The Laughter Clinic
The Laughter Clinic brings a refreshingly different approach to mental health education. Host Mark McConville, Australia's only full time professional Comedian/Suicidologist, delivers evidence-based self-care strategies, curated research insights, and meaningful conversations that inspire, educate and entertain.
The Laughter Clinic
Chatting with Craig Coombes. Laughter & Friendship vs A Terminal Diagnosis
What would you do if doctors told you that you had just 18 months to live? For Craig Coombes, the answer came in an unexpected form.
When Craig received his terminal cancer diagnosis in 2012, he made a simple yet profound decision: "Make the rest of your life the best of your life." What followed was an extraordinary journey that has defied medical expectations and inspired countless people along the way.
In this deeply moving conversation, Craig shares how humor transformed his relationship with mortality. From his reluctant first steps into stand-up comedy to performing alongside Adam Hills at London's Apollo Theatre and creating the viral sensation "Naked Tuesday," Craig discovered that making others laugh brought him a quality of life he never imagined possible. His story isn't just about surviving cancer – it's about finding purpose, connection, and joy in the face of death.
Craig speaks with remarkable candor about the full spectrum of his experience: the crushing moment of diagnosis, the physical challenges of treatment, moments of suicidal ideation, and the heart attack that recently complicated his journey. Yet throughout these trials, his commitment to finding humor remains unwavering. Most powerfully, he reveals how friendship and social connection have literally saved his life.
This conversation contains profound lessons about resilience, the healing power of laughter, and how making other people happy can ultimately bring us the greatest happiness. Craig's philosophy – that humor can be a legitimate form of medicine – isn't just inspirational; it's backed by emerging research showing how self-enhancing humor improves quality of life and psychological wellbeing.
Whether you're facing your own health challenges, supporting someone who is, or simply seeking wisdom about living fully in the face of mortality, Craig's story will change how you think about laughter, friendship, connection, and what it truly means to make every day count.
"If you or someone you know needs support, please contact one of these Australian mental health services. In an emergency, always call 000."
Lifeline Australia
Phone: 13 11 14 (24/7)
Web: lifeline.org.au
Suicide Call Back Service
Phone: 1300 659 467 (24/7)
Web: suicidecallbackservice.org.au
Beyond Blue
Phone: 1300 22 4636 (24/7)
Web: beyondblue.org.au
Kids Helpline (for people aged 5-25)
Phone: 1800 55 1800 (24/7)
Web: kidshelpline.com.au
MensLine Australia
Phone: 1300 78 99 78 (24/7)
Web: mensline.org.au
SANE Australia (complex mental health issues)
Phone: 1800 18 7263 (10am-10pm AEST, Mon-Fri)
Web: sane.org
QLife (LGBTIQ+ support)
Phone: 1800 184 527 (3pm-midnight AEST)
Web: qlife.org.au
Open Arms (Veterans & Families Counselling)
Phone: 1800 011 046 (24/7)
Web: openarms.gov.au
1800RESPECT (sexual assault, domestic violence)
Phone: 1800 737 732 (24/7)
Web: 1800respect.org.au
Headspace (youth mental health, ages 12-25)
Phone: 1800 650 890 (9am-1am AEST)
Web: headspace.org.au
13YARN (Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support)
Phone: 13 92 76 (13YARN) (24/7)
Web: 13yarn.org.au
Music produced by Hayden Smith
https://www.haydensmith.com/
Welcome to the Laughter Clinic podcast with comedian and suicidologist Mark McConville, bringing you practical, evidence-based self-care strategies, the latest research in mental health, along with conversations that inspire, educate and entertain. This is the Laughter Clinic podcast with your host, mark McConville.
Speaker 2:Hi folks, my name is Mark McConville. Welcome to the Laughter Clinic Podcast. I would like to introduce you to my first guest, a gentleman by the name of Craig Coombs. Back in 2012, craig was given 18 months to live and in this conversation we talk about how humour, laughter, friendship and social connection has not only changed but shaped this man's life ever since. It's a wonderful story of overcoming the odds and how making other people happy brings you happiness. It's really he's an inspiring guy.
Speaker 2:I have two content warnings in relation to my chat with Craig, though At the 55-minute mark, craig does start to talk about suicide ideation and his thoughts of taking his own life, so listener discretion is advised. At the 55 minute mark, that goes for about three minutes and one hour and eight minutes into the conversation, craig starts to talk about putting in place an advanced care plan around his end of life, so that part of the conversation goes for about five minutes. Other than that, like I said, it's a wonderful story of how humour and laughter and friendship have really shaped and changed this man's life. So, please, I invite you to enjoy my conversation with my friend, craig Coombs. Welcome, craig Coombs. I'm so excited to be chatting with you today, mate, and the fact that you have agreed to be my first ever guest on the Laughter Clinic podcast for a chat it really means a lot to me, mate, so thank you so much for being here.
Speaker 3:It's my privilege and my honour, mate, not yours.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm stoked for our chat today. Now being the first ever podcast, I've got a question that I'm going to pose to all of our guests, but I'm very interested to hear your thoughts on this question. So it centres around the saying that laughter is the best medicine, because this is a saying that spans from ancient Hebrew texts that talk about, you know, a merry heart doeth good like medicine, right through to you know modern day research that supports both the physical and the psychological benefits of humor and laughter, which is great, because I firmly believe that there's a big difference between the physical benefits of laughter and the psychological benefits of using our sense of humor as a way of coping with stress and building resilience and dealing with challenging times. So for you, Craig Coombs, when you hear the saying laughter is the best medicine, what meaning does that hold to you personally in your life, and how have you seen humour and laughter create change in and around you?
Speaker 3:Well, I totally agree with you. For a start, because I'm pretty fond of codeine and oxycodone and morphine and all that as well. They do help, yeah, but you've got to get a prescription to REM. Laughter is free, that's right. It's a great thing and it's something I live by and I can attest to the fact that it works.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:No doubt it works.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's interesting too. I've just started to read Norman Cousins' book about the anatomy of an illness and it's so interesting that here's a guy in the 1970s that was prescribing himself. You know comedy films and he talks about. You know 10 minutes of laughter helped him sleep pain-free for a couple of hours after helped him sleep pain-free for a couple of hours.
Speaker 3:It's an amazing thing when those endorphins are released and what it can do for you. And, as I said, I'm living proof of it. I'm not just a line in a textbook or a thread. I know it works because I've put the principle to my life and I've lived it and I've seen it and I know it has benefits. I'm not guessing this, mate, I'm not thinking, oh, I think it might work. I flippin' know it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. Well, you know, obviously, I haven't known you your entire life. We've only been friends for probably I would say maybe 10 years or so. We've been in contact with each other and you know, 2012, you get your diagnosis. That changed everything for you. You're given around a year and a half to live is what the doctors gave you at the time. I believe that's right, correct. So who was Craig Coombs before this diagnosis? What did your life look like prior to this?
Speaker 3:Well, I think I was just like everybody else. I went to work, I came home, spent a bit of time with my family and with me. I've done more work because basically in the last 12, well, since 1997, I started working in the AFL system and that was along with my day job, so they took up nights and the whole weekend. So I sometimes look back and think I missed a bit of time with my kids because of that. But it was a dream of mine to work in the AFL and it helped us. You know, the kids never wanted for anything.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we had enough resources and you were in scouting, I believe, for the AFL.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I worked with Port Adelaide to start with and I was a talent scout ID for the draft. It was mainly my job. Yeah, done that for a few years, years and got a premiership and then the Hawks Hawthorne come calling so I went across to them. Yeah, and so that was, and that was pretty much me before I got diagnosed.
Speaker 2:That was after hours, so what were you doing during the day? What was your nine-to-five job?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I was early part of it. I was a TAFE teacher for about six years and then I started doing a bit of work with a couple of students. I taught in business management and then I become a private business trainer where I'd go to organizations and teach everyone for the cert three, cert fours in marketing management, all that sort of stuff, and it could be one-on-one client or it could be a group of 15 or 20 people. So I loved the job Most money I ever earned, loved it and you earned it in three months.
Speaker 2:Is that what you wanted to do out of school, like straight out of school. You thought you wanted to be involved in business.
Speaker 3:No, no, no, no, no. Architect was my aim.
Speaker 2:All right.
Speaker 3:So, you were George Costanza, george Costanza, and I wish I'd tell everyone I was an architect. But my mother was very sick and she was hospitalised. At that stage I was 18. She'd been in hospital for 11 years and we'd never had a home. And I said to them can we just take mum home for a couple of hours? And they went. She needs full medical care because she's paralysed from the neck down completely. Nothing worked. She had a shunt in her head. They'd kept fluid off her brain. She had no sense of taste, no sense of smell. Nothing moved from the neck down. She couldn't feel from the neck down. She had a catheter bag, she had a colostomy bag and she, all out of style, ended up with a double mastectomy. So brain work fine, like she could remember everything. And even when we'd feed her she'd. I had seafood and she used to say feed me some. I'm not no, and I go, mom, but you don't know what it tastes like, it's a waste. She goes.
