Joe Wicks

Presenter0:01

BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. Hello, I'm Lauren Laverne, and this is the Desert Island Discs Podcast. Every week, I ask my guests to choose the eight tracks, book, and luxury they'd want to take with them if they were cast away to a desert island. For rights reasons, the music is shorter than the original broadcast. I hope you enjoy listening.

Presenter0:41

My castaway this week is the fitness trainer and author Joe Wicks. Professionally known as the body coach, he's no stranger to transformations. However, in recent weeks, he's undergone one himself. Before coronavirus hit the UK, he was already well known as the face of a hugely successful fitness empire. But in recent weeks, he's become the nation's favourite PE teacher after taking a spur-of-the-moment decision to start holding free online workouts for lockdown school kids and their families. His 9am PE sessions have become an online sensation, entering the Guinness Book of World Records in the process. But getting Britain's kids eating healthily and being active is a mission he's been on for years. It's a contrast to his own childhood. He describes himself as a hyperactive kid hooked on sugar, saying fruit and vegetables were non-existent in my house. So how did he grow up to be the Jamie Oliver of Fitness, a man on a healthy living mission whose debut cookbook sold 3 million copies and caused a 25% spike in broccoli sales? He says, I'm not motivated to be famous. I'm motivated to be successful. To reach people, I've got to get on TV, I've got to get in with the government, I've got to get on TV abroad. Joe Wicks, welcome to Desert Island Discs. Hello, Lauren. What an amazing introduction. And I cannot believe, honestly, that I'm a guest on this show. I've had so many times I've been sat on the beach or I've been on a bus listening and crying and laughing and I never thought I'd ever be asked to be a guest. So I feel so proud. So thank you so much. Oh, well, it's a pleasure. We're delighted to have you. So this is an ambition of yours. And we heard there your list of goals. I mean, quite a lot to set yourself. How's it all going?

Presenter2:23

Well, I've been overwhelmed by the support from the PE With Joe initiative that I launched because when I announced it on the Thursday night when lockdown started, I started on the Monday and, you know, I was overwhelmed. I had international press, I had CNN, ESPN. And when I launched that, I had no idea what was going to happen. But in the past eight weeks, we've had 60 million views from all around the world. And of all the things I've done, this, what I've done right now, is my greatest achievement. I'm not sure I'll ever do anything in my life that will be more meaningful than the PE With Joe during lockdown. This is, as you say, a PE lesson that is getting out to all around the world. What kind of feedback have people been giving you? What are they telling you about the difference that it's making to them? Well, one of the most wonderful things about the whole thing for me, and it's the energy that really pushes me forward. You know, it's what motivates me to do this. If you're a parent on your own, you've already got to do all the education stuff. You've got to do the homeschooling and the cooking, the cleaning. It's hard to maybe also be the PE teacher. So I've taken that role on and I think if you've got a nice big house with a big garden, your kids can run around. But I'm thinking all the time about people in one-bedroom flats, you know, with very little space and no grassy areas around. Like, can I still get them exercising? So it's very much accessible. There's no equipment. It's just me and you in your living room. I just love it. I do things like Fancy Dress Friday. I do spot the difference. We do world trivia and quiz. And I've become a game show host. I've got a spin the wheel. I've got big dice. I've become like a Bruce Forsyth Play Your Cards Right TV presenter, which is a bit silly. And also, you can do it with the kids. You can have fun as a family. And I believe that role modeling is so important, especially when it comes to exercise. If your children see you exercising, they see you smiling and sweating and being a really amazing, like, energetic person at the end of it, they will learn from that and they will want to copy you. So do you think we need more do as I do, not as I say?

Joe Wicks3:26

Yeah.

Presenter4:04

I just think kids learn from what they see. You know, my little daughter Indy, she already watches me squat and run on the spot, and she tries, she calls it exercise, and she can see what I'm doing. And, you know, I always talk about mental health benefits. So if I'm having a stressful day and I'm a little bit tired or I'm a bit grouchy, when I go up and do my work and I come back down into the living room and I see my kids and wife, I'm a better person. I'm more calm, I'm more patient, you know, I'm more focused. Fitness is like the core part of my life. It's work, but it's also the thing that keeps me level and focused and centered. And that's really what I'm trying to achieve in my life, which is let people know that whether you're sedentary or you're very active, you can transform your life through fitness. Well, you're going to be sharing your discs with us today. Let's fire away disc number one. What is it and why have you gone for it? So, disc number one, when I turned up to a school once, when I did the UK schools hit tour, they played this song on a loudspeaker when I was on this little mini stage in the playground, and there were 400 kids, and I had all these kids singing it back to me, and I was just overwhelmed by it. And then it also became the soundtrack to Pee with Joe because George Ezra's mum is a school teacher, and she heard me say, I wish I could play music, but I don't have the rights to play music on YouTube. So she contacted her son, George Ezra, and he contacted his music label. They actually gave me rights to play this amazing song on my workout. So my first song is one of my favorite songs, it's so uplifting. It's Shotgun by George Ezra.

