E512 Ed Sheeran

Theo Von
This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Whether you're selling a little or a lot, Shopify helps you do your thing. However you cha ching from the launch your online shop stage all the way to the we just hit a million orders stage. No matter what stage you're in, Shopify's there to help you grow. Sign up for a dollar one per month trial period@shopify.com.

specialoffer. All lowercase. That's Shopify.com specialoffer. I have some new tour dates to tell you about. I will be in Long Beach, California, July 10.

Los Angeles, California, July 11. Bethel, New York, July 31. Albany, New York on August 1. Get your tickets early with code ratking starting Tuesday, June 25 at 10:00 a.m. local time.

General on sale starts Wednesday, June 26 at 10:00 a.m. local time as well. We have shows in Salt Lake City June 30, Las Vegas, July 5 and 6th, and Bangor, Maine, August 9, as well as every other city that's on the tours. Everything is still all good to go. You can get tickets@theovon.com tour.

And thank you guys so much for the support. Today's guest is one of the biggest musicians in the world. He's won all the awards. He's set attendance records everywhere. He's celebrating the 10th anniversary of his album multiply.

We get to catch up right here in London in his bar, Birdie Blossoms. And I'm grateful for his time. Today's guest is Mister Ed Sheeran. Shine that light on me I'll sit and tell you my story shine on me and I will find a song I will sing it.

Ed Sheeran
Who's been your least favorite guest? Least favorite? Oh, this guy. He was like a money guy. Oh, Wolf of Wall street.

Oh, yeah. Jordan Belfort. Jordan Belfort. Yeah. I just didn't like his inner, like, I don't know.

Theo Von
He seemed like a con artist, and he wouldn't kind of say yes. It was like, you watched the movie, though, right? Yeah. He seemed like a cool con artist.

Like, certainly one of the better. You're right. That's a good point. I guess he's kind of like Jesse James, maybe, in a way, like one of those wild guys. Yeah.

Ed Sheeran
So what are you doing in London other than shows? That's it, man. Yeah. Just came over to you guys country to do shows, man. I love that you flew from Manchester.

Theo Von
Oh, yeah. It's like, because there's a train from central Manchester into central London. So you would have driven out of central Manchester, flown to out of central London and then. Got it. It's such a long trip.

Ed Sheeran
Could have just taken an hour and a half train. Really? Yeah. Oh, damn. I didn't even know that.

No, no. Life hacks. Yeah, that's it. Yeah, I didn't. Damn.

Theo Von
I probably would have been faster. Way faster. Yeah. Way, way, way faster. Yeah.

I mean, yeah. I'm actually. I'm genuinely feeling bad about that right now. No, it's all right. It's all right.

Ed Sheeran
Planets in crisis, is it? More flights? That's true. We'll do it that way. Good to see you today, ed.

Nice to be. Nice to see you, man. Nice to see you. Thanks for coming here as well. Thanks for making the effort to come here.

Theo Von
You're welcome. This is birdie bottoms, but. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah.

Ed Sheeran
Birdie bottoms. Birdie bottoms. And how do you know if the bottoms are not. So it's blood, so it's blossoms. It's basically.

Theo Von
Oh, sorry. I'm very sorry. My manager's wife is called Liberty. My wife is called cherry. And me and my manager set this bar up.

Ed Sheeran
And. Blossom for cherry, Bertie for liberty. Birdie blossoms. Oh, I love it. Yeah.

Gives us an excuse to come drink it. Oh, yeah, I bet. Um. Dude. And.

Theo Von
But sometimes, like, so is this a place where people can meet their wife at? Is that the kind of thing that we're. Yeah, yeah. Or, you know, husband or. Yeah, husband.

Yeah. But do you have, like, a wife husband meeting night? Like a night where it's like, hey, this is then, like, Tuesdays, it's like, spout all you can. Spouse. Yeah.

Ed Sheeran
They come in and they chuck the keys in, and then it's just a massive orgy. Well, huge. That's. I mean, that went a little far, but, yeah, I was just thinking, like, it gets a meet somebody. Do you know what I.

When I come here, I come in. This is this back room, and that's kind of it. Yeah. I don't really. I don't really know.

Theo Von
Maybe. Yeah, maybe. You never know. Just kind of relax. Yeah.

Ed Sheeran
This is where, like, if I'm having, like, a dinner or a meeting with someone, it will usually be back here. You can sort of, like, drink what you want, smoke to stay as long as you want. It's. It's. It's cool at birdie blossoms.

Theo Von
Yeah. Blossoms, yeah. Yeah. Sorry, I got it wrong, man. It's been a layout.