Speaker 3:I remember the taste right and because she had no sense of taste. And I'm like, wow. And the nursing home she was in at the time just said, no, she needs so much care. And I said, well, what if I was a nurse? And they said, well, that's different. So I dropped everything I wanted to do and I applied to be a nurse.
Speaker 2:Really.
Speaker 3:So I worked at Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital and I've done all my training there and 12 months I got my certificate. The day I got my certificate I ran up to the nursing home and went bang, I'm qualified and they said okay, you can have your mum home from 10 till 4 every Saturday. So me and dad got to have mum at home. So that's where it changed my whole thinking. After enjoying the nursing, I wanted to upgrade my knowledge and I became a paramedic. So that's the path I took.
Speaker 2:And how long were you doing paramedic work for?
Speaker 3:I was three years and unfortunately I snapped an Achilles. So they did offer me a job in the call centre and that lasted one day, because I'd call and it would be one of the guys I trained with and they'd be like, oh Steve, how are you man? And then I'd have to send him to a job and I'm like I hate the fact he's going to jobs and I'm stuck in this office. And I just said to him I can't do this, I just can't. I to them I can't do this, I just can't. I'm missing it so much. And then I just didn't know what to do.
Speaker 3:I ended up going as a 35-year-old I think I was. Then I'd done a couple of bits and bobs jobs, ended up going. Someone said, oh, tape's easy for old blokes, just go in there, you'll get some sort of training or something. And I just said, oh well, I don't know. And someone said, oh well, I don't know. And someone said, oh, you'd be right at marketing. So I'd done a couple of years of learning to be in marketing and then, lo and behold, about two years after that, one of the guys that taught me, rod DeSilva, who was just magnificent, remember the day I left there and he said I want you back teaching here one day. And I went I'm not going to teach here. He goes yes, you are.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I am.
Speaker 3:Okay, and then about three years, he kept at me for three years, kept at me Phone calls, and in the end I went, okay, all right, I'll do it. I don't know what I'm doing, but all right, I'll do it, because I didn't have any formal teaching training. You see your football background, you're a coach. It's similar. Yeah right, use some textbooks, read these over the summer and in you come and start teaching and flipping, loved it, absolutely loved it, and that's why it then sent me in that direction.
Speaker 2:So yeah, Mate, I've got to tell you the the courage it must have taken to well, it's courage and devotion to decide that. You know having your mum at home the only way that was going to happen, what it looked like was you going and getting that training. You know it's. It takes a special kind of person to do that. I've, you know, had gone through, unfortunately, the death of all my parents and grandparents and had moments where we've tried to have them at home, which is and myself and my brothers thought we could look after them and we were just still equipped. You know it's hard.
Speaker 2:It's hard to look after your parents, so for you to do that mate is just, and I know that your dad was sick for a long time as well, you know, Yep.
Speaker 3:He had 16 years. He battled for, and mum battled for 23 before she died.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 3:So you've obviously got that resilience gene well and truly passed on? I hope so, because the thing that you just said then is exactly what one of the doctors told me. Probably about a year after I'd gone past my use by date, I had some more radiation. And one of the doctors she just said the one thing we cannot tell you and we cannot test you for is the resilience of your DNA. And I told her about mum and dad. I said, well, dad lasted, he's still going, and at that point in time, he'd been 13 years of battling bowel and stomach cancer. And I said mum died and she'd had 23 years with this illness and she goes well.
Speaker 3:Obviously they had good resilient DNA and mate if they passed it down to you, you know who knows? And look, dad died in 2016,. So we had 16 years, mum had 23. And I thought, well, cut it in half, that means I'll get 19 years. And I thought I've been going 13 now, so I've got six more years to go. And when I think of that, I think, oh, no, I don't want to go six more years, please. Well, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 2:Mate, the day that you got told from the doctors like the true story, the full story as to what was going on. You know, I know you've spoken previously about the fact that you thought there was going to be one or two doctors in the room with you and you had four giving you the news, correct?
Speaker 3:One was crying.
Speaker 2:Yeah, wow.
Speaker 3:And that gave me a clue. I saw one crying. I thought this ain't good news, is it?
Speaker 2:No, no, not when you've got one of your health professionals.
Speaker 3:She had tears rolling down and I thought I knew I was cactus. Anyway, I'm not an idiot. I've been in the medical profession and I had a tumour in my vocal cord which they had to remove and I had thyroid, had cancer, which they had to remove. So I thought there's two sides, so straight away there's a spread from one to the other. Whether it's the vocal cord tumour to the thyroid or the other way around, it doesn't matter.
Speaker 3:I've had a spread, the lymph node metastasised since three months and I knew in my head I thought, well, a cactus just matters, the only thing is how long they sort of stay. And in my own head I thought, oh well, I don't know how many lymph nodes were infected at that time. I took seven that were proximal and they were all cancerous and they got them. But they said we don't know about the distal when they'd done the test and come out and said there were about 30 of them that were infected and I thought, okay, well, this is going to shorten things a little bit more than I actually thought and I sort of had a number in my head three, four, five years maybe.
Speaker 2:On the actual day that they were telling you yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:When they were getting ready, I thought and then when they told me about the, I thought three, four, five, you know. When they said about the distal ones, about 30 of them, I thought, well, that'll cut that in half. So it was close to what they thought. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Wow. And when you're sitting there being given that news, you know it's hard to really comprehend, unless someone's actually been through it and been in that situation with a loved one or gone through it themselves. It's you know. It's just hard to imagine whether or not it sinks in immediately. Or you just sit with it and you know, because you didn't have your wife, you were there by yourself when you got given this news too, weren't you?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I had to be because I'd had radiation and therefore I'd already been locked up for three days in a room on my own because of the high-density radiation. So I was you know, the guy could count her out up for three days in a room on my own because of the high density radiation. So I was a guy to counter out and I had to do tests for three days to see when the guy could count. I got to the level that you're allowed back in the community and then when I went home I still had to be isolated from the family for the further seven days. So I lived in the lounge room and they could. My two kids and my wife could pop in and see me but spend no more than 10 minutes and they had to be a metre away from me at the time. So on the way home from the hospital I had to sit in the back left-hand corner of the car so I could be away from my wife.
Speaker 3:Wow, and it was only about halfway home and I started to get a bit teary because when they told me nothing happened, Did she know?
Speaker 3:She knew what that meeting was about, though she didn't say anything. Yeah, yeah, she did. Yeah, and when I was just like I've got to grab all my stuff, we've got to go, don't stand near me. I've got to wave goodbye to the other guy from the other room that we just sort of waved. So I did to him and I said to her you know, keep a meter away from me, we've got to get to the car. I was all just get me in the car, get me home, and we'll chat when we get home. And she goes, okay, and she was just concentrating on driving About halfway home I started to get a bit teary and it started to hit me then and she looked in the mirror and said what's wrong, what's wrong, what's wrong?
Speaker 3:And I went, pull the car over and we were driving along Nepean Highway and there was a service road. So she pulled into the service road, got out of the car and I just burst into tears and I said you've got to keep a metre away from me, don't touch me, don't come near me. I was so scared, don't touch me, don't come near me. I was so scared. And she goes what Tell me? What did I say? And I told her. And then I just put my arms out and I hugged her and she was standing on the surface where I cried my eyes out.
Speaker 3:Then my daughter was messaging saying you know, where are you? Because I said I'd go to her work to see her, just to let her know how things were, and I said I can't come too close, but I'll come to your car park. And when she walked out I actually collapsed to my knees in the car park and put my hands in my head and started crying and my wife had to grab her and just hold her and console her and tell her. And then we're getting messages from my son saying what's going on, where is everyone, I'm nearly home. And he walked in and I just shook my head and started crying and he grabbed me and he physically punched the wall.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and how old were they?
Speaker 3:And then I grabbed the three of them. I said okay, hang on, stop. 2012,. So Rebecca was born in 92, so she was 20, and Joel was four years older, so he was 24. So I said to him stop, everyone, just stop. Let's stand together in a circle and stick it. Let's just put our arms around each other. I said this is what we're going to do. We're going to do our best and we're going to do it our way. And that might be different for you, joel. To you it is Rebecca, to you, it is Janine, but it's okay to do it your way.
Speaker 3:If you want to get angry, get angry. If you want to, just whatever you need to do to get you through, do it. I'm just going to tell you that I'm here for you to talk to if you need to, and I just think we need to do this as a family for as long as we can. And then they went okay, dad, and let's get on with it. Then I think the hard bit was Joel, you've got to go and get my dad and bring him here, and he walked in and I was crying. And bring him here. And he walked in and I was crying and he just put his arms out and said son, no, no, oh, mate.
