Jo Brand, who turns 70 next year, has written a new book about ageing, but she says she did not spend a long time thinking about getting older. She was simply asked if she would like to do it. The book, Decline and Falling Over, covers topics such as the decision to go into a care home and assisted dying.
On ageing and the future
Brand says that now is the time to get things in place if you want them. She notes that many people put things off and then reach a stage where they cannot do them. When asked if she means bucket-list things, she pauses and says she means the ability to perhaps end your own life. She adds that she knows it is not legal yet but thinks it will be sooner rather than later.
Brand's mother had procured drugs to end her own life when she was ill, though she did not use them. Brand herself has not come to solid conclusions about her future. As a teenager, she worked in a residential home for adults with learning disabilities and was sacked after complaining about what she called "appalling behaviour" by male staff. She says she was left with a fear of care homes.
On people pleasing and comedy
Brand writes that she is a "people pleaser", which she says surprises her as well. She links this to her father being hard to please. She says her on-stage character did not influence her real-life behaviour, explaining that when she started, there were few women comics, so she needed a shield. She developed a "sliding scale of pleasant through to soul-destroying" to deal with hecklers.
Growing up in Hastings, Brand was rebellious as a teenager. She moved into a bedsit at 17. She became a psychiatric nurse before trying standup at 29, saying she imposed a "pointless line" on her life that she could not get to 30 without trying comedy. She says her experience with patients suffering from psychosis hardened her.
On the comedy circuit and grief
Brand describes the 80s comedy circuit as thrilling, with a variety of people doing weird things. She says it has become more uniform and polished, adding, "Yes, maybe anarchy needs to come back." She says the world is in a mess but hopes good people win out.
In the last 10 years, Brand has lost her parents, both brothers, and two of her three best friends. She says she has been good at suppressing her emotions and probably has not handled it well, pretending it was not happening for a long time. She says she likes the angry stage of grief, stating, "I think being angry is very good for me." She acknowledges she is not good at acceptance.
Brand says one of the worst things about ageing, particularly as a woman, is being ignored. She notes that older men still get more respect than older women. She says she is less adventurous than she used to be and does fewer live shows, partly because her memory took a hit during the pandemic. She has been doing "work-in-progress shows", which she says takes the pressure off a polished performance.