Some of the exchange rate on the language has been tough. Yeah, I liked that. When I arrived, you kept calling me, like, cheers, mate. Nice, mate. Oh, yeah.

Ed Sheeran
Yeah, it's good. Yeah, I've been trying to get with it, man. I, um, I lived in Nashville for a couple of years and I got the, I got the drool, I think. Yeah. Being there.

Yeah. I owned a cowboy hat. Oh, wow. I had a camouflage hoodie as well, so. Yeah.

Theo Von
You really. Did you guys hunt anything? Do you know? I. So I lived on a lake for the first year and I bought a fishing rod from Walmart.

Ed Sheeran
Cause I was like, I'm gonna go fishing. I'd never been fishing before. And I sat, I threw it in and then after about an hour, my mate came up and was like, have you put bait on it? And I was like, I didn't know. You were gonna do that.

So I just sat with a fishing. Wait, really? In the lake? Yeah. Fan of mine, fishing.

I just assumed a fish would, like, swim past and catch the hook. I don't know. I'd never fished before, you know, it wasn't something that I'd grown up doing. You gotta put something on there. I know that now.

Theo Von
Yeah. Yeah, I know that now. Wow. I've never heard of anybody doing that. Would you?

Maybe a child or something or a blind fella. Well, I feel like in some ways I am quite, I feel like you, your age freezes the age that you become famous. I think so. I think in some ways I am still a teenager. Yeah.

Ed Sheeran
Yeah. Oh, that's interesting. Yeah, I think it's like, and I think some creative people just grow, they kind of grow up slow. I feel like, in a way. Well, you sort of don't have the same, I don't know, brutal life lessons.

I guess when I was, like, I moved to London when I was, like, 17 and I was having regular brutal life lessons of just like, no, this is what the real world is. And then I think one year I started doing, well, about 20, about 1920. And then you sort of like, if you make a mistake, it's, it's kind of all right, you know? You know, you don't have, like, the brutal real life lesson, I guess, when. You'Re doing, when life is when you have, like, a success and stuff going on.

Theo Von
Is that what you mean? Kind of? Well, yeah, I mean, you will know this with, with comedy. Like a brutal life lesson of, like, it's not going to be easy, is bombing or playing to an empty room or blah, blah, blah. That kind of stops happening when you have success.

Ed Sheeran
There's definitely, you have peaks and troughs in your career where people are more interested or less interested, but you don't have the, like, I don't know. I don't think you have as many normal life lessons. You still get quite abnormal life lessons, I think because in the sort of celebrity sphere it can be quite abnormal. But you don't have the, like, I don't know, regular stuff. Yeah.

Does that make sense? Yeah, I think it does, dude. I don't. I am the worst person to ask if something makes sense or not, to be honest with you. Yeah.

Theo Von
Every time people ask. My mates are so excited that I'm doing this today, by the way, who is all of my friends. Yeah, the guy that. There's a guy living at our house at the moment and he was like trying to get off work to just come down and just say hi. Oh, and just mill around like a loitering, they call it.

Ed Sheeran
Yeah. Yeah. I think you guys loitering must be a british thing, huh? Cuz we wouldn't say that. Loitering.

What would you say? We'd be like? Oh yeah, stalking. Yeah. Well, stalking is more like once you've loitered and you see something in the window, you know, you see something.

Theo Von
You see a bit of tits in the distance or something, but yeah, that's stalking. Yeah. Yeah. And then it's breaking and entering, you know, and then it's marriage usually. If you have a way with words, I think, but yeah, I think.

Ed Sheeran
Are you married? Loitering sounds very british. No, no, I'm not married. I would like to be kind of. I guess you have to loiter more for that to happen.

Theo Von
Yeah, I need a bit more loitering. Yeah, I need to bring the binoculars, you know, maybe bring a Red Bull. That's the loiterer. You gotta really be aware of the Red Bull loiter. Small sips.

Small sips. I haven't had red Bull in years, man. Oh, probably good for you. Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Ed Sheeran
There was a time when I was doing like loads and loads of like breakfast tvs and radios and stuff like that. It used to be those massive monster. Drinks when you were touring, like to get your singles out there and stuff like that. You used to kind of like have to turn up at like 03:30 a.m. to a german weather program to play 30 seconds of your new single.

So like those. Those stages. Yeah. Chance of rain, but chance of Ed Sheeran. I remember so so clearly playing.