Speaker 3:And I had to tell him he was heartbroken because he said your mum, me, you, why? What have we done wrong? Why do we deserve this? And I said, Dad, I don't know, I don't think we've done anything wrong, I don't know why. And then he just said oh well, you well. And he gave my dad's famous salute and said let's get on with it. We only know one way, hey, I?
Speaker 2:said yep, it's an insidious disease, isn't it? It's an insidious disease.
Speaker 3:Do you want?
Speaker 2:to have a break. Do you want to?
Speaker 2:no, I'm good, I'm good. Okay, mate, I know it's, you know well, I know you've told this story numerous times before and once again, I just really appreciate you, you know taking the time to share this, to share this stuff with me, and once again, I just really appreciate you, you know taking the time to share this stuff with me. I really do, okay. So I'm curious back then, when you're given that type of news, do your medical team say to you that they suggest you reach out for psychological support? You know, like see a psychologist or something like that. Is that a standard protocol? That happened back then? Because I know it's the case now, but was it the case back then?
Speaker 3:Yeah, they gave me every resource I needed. I chose not to speak to a psychologist because I thought I was okay. I thought I'd be okay, Live with illness, dealt with it all my life. I'll be okay. I thought I'll do things my way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and what about that type of support for the family and the extended family? Do they offer it to them as well?
Speaker 3:Yes, they did, and I told the family all that if you need to speak and their reaction was the same We'll do this as a family and you know we've got some good friends and I'm sure they'll help and we'll just we'll be in this together.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay, yeah.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 2:Was it there and then that you started. You started to think, the philosophy of making the rest of your life the best of your life, because I know that's been something that has been your catch cry, your motto, the Craig Coombs philosophy for so long. Was it something that happened that day, there and then, or did that develop over time?
Speaker 3:No, it was just something that came to mind straight away and I said that to all of us. What we've just got to do is make the rest of our life the best you know. Make the rest of our life the best of our life, so something along that. And then I replied and went oh, that's not a bad mantra make the rest of your life. So I thought, instead of talking about me, I could swing it to everybody. So instead of saying I'll make the rest of my life the best of life, I thought, no, no, let's make the rest of your life the best of your life so we can adapt it to everyone. Yeah, yeah, and you can take it personally. So, yeah, it did happen that day.
Speaker 2:Wow. And so where did the use of you know, humour and laughter and going to comedy clubs, and was that something that was part of your life prior to your diagnosis and getting this life-changing news? Were you already a bit of a comedy aficionado and then humour was a big part of your life prior?
Speaker 3:No, never been to a live comedy gig. I used to like watching comedies on TV. You know, if I had a choice a movie, it'd be a funny movie or that, but it was certainly not me at all. It only changed because of one person Peter B, my good mate.
Speaker 2:Peter B, the famous Peter B.
Speaker 3:Well, somebody coined a phrase, after all the things he'd done for me, saying everybody needs a Peter B and I went, yeah, you're pretty right, I mean he's a mate that just decided. He, when I had to call him and tell him, he was obviously pretty upset. And then he just said, well, have you got a bucket list? I said no, I don't, because I didn't think it would come to this mate. He goes. Well, think of a bucket list and tell me. I said, well, don't sleep in everyone. He said, well, think about it. I said, yeah, yeah, whatever he said, I'll call you tomorrow. I said, yeah, yeah, good on you. And I hung up and I I didn't give it a second thought.
Speaker 3:And the following day Pete rings and goes righto, bucket list. I said, mate, I haven't, he goes. I told you to think about it. I said, well, I didn't had a few other things on my mind. Champ, he goes, good on you and he goes. Well, come on, whatever comes to mind now, just go. And that means there's something that's really sitting in your brain. I was like, okay, I want to meet Adam Hills, andrew Johns, I want to meet Pink, I want to fly over the Antarctica and I want an autographed photo of Christy Wheeler. Okay, oh, sorry, yeah, after Pink, I said, and I meet Nickelback because I know Pete hates them. And then, yeah, I said the autographed photo of Christy Wheeler and then thought nothing of it.
Speaker 2:You thought you'd set him the impossible task.
Speaker 3:Well, I didn't even think he'd try for any of them, to be honest, because all of them were like. The only one he could get is probably the autograph of Christy Wheeler and he could go to a show she was in and get her to autograph it. And it must have been a few days. And he said, oh, you've got your tickets to Nickelback, haven't you? I said, yeah, me and Rebecca, we always go, always take it. He goes. Well, I've arranged for you to meet them. And I went, yeah, righto, he goes. No, serious. I said yeah, yeah, I thought he'd winded me up caravan and whatever, and say I'm craig coons, I'm supposed to be meeting him and I'll go. What who? And he'll have the better of me. But lo and behold, I went to the caravan thing, as he told me, and this bloke coming down and oh, good day, nice to meet you, I'm so sorry what you're going through. Blah, blah, blah, follow me. And he went to a room and there they were.
Speaker 1:He goes, oh hi, I'm chad, I go, you are.
Speaker 3:I'm Mike. Yes, mike, I know, yes, I know he goes. You want a photo and my daughter was being really sick and but she wasn't going to miss it and I remember putting a bag down and she hip and shouldered me out of the way so she could stand next to Chad and the photo was taken, but I'm looking at it now.
Speaker 3:It it's on, it's more than not you. I've got that on my bedside table, that photo, and she's looking not well, but she's near Chad and I'm on the other side and I missed out. But then it was the Adam Hills one where he said hey, he's at a place called the Comic Founge. I've organised, I've got for a ticket for us to go. That's all he said. I went oh, that'd be good because I like Kielsey on Specs and Specs, yeah, awesome. And we went to see him at the Comic Sans. You ever been there? Yeah, yeah, went in there. And then after the show I got to move and Pete goes no, no wait, someone's meeting us and we're going to meet. A shake hands and a photo and out we went, opened through the curtains and g'day, and we spoke for about half an hour and I was the one who called the inter because I was like I'm pretty wrecked, I'm knackered. Pete, take me home. He got me to meet Adam Hills.
Speaker 3:A phone rang one day and I knew the voice when it spoke and it was Flippin' Andrew Johns. And I'm still mates with Joey to this day. We still message and talk and he's my greatest sporting hero of all being in Newcastle, pete also arranged for us to fly over the Antarctica. We had a birthday party and everyone chipped in and me and Janine flew over the Antarctica the most breathtaking thing ever done Met Nickleback. And not only did I get an autographed photo of Christy Whelan, we got tickets to see her in a show and I met her and I promised her I'd see her in everything she was in, and I've upheld that promise for almost 13 years, 12 years of seeing her and I still remain good friends and have her name tattooed on my chest. And she said love.
Speaker 2:Nice, nice.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and that's where the comedy started just going to the Comic Slams to see Ilsy. But how I felt so good the day after.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like from laughing the night before from having been to a show. But how do you go from being an audience member and meeting one of the comics to, like you know, being part of adam's? You know, online, uh, television shows and specials and theater shows and the clown heart show, like you, you've, you've. Kind of you were like the reluctant comedian. Did he kind of shoehorn you into this and go? You're pretty funny, you should give this a crack.
Speaker 3:Yes, and it just stemmed from. He came over to my house for my birthday just to dinner with our family and we just were chatting and I'd say a few things and he'd laugh and he just said you're just naturally funny. I went no, I don't think so. I'd say a few things and he'd laugh and he just said you're just naturally funny. I went no, I don't think so, I think Pete goes. No, he's not funny. And then he challenged me. He said look, do five minutes of stand-up somewhere. And then Peter B just said if you're going to try five minutes, you might as well try a lot more and do it grand. And he contacted Hills and said how about we do a gala and raise some money for a cancer charity? And Hills just went yeah, let's do that. And I'd done about 20 minutes and went all right.
Speaker 2:Was that? Because you know for those that don't know when you're starting out in the comedy industry as a comic, you do your five-minute open mic spots and learn your craft. And some people can do your five minutes open mic spots and and learn your craft. And and some people can do five minute open mic spots for years before they, you know, attempt 10, 20 minutes. So was your first ever time on stage doing stand-up, a 20 minute spot well, just a bit over 25 minutes I actually went, I think how long were you supposed to do?
Speaker 2:I'm dying to know.
Speaker 3:I'm probably 15. Broke the first golden rule.
Speaker 2:Can you so? You know comedians not all, but some of us are quite nostalgic about our first ever time on. Like I know, my anniversary date is April 26, 1998, was the first time I ever walked on stage and did stand-up. What's the date? Are you nostalgic about that date?
Speaker 3:27th of May it was 27th of May 2014.