Presenter5:25

Homegrown alligator, see you later Gotta hit the road, gotta hit the road

Presenter5:33

The sun and change in the atmosphere Architecture, I'm familiar. I could get used to this.

Presenter5:42

Time flies by in the yellow and green Stick around and you'll see what I mean.

Presenter5:49

There's a mountain top that I'm dreaming of. If you need me, you know where I'll be. I'll be riding shotgun underneath the hot sun. Feeling like a summer. George Ezra and Shotgun. So, Joe Wicks, you're BBC Children in Needs first ever schools ambassador, and you've been touring schools and banging the drum for the importance of PE for a number of years now. What are schools doing, and what do you think they should be doing? Is it a question of changing the curriculum? I know you're keen to have it considered as important as other subjects.

Joe Wicks6:03

Joe.

Presenter6:25

P is definitely getting, you know, squashed out in certain curriculums because obviously there's so much pressure on the schools to get academic results, you know, maths, English, and science, which are all very important. But for me, my argument is nothing is more important than our kids' health and our children's mental health. I'll always believe that. And so I think it shouldn't be negotiable. Exercise should be an essential part of a child's day. And it doesn't need to be this thing where you take all the kids into the hall, get them all changed, you waste 45 minutes. It can be five minutes in the classroom running up and down, doing star jumps and running on the spot. You know, little brain breaks where they do a little bit of movement. These kinds of things, every teacher I spoke to that was doing that, they said their children are more alert, they're more focused, they're more productive. And I would love to know that every school in the UK and around the world does a little five, ten, fifteen minute workout at the start of each day, like they're doing now during lockdown, to get them set up for the day. And I think that's not that unrealistic. It doesn't cost any money.

Presenter7:18

It's time for your second disc today, Joe. What's it gonna be and why have you chosen it? So, this second song is a song. Like, when I think of my mum and I think about the music she used to listen to, I just remember she'd repeat this song over and over again. My mum, she loved housework. She basically had OCD. Here's a funny story: my bedroom carpet was black, pitch black, so every little speck of dirt and dust would show up. And my mum would want me to hoover it twice a day. And I'm talking about I was like four, five, six years old. I was really young, but she wouldn't let me use the big bit. She wanted me to use the little bit, you know, the bit you do the stairs with, because she'd want to see the lines. So, I just remember doing that over and over again, which is a nightmare. But I also remember playing this song over and over again in my head. So, this song is a wonderful song by Van Morrison. It's called Bright Side of the Road.

Presenter8:09

To the bright side of the road

Presenter8:15

Uh

Speaker 48:15

We've been lovers once again.

Speaker 48:18

Rats are at all.

Speaker 48:25

Yeah.

Presenter8:25

The violent company

Presenter8:31

Help me somehow

Presenter8:36

Thought you love the stream

Presenter8:39

The brat sound

Joe Wicks8:40

Uh

Presenter8:41

Van Morrison and Bright Side of the Road. So, Joe Wicks, that track bringing back memories of your mum. And when you say she had OCD, she really did. You're not using that as an expression the way some people do. She really suffered with it when you were little. Yeah, I mean, I love that song, and it brings back good memories. But as an adult, you learn more about your family, don't you? You understand their history and their childhood and trauma. So, yeah, she definitely had OCD. And after years of therapy, she's kind of got to the root of that. But yeah, it was a tough time. But, you know, my mum was so young. She had my brother Nikki when she was 17. She had me at 19. And alongside being very young and, you know, leaving school at 15, you know, my dad was a heavy heroin addict. So she raised me. And the more I think about it, the more I'm amazed at how I've turned out and how proud I am of her as a woman. She's amazing. I love her to death. I can't believe what she's been through. And, you know, we've all turned out well. You know, we grew up into a nice gentleman.

Presenter9:34

You grew up in Epsom in Surrey in what you describe as a chaotic, dysfunctional household.

Presenter9:39

Yeah, I mean, we grew up on a council estate in Epsom, and obviously, everyone's like living right underneath each other. It's very intense, and I just remember people shouting. It wasn't just my family, people next door would be banging doors, and people throwing things out the window. But I remember seeing things like, you know, there'd be holes in the door, and I'd be like, What's that? Because they were really thin doors, almost like cardboard. Because I'd, you know, my mum and dad would be arguing, and my dad would punch the door or something. So it wasn't like I saw it, but I saw the effects. And my dad, you know, being a drug addict, it's very unpredictable. And, you know, one minute he's there, then he's not. And I didn't understand why I was too young to really understand addiction and why he couldn't be there for me.