I got up at like, if they were doing it in some like theme park in the middle of Germany and it was just obviously empty because it was like 04:00 a.m. yeah, playing on this thing on this weather program. And then I can see the credits rolling underneath me, like, 10 seconds in, and I'm like, am I the fucking play out music? And then they just stopped it. So I played 10 seconds of my new single, basically.

Oh, yeah. God. Germany. Germany was a tough market for me for a while, and then. And then the egg was cracked, and now.

Now we're good. You think they'd take a look at you and be like, oh, he could be one of us, you know? I feel like you look like a closet German. Is that fair to say to somebody I don't even know? I'm just Lloyd.

No, I think. I think, well, the red hair is more celtic, so I'd say either scottish or irish. Or like, the. The Norwegians, I think, would look at me and be like, you want there's some viking. You've got a bit of Viking in you.

Theo Von
We'll take em. Yeah. Yeah. I might have a little bit, like, you'll see me in, like, the frozen food area, kind of, like, in the store, you know? Yeah, I'll mill about in there, you know, kind of loiter, you know.

Ed Sheeran
What's your background heritage? Have you got european? I'm polish. Yeah. Nicaraguan.

Theo Von
Right, cool. My dad was from Nicaragua. His parents met down there and he was born there. And then my mother. I don't know, dude.

But wherever she's from, they have some real one of a kind type ladies. Do you have rage in you? Are you. You an angry guy? You seem a very chill guy.

Ed Sheeran
Can you have an argument with someone? Uh, yeah, I don't know if I have an argument. I, like, have kind of trouble processing my feelings, so I'm like that. I'm always, like, the start and stop with, you know, I'm like, the guy who, like, can't get, like, the gear shift to work or something. You're watching that guy drive, you know, I'm, like, a student driver.

Yeah, yeah. When it comes to my feelings. Do they have student drivers here? Yeah, yeah. I didn't learn to drive until I was 24 because, like, as I said with the train thing, public transport here is actually really, really good.

So I never learned to drive and then, mate, on my first driving test, so I'd learn. I was learned to drive for, like, eight. Eight months. And on the first test, I failed because I was going around a roundabout and my mum called me to see if I passed the test, and I just quickly took it and, like, cancelled the call. And.

And then the driving instructor was just like, you've just failed to test for that. And she was ringing to see if I'd done well. Yeah, I failed. God, dude, that's when you got to just. Yeah, that's kind of the time.

Theo Von
I'm glad my mom didn't care that much. Yeah. You know, because. Yeah, I passed you, probably. But Americans can drive from, like, 16, right?

But they shouldn't all be allowed to drive. And they'll. Do you think american drivers, man, like, when I'm over there, I'm like, this is fucking sketchy. They drive to kill you. Yeah, they drive.

Ed Sheeran
I sort of feel like here we have to learn how to, like, parallel park and do all these other things. I think in America, it's like, can you reverse good. Yeah. Past. Yeah, well, it's.

Theo Von
I think people are America. Just anything can be a weapon there. You know? It's like, so what have you got hidden under your bed? What's your weapon?

Ed Sheeran
Oh, weapon of choice. I've probably couple knives. A lot of my kitchen knives are in my room. Cool. Kind of strategically placed or whatever, you know, like, oh, I'll be here.

Theo Von
I need a knife. And younger kids, they're not, like, reaching under the bed and finding a huge no no. And I go, small blade kind of, you know, I'm more of a. You know, I think I'd be more. Terrified of you with a kitchen blade.

Than a. Yeah, I'm more of a chef than, like, a hatchet guy. You know, I'm more like a. I'll julian a burglar. But have you got a meat cleaver in the bedroom?

Ed Sheeran
That would be terrifying, seeing you running down a corridor fully naked with a meat cleaver. Yeah, dude. Especially if somebody thinks they want. If somebody orders a small sauce, dude, because I'll frigging cut one up right there. It'll be out of business in a moment.

If you had a home invasion and you had a meat cleaver in that, that would be far more terrifying. Oh, I would yell, I have a meat cleaver. That's the first thing I would yell at them.

Theo Von
I think that would be something else, dude. What was something I was gonna tell you. Oh, what was I thinking? Yeah, dude. I don't know.

A ton. I know some british music. We've had a nice time over here. We went to Ireland. Not Britain, though.

And not. That's not Britain. No. And if you make that mistake in Ireland, they will boo you. They don't.

Yeah. If you say. If you say, it's good to be back in the UK, you will get booed there. But if you say, fuck England, they will cheer. Yeah, I will, actually.

Ed Sheeran
If you say that in Wales, Scotland. And Ireland, they'll cheer. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Especially now, like, Scotland now in the. In the euros.