Speaker 3:And I just told stories about things that had happened to me, like in hospital with catheter bags and all that sort of stuff, yeah, and then I just out of old and then Hilsey just was coming back to the lounge later in that year and he just contacted me and said hey, maybe you can do a few minutes of your stand-up. Just five minutes before my show. And I went oh, you're there. He said we can just crack a couple of jokes. He said I really don't know yet. But I said, oh, all right. And then the morning of it I could hardly talk, my voice was just so. Janine rang him and said you're not going to believe this, but he honestly has got nothing. He really can't talk. Today I've only got one active vocal cord and I had to have 12 months of speech to talk properly. But some days it just doesn't want to cooperate and it didn't that day and he goes still can't come. He said I'll call you up on stage and we'll take it from there. And when the time come, he called me up and said now, at this point in time, craig was going to do this. This is Coombs, he's battling cancer, blah, blah, blah. He was going to do five minutes. We can't talk. I don't know what we're going to do.
Speaker 3:Go in the Booth, have you got any like you know, sassy, sexy music to play? And he said hit it. And he did. And we just started dancing. He said just dance. And he started dancing and he said I've got a few notes to a song in mind. He said I'll try to sing it. And I just sort of took my shirt off and ran my head and he started laughing and he took his shirt off and he'd done it and the crowd was going bonkers. And then I just sort of looked and went I've got boxers on, I'll drop me jeans. And he goes yeah, yeah, that'd be funny. So I did that and down to boxer shorts he did. Show finished.
Speaker 3:We went into the green room. This lady come running in and said Adam, that's it, that is the perfect finish to your new show. I think the audience love it. He also goes think about it. Ask Greg, if we can do that. I said I'll do whatever you want. And he said look, I'm doing a new show at next year's Comedy Festival. I wanted to put you in it. I think I've found the way we can do this. You can do your five minutes. I'll show the clip from my show that you're on, then I'll introduce you. You do the five minutes, then I'll have this song refined. It was called in your face cancer. He said I can sing it. We can both strip down to our boxer shorts and the crowd love it. Are you in? He said I'm doing 15 shows at the Athenaeum. He said if you can't make it any night, I understand and we'll just all improvise and whatever. And I went okay, okay. And when it got to that first night I decided I'd put a G-string on under the boxer shorts and I didn't tell him.
Speaker 2:For the comedy.
Speaker 3:Yeah, for the comedy. And I thought, you know, I didn't tell him. And then I was like, nodding, I pulled out my boxer shorts. He's like yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I thought, geez, you're a bit too. And I did, and I had the G-string on and he laughed.
Speaker 2:He on it, he laughed his head off and he went. That's even better. That is a great finish. Is this when Naked Tuesday?
Speaker 3:was born. No, it was born a little bit before that, which is how Pete got us onto his show.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:That came about because I walked out into the backyard and my son was mowing the lawn and I think he just had his undies on or something. He's a fit young bloke footballer and I just thought I'm gonna do that. So I just walked out with nothing on and he's going oh geez, dad, I'm going what I go. Hey, let's do this photo. We'll cover the bits up. It was supposed to, and I posted it on my page, thinking I'll get a boost from my friends going what the? And I did realise that a lot of them would love the idea of seeing Joel like that. There were plenty of Joel fans.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 3:And then they all liked it. So the following week I'd done another one with Joel and that went well and I thought this will have legs for about three or four weeks and everyone will drop off and I just started doing different ones. I'd done a couple outside bus stops and things like that, which I realised in the end would be trouble for doing that, because it's public nudity. I better not do that anymore. And when we were going to see Hilsey's show, Pete just tipped me in about it and said oh, Coombs is doing this thing and Hilsey goes oh maybe I can do some photos with you.
Speaker 3:That'd go well. And he did and was supposed to be on his show once. I was on three times that year and they could choose. So he and Pete sort of decided hey, this would be really good on its own dedicated page, not just on yours. And I went no, people won't like this, It'll be over in a few weeks. And I went no, people won't like this, it'll be over in a few weeks. And he went. I think you might be wrong here. Now he said being that you've done some outside, the ABC can't get involved because it's a public nudity. But he goes no, I'll fix it, I'll run it. I'll sort it, make it. Tuesday was born and 10,000 regular viewers every week.
Speaker 3:Until about a month ago I had to sort of pull up stops because it was getting a bit difficult to do it and Facebook rules were tightening very hard. If they saw your bum, you're getting warnings and you know all that sort of stuff. So and it was a bit difficult because I had a heart attack in February and that sort of made things a bit worse. So the page is still there and there's photos still up and people can go to it and have a look, but I'm just going to pop in every month or so and just tell everyone how I'm doing yeah, maybe put an old photo up with that.
Speaker 3:But and it all became infectious and it all become, and I just found that the following day, from anything I went to see live, I felt better. I felt better on the way home. I felt better the day after because I recalled some of the jokes. I used to go to the Comic Sans twice a week, literally, for you know, probably up until COVID hit. So I started going there in 2014. That was six years of nearly twice a week. I mean just meeting comedians and just falling in love with it, because I think it is an art form that gives to the person but it also gives to the audience and it just keeps giving. Because I can remember jokes from 10 years ago that a comedian told and laughed my head off.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So let's talk about the benefits from doing it, because we know now that you know the difference between generating humour and appreciating humour. When a comedian's on stage, we're generating it and an audience is appreciating it.
Speaker 2:Hopefully, yeah, comedians on stage, we're generating it and an audience is appreciating it, hopefully, but there's research to show that making someone laugh in actual fact is more psychologically beneficial than actually laughing yourself like. Did you find that when you were up there like the day after, immediately after, because I know from a comedian's point of view how much of a buzz I get out of it, but for you did you notice a difference?
Speaker 3:Oh, mate, I did not expect that because I didn't know what. I just think you'd tell your jokes and you'd get off and you'd be right. But because of the appreciation you got from the applause and you could see people laughing.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:But we've got to understand I'm in a different space to you Of course, yeah. Because all my stuff is cancer-related my jokes, yeah, and the audience is made known about that and they know, yeah, so I'm in a safe space. No one's really going to heckle me, because I'd be a bit of a mongrel if you heckle a giant bloke, I mean jeez, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:And I have a couple of mates who throw barbs and that's okay because I know they're doing it, so I'm in a safe space. So I actually know that people are going to be kind to me and I don't have any of that fear that a normal comedian would have about this is not going to go well, someone's going to have a crack at me. And after we did gigs with Clownheart we'd go into the foyer and just in a bathrobe and we'd collect money for a charity every night and people would come up to you crying, hugging you. One old lady's like I come tonight not expecting to hear this.
Speaker 3:I lost my husband three days ago to cancer and I thought, oh jeez, and she goes. Thank you for making it real and giving me a laugh and opened the door back to life. And then I had another lady come up to me and go. I'll start my chemo tomorrow and I said, well, let me know how you get on. And now I've been friends with that girl for 10 years and she has become a really close friend and I've managed to get several close friends out of my the Naked Tuesday or Hilsey's TV show People just contacting me. But the day after was the thing that I wasn't prepared for in how up I felt because I could see people's faces still After doing the show yourself.
Speaker 3:After doing the show I don't know, I never even asked Hilsey about that I could I don't know, I never even asked Kielsey about that I could see people's faces again laughing. I remember well that joke really hit. Well. You know, I have one joke which is still my favourite, but I know one of my mates hates it and he says, you know, I said why. And he goes because it reminds me what's happening to you. I went hey, mate, okay, thank you, I love that, but it's simple. I just said you know we're going to the airport. This is a joke. We're on our way to the airport, ready to fly to the UK, because he invited me onto a show over there.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:My wife's like no one knows you, you're nothing special. I went oh thanks, dear. I went, oh thanks dear. Just as we got to the airport I said I told you I'm special. She said why? I said look, my own entrance Terminal is this way Now.
Speaker 2:I think that's quite a funny joke. Did you then go? Oh, craig.
Speaker 3:Yeah, exactly. And one mate doesn't like it because he said it reminds me what's happening to you. I go, mate, I can remind you every day, but it's funny. It was funny, it's still. He loved that joke. I remember walking in the bowels of the opera house when we'd done it, put his arms around me and said it really is a clever joke. That is one of the funniest jokes I've ever heard in my whole comedic life.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Well done you, isn't it that you? You know, I say this to comics all the time you never know who's in your audience. You never know who's in your audience and what they're going through. You know, like it was a husband and wife that came up to me on a cruise ship at a gig that I did back in 2012. That changed the entire course of my life when you've got someone standing there going you know I haven't seen my husband laugh hourly over three years.
Speaker 3:That's a magnificent thing to have as your legacy mate.