Presenter10:14

It was chaotic, but also loving, I think you've said. Yeah, look, I'm not someone who dwells on the past and has resentments. It is what it is, and I'm the man I am today because of what my dad's been through, because of what my mum's been through. And I always had love, and that's the most powerful thing you can have in life, to have love and affection. And I remember mum and dad saying, like, you know, we'll love you whatever you become. And when you're little, that's quite a powerful thing to hear because you can just be who you are. You've got two brothers. How did the three of you get along growing up?

Presenter10:45

So, I've got my older brother Nikki, who's a year older than me. We work together and he's like my rock. And then I've got my little brother George, who came along when I was only 10 years old. So, he's 10 years younger than me. I'm very close to my family and friends. I need to be in contact. So, we speak every day on WhatsApp. You know, we always hang out. And so, I've actually found that quite difficult, you know, this time not being able to hug my brother. Like, it's weird.

Presenter11:05

You're not afraid to be a big kid when working out these days. I very much enjoyed the Harry Potter wand lunch on Fancy Dress Friday the other day. How active were you when you were little? Well, I think I was hyper active. I was really disruptive. You know, I wasn't nasty or mean, but I was a class clown. I was always playing up and being silly and trying to make everyone laugh and probably wanting to be center of attention and a bit of a clown. I had an attention span of a goldfish. One day I'd be playing football, then I'd be doing BMXing, then karate, then roller skating. I used to run to school. I could have got the bus and I would run like two miles to school with a backpack and a blazer on. I always think, where did that come from? Who was pushing me to do that? But I just loved it. I just enjoyed moving my body. And I think maybe it was me dealing with my emotions because without exercise, I don't know where I'd have been. I would have been a right loose cannon.

Presenter11:51

So, you found your way to it without really knowing what it was giving you? I think, yeah, just through sport and school. Like, I love playing football, I love being part of a team, and I had a great relationship with my PE teachers. I wanted to be outside, I was trying to be captain. I was like the one going, come on, everyone, get your tennis rackets, get your ball, let's get on the field. So, I was already at that young age, like rallying the troops and bringing people together because I wanted to get going, I wanted everyone to be exercising. It's mad, really.

Joe Wicks12:13

Bengali.

Presenter12:14

Let's have some more music, Joe. It's your third disc. What have you chosen and why are you taking it to the island? So my dad, Gary, he wasn't always about when I was younger, but when he was about, he's a joker, always making people laugh. And my mum and dad would take me out of school on the last day of school, me and Nikki, we'd drive to the south of France in an old school mini from the 80s. And we'd just sleep in tents. My dad would sleep under the car. We'd just spend a summer together. So the memories I've got are amazing. You know, at one point he had dreadlocks because I do believe he thinks he's a version of Bob Marley. So he was always listening to Bob Marley. But this is the one that really stands out. And it's Bob Marley and the Whalers, Three Little Birds.

Speaker 312:53

Uh

Joe Wicks12:55

How to say

Speaker 312:56

Uh

Joe Wicks13:01

It'll be alright.

Joe Wicks13:05

Don't worry.

Joe Wicks13:08

I'm gonna see.

Joe Wicks13:12

Never leave

Joe Wicks13:14

Gonna be alright.

Joe Wicks13:18

Rise up this morning.

Joe Wicks13:21

My quick horizons on you

Joe Wicks13:24

Three living span

Presenter13:29

Bob Marley and the Wheelers and Three Little Birds. Joe Wicks, that track then reminding you of happy holidays with your dad. Yeah, in south of France, you know, in Bournemouth, I remember I spent a few weeks with him when he was in Rehab in Bournemouth and I just love reggae and it always makes me feel good. Bob Marley, without a doubt, is the soundtrack to my dad's life. There's so much positivity there, but of course he was dealing with addiction. He's moved on now, which obviously we'll talk about. What was he like as a dad when you were growing up and what are your memories of him during that period? Yeah, my dad's clean today, which is important. You know, the one thing that's worked for my dad, it is Narcotics Anonymous. And, you know, with NA, it's all about just for today, right? Living in the moment. So, you know, he's had times where he's relapsed and today is clean, and that's the most important thing. But when I was a teenager, I found it difficult. I didn't understand. I was angry. But now, as an adult, I understand I've got more empathy and I understand that what my dad needs more than anything when he's struggling is connection. He needs me to tell him I love him. He needs you to pull him closer and hug him and not push him away in anger because addiction is painful. Like when someone you love is struggling with depression and addiction, it breaks your heart. But I'm learning to kind of pull him closer. That's really what he needs. It's unconditional love, which is so important for people with addiction. Of course, it's one thing to have that perspective now, but as a little boy, when it's your dad, that must have been really tough.