So I played the euros launch, whatever. On Wednesday, I was in Germany, and. It'S a euros launch. What is the football game? Footballs?

Yeah. Okay. Soccer. Footballs. And I made the decision to wear an England shirt on stage in Germany, and it was mostly german and scottish fans because that's the first game.

Didn't. Didn't go down hugely well. Yeah. But then I was like, I'm not going to wear a german shirt because that's posing. Yeah.

I got given, like, five german shirts before the show as well, to, like, take pictures with and blah, blah, blah. And I was like, I'm just not gonna wear these. Yeah, yeah, yeah. People get so competitive about that kind of stuff, man. Um, who's your football team come, like, who's.

Who are you supporting in the euros? You've got to, like, subscribe to some of it because it's the. Probably Scotland. Probably, yeah. They're playing today.

Playing Germany today. Of course they are. If they. If they beat Germany. Yeah.

That's a big, big party in Scotland. Oh, they don't have a chance, I don't think. But, no, you would be surprised. You'd be. Anything can happen.

Theo Von
I hope that they win, too. We lost to Iceland the other day. Oh, God. Yeah. And they don't even have green grass, do they?

That's fucking unbelievable, dude. I mean, that's a bit of a sad thing. I like it, though. I like the unpredictableness of football. I find, like, american sport.

Ed Sheeran
I find really. I love watching american sport, but there's no penalty for being bad. You just get given more money in first draft. So you have your teams, and then if someone's bad, they go to the bottom, they get first draft. They can get better again here.

If you're bad, you're out the league. You're just out. And you go into a league that's not on television, and you have to fight to get back up into the league that's on television. And if you're bad in that league, you go to a lower league. My football team, like, for the past six years, have not been on television at all.

We were in the third division two years ago, and we've just finally got back up to the Premier League. But it's more exciting. It's unpredictable, whereas, like, I'm a big Tennessee Titans fan and they're kind of always here. Yeah. You know, they're pretty mid.

Theo Von
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But you know what? Even in the game itself, I didn't realize that till you just said that. It's more unpredictable in the game. It's like with soccer, like, you can get the ball back in a moment.

Ed Sheeran
Yeah. So you could suddenly be an offense, but on. In the NFL, it's like. It's very tactical. Yeah.

Theo Von
You know, it's gonna be a little while before you get the ball back, you know, and then there's gonna be. And if you drop your guard in soccer for five minutes, your team can be like, there was one. One World cup that was in Brazil, and Brazil were arguably the best team at that time, and Germany ended up beating them seven one just because there was, like, 20 minutes of them letting their guard down. Yeah, that was. That was insane, bro.

I remember that. I was in Vegas, actually, when I. When I was watching it. That's where I met you. In Vegas.

Ed Sheeran
Yeah. Yeah, man, that was crazy night. Fucking. What was that, cuz? Like, the chase hookers were just supposed to be performing, right?

I had gone. I was doing my final tour show, so we basically were meant to play. Play the allegiance stadium in August, and we'd set up our whole state. We. I have an in the round stage, and we have these massive pylons that basically hang up all the speakers and screens and stuff like that.

And it's weighted, so everything has to be exactly the same weight. And in a regular stadium, it's a concrete floor. You put them in, they stay there. We didn't realize that allegiance stadium didn't have a concrete floor. I don't know where that misalignment happened.

But anyways, we put it in. It has a rubber floor, and the stage was slowly slipping. And these are, like, tons and tons and tons and tons of steel would have fallen on people. So we had to cancel the gig 20 minutes before it started. And Vegas isn't a place where, like, people, like, 80,000 people that live in Vegas are gonna go.

People had flown in, they got hotels and. So hot. It was like, one of the worst days on tour. It was just. It was grim.

So we rescheduled the allegiant stadium gig for then. So that was my final show of the tour. And, yeah, we got pretty fucking lit up afterwards. And that's where I saw you. I kind of.

I know the chain smokers. So I sort of turned up, and then. Yeah, they're great. Kind of turned into karaoke. Yeah.

I was sort of thinking if you'd spent money on, like, a vip table that night to see the chain smokers, and then suddenly just. There's drunk me on stage in a Avengers mask. And here's the thing, man, people knew it was you. Okay? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Theo Von
I think at first I was very. Aware that, like, I was just wearing the mask. Cause they were wearing. Okay, it was Halloween, remember? It was Halloween.

Yeah, yeah. Let's say that. To get. So do you know. Do you know those guys?