Speaker 2:You've created a few, but that's one to just Well, yeah, but that's a lot of you to say, mate, Thank you. But for you, what you've given to those people that have been, you know, like audience members that aren't going through a cancer treatment diagnosis, you know, or aren't living with family members going through it, you know we'll view it one way and might have a laugh and think it's funny. But for those other, like you said, you know, a lady's lost her husband, another one's about to start with treatment you know what you gave to those people is, it's priceless.
Speaker 3:I reckon I got more from it, to be honest, because I could see in them what it meant and I can still see those people's faces. Obviously, Catherine I'm friends with for over 10 years and we've become good friends, and it was only through Hills' show. That's how I got a lot of my friends through Adam Hills and Naked Tuesday. Now that's a weird feeling.
Speaker 2:Well, it kind of leads me into the next thing that I wanted to talk about is, you know, like in the study of humour, you know, we talk about the different styles of humour affiliative, which is making other people laugh, and self-enhancing humour, using, which is what a lot of emergency services personnel use, using, if you're able to use humor as a way of coping with stress, for a traumatic instance, and then you've got aggressive humor, laughing at the expense of someone else, or self-defeating, laughing at the expense of yourself. And there's so much research to support the fact that self-enhancing humor, using humor as a way of coping with a negative life event, is by far the most beneficial, like it's also beneficial to create the laughter. But using humour as a way of coping with stress and trauma, there's research to show that it improves life satisfaction, quality of life, reduce stress, anxiety, depression, reduce suicide, ideation, all of these things you know. So it's what? And you're a living testament to it.
Speaker 2:It's true, yeah, so with the just talking about those connections that you've had through the comedy industry, and you know what does friendship mean to you. Now You've got Peter B. You know who's gone above and beyond. But you know we live in a time where loneliness and isolation is so rampant. You know it's connectedness, what you get out of it is it's incredible.
Speaker 3:To me. I think it's the most important thing, because there are days, though, I must admit, where I still feel pretty lonely. Yeah, but I've got a massive network of people that I can rely on. Yeah, I've got five of us in the chat group three guys I used to work with peter b, jason and michael and we used to work together 20 years ago, so we've kept. We're still friends. We're now true for dinner in a couple of weeks. Yeah, and one other guy, johnno, who I met through naked tuesday. He's become like a brother to me. He calls me three times a week at least and we chat for an hour. My wife goes you haven't been in anywhere and you've spent three hours this week talking to jonah on the phone. No, we, we talk footy, we talk everything, and he's like a brother, seriously like a brother. So those, those guys we chat and it's it's a lot of joking stuff and poke in front of each other, and you know, because I I sent a photo to him, so let the ridicule begin and they went. When did the ridicule ever stop? Well, that's, that's true, and every now and again. I jumped in the other day I said okay, sorry to be serious for a change. But just let you know what's happening. I've got this test and this one and this one, because you know I had an advanced care plan done and they were like, hey, is that you're doing? Or your doctor? I said no, my doctor. I said, so, are things going south? And I went look, just I'm just having these tests and whatnot? I said, can we get back to being the idiots that we are? And you know, I don't know how, I generated a photo of them as all grumpy-looking bikers and they're going how come you're tallest? And I went, I didn't do it, the AI's living bloke done it. But that group, that connectedness with them, and each one of those guys have done so much for me.
Speaker 3:Pre-covid I was really struggling. Michael lives a fair distance away. He'd bring over cooked meals so my wife didn't have to worry about cooking for a few nights. Jason brought stuff to me. His wife was at the Cadbury factory and she got a box of chocolate. He knew I was a chocolate freak. He brought that over to me. John used to visit my house once every week and we'd have a barbecue lunch together and he'd cook the meat and all that for me and bring a rice custard like only my nanny used to cook. No blowflies.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And Peter B. I mean you know all the things he's done for me, continually done for me, not just those bucket list wishes and getting them all done, but then other things from then, and that we've spent a lot of time together watching our sons play footy as they grow up and going to that. But then there's different groups where you know there's not a lot of laughter stuff going on. It's just how you're doing stuff and how you're coping stuff. So I have so many different arms that I can hold on to.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:And they are all so important to me. If I didn't have that connectedness through my friendship circles, I don't think I'd be here, mate. I really don't.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I can honestly say that well, you know we talk about loneliness being a killer. You know, like isolation, and for someone like yourself who's going through what you're going through, you know it would be even more so, and so, having that I'm so glad that you've got that extended network and it kind of speaks to the difference between sympathy and empathy. You know, like having your friends going, mate, if I was dealing with all that shit I'd be struggling too and I get it as opposed to someone going, oh, you know, poor Craig kind of thing. No, no, I always, you know, when I message someone.
Speaker 3:I'll say, oh, you know, paul Craig kind of thing. No, no, I always, you know, when I message someone, I'll say, oh, how are you doing? You know they'll go. Oh, yeah, things are okay. But more importantly, how are you doing? I go, no, no, it's not more important how I'm doing. I ask you the question. Don't worry about me, this is about you. Yeah, yeah, and they go oh, well, actually okay. Well, I'll keep you in my mind. I'm really sorry you're going through this. I'm here if you need me.
Speaker 3:I don't, and I always say I'm not putting this up to seek disempathy, I just inform you what's going on in my life and if you want to support me, support me. If you don't, you don't. And look, I've lost some friends along the way because obviously there were conditions attached to the friendship. They were getting something out of it. When they stopped getting something out of it, I was no longer of use and I went. Pretty much sucks when you do that, but that's life. Some people are just like that. They're in it for something. And look, obviously with my connections with Hilsey, people would go, oh, can you get him to sign this DVD? I'd go, no, no, no, he's my friend.
Speaker 3:They'd go oh you caught up with Hilsey later. Yeah, oh, you didn't put a photo up. Well, I don't take a photo with all my friends any time I see a friend, they go, yeah, but it's Adam.
Speaker 3:Hilsey. I forget that it's Adam Hilsey, because to me it's Hilsey. It's just amazing and I don't do that when I say beat it all down, so I get that some people have lost my thrill. Or to some people, caring had a timeline in their mind of five years is long enough done, but I'm so glad that I've got so many people who have not. And look, christy Whelan was like this, because I remember saying to her I can understand if a kid's sick, you do these things. And she goes I don't care how old you are, and I thought that I really appreciate she didn't care that I was 49 years old. She's still done things for me to make me feel happy and better and for that I'll always.
Speaker 3:Her husband, rowan Brown, is also in the theatre industry lovely bloke, fantastic bloke, very gifted, and I remember seeing them both one day together and he goes oh, show me your tattoo with Christy's name. And I was showing him. And he goes oh, that's pretty cool. And I said have you got her name, teddy Turner? He goes no, I went. Well, mate, you know. Well, I have you know.
Speaker 2:And he goes. How many names do you have on you, Craig?
Speaker 3:I've got yours on me. You know that. I know.
Speaker 2:That's very.
Speaker 3:He leaned into me.
Speaker 2:I was quite taken aback when you asked me to be honest.
Speaker 3:I'll get to that reason. Rowan, whispered in my ear. You've got a name tattooed on you, but I take her home every night yeah, but you take her to bed every night too oh, I said that I'm going to message you after this.
Speaker 3:Thank you, sir. And do you know the reason why I ask? I've got signatures, or? And do you know the reason why I ask you? I've got signatures or initials of people on my left arm, which I call my life arm. My right arm is dedicated to my family. I've got a couple on my chest and I decided to do that for people who went over and above helping me, and I remember a mate one day said what have I got to do to get on your arm? I said one don't ask, because it's no, you know, you don't ask, it's just people who have done something over and above and done a few things. Is there a criteria? Yes, there's a criteria, because if there wasn't, I'd have 10,000 signatures on me, because I've met thousands of people.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I remember one of my mates, pete, goes, we've got a lot of room. I went, yeah, good on you, but it's only for when people go over and above, when they do something for me, that they didn't have to or said something or have been there in remarkably difficult times for me, that I thought I need their signature or their name. And I go through it every night when I go to sleep and I say goodnight to everyone before I roll over and I say thank you. Now you're on there. Do you know why? I don't think I've ever told you. Do you know why?
Speaker 2:I don't actually think you've told me why. I know that when you asked me you just said like you know. I just want to put significant. I think I was around the same time as Kat Davidson.
Speaker 3:And Stev. I didn't know Kat was married to Stev and I used to watch that kid show in the afternoon and I loved it. When she said she was married to him, I'm like, oh gosh, I want to meet him.
Speaker 3:I'd love to meet him. And I did meet him, which is cool, and he'd done some things over and above, so he got his name on me. Kat had done a truckload of things over and above, so she got a name. One got to know one. You entertained me as a comedian, you made me laugh, you made me feel good, you were kind to me and all that sort of stuff. But here's the thing I'm sorry if I get upset. I've been trying to get myself ready for this for two days so have I to be honest, because you know you saved my life.