Presenter14:45

It was really tough because, like I said, I don't remember seeing drug use around me, but the after effects, like seeing my dad, you know, stoned or high, whatever it might have been, just remember him always being tired and sleepy, and I didn't really understand why, you know. So, it does take a bit of reflection to see just how many years that probably did go on for. And my mum, you know, she'd always take him back. So, yeah, it's difficult. But again, I wasn't a really unhappy kid. I mean, I just cracked on with it. You know, it's just the way it was. That's all I knew.

Presenter15:14

You did describe yourself as angry though. You obviously had feelings about it that were coming from somewhere. How did that manifest itself?

Presenter15:22

I remember being in secondary school and I just remember someone asked me about someone said something about my dad and I was just so angry at the time because it was like, you know, again he'd relapse and again I was disappointed and let down. And I just remember thinking like,

Presenter15:34

I don't want to talk about my dad, I hate him, and I I only ever said that once and

Presenter15:39

I've never I've never really admitted that.

Joe Wicks15:42

Hmm.

Presenter15:42

I've never really admitted that to my dad, but it was just a reaction, and I felt so bad because I didn't hate my dad. I just hated what drugs were doing to him, you know, doing to my family. So it was an angry thought, and I suppose I let it out, and I felt instantly bad. And I remember just thinking, what a horrible thing to say about your dad. But yeah, anyway, now, look, I love my dad. It's an emotional feeling like that, but I've had that anger, and that's completely past. And even recently, I've started to do some meditation, and I'm starting to just let go of negative energy. And the antidote to addiction is connection and love, and that's what I've learned.

Joe Wicks15:48

In the

Presenter16:20

And obviously for you, Joe, you know, going through that in your childhood,

Presenter16:24

What do you think the impact of that has been on you?

Presenter16:27

It's allowed me to find peace. Like when I have that moment of accepting that, you know, my dad's an addict, this is how it was, this is what was going on. And, you know, my dad loved me unconditionally. He just struggled with addiction because of, you know, his childhood. Like, if I think about, you know, my mum's dad left her when she was a baby and she spent time in a care home and her mum really struggled to look after them or she was a single mum. And my dad's dad left him and disappeared and went to America with another woman and had seven other kids.

Presenter16:55

It's like childhood trauma manifests in different ways. Like in my dad, it was drug addiction. In my mum, it was OCD and obsessive-compulsive cleaning and all that. And so now I'm a dad, and I take everything I've learned from my mum, and little bits from my dad, and little nuggets of information that I've learnt over time. So I don't want to be an impatient, snappy person. I don't want to be involved in addiction and drugs. And I really, because of my dad's life, I didn't go near it. I was scared of it. And I got into exercise and fitness. And so his mistake changed my life. So I just don't regret anything I've gone through or resent anything that I've been through with my mum and dad. I just, I'm proud of who I am.

Presenter17:32

Bet they're proud of you as well. Let's have your fourth disc, Joe. What are we going to hear, and why?

Presenter17:37

So my fourth disc, this is a song by The Killers, which is one of my favourite songs because me and Nikki, in 2009, we went on a little trip together and we cycled our bikes from Madrid to Barcelona. We ended up going through a town called Benicassim and we'd never heard of it and we didn't know there was a festival there and we bought some tickets and we went to see the first time we'd ever seen the killers live and I've got this memory of Nikki being on my shoulders and I held him up high and we listened to this song and we had the best weekend. It was really like a moment in time where we became like best friends. I just love being with him. I just loved his spirit and his energy and how he made me feel. So this is one of my favorite killers songs. It's called When You Were Young.

Joe Wicks18:16

Uh

Joe Wicks18:18

Heartache

Joe Wicks18:19

Waiting on some beautiful boy to to save you from your old ways You play forgiveness, watching now Here he comes, he doesn't look a thing like Jesus But he talks like a gentleman like you imagine when you

Joe Wicks18:38

We're getting on

Presenter18:46

The killers and when you were young. So, taking you back to a biking trip around Spain with your brother Nikki. But you and your dad, Joe Wicks, also have sport in common now. You did the marathon, not together. It was a year apart, wasn't it? Yeah, I was so busy at the time, and I thought, oh, I don't really need to train, I'll just turn up and I can be alright, I'll do it. So I ran the first half really quick with a friend of mine, and then my knees started to ache, and it basically just like went, no, you're not doing this today, mate. So I hobbled. It took me six and a half hours to get round. And when I came down the mall, there was no one there to cheer. I was the end of the end. And then my dad done it a year later and beat me by two hours. He done it in like four and a half hours or something. So he did it on his 60th birthday and completely showed up the body coach.