Yeah, I just know him from, like, seeing him at different shows and being around them and stuff like that. But their energy is always fun and good, you know, and, like, I just love getting to spend time with them. Their shows are always fun. Like, I go to their show. Sometimes I'll go to Diplo when I go to Fred again recently.

I like going to see what some of the dj's are like, you know, but then you got up and it seemed like you were going to maybe do one song and I was, well, how are they going to get. Are they going to go, like, a little bit more ballady? What are they going to do? And then by, like, four songs later, it's just. It's a.

It's your show, man. That was it, dude. Four songs later and it's just a. It's an Ed Sheeran. People are just kissing and there's doves and stuff.

Suddenly. Where the. Where'd we get a bunch of fucking doves? You know, there's like. It was very.

It was very interesting. I felt like people were making wishes and stuff and hugging their grandmothers. Are you gonna go to any of the World cup games in 26? In America, I probably will. And that's soccer.

Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah. I'll probably get over to some of them. Our soccer has been pretty bad, man.

Our country's going through a lot. I'll be honest with you. It's one of the reasons why I'm over here. Have you not noticed? Ours is too.

Ed Sheeran
Like, I feel like. I feel like english people and Americans, they always. They're like, oh, do you know what? The other place is better, and then you go to other places like us, kind of. I feel like the world is going through quite a lot.

Like, we, we travel a lot and it's like election time all around the world. And everywhere I go, I'm like, oh, it's kind of the same here as well. I feel like everyone is going through a shift of. Oh, that's a good point, you guys. Elections are happening right now, huh?

Yeah, yeah, it's pretty, pretty bonkers. Some of the shit that's coming out. Like, it's like you're sort of watching these interviews being like, does your, like, brain connect to your mouth? It's like, I sometimes feel like people don't want to get elected, but they're saying stuff to just be like, now I'm done, man. I'm done.

It's mad. Well, I'm sure you probably, there's probably times you get halfway into something, you're like, I don't know about this. Like, people get stage fried at the altar all the time. Sometimes. Or sometimes you'll buy something at the market and you'll put it back on the, like, with the gums or the candies or something.

Theo Von
You'll put, like, just a pack of, like, sausages back there or something. So I think that there's, if there's. Knocking, there's someone doing work next door. By the way, as long as it's not an indentured servant, I think we're good. You know what I'm saying?

Just because Britain's had their history. But, and I'm not saying America didn't polish it up a little, but we've all, you know, we've all sinned a little, or we didn't, but forefathers definitely, you know, had some crazy plans, but, yeah, dude. But, yeah, it's nice to be over here. I like, so, like, I listen to James Blake. I like his music a lot, you know, so I'll listen to some James Blake and, oh, yeah, I'll listen to Fred again.

What other kind of, I'm trying to think of british music do I listen to? Um. Oh, nice day for a wide wedding. Oh, cool. Yeah, that guy, you know?

Ed Sheeran
Uh, no, I don't. I mean, I know the song. I don't, I don't know him. Um, first start again. Who's your every little sister?

Theo Von
Maybe that's not the lyric. That's your NFL team then. Oh, sorry. I'm a saints, New Orleans Saints fan. Are you from New Orleans, then?

Yeah, that's where I'm from, out of Louisiana. So why move to Nashville? Well, I lived in LA for a while, and then Nashville was open during the pandemic. Yeah, yeah. You could do what you want.

You could, like, you know, spit. You could spit on people and they were still okay with it, you know, like, so it definitely, like, the good. Criteria is a move to a town. Can I spit on people? Or, you know, you could touch, you know, you could just, you know, I mean, you couldn't even.

Yeah. It just. That mask. When you think about what the mask. It just like, you could.

I will say this, though. You could look at somebody and kind of lick your lips in a way that you wouldn't normally be able to. And that's something I miss, you know, just being point blank. I like the fact I can move. I really love public transport, and I can move around easier now since COVID because wearing a ski mask is not seen as creepy.

Yeah. People just. You're just sort of in a schema. Oh, that's a good point. You're just still in one.

Yeah, yeah. Every now and then. Yeah. If I go in the airport now, and I'll just wear, like, one of those long neck ones, you know? Yeah.

And I definitely feel like, oh, people are like, who's the weirdo still with the neck and the glasses and the hat? And I'll even put a wig on sometimes and like, who the hell is this lady? Good idea. Yeah. Trying to get some aid or whatever.

Ed Sheeran
Dressing up as Santa Claus. When I went to the supermarket at Christmas, because I was like. I was like, I really need to go and get Christmas supplies. But the supermarket's obviously really busy at Christmas, and I'm not like, I don't. I don't blend in that well.