Speaker 3:You know, you saved my life. You physically saved my life. Do you remember when?
Speaker 2:was.
Speaker 3:It was I on the radio you were on the radio, you and Kat.
Speaker 2:I think I do remember that now. You were having a hard night.
Speaker 3:I was in bed, kat said she was doing some radio with you and I thought, oh, I'd like to hear Mark again. I thought, one, it's going to be funny. And there was some funny stuff in there. But there was some serious stuff in there. And there was some funny stuff in there, but there was some serious stuff in there. I had planned that night to open up my drawer and and I've got a lot of medications, so I think you know where I'm going.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, fine, yeah and.
Speaker 3:I listened to you both while I was laying in bed. I can't remember the exact words you said, but I closed the drawer. I I had the drawer open, mark. Yeah. I got out of bed, I closed the drawer. I thought why, oh why Did I even think of that? And then I put me on the pillow and I thought you know what, I'm not going to cry myself to sleep tonight, which I do a lot of the time. I often say I'll have a smile on my pillow and no tears. And I made a point of saying no tears tonight because two people just saved my life, because I fully intended that that wasn't going to be the case. And I was just listening to you because I love Kat and I love you and thought this would be just a bit of fun for me.
Speaker 3:And it's amazing what words can do and when people mean it. And then, two days later, I remember sending you that message saying and then, two days later, I remember sending you that message saying do you mind if you sign a bit of paper and take a photo and send it to me? Do you mind if I get it tattooed? And you went what I went? Yep, I just over and above, and I didn't tell you why, and I just said all you need to know is you're important to me and over and above and look, I've got a lot of friends and they all know their importance, but there are some that have just gone over and above. If you save someone's life, that's a pretty big step. And look, I say Peter B has prolonged my life and Adam Hills has prolonged my life and most of the people have prolonged my life and Adam Hills has prolonged my life and most of the people have prolonged my life.
Speaker 2:There's only two people.
Speaker 3:I say that have saved my life, and that's Kat and you. Well, mate, I just Sorry, but I just had to tell.
Speaker 2:I thought this was the perfect opportunity to tell you how important words are. You'll never know what that means to me, and I know Kat would feel the same, and you know, like we were talking a little while ago. You know you never know who's listening, who's in your audience and what they're going through you know. So, you know, made a big do it stand up for 27 years this year and there's certain you know, significant events throughout your career. You know that. You know, like meeting that couple on the cruise ship and that changed the course and and certain things. But no, I really appreciate you shared that with me, mate, because I I can't begin to imagine what that night was like for you and the fact that we were able to yeah, you said my name on that night.
Speaker 3:You actually gave me a shout-out on that night.
Speaker 2:Oh, whenever Kat and I get together and it's yeah, it's, you never fail.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you said you know we're never made of ours in Melbourne's lifting, yeah, and like Boomsie or Craig or you know we're thinking of you, mate, Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba. Right, sorry, you can move on.
Speaker 2:Well it's you know, mate, I'm just. I'm grateful for you to share that with me and so happy that whatever it was that we talked about that night was significant enough to make a difference, you know.
Speaker 3:And it's never got to that point again.
Speaker 2:so Well, that's good to hear, mate. Thank you, that's good to hear, mate. Thank you. Which kind of you know? I want to ask you this question. It's been a question that I've been toying with for the last couple of days, whether or not I was going to ask you this, but I am curious. So you know, you've told me that we can talk about anything in our chat, anything in our chat.
Speaker 2:Absolutely Prior to this chat, I went back and listened to a couple of chats that you did with Will Will Anderson on Will Offerty, and the last one was done. I think it was about December 29th no, december 2020, right, yep. And you were really going through some stuff at that point in that chat and you know, and Will's fantastic as a comic, as a, you know, as a host, and I learned a lot about him as well as you going through that, right man, yeah, I have so much more respect for him now as well, but you really it highlighted for me the fact that you've got to tick a lot of boxes that you thought that you never would be able to tick. You know, like you've walked your daughter down the aisle, you've seen your grandkids be born, which is, you know, I, I know you've spoken about.
Speaker 2:When you got your initial diagnosis, you were thinking that these were the big ticket that you were going to miss out on you know, correct, and so you know 2020, the end of 2020, you really up against it from what I could hear in that podcast and that you did with Will, and so I'm just a little bit curious as to you know how's the last four years, but, like you know, what are we now, four and a half odd years later? You know something's what's going on for you now. What's going on for?
Speaker 3:you now At the end of 2021, because we missed out on, you know, like those COVID years with my granddaughter, we couldn't see her. My daughter asked would me and my wife like to move house and live with my daughter, my son-in-law and Lola? So we'd been in the same house for 22 years and I thought about it. I thought I'd miss that time with her. I'd love to have some time with her growing up. So we said yes. My daughter gave up the master bedroom for us, which is an ensuite, which is four steps away from where I am sitting now on my bed, which was a huge thing for her to do. To give up their main part. I had like a little lounge room area which I've turned into mine, and then the family room down the back where sort of all Lola's stuff is, but she obviously spends a lot of time in my room and with all the books and all that. And that really gave me a spurt to see her and, you know, watch her take her first steps and hear her say Papa for the first time, and it was like wow, it was quite incredible. It was just one of the most absolute sheer joy and then seeing my daughter being a mother and my son-in-law is one of the best boys you'll ever meet in your life. He's just such a good husband and a good father. He's a FIFO worker. There's two in, two out up in the mines up in the top of WA. So it's handy because my wife then helps a lot more with Lola, so it helps Rebecca. So that was part of the reason, so he can go and work in mines. That would help them get ahead financially and it was a really good thing for us to happen and we could bring our dogs. We had two dogs and she said, yep, they can come, and I'm like, oh wow. Sadly one of them passed away about nine months after it and I really miss that big girl so much, but I've still got my little mate.
Speaker 3:It has been a very difficult time physically, more so because I've started to lose a little bit of mobility. I had succumbed probably six months ago, eight months ago, to a shower chair because I was struggling to stand up for too long. Yeah, but in February this year I had a heart attack at home in the morning and the poor little thing seen me out on a stretcher with lines in me going to an ambulance. She didn't sort of know what was going on, and when I come back, you know they end up putting a stent in, a 99% blockage in one of the stents, and it was not on my bingo card and it's certainly made things a lot more difficult. I haven't run for a walk this morning for the first time in a month and it knocked me about so much I'm having trouble with my breathing. So we're trying to get to the bottom of that whether it's just the medication and then if that's the case I've got to put up with it or if it's anything else going on with my heart. So I've had some tests and I've got more coming up a cardiogram and then see the cardiologist. So it's led to an 18 kilo weight loss.
Speaker 3:My diet's improved but physically I can't sleep on my back and my left side because I get breathless at night, so I have to sleep on my right, which means I've got a really crook shoulder hip and I've got prolapsed disc in my back so they're really copping it. So I'm on some pretty heavy-duty painkillers. I'm on other medication for my heart 17 different medications a day and I know that's not good for me and I struggle a bit with anxiety, which is something that never occurred, and the odd panic attack in the middle of the night, which is really hard to live in, and I feel for my wife at three or four o'clock when this happens she's the one trying to calm me down and trying to relax me. And I had a terrible problem with nausea and this probably was heightened when I tried medicinal cannabis. My GP wanted me to get on that and it didn't work with me. We tried three different avenues there was a liquid and there was a gel and then there was a gummy and no matter what happened, I ended up in horrendous nausea and really bad panic attacks. So they figured out that I obviously can't cope with that because we're just trying to find different pain things.
Speaker 3:I've had months of injections of cortisones and I had a thing called denervation where they burnt the nerves and they were hoping that that would work and that didn't work. It cost about $5,000, and that didn't work. So I've really just thrown my hands up and said no more, I don't want to have any more treatment, I don't want to know any answers to do anything related to my cancer. I will with my heart. I'll have procedures done and I'll know, but I was due for a full body scan probably two years ago and I just refused. They did say we can do the test but not tell you, and I went. I don't want to go through it all. I've had enough. Just let it take its course and you know, so be it. I'm happy with that.
Speaker 3:The heart attack has certainly made things a lot worse and I did contact a few friends saying what did you think when I heard it? And they were shocked. They were like I never thought One of the guys in our five of us in our group, he just goes and the flipping thing couldn't kill you. I went, no, because I always said I think my heart's the only thing that's keeping me going. Nothing's ever happened to it. Well, it's in good shape. I'm in good shape.
