: 'Being recognisable is absolute hell'". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  8. "50 of the best podcasts to listen to right now". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 18 April 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  9. "Blindboy Boatclub book: A mixed plastic bag of mad ideas". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 28 October 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  10. "Blindboy's new book is a bestseller – but I don't get it". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  11. "Blindboy Boatclub to take on housing crisis in new series for BBC". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 22 August 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  12. Brennan, John (27 November 2015). "Rubberbandit Blindboy Boatclub bags a masters with his best performance". independent.ie. The Irish Independent. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  13. McGrath Bryan, Mike (13 April 2022). "'I am, in fact, autistic': Blindboy Boatclub reveals autism diagnosis on his podcast". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  14. Agnew, Roisin (27 April 2018). "Blindboy Is Breaking Taboos for a Generation of Irish Lads". Vice. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  15. "The Blindboy Podcast returns to Vicar Street in 2019". hotpress.com. Hot Press. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  16. "Legendary Director Spike Lee to Appear on The Blindboy Podcast". hotpress.com. Hot Press. 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  17. "Emma Dabiri – The Blindboy Podcast". spotify.com. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  18. "Colm O Gorman – The Blindboy Podcast". spotify.com. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  19. "Blindboy – Podcast Tour". thelist.ie. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  20. "The Blindboy Podcast | Cremorne Theatre". qpac.com.au. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  21. "The Blindboy Podcast Live New Zealand Show Announced". UnderTheRadarNZ. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  22. "Rickshaw Theatre – Shows". rickshawtheatre.com. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  23. McGlynn, Anthony (25 June 2020). "Blindboy provides live soundtrack to Red Dead Redemption 2 on Twitch". PCGames. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  24. Warman, Dylan (25 June 2020). "Red Dead Redemption 2 Gets Soundtrack from Blindboy During Twitch Stream". Screenrant. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  25. "Boulevard Wren and other Stories". gillbooks.ie. Gill Books. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  26. "BBC Three – Blindboy Undestroys the World – Available now". bbc.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  27. "Blindboy thinks Ireland can change the world". rte.ie. RTÉ. 2 November 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  28. "'I suffered unbelievable depression and anxiety' – Blindboy Boatclub on mental health resonated with Tommy Tiernan Show viewers". independent.ie. Independent News & Media. 1 February 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  29. "Blindboy on Russell Brand's Under the Skin". Under the Skin. 11 December 2018 – via YouTube.
  30. "Blindboy – The Trews". The Trews. 11 June 2014 – via YouTube.
  31. "Gill Books - Politics & Current Affairs - The Gospel According to Blindboy".
  32. Topographia Hibernica. Coronet. ASIN 1529371627.
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