Joe Wicks19:17

Yeah, how was the end of

Presenter19:28

Must be in the jeans. So, Joe Wicks, take me back a bit then. When did you become a gym bunny?

Presenter19:34

I remember when I was 16, I got my first job at Wilkinson's in Epsom. So I was working behind the till in my little red jumper with my spiky Gareth Gates hair all gelled up. And I probably earned about £90 a month or something. And I remember thinking, I want to join the gym. And I joined Holmes Place in Epsom. It was £60 a month. So I used pretty much all of my money that I was earning to join the gym because I was really skinny as a kid. And one of the things that used to really upset me and really get on my nose when my brother used to say, You're a skinny little runt, look at your skinny little legs.

Joe Wicks19:43

Yeah.

Presenter20:06

It called me skinny for so many years and it must have must have affected me a little bit because then

Joe Wicks20:09

Mm-hmm.

Presenter20:10

When I went to the gym, I just was obsessed. I was like, I don't want him to be able to call me skinny anymore. So, I mean, I never really put much muscle on, so I'm actually still.

Presenter20:19

Still quite skinny now, but I'm just lean and you know, I built my body because of it, I suppose. It's a tricky time that, isn't it? A teenager with perhaps concerns about their body image. To what extent do you worry about young men becoming obsessed with addicted to working out in the pursuit of the perfect body?

Presenter20:36

Well, I think this is a long time ago, like 15, 20 years ago. But now it's difficult because you're bombarded with images of the perfect physique, the perfect female body, the perfect male physique. So that's why I just try to really promote the messages. Exercise to feel good, eat to feel energized. There's no quick fix. You know, building muscle takes years. And even like me, 10 years of weight training, I never really put much muscle on because my genetics, this is it. I'm a slim guy. I was a skinny kid and I'm a slim adult. I don't really emphasize too much the kind of words around body image and losing weight and fat loss. I really talk now about mental health. So I'm very much look, find what works for you. I hope that I don't ever make people feel insecure and uncomfortable. I hope I actually inspire them to want to live a healthy lifestyle. I hope I am doing that.

Presenter21:17

It's time for your next disc. What are we going to hear? I'm a big Bruce Springsteen fan. You know, he's incredible and I love his music. And this song was the soundtrack to my West Coast 2010 trip, where me and a friend of mine were both fantasizing about running away. I said, Look, let's just get on our bikes. We packed them up into boxes. We flew to Vancouver and we cycled 2,000 miles all the way down the west coast of America. We crossed the border into Tijuana and we were like sleeping under lifeguard huts on Malibu Beach. We were sleeping on benches. And it was a really pivotal time because I was basically running away. I was running away from life, from relationships, from work, and I didn't want to really go into becoming a teacher. All I had was a sports science degree and nothing else. And I felt really lonely and really confused. And so I think when I got to the end of that trip, I said, Look, I've had an amazing time, but I need to put my time and my energy into something. And so that summer I came back and I started my personal training qualification and went on to become the body coach. And the song is called Thunder Road by Bruce Springsteen, and I absolutely love this song.

Joe Wicks22:17

Roll down the window, and I'll let the window that you hear.

Joe Wicks22:23

Well the night's bustling up and these terrains will take us anywhere.

Joe Wicks22:30

We got one last chance to make it real

Joe Wicks22:34

The trade in these winds on sell wheels

Joe Wicks22:38

Uh

Presenter22:38

Round back here.

Joe Wicks22:40

Down on the chase

Joe Wicks22:44

Oh come take my hand, but I'm not a knight to case the promised land.

Presenter22:53

Bruce Springsteen and Thunder Road. So, Joe Wicks, that was a pivotal trip for you when you were about 25. Do they call that a quarter-life crisis? I believe so.

Presenter23:03

I definitely think it's a real thing. When you come out of university and you don't know what you're doing, I don't know what you want to be. I was just so confused. I thought, look, I love exercise. Why not do something you love? And I borrowed a couple of grand off my mum and dad to pay for the course. And I loved it. I learned about anatomy and physiology and a little bit about nutrition. And I got my little certificate and I went on to become a personal trainer. You started running boot camps in Richmond Park in 2011 and they started at the crack of dawn, I believe. How did you persuade people to turn up? Well, I had two boot camps running. I had one in Surbiton and one in Richmond, and it was 6am in the morning for the commuters. And then I did one at 7:30 p.m. after work. So I was doing morning, evening, morning, evening, five days a week. I had no money to buy a van. So I had a little trailer on the back of my bike, and I would load up the kettlebells, the pads, and the gloves, and skipping ropes and whatnot. And I would cycle three or four miles along the river into Richmond. And I would set up my boot camp. I'd have my kettlebell, the battle rope, I'd have loads of stuff lined up. And how many people would turn up?