Speaker 3:Well, it tried to kill me and I chat regularly to a very high-profile cabaret artist by the name of Reuben Kay. I get on exceptionally well with Reuben we have for years and he's brilliant. Not only is he a brilliant performer and a spokesperson for lgbtqi plus and I just love him for the field he is in that. He is great with me, with talking to me and chatting to me, and I remember messaging him, he found out I had the heart attack and he was in shock. And he's pretty funny how he talks to me. I just laugh. You know he called me babe and I laughed. I thought my wife never called me babe in 30 years of marriage and he does it all the time. I thought he knows that just makes me laugh, you know. And I said I haven't cried yet since the heart attack. I haven't had that emotional letdown or the why me that I thought would happen. And he said, babe, the reason is it tried to kill you and it didn't and you won. So this is a positive that you've had out of this, whereas the cancer was a very big negative. You beat the heart attack. So your subconscious is seeing this. This is not a defeat, this is a win. You've now got a stent in that's not going to kill you anymore. I thought, you know, I think that letdown, that emotional letdown, is coming soon.
Speaker 3:I had a good friend who died on the weekend, a really close friend, and I had a little bit of a cry, but still nothing major, and I'd done an advanced care plan, just putting things in place around end of life where I have the say, which my GP suggested. So I thought has he got some information? I don't know about this heart. And he said I think it's wise you do this. So I did. We had an advanced care person come to our house and go through things and then when she spoke about the heart, she said it's not uncommon, at the six-month mark for post-heart events, for people to really have a big problem with depression and low mood. And I said well, I'm five and a half months, she goes. So just be aware of that and be conscious of that. And I thought, okay, here's another flipping hurdle to get over. And I mean they suggest you join a heart group or people who've had heart attacks and whatnot.
Speaker 3:So I did on Facebook and I actually did ask them. I said can I? This is what I've been told. Has this happened to anyone? And I only done that this morning. And I've had told has this happened to anyone? And I only done that this morning. And I've had a truckload of people go oh, it hit me hard at six months. And some people go oh, yeah, get ready. You know like, oh geez, it's five and a half months. Here we go again. So it's been difficult. It is harder now than it ever been physically, and I also think, mentally. I do have a psychologist I speak to once a month and he's great. I get frustrated Sometimes. I can't think of what did he tell me to do? What does he advise me? I just don't know whether that's my brain just not functioning as good as it used to and I can't remember a lot of things sometimes a lot of short-term stuff.
Speaker 2:Just record the sessions you know on your phone. Just tell him that you're doing it and just use the voice recorder on your phone. He'll be fine with it because it enables you to recall the information.
Speaker 3:And that's what I've been needing to do because, mate, I'm certainly at the hardest point.
Speaker 2:I think yeah yeah, I'm sorry to hear that mate. I'm certainly at the hardest point I think yeah, yeah, I'm sorry to hear that mate, that's all right, I'm okay, I'm okay. The fact that you've had the presence of mind and the ability to put that plan in place with your medical team? Do you think there's a lack of understanding or a lack of education around the differences between euthanasia and voluntary assisted dying?
Speaker 3:oh yeah, absolutely. It's way too, but we have no idea. I mean, as a society we don't. Because it's one of those things that anytime you try to bring up people to do it, you're no, no, people don't want to talk about it. I'm open about talking about anything People say have you thought about this system of dying? Of course I have. I know all the 68 protocols of it. Not off my heart, but I know there are 68 protocols. I know the system of what has to be in place. I've certainly looked at that. People go. I've certainly looked at that. People go. Have you? You know some people go. I don't know if I can ask have you thought about going ahead with this or not? I say, of course I have. Of course I have. Have I done it? Maybe I have, maybe I haven't. But, mate, we need truckloads of education. Oh, we do.
Speaker 2:It's people like you who are the ones that are helping get this out there. It is out there and I think it's not until you've lived it with a family member or a loved one where you've seen someone go through end of life not well, you know, and a lot of suffering, and you know none of us want to see our loved ones suffer.
Speaker 3:I don't think anyone will begrudge me, surely? I think all my friends and my family well, not all my family my wife, whatever difficulty we did with it, because she is a devout Christian, has been a whole life she would not be comfortable with this. I know she's not and that's why I've done the end of life, because I want my decisions, and my decision would be if I've got tubes hanging out me, take them out. I'm out. She doesn't want to go on without me and I get that. But I think she'll be okay. She's tough and she's got her faith. I think she'll be okay. She's tough and she's got her faith. I think she'll be fine. If it was the other way around, I'd struggle without her because she does a lot for me. Every night she puts my medication in place because I messed it up a couple of months ago, and so she does my tablets, puts me in my things, she goes anywhere with me, she takes me where I need to go. So, yeah, it's tough, but I don't think you or any of my good friends would begrudge me if I decided you know what I want to push the button.
Speaker 3:I. I've had enough. I've fought a good fight. I've seen what I wanted to see, way more than I thought, and maybe I've. I did have a mate who said, mate, you've taught us to love more. I thought, gee, that's nice. Maybe I've taught people a bit about friendship and how important it is and about how staying connected is important. So maybe I've done my thing.
Speaker 2:Well, you've brought hope, craig, I think, to a lot of people. Hope, craig, I think, to a lot of people you know like and have you thought about how much hope that you have brought to so many people that you you may never know, you know you'll never know, craig, the reach of, of the impact that you have had and and hope is something that we really you know. I know in the field of suicide prevention that I work in, we talk about the importance of the voice of lived experience because it creates hope for those people that might be feeling in a situation that they're feeling like they don't have any hope, and hearing from someone that's living it and has lived it can bring hope and mate. I have no doubt that you've given hope to so many people. Thank you?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I understand that the psychologist has mentioned that too and I think, yeah, and I do know, because people have messaged me. But, as you say, there's some people who never will, because that's just them. But it may have changed something and I often get messages of people going. You know, I've just watched Clown Heart. I loved it and look, if anybody wants to, it's out there on the, you can buy it on YouTube or whatever. I don't get any royalties, but don't worry about it.
Speaker 2:We'll make sure we find a link to that and make sure it's in the show notes so that way people can track it down.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's on YouTube. You can rent it for I don't know, probably 10 cents a dozen, not much. But Hildy always said to me when he had this idea about filming Clarell Hart, he just said just live until we make the video film in Clarell Hart. He just said just live until we make the video. I remember walking out on the stage of the Apollo Hammersmith. He said that. And he goes you made it. And I went, yay, and I saw him last year and I said to him you know, I made the video. I said now I'm keen to go and for some unknown reason I'm still not going. And he was out here recently and I couldn't get to catch up with him. I just wasn't well enough. And he said I will do it late in July or early August, I'll come over for a coffee and we'll just have our catch up. And I went yeah, that'd be great mate. And so it was just live to the video.
Speaker 2:And that was filmed in 2016.
Speaker 3:Jeez I know, look at you, go right Look at me go.
Speaker 2:All right, let's wind it up, craig. So, having said that, I've got four questions that are short and sharp answers, which are basically centered around self-care, and these are reminders, like mental health, reminders that I do in my laughter clinic presentations. When I do them live right. And so the questions are what makes you happy, what are you grateful for, what are you looking forward to and what's made you laugh recently?
Speaker 3:What was the first one? What makes you happy? People, other people, social connection. What was the first one? What makes you happy? People, other people social connection makes me happy.
Speaker 2:I always get a laugh out of that. Yeah, and isn't it just on that. I think it's incredible that, um, we're starting to really acknowledge the importance of social health. You know we talk about mental health and physical health, social health, like I've been recently diving into the blue zones. You know the places. There's five places in the world where people are living to a hundred, but they're not only living to a hundred, they're living to a hundred well, and Okinawa is probably the most famous, and they talk about the importance of social connectedness and intergenerational living. You know three, four generations of people living under the same roof.
Speaker 3:Well, that's what we're doing. Yeah, three generations here, and maybe that's the reason.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, Okay, so it makes you happy love it. What are you grateful for, Craig?
Speaker 3:People. Yeah, again, I really I actually do say that to people where I'm grateful for you and I appreciate you. Will Anderson taught me that one. Yeah, and every message we will which is often every week we message he will always say I appreciate you and I love you. And I mean, when I done that first one with Will, it was the first time I met him in person when I was leaving, put him on my shoulder and said anything I can do, I will do. He's been true to that word and he's been over and above and he just I remember seeing him was it a year ago, might have been yep, and when we left he always says I appreciate you. But he then said I love you. I said sorry. He said I love you, mate, and I was like, oh, thank you, and I love you too, mate. I thought, wow, he really wanted to make sure I heard him say it, not just write it, and I think that's important and I often say I'm grateful for my friends and family yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:It's amazing how just a simple, random message to someone you know, letting them know that you're grateful that they're in your life and correct, yeah, it means a lot. What are you looking forward to? You know, you got something coming up, like you know, with the family or I always say to people that this could be absolutely anything. It could be the last episode of married at first sight. I mean, when will that shit be over?