And I was like, if I dressed up as Santa Claus, maybe that'd be fine. Oh, yeah. Walk in, get your Christmas supplies. Everyone's like, santa's here. You know?

Theo Von
Did I see that? And there's no way I saw you sharing a Santa Claus buying bagels. Did you see that fighter that looked like you the other day? It was like, on a UFC fight or something. Oh, my God.

Ed Sheeran
Yeah. Well, I mean, I thought it was your brother. Well, he is a lookalike. He's. Oh, he is.

Did you not see the thing where there was the Floyd Mayweather. No. The KSI Logan Paul fight, and I was like, I was ring sized, but it was this. This lookalike and that. Some youtubers had done a thing where they were like, let's try and fool them.

And they got this lookalike. And Eddie Hearn essentially just gave my lookalike ringside tickets, and he was only. The only way that he was found out was Justin Bieber turned up and was like, that's not it. Wow. And, yeah, but, yeah, I did see it.

I did see it. Did you see the Eddie hall one? No, I didn't see it. What is it? Can we watch?

Can we get the Eddie hall one up? Because, look, I just. The other night, I was going through on TikTok or something the other night. So this is the same. Same falls up, you know, just go.

On the shorter one, like the real down. Oh, sorry. The shorts just down there. Yeah. One of them.

Just two on one. Oh, my gosh. Huh? Enter those. The island boys.

What? Jedwin? Who's he beating? Other who?

Theo Von
That guy's Irish for sure. The one he talks.

Oh, my God. Just. That was the same thing. That was the same night. I think, that my lookalike was in the fight.

Well, this is what it's coming to. That's good. Boys we get. I don't think this is what it's coming to. No, Ed, I'm just gonna let you know.

This is the kind of thing that it's coming to. People are gonna. You're gonna have, like, you know, freckled stepmother versus, like, you know, gambling addict. Vietnamese or something. You know, it's kind of.

It's getting. That's. We're all gonna be bet. It's just constant betting. I think you can feel it coming up in the world.

Ed Sheeran
It's like, would you do one of them.

Theo Von
Against a male or female, you think?

Ed Sheeran
Against Caleb? Oh, against Caleb Presley? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Theo Von
Oh, man. You and him both have the mischievous look in your eyes all the same time. So that's how you guys could be related. I had a good night with Caleb. Did you?

I was just with him in Lisbon yesterday. My friend got married and we went to Lisbon. I went over there to see him. Caleb came to a show in Dublin and then we went over there. It was really cool.

Lisbon's amazing. Lisbon is amazing. Lisbon's amazing. Oh, Caleb's great, though, dude. He's very smart, mischievous.

He likes to like. Who do you think wins between me and Caleb? Yeah, that's a great question. You and him both get in a cage, you put on those little gloves. But how little the gloves.

Here's what I think you should do. Gloves that are way too small. Not just gloves that are, like, weighted gloves, but, like, extra small. Yeah. And then your hands are like this, you know?

And then you have to fight like, oh, dang. Did you ever fight at school? Did you do wrestling and stuff? I've gotten beat. I got beaten a decent amount as a lad.

I remember. I remember at our school, if you got in a fight during school, this is what they made you do. You had to stand in the hall, whoever you fought, and you had to put your hands on each other's shoulders for the rest of the day and just be there and looking at each other and talking. So by the end of the day, you were friends with whoever you fought, you know, and all the kids would come down the hole between class and call you a wanker or whatever, you know? Or.

Ed Sheeran
You know, that sounds actually quite a good way to solve problems. I thought it was. Yeah. Cause it was. No, by the end of the day, you.

Theo Von
You had to make each other laugh or figure out what went on, and. You realize that, like. Yeah, you're probably similar. Yeah, well, you certainly didn't, like. Didn't hate each other both at the end of the day.

Yeah. Or. And if you thought the guy was a bully, you got to kind of figure it out with him, or. And you work out why he was being a bully or lashing out. Right.

What was going on? I thought it was just kind of an interesting program, man. Yeah. I don't have a wife, but I'm probably gonna get one one of these days. And so do you think it's hard?

Cause you're, like, the love. Like, a lot of your songs have, like, a lot of love in them, you know, and so is it hard to still be like, does your wife ever feel like, oh, you write all the good songs for the whole world? No. I think, you know, we went to. We went to high school together, so we've known each other 22 years now, and all of our mates are the same friends, so we're like.

Ed Sheeran
We have, like a little Suffolk cohort, and it's. She's very. She's very comfortable with. She's known me through everything, so she's not like. There's not really any self consciousness that comes through it, I guess.