Presenter24:01

None. And that happened so many times. I'd get there at 6 a.m. on a weekday or in the evening. And you know what? I do. I'd do a quick workout, put my jacket back on, go to Richmond Station, and stand outside the station handing out flyers because I refused. I just refused to give up. I've got this little cheerleader in my head that says, keep going back, you're alright, they're going to come next week. Go and do some flyering, go and do some Instagram videos, go and do a YouTube workout. Like it will grow. And I've always had that voice. I don't know who it is, but someone in my head just tells me never to give up.

Joe Wicks24:05

Wait.

Presenter24:32

You said that your mum and dad were very supportive in your early days. Did you have any other support from friends or mentors, perhaps? Well, I've got an amazing mentor called Bev, who she kind of life coached me without me really knowing. You know, she would ask me questions and help me set little goals that I would always just write down, go away, smash it, come back, and say, What's next? And she's always said to me, Not many people are like that. I'm really grateful for that because it helped me be ambitious. I remember having a conversation where my first ever thing was called Team Lean on Twitter, and it was a hashtag because I didn't really want to be the face of the brand. I just wanted it to be like a community thing. And she said, Joe, no, one day you'll have your own TV show, you'll have your own book. And she was the first person that said that to me. So that was really pivotal because it was like someone not in my family who believed in me. And, you know, we still work together now. And Bev helps manage me as my career's gone on. And yeah, I definitely think she is someone that has been instrumental in my achievements as a businessman for sure. Love you, Bev.

Presenter25:26

It's time for your next track, Joel. Oh, this is an emotional one. So this is the song that my wife, Rosie, walked down the aisle to. You know when you first meet someone, you have an album that reminds you of that moment we would talk and this album, Leon Bridges, was always playing in the background. So the song that I I just can never let go of is Leon Bridges River.

Speaker 325:45

In my darkness I remember

Speaker 325:49

Mama's words reoccur to me.

Speaker 325:52

Surrender to the good law

Speaker 325:56

And I wipe your slate clean

Speaker 326:00

Take me to your river

Joe Wicks26:06

Wanna go

Speaker 326:12

A go.

Speaker 326:15

Take me to your river.

Joe Wicks26:15

Take me to your river.

Presenter26:22

Lyon Bridges and River.

Presenter26:25

So Joe Wicks, you started the body coach aspect of your business in twenty twelve. And at that point, it wasn't all about exercise. It became about nutrition too. When had that piece of the the jigsaw fallen into place for you?

Presenter26:40

I really remember one day just sort of thinking, I don't eat very well. Like, I'd go to the cafe, have a full English can of Coke, chocolate bar, Kit Kat. This is before like eight o'clock because I just wanted food, and this is what I ate. I didn't understand that, you know, good food can really energize you. So, I started to go on a bit of a journey into nutrition. I was reading journals, I was following some other Instagram and some great fitness accounts, and I started to just put good food in my body and I just felt great. I could then give real advice and say, Look, maybe swap that for this, have an omelette instead of your cereal this morning. And it changes people's lives. When you really get into nutrition, it is amazing what it can do to your body.

Presenter27:15

And for those who have yet to see it, tell us about your cooking style. It is short, sharp, and pretty straightforward. Well, it's manic, it's chaotic, it's irritating, it's loud, it's shouty. When I look back at my videos, I'm like, oh, I'm so annoying. I was so loud. But I suppose it just people love that energy and the enthusiasm every day. Like 7 a.m. I was up, I was buzzing, I was getting people cooking. And I made it simple because the idea was a 15-second video on Instagram showing how to cook a 15-minute meal. It was just me, a guy in his kitchen with his iPhone. You know, there's no TV company, there's no production house. It was just me on my own with my phone. And I still do it today.

Presenter27:51

Time for some more music, Joe Wicks. Your seventh disc. What is it and why have you chosen it? So I'm a massive fan of Sam Cook and I've got a record player in America. I've got a little house out there and me and Rosie spend the winter there. So we've got a little vinyl record player which he got me for my birthday and the first album we got was Sam Cook's Greatest Hits and this song is actually the one that we did our first dance to. So we got married last year in a wonderful ceremony and this was like the first song, the slow dance if you like. And it's such a beautiful song. It's called Nothing Can Change This Love.

Joe Wicks28:26

If I go home

Joe Wicks28:30

A million miles away I'd find a letter.

Joe Wicks28:37

Each and every day cost money ain't nothing.

Joe Wicks28:43

Nothing can ever change this love I have.

Speaker 328:48

And for you.

