What’s keeping comedian Mikey Robins entertained in the COVID-19 era

What I’m listening to: A couple of years ago, I may have had a few too many wines, I was trying to download some Beatles songs and accidentally downloaded the complete back catalogue. Everything. When the bill came in, I was not popular. So when I’ve been going for walks I’ve been listening to the Beatles again. This could be controversial to say, yes, the Beatles were the most important rock group of all time, and yes, they changed the face of music forever. But there’s a bit of filler out there as well, not every song’s a classic. For every A Day in the Life, there’s a Got to Get You into My Life.

My new hobby is: Rediscovering where I live. I have a very short attention span and stubby fingers, which locks out a lot of hobbies. I was the last child to stop using safety scissors when I went to school, so anything involving knitting or woodwork, someone’s going to end up in casualty and it’s probably going to be me. I’ve lived in the same area for years now and I’ve rediscovered Cooper Park in Bellevue Hill. I like the fact that, in the middle of all this madness, within about five or 10 minutes I’m in what feels like a rainforest. One of the most beautiful parks in Sydney. I also live around the corner from a good fruit and veg shop, so when lockdown was tight, we did quite a bit of vegetarian cooking. Since we were spending so much time at home the lollies had to go, so I’m eating a shitload of fruit. That’s the only way I can describe it, more fruit than I’ve ever eaten before in my life. I am so regular.

I’m about to get my first batch of reusable face masks: I’m a Rabbitohs tragic and my wife found out that the Souths were releasing a range of masks so she ordered me some. It’s got a little bunny on it, so seeing as I live in the eastern suburbs I’ll have Roosters fans shouting at me.

The phrase I’ve been using a lot recently is: Take care. You find yourself saying that a lot more than you used to. I’ve never had so many people concerned about my safety. Every email finishes with ‘Stay safe’. OK, I’ll no longer play with my crossbow, thank you.

Mikey Robins’ new book Reprehensible: Polite Histories of Bad Behaviour (Simon & Schuster, $29.99) is out now.