Tour Diary: Australia, Beers & Chris Hemsworth.
In a Nutshell
Chris Williamson tours Australia with evolving live shows across Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, and Brisbane, refining structure nightly for optimal flow—balancing humor, self-deprecation, and deep theses like "the only reason to win the game is to be free of it," while grappling with self-doubt, identity lag, and men's emotional suppression. Key takeaways: aim for achievable goals to sustain motivation, follow curiosity over rigid long-term plans, prioritize levity before heavy topics (à la Joe Rogan), and embrace feelings without sacrificing discipline. Culminates in a helicopter trip to Byron Bay to hang with Chris Hemsworth, amid tour highs like standing ovations and fan life-changes.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
The only reason to win the game is to be free of it. Three shows in three cities in 4 days. Still working the show out. Then get to see Chris Hemsworth. Tour life is very hard. 7:30 meet time at airport. No Dean, no Alex, no Chris means they don't care.
Adelaide is nice. Adelaide has more restaurants per any other Australian city.
Newtonless today, fantastic use case for focus pouches. Arrived in Adelaide with no new tonic. Changed a lot tonight. Similar show, different order. New stuff in, old stuff out. Testing in front of a thousand people. Every event gives feel for what works better or worse. Always course correcting.
Principle is nucleus to Chris's live show, stays with people long time.
For me, I've just come out, soften the crowd up, give people a laugh.
People spent money to see Chris, get money's worth before he comes out. Three shows in three cities in four days with travel days in between. Then see Chris Hemsworth.
Show's changed again from first two nights. Third night. Production standpoint: be in right place at right time. Capturing different format, like starting again.
Age old question: how much to burn candle at both ends vs optimize long term? Can do both. Swing not from absolute hedonism. Don't need to be James Smith 2016. Say yes to more adventures that regulate and expand ability to enjoy life. Won't regret break, teaches not always working.
First time tonight completely new show. Same lessons, same central thesis, completely new show from last two nights. Audience sees something fresh.
Poster child for self-doubt. Chronically uncertain: Am I doing this right? Do people care? Should I keep going?
Should people pursue goal beyond reach? Aim for stars, land on moon. Living in the gap not the gain demotivates. How far from goal vs how far come. Can set high goals for while, but run out of gas.
Friends who set sights at achievable levels celebrate, motivation continues. Compare to ideal, find lacking, move ideal again: not way to motivate. Like marathon coach only pointing out fuck ups.
Can set unrealistic goals, but eventually feel arrive or live in successful misery. Advise against it.
All right, Adelaide, thank you so much for tonight. You guys absolutely rule. I love you all. It's the first time I've been here, and I can't wait to come back.
Changed a lot from last night to tonight. Start nice, end uplifting if cook a bit. Need more videos. Still somber and serious.
Worked out changes needed. Landed in Perth, 18 hours here.
Show life's hot. Frozen mango daiquiri or empanada. 26 in, feeling gamble. Need eight more fast. Cheers.
Watched Comedy Without Errors channel on miccraft. More relaxed hold on mic, more relaxed performer. Last night death gripping mic. Calm down.
Encountered self-doubt, got over via Mark Manson's identity dysmorphia (named it). Identity lags reality by 1-2 years, like ex-fat person seeing fat in mirror.
Only now being person who went on Joe Rogan first time, after four times, number eight Spotify charts last year. In two years, feel made it. Big self-doubt required unreasonable offset to feel made it.
Advice: be gentle, patient, give spaciousness. Keep going at sustainable pace.
James introduces. Changed show each night: Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, now Perth. Tuning it.
Want you to end worlds, achieve things, but they'll be empty. Only reason to win game is be free of it, don't need to play anymore.
Booze, Chris gave mango daiquiri. Serious chance of slurring. Smells boozy.
Feeling drunk. Some remember from Chris's last tour, others think BTech Chris Williamson with worse hairline. Testing temperature. Good Perth vibe. Never seen so many Fitbirds.
First event in 3 years drinking. No idea when set ends.
Answers to men's crisis? Hustlers University? Had Andrew Tate on podcast, united feminists and manosphere against me. Worst part of Tate doc was him on my podcast. Both extremes don't represent bell curve middle.
Huge cohort doing good while doing bad. No desire to associate. Flack means over target, won't stop.
Most profound experience: first time got fuck made ears ring. Chasing dragon since.
Thanks for shining light on men's struggles. Hero for 5 years, changed life since 17. High quality relationship due to podcast. Young mentors, no father figure. Felt lost in high school.
Mix of humor and getting to point. Working room well. Everything absorbed over years pushed into concise thing. Makes think hard. Humor pulls back to laugh before deep life things. Good balance.
18, helped so much, feel less alone greatest gift.
Show went well, relaxed. Crowd well paced for Monday. Flight today finally got it. Standing O on Monday in Perth. Kept changing until flow right. Feel good.
Still want to change tomorrow.
Practicing welcome. Slept 5 hours. Last night one of best shows ever. Worked hard, poking, reshaping, rejigging. Now have really good show. First three good, last night step up.
Perth 18 hours, 4.5-5 hour flight to Brisbane. Day 700 of tour.
Rather than moan, rack up hotel bills. Best massage of life. Took alcoholic beverages from minibar, filled bath with Johnny Walker Black Label, left empties.