And we are. Which. I mean, with each other, all that. I'm going to see her after this to have a little. Little break.

But, like, yeah, we're with each other all the time, so we talk. We talk a lot. I find that small. Lots of. Lots of little.

Small, uncomfortable conversations, save arguments. So you just, like, if anything ever comes up and we'll just sort of nip it in the bud there rather than let, like, resentment build. Yeah, I struggle with that sometimes, man. Yeah. I'll just.

Theo Von
I want to try and. Yeah, I don't know. Sometimes I can feel like, right now, you should probably say this. That way everything will be smooth. And there's a part of me that's like.

Ed Sheeran
And then you just have to be like. And just say it. And then it's actually. It's actually fine. I'm I kind of do that with, like, everyone.

I'm just trying try to be, like, as honest as possible at all points. And then there's not really. You kind of see it as, like, bricks in a backpack. Like, you. You've got loads of bricks in your backpack.

And if you can take a brick out quickly, it just lightens the load. So it's just getting the bricks out. Yeah. You know? Yeah.

Theo Von
Gosh, I wonder how many relationships for years, husbands and wives just sit on their words. You know what I'm saying? I think a lot go through every. And just sitting on a fuck for a sentence and then suddenly that sentence. Running at you with a meat cleaver.

Yeah. And just serving the last sausage brother in the dark hallway. Yeah. Like a good man over there in Leeds or wherever. What's the most dangerous place to be around here?

Ed Sheeran
Here. I'd say every. Every area of London has literally everywhere area is sketchy. Like, I think that you cannot be anywhere. I love that.

Yeah. It's not like a segregated city. There's like, it's very. Everybody's scared. No, I mean, the nice areas are sketchy, the bad areas are sketchy.

But you just have to not do stupid shit. Like, if you. If you wander around with, I don't know, like a Louis Vuitton duffel bag and a 200 grand watch. Yeah. You are going to get robbed.

Like, but, but just don't do that. Yeah, don't do it. Yeah, I think. And y'all's robberies all have clues and stuff. That's what I like about London, clues.

Theo Von
Or, like, if, you know, if there's something that happens, it's like, oh, he is a clue, you know, and the detectives or whatever, then they're hot on your trail. That's what I. Look, that's one of, like, I think the things that, like, you guys cut off the. Everything that you think about England is based on movies and, like, because it's the way that I used to view America as well. I used.

Ed Sheeran
I remember going, I was. My wife went to Duke and we went back to. My mother went to Duke. Oh, good. Good university.

But I remember we were in town for something and we were driving past the frat houses and I was like, I've never been to a frat party. Should we just knock on the door of one of them and they'll be having a frat party like the movies. And, like, cherry was like, yeah, I guess so. They're a bit. It's not like that vibe.

And I, we went up I knocked on the door. One of them opened the door and was like, why are you knocking on our door? And then we went in, and it was just, like, three dudes and one guy who had his face super glued to the floor, and it was, like, not the vibe. And I was like, this isn't like the movie. Like, he was just literally, like, this face super glued down, and they were just like, yeah, we don't really know.

Theo Von
Yeah, well, you get hard to get that guy up, I bet. And then. Yeah, there are this in there manufacturing rehypenols or something like that. A GHB or whatever. A lot of homemade GHB in those areas.

But, yeah, it's not. It's not like. It's not like the movies. Yeah, it's not. Yeah.

Nothing's kind of ever like, I don't know, like, even today, we pulled up in a nodding hill, and I was like, we're gonna be in love, or whatever. Yeah. You know, is quite. This is quite, like, if you're talking about, like, nice areas, it just seemed. Romantic, you know, like, you'd meet, like, you know, paddington Bear is having a coffee with a woman or something over there.

Ed Sheeran
You know, like, bestiality. Yeah. Caffeine fueled bestiality, dude. That's how new. Have you ever done?

Theo Von
Have I ever. No. Have you ever considered a collab with Paddington bed yet? You know what? I would love to do a kids movie now.

Ed Sheeran
Now that I have children, I'd love to do some. Some form of animated something with. With music. I don't know if it's Paddington Bear or. Yeah, something famous british bear.

Theo Von
Isn't he very fit? Well, he's actually from. Where's Paddington Bear from? Peru. Yeah, he's from.

Ed Sheeran
He's from. Well, but in the. In the book, he's from Peru. He travels over to England. He's obsessed with jet.

Is it jam sandwiches or peanut butter? Was he allowed to stay after Brexit, or was he. Well, this is, mate, this is. So I have an irish passport, and you can only spend 90 days in Europe if you're english. So I was like, I have the irish passport.

