He was the first comedian from the Northern Hemisphere to perform in the country since the Covid-19 lockdown.
“At the airport, a guy in full army gear asked how my mental health was and if was I prepared for two weeks [quarantine] in a hotel,” Howard said.
“This time around, they just ask you about fruit and veg and that’s it.
“Maybe there’ll be a mental health check on the way out of Whanganui - ‘What did Whanganui do to you?’”
The Respite tour took him to 79 cities and 24 countries.
Travelling and doing stand-up gave him “a richer feel for the world” and he picked up stories and observations along the way.
“I like going off the beaten track and doing odd places,” Howard said.
“That happened a lot during Covid. Suddenly, we were doing comedy in car parks, woods and fields.
“It makes you feel grateful - the fact you can travel all the way to a 900-seater Opera House in a place like Whanganui and people are excited you’re going to be there.”
The sixth season of his comedy news show The Russell Howard Hour aired in 2022 and his latest Netflix special Lubricant is available on Netflix.
Howard said New Zealand had changed since he was last in the country.
“Last time I was here, ‘Aunty Cindy’ [Jacinda Ardern] was beloved and I think your health minister had a song. Everyone was really excited about getting through Covid.
“Fast forward three years and it feels very different. I guess that’s the cyclical nature of politics.
“British politics is proof that cream can rise to the top but turds can float there too. It’s just this endless parade of mediocrity.”
He said he always tried and find the middle ground and “take the piss out” of both sides of the political spectrum.
Otherwise, it became a bit too ideological.
“Social media and phones have figured out what gets each of us angry and they just keep hitting us. Before we know it, we are in a frothy rage,” Howard said.
“What we all forget is the reason things make the news is because they don’t happen very often.
“Maybe we should have a separate thing to the news - the remedy - where it’s just stories about old ladies in Palmerston North saying ‘I’m cooking spaghetti tonight’.”
Howards said his latest tour was a blend of observational and satirical comedy.
“In Whanganui, I’ll obviously open with Nessun dorma and close with a bit of [Niccolò] Piccinni but the rest of the time, it’s a big, fat funny show about the world, really.
“I’ve got about two hours of material. I’ll pick an hour and a half and figure out what works.”
He said a new Netflix special was drawing near.
“[The show] worked all across England and all across America, so I‘ve just got to put it through New Zealand to finally tweak it.
“You are the final jury.”
Russell Howard is performing at the Royal Whanganui Opera House on February 5.
Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.