Appreciate not letting anyone off hook for being late, keeps disciplined.
Organizing helicopter trip Thursday with Chris Hemsworth. Acceptable excuse? Booze on plane?
Sensing morale low. Sick of carrying team morale.
Ordered sparkling wine for Luke every time he woke up, never enough.
Speak English. Last one to get dicks out. Evacuate.
High city. Hidden run.
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone.
First city last time, Brisbane 2 years ago. Lived there 3 days: work, pool, gym, sauna, food, repeat. Tour fire's hard.
Physics to live shows. Watching Rogan live in Austin next to Mark Norman. Expert explaining plays.
Joe: love wife, favorite person. Norman: spoonful of sugar to make medicine go down. Then Joe diets tribe, takes piss at wife. Funny mean with love needs showing care first, otherwise sounds mean.
Spicy jokes and heavy topic need self-deprecation, uplift, levity. Otherwise existential hammer blow. Each night 15% better. Done 4-5 tours across continents with previous show, first second show.
Last city Australia: Brisbane.
Built new studio, launch first episode Monday. Wednesday now. New tech learning. Edit on different time zone while touring.
Tour: ton of flying. Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane in 48 hours. Chopping together. Couldn't take more than 3-4 weeks off show. Did 7 episodes in 4 days before leaving.
Touring like writing music but never playing live. Write 3 new songs a week, not album worthy. People want old hits from Killers, not new. Saying same story on podcast frustrating.
North star? Bad with long-term goals. Outliers get unpredictable results. 10 years ago no idea: America, podcast, tour, book deal.
Shorter sprints, loose principles. Curiosity closest: follow curiosity, monetize asking interesting people questions cared about. Connecting with feelings.
Terrified of misgendering equivalent for race. Men: not much room to connect emotions. Awesome revolution below internet surface. Most guys here deeper thinkers.
World doesn't reward emotional connection. Can't flex. Evolving to embrace feelings feels like devolution to being taken advantage of by emotions. Suppress, work hard, push through. Undo that: keep hard work, feel feelings.
Cracking shell: competent but want to feel. Like self-surgery, get expert.
Do intense retreat after breathwork, meditation. Not jump to ayahuasca (Austin city of it). Find guys to hold space. Australia tall poppy syndrome, British/Aussie reflex to call gay. Inherited. School, 20s. Grow up, find group.
Loved flow even better.
At headlining show Brisbane 18 months ago, told mates going to do the thing. Since: blown up social media, moving London summer manager. Helped start business, run marathon.
What's next?
Didn't expect stab in heart.
Thank you. >> I cast a heart like you wouldn't believe. Cancer, that's gone. I've had that twice and I beat it both and you're a big inspiration. >> Stuff's life changing, man. Seriously. >> This your birthday? Cool. >> Dude. Happy birthday. Who knew you'd spend your birthday thinking so much about Matthew McConaughey's dick? That wasn't on the bingo card.
Two more days. I've got a little bit of time. I'm going to fly up to Byron and hang with Chris Hemsworth tomorrow. So, that'll be fun. >> I'm not talking about what? >> Meeting Chris Hemsworth. Some of the scenes you can't jinx because if you get excited about it, there'll be a storm. Chris is very good at playing it cool. I've seen him opposite Matthew McConaughey with a resting heart rate at 44. That's probably his most impressive feature. Jordan Peterson, Sam Harris. >> Hearing show on the outside of skill. >> Yeah, but there's not even a sweat.
We're going to go hang out with a friend. I've got a friend who lives in Byron. Lovely guy. And we've sort of been flirting online for a little while and I thought it'd be nice to go see him. Yeah, I'm not that far away, but it's a bit of a drive, bit of a trek. I thought we could take a mode of transportation that's a little quicker, like getting in a tuk tuk through downtown Thailand or something to go and just see a friend for a coffee. So essentially, that's what we're doing today. It's Chris Hemsworth. It's Chris Hemsworth in a helicopter. That's what it is. >> Is it worth me? Had enough to feed the hungry. I'm tired and I felt for a while. Even got my drink in. >> Sorry, James. I remember my first helicopter.
This could be my chance to say goodbye. At last, it's finally over. Couldn't take this down. It wasn't what I planned to be. Now I'm ready to be brave. So here I am. It's in my head. So here I am. Think you're pretty when I'm standing top the bride that's will take your hand and pick you up and keep you there tonight again I will take you there take a dance night away dance away so here I am it's in my Everyone dog sunset pool snakes. What else is there? >> I will be back there. Yeah. Here I am. I promise I will take you there as long. Here I am. I promise I will take you there.
That's actually impressive. It's quite enough to actually revitalize. Two days off. Two full days off. Feel fantastic. I hit my stride, dude. The difference between the first three shows and the last two has just been I found that unlock. It made everything else feel lighter because as fun as it is to be on tour, I'm here to give a good show to everyone and to feel like I'm performing well and to be confident in how the night's going to go. Yeah, it's been a real change of energy. I got tons of great feedback from Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide. So, thank you to everybody that did that. It was really awesome. And that was the just the little thing that was missing. So it's been a good run. I've loved being in Brisbane. But we've got 48 hours in a brand new country, two shows, Christchurch in Auckland, then a 9-hour flight to Bali, all in the space of a single weekend. So see you then.
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