Speaker 328:53

Uh

Presenter28:55

Sam Cook and nothing can change this love. First dance at your wedding last year then Joe Wicks. I mean you've been through some huge changes in recent years. You've two kids, you've got married to Rosie and of course now PE with Joe. How do you feel about life today?

Presenter29:12

I feel like I'm so proud of my little family and our little unit that we've got. You know, I'm still very ambitious, but I'm also content with what I've achieved. And I'm so happy just being present with my kids and seeing Indy and Marley grow. And, you know, I love Rosie's death. And it's a kind of story that not many people know, but I've known of Rosie for years. So Rosie used to be a model. And I've always known of her. And I just thought she's the most beautiful thing in the world. So lovely. And so it's almost like... you know, my dream came true when I met her and I fell in love. I was literally with the girl of my dreams and I always pinched myself at how amazing she is and she's just such a wonderful mum. And I'm just lucky that I've got the woman of my dreams and also my beautiful little kids. So it's a happy home life and a happy private life, but of course one that is lived in the public space, in the public sphere on social media and Instagram and your every move seems to generate newspaper stories. How are you dealing with that?

Presenter30:04

Well, it's been cranked up a gear since the PE with Joe. I mean, I never used to have Paparazzi following me. You know, there's Paparazzi outside the house, and everything I put on my Instagram becomes a daily mail or an article in the sun. So you have to be careful what you're sharing because it all is just in the public domain. It's an attention that I'm not that into, but I've learned to just like ignore those articles and just keep doing what I'm doing. But, you know, if I'm going to be blasting live to 60 million people, you're going to get featured in the newspapers and it's just a part of the journey that I'm on. I've just got to take it as it is, really.

Presenter30:33

And what about being a dad? You talked about your own childhood earlier. What impact do you think that's had on how you parent?

Presenter30:41

Well, my favorite thing in the world is being with my kids and having fun. So it's definitely kept me grounded and allowed me to find true peace because especially during this lockdown period, what really is important is the people you're with in this very moment, your health, your happiness. So I've definitely become much more grateful and a lot more showing more gratitude for what I've got, which is my kids and my wife. And I tell them every day how much I love them.

Presenter31:05

This is your final disc, Joe. What have you chosen? So, this is a little bit of a curveball, but it's such a good song. It gets me so lit. I get so energized, and I've got visions of dancing around the kitchen with my nephew, Oscar, and Milo, and my little daughter, Indy, who now can ask Alexa to play this song. So, the song is called You're Welcome from the Moana soundtrack by The Rock. Dwayne Johnson actually sings it, and the rap just gets me so gassed every time I listen to it. So, this is a really happy song, and I think you're going to love it.

Speaker 331:32

Welcome! You're welcome!

Speaker 331:36

Well, come to think of it, kid, honestly I could go on and on. I could explain every natural phenomenon. The tide, the grass, the ground. Oh, that was Maui just messing around. I killed an eel, I buried its cuts. Smouted a tree, now you got coconuts. What's the lesson? What is the takeaway? Don't mess with Maui when he's on a breakaway. And the tapestry here in my skin is a map of the victories I win. Look where I've been, I make everything happen. Look at them, me, mini, Maui, to d ⁇.

Speaker 332:02

Well anyway let me say you're welcome

Presenter32:09

Dwayne Johnson, with your welcome, very memorably sung on a deserted island in the film Moana. Speaking of which, Joe Wicks, I'm about to send you to your island. What qualities do you think you'll need to survive there?

Presenter32:21

Well, I suppose you've got to be creative, you've got to be thinking on your toes, you've got to be a bit of a hunter, you've got to catch your own food. I like to think, I've watched a lot of Raymear's survival shows and like Bear Grylls, I like to think I could make a decent camp, I could make a little boat if I needed to. I like to definitely catch some food, set traps and all that. But we are going to give you some books to keep you busy. You will have the Bible, the complete works of Shakespeare, and a book of your choosing, too. What would you like?

Presenter32:47

So, this is the first book I ever read at school where I really felt like really grown up and like accomplished because I'm not a well-read person, but this book jumped into my head. It's called Lord of the Flies by William Golding, and it really fascinated me, the story. So, yeah, that's what I'd take. I think I'd read that. And as I'm on a desert island, it's quite apt as well, isn't it? Because it all went wrong, didn't it? It's thematically appropriate, if not encouraging. It's yours. You can also have a luxury item. What would you like?

Presenter33:12

Oh, without doubt, an acoustic guitar because it's never ending the the journey to learning an instrument. And also, I can play, hopefully, all the songs that I've put on my Desert Island discs. And finally, if you had to rescue just one of the eight discs that you've shared with us today, Joe, which would you rush to save and why?