Speaker 3:oh god, yeah I. I'm having dinner with my mates, which we haven't had for a few years. I'm looking forward to that and that's really going to drive me. And I love Beetlejuice, the musical. I've been to it a few times and we're going one more time at the end of the month. I'm going to have dinner with a friend and then I'm going to see the show and then I'm going to catch up with Eddie after it. I know Eddie Perfect and I love Eddie.
Speaker 2:What and I love Eddie. What a genius he is.
Speaker 3:Well, that's what I call him. I say that. I said it to his face and he is. And I have a couple of other friends in the show and I know this is a fangirl moment, but there's a guy called Andy Carl who you probably are not aware of, but he is a Tony Award winning theatre star in the US.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:And I've followed him for a few years and he'd done Groundhog Day in America and he's brilliant. He came out here to do Groundhog Day and I saw it in Melbourne four times, I think, or five times probably. And I remember going to the stage and thinking, well, he's not going to come out here because he's a star, they'll get him out the back some way, so I'll never get to meet him. And he walked out the door and I just Andy Carl, he's like hey, how you doing, buddy, I'm like Andy.
Speaker 3:And he stopped and had a chat with me for ages and then one of the other cast members who I'm friends with must have tipped him into what's going on with me, because the next time we met he went hey, I've just got to say well done to you for what you're going through and I really you know, kudos to you and I love Andy Carl. And then for my birthday he sent me a birthday message, went for about five minutes, he spoke, he sang. I'm blown away. Well, his partner is in Beetlejuice, yeah right, she played the lead opposite him in Groundhog Day and then obviously something sort of lit up during that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, now he's been back to Australia probably four times in the last year just to see her and she's been over there to see him. Well, I saw her the other day at the end of the, at the end of um villages, and she goes Andy's out for the whole month of August. He's coming every night to pick me up after the show. Oh geez, okay, I'm buying tickets. It's a perfect storm. It's a perfect storm Done, and I've already bought my ticket for next week and I'll be heading, as soon as the show's over, bang straight around there to see Andy Carl. He called me his Aussie mate with the big beard. So I'm looking forward to meeting Andy Carl again, because I never thought I would.
Speaker 2:That is something pretty cool to look forward to, man Huge huge mate, it's huge. Yeah yeah, we often talk about the fact that it's important to have things to look forward to. Man, huge, huge mate, it was huge. Yeah yeah, we often talk about the fact that it's important to have things to look forward to. If you've got something like that, that means so much to you it is massive.
Speaker 3:So I'm going to do everything I can this next week to get me to that show, Believe me, and I'll be going. Hurry up. Show's finished, Hurry up, hurry up, which I, which I love the show. I listen to the soundtrack. It's great. It talks about death and dying and it's just beautiful how it does it all in a comedic way and in a heartfelt way. Great message. I do encourage people you've only got a month to go, get out and see it and then it'll probably come to Sydney next year. Yeah yeah, highly recommend.
Speaker 2:Last question the last one is what's made you laugh recently.
Speaker 3:Beetlejuice has been probably the catalyst. Yeah, because I did actually watch the songs from it again yesterday.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah and because it laughs at things that I'm dealing with. I can sort of, you know, really laugh. Yeah, because there's one part the opening song is the whole being dead thing and Eddie sings about it, saying this show is all about death. So get ready. Yeah, and a few friends have said when I heard the soundtrack and I said, did Eddie think of you when he wrote this line? I went no, no, I said, but he knows all you well. And he said yeah, because he sounds like you. And there's a part in the song that says from the cradle to cremation, death just needs a little conversation. I have mastered the art of tearing convention apart. Wow. And I thought, well, maybe he might have been in there subliminally. He didn't write it, thinking Craig Coombs wrote it, but maybe it was in there. Because I actually think that does fit, because I have done things unconventionally, like Naked Tuesdays. Yeah, I've torn convention apart a bit, so I'm looking forward to seeing it one more time.
Speaker 2:You've given so much mate. You've given so much mate. You've given so much to the world. I know the comedy industry is so much richer for having you be a part of it. It really is.
Speaker 3:I just encourage people to go and see a lot of comedy. It's not like what you can do on the TV. It's got nothing. And I guarantee you're going to feel better on your way home. You're going to think of the jokes. You're going to feel better tomorrow when you go to work or whatever. You'll have a takeaway joke that you use. David Smeet used to tell a great takeaway joke that he'd tell everyone that you could tell. My dad told me that joke David Smeet's joke the night before dad died and he said how good's life he was in the hospital. He knew he was just about to die. He was in palliative care and one of my mates brought a can of rum into him. He said I'm having a drink. I get washed by beautiful sheilas and I can tell great jokes like this. And he told David Smeek's joke about the train, the train station joke.
Speaker 2:A little Johnny in the train station. Yep, my dad. Any complaints about the three-hour delay?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I've talked to my mum in the kitchen. Dad knew that joke. Yeah, great. And the only other thing that Dad he wanted things to take with him, and I'm going to do that with me. I'm going to have a list of things I want in my coffin. Yeah, and Dad wanted a piece of corduroy.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:Because he loved Kehal Jackson's joke about when you're fat, don't run wearing corduroy because you'll self-combust. And my dad? I told Dad that joke and he laughed. I said where are you laughing? He said because you're fat and it's funny. His dad's nickname was Candy because he was built like a twig, so it wasn't him. But he goes that's you, you're combust, that's funny, that's why you don't run. And I told Kehoe and she sent me a piece of corduroy. Oh, good on her that went with my dad.
Speaker 2:Oh, she's a good egg KL.
Speaker 3:Yeah, she'd been crook and I actually thought you know what? I'm going to take a piece of corduroy with me. Yeah right, my funeral's going to be on a Tuesday. It's going to be an open casket.
Speaker 2:Please don't tell me you're going to ask us all to be naked at it.
Speaker 3:Oh, going to ask us all to be naked at it? Oh no, yous don't have to be, but I will be in the thing. That is guaranteed. So it's up to you. People will be alerted. It's an open casket, but he will be totally naked and laying on his back. So if you want to go be aware of the situation, I think it's the right thing to do. Mate on the way out. Yeah, I've had a blast.
Speaker 2:Mate, just any final thoughts or messages that you may have for someone that's, you know, stuck with us for the journey, for our chat, and that might be going through something tough, you know, like either themselves or a family member that's going through some challenging stuff at the moment.
Speaker 3:Any pearls of Craig Coombs' wisdom you'd like? To share as we wind it up. Make the rest of your life the best of your life Beautiful Of course. We've told you how to do it through this chat.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I encourage people to share what we have spoken about with others and you can get in touch with me. You can find me on the socials. I'll reply. I'm on Instagram. I'm on Naked Tuesday. I've got a Facebook page you can message. I still check the messages. If you want to talk about something, I'll send them on Instagram. It's Coombsie or Papa Coombsie, maybe. Find me, send a message if you want. By all means, just, you know, just be a good, decent human.
Speaker 2:Yeah, reach out, support each other. It's like the age old. You know, there's a reason why so many of the religions say do unto others as you want to do unto you. You know, look after yourself. Remember our old friend Dave Grant. You know, look after yourself, brothers and sisters. That's what it's all about.
Speaker 3:Yeah, do unto yourself as well. Don't forget that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely Absolutely, mate. I know I said it at the start, but you know I'm so grateful. I'm so grateful for you agreeing to do this. I'm so grateful for the fact that we've been in touch for some. Like you know, you have people in your life that we all do life and you go through. You know life. Very fortunate to have certain people that you cannot talk to them for 12 months.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it feels like yesterday.
Speaker 2:And then, as soon as you strike up that conversation, it does, and I take ownership for not being in touch as much as what I wish I was.
Speaker 3:That's life, mate. But, as I told you, your name is on my arm, so we haven't lost the connection. It's only in a physical sense, but we're never disconnected, never, and we'll never be I love only in a physical sense, but we're never we're never disconnected, never Mate I and we'll never be. I love you. So that that ink, it permeates into my heart. That's what I reckon. Yeah, maybe that's why I had a heart attack. All you flipping people with your name on me Too much ink in my heart, too much ink.
Speaker 2:Too much. Craig Coombs, it's been an absolute pleasure. Thank you so much.
Speaker 3:It's been my pleasure. I appreciate you, mate.
Speaker 2:And your family mate. We'll talk to you soon, To you too.
Speaker 3:Thanks, buddy.
Speaker 2:Cheers dude.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening. The information contained in this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes. It is not intended, nor should it ever, replace advice received from a physician or mental health professional. Want more info? Visit thelaughtercliniccomau. If you enjoyed the episode, please share and subscribe. Thanks again for listening to A Laughter Clinic Podcast with your host, mark McConville.