I can tour more in Europe, but none of my crew can spend more than 90 days there. And it used to be Brexit. I think everyone has agreed that Brexit didn't work, and I don't. I think there will be a time where we will try and backtrack it a little bit and get back into Europe. But, yeah, it's, uh.

It was one of the. It was such a divisive thing at the time. Oh, it was. Yeah, it was like, 50% of the country thought we should leave. 50% of the country thought we should stay.

There's a very, very, very small margin that we left. And I feel like the people that voted leave now are, like, actually wasn't the best idea. We should have stayed. Yeah. That's how we're feeling.

Theo Von
I think after the Mayflower and everything. I think we might build another mayflower. What is the Mayflower? The ship that we left on a long time ago. Right.

And we might. When you say we, a lot of people. Yeah, I think a lot of people are going to be coming back. Yeah, I really do. Like, we might build a June flower, July flower.

I don't know. We're going to build one month. We're going to build a big boat, and I think we're coming back. Cool. I just don't think it's panned out as well as we expected over there.

It's just gotten kind of like, a lot of the tradition, I think, is disappearing in America, and maybe that's good. Like, sometimes you just don't. I think that's the scary thing about when tradition goes away. What is the. Cause?

Ed Sheeran
I see America is, like, lots and lots and lots of traditions and cultures. What is the one central tradition that Americans can agree on? That's a good point, I think. Or maybe we're just in a phase where there isn't really that. Right.

Theo Von
And so that feels like. But you still. Scary. You'll still celebrate July 4 and stuff like that. That's like, everyone will celebrate that, right?

Ed Sheeran
Mmm. Some people now are seeing it as it's like, a bad thing, you know, like. But then it's not like we. It's like I turned up to my 1st July 4 in a red coat. Did you?

Yeah. Let's go. And. And a flag. Because I was like, in the UK flag.

We're coming back. Yeah. Yeah. Captain Jack. What is it?

Union Jack. Union Jack. The flags are weird over here as well, because I don't think you can fly flags unless the football's on. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. If somebody's fine without the football, like, oh, that guy's.

Theo Von
Yeah, he's not doing as well. He's scottish. And no offense, if anybody's scottish, dude, a lot of people are saying it's not even real. It's just a glitch on the map. But that is.

I don't know. Sometimes your body feels good, but guess what? It could feel a little better. Elevate every morning with Tommy John second skin underwear. What you put in your pants can make or break your day, and the luxurious support of second skin guarantees everything will go smoothly.

Tommy John's stylish and soft second skin underwear has dozens of comfort innovations, like a supportive contour pouch and breathable, lightweight, moisture wicking fabric with four times the stretch of competing brands. Wowie. Tommy John's is good. If you like feeling like, hey man, my skin feels fancy today. Everything feels good.

Everything feels right. That's Tommy John. Get 20% off your first order right now@tommyjohn.com. theo save 20% on second skin@tommyjohn.com. theo tommyjohn.com theo.

See site for details. We all know there are things in life that you have to compromise on, but when it comes to your health, there is no compromise. So don't go back to that one doctor who uses your appointment to catch up on the latest headlines or, or flirt with you or just kind of waste your time. Instead, check out Zoc Doc, the place where you can find and book doctors who will make you feel comfortable, listen to you and prioritize your health. And you can search by location, availability and insurance.

So literally no compromise is here because with Zocdoc you've got more options than you know. Zocdoc is a free app and website where you can search and compare highly rated in network doctors near you and instantly book appointments with them online. Wow, that's pretty cool because a lot of times when I'm looking for a doctor, it's so confusing. To use my own insurance website, go to zocdoc.com theo and download the Zocdoc app for free. Then find and book a top rated doctor.

Today I've used Zocdoc. I find it more helpful than using my own insurance website, that's for sure. That's zoc doc. Zocdoc.com. t h e o.

Zocdoc.com theo, did. You get to go to like the highlands or anything or try, try where they make scotch? No, we didn't, we didn't get to yet. We didn't get to do a lot of stuff like that. Dude, we've been, you whiskey guy.

Uh uh, I don't, I don't drink right now. Really? Yeah. Cuz I'll buy drugs. Cuz you.

Ed Sheeran
Yeah, I'm mad. So a clue. What's your, what's your drug of choice? Are you like going mad? Prescription?

Theo Von
No, I think my, I guess I'm probably more pretty much a straight cocaine guy, you know, I would guess. Yeah, I would just. I would definitely. Oh, yeah. I will even.

I remember even when I