Presenter33:28

Oh, it's a tough one, isn't it? I love all the songs. The one that means the most to me it's gotta be When my wife, Rosie, walked down the aisle. We were getting married in this beautiful forest, and I just could not believe how beautiful she looked. So that song I think will just take me back like a time warp. So it's Leon Bridges River is the one I've definitely got to keep hold of.

Presenter33:46

Joe Wicks, thank you very much indeed for sharing your desert island discs with us. Thank you so much, Lauren. Thank you for making one of my dreams come true.

Presenter34:05

I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Joe, and I'm sure he'll find a way to keep fit on the island without it taking up too much time in between perfecting his guitar playing, of course. You'll have heard what a fan of Bruce Springsteen Joe is, well, Kirsty cast the boss away in twenty sixteen.

Speaker 334:21

You have all of your experience to draw from all the time.

Joe Wicks34:24

Five.

Joe Wicks34:25

And I think that the performers that we feel are wrestling with something significant are the performers that hold

Presenter34:32

They hold our attention.

Presenter34:34

So, a lot of my work is drawn from the period in my life.

Presenter34:39

Where I'm trying to go back.

Presenter34:41

and make sense of things.

Presenter34:43

that at the time were unfathomable and uncontextualizable.

Presenter34:49

And that continues to this day. I constantly go back and I

Joe Wicks34:53

I put my father's clothes on and I walk out on stage and I.

Joe Wicks34:57

present some version of him and myself at night.

Joe Wicks35:03

to my audience and why am I doing

Presenter35:06

doing that. Well, I'm trying to find

Presenter35:08

The piece of it that would lead to a certain sort of transcendence over those circumstances that I grew up in. So these are all things I'm working out on stage at night and why people

Presenter35:19

Come to see us.

Joe Wicks35:21

It's clearly worked professionally. Has it worked personally?

Joe Wicks35:26

Well

Speaker 335:29

Yeah.

Joe Wicks35:29

Generally doesn't work

Speaker 335:30

As well, personally.

Joe Wicks35:33

Actually, Uh

Speaker 335:34

Uh

Joe Wicks35:34

Ha ha ha.

Speaker 335:35

Ha ha ha ha ha.

Presenter35:36

At some point you have to uh you know, you address these things and you you let a certain amount of them go and of course you move on, but you're always called back to those

Speaker 335:38

You know

Joe Wicks35:47

Those moments, and while I don't live in them anymore, I do occasionally revisit them.

Joe Wicks35:53

I know you didn't have a beer till you were 22. Steve Van Sant says you are the only person he has ever known who has never, ever taken drugs. You operate your band setup in a kind of benign dictatorship. It seems that the control that you've been able to exert personally has also been a very significant part of that. You exerted just untypical in your industry control over how you've behaved.

Presenter36:10

Uh

Speaker 336:10

There's

Presenter36:10

Uh

Presenter36:18

Over how you've behaved? Yeah, I'm sure too much at times, but uh I come from a chaotic

Speaker 336:24

Childhood, I felt, and so what I was interested in doing was creating some order.

Speaker 336:32

And a safe environment.

Joe Wicks36:34

environment for myself, because my childhood felt very unsafe, and a structure where I can express myself freely and grow

Presenter36:45

I want to

Joe Wicks36:46

Yeah.

Presenter36:47

grow into a man, you know.

Presenter36:49

The one and only Bruce Springsteen talking to Kirstie in twenty sixteen and you'll find his Desert Island discs on BBC Sands. Next time, my guest will be the racehorse trainer Mark Johnston. I do hope you'll join us.

Presenter37:15

I find quantum mechanics conveniing.

Speaker 437:17

Hello, I'm Brian Cox. And I'm Robert Inks, and the Infinite Monkey Cage is back for a new series. We are dealing with so many fantastic ideas. And even better, no one that we've asked has got an alibi for getting out of doing the show. So, in this series, we have got one of the first episodes alone. We talk about the end of the universe with Brian Green, Katie Mack, Eric Idle, and Steve Martin. Yes, you heard that. Steve Martin and Eric Idle are joining us. Anyway, enjoy the new series. We're having a fantastic time making it. Brian's particularly enjoying it because he's hundreds of miles away from me and they're just using technology to create some sense of proximity. That's the great thing about it all. That's the Infinite Monkey Cage.

Presenter37:18

Hello.

Speaker 337:51

Monkey Cage on BBC Sounds Now. Well not now. I mean there's no unique definition of now in physics. S simultaneity is relative. It's on BBC Sounds anyway.

Presenter38:02

Unless you've got that Robbie Nince and Professor Cox I'd leave that poor pussy alone in its box That cat may be as dead as a rat you can wage In the infinite monkey game

Joe Wicks38:12

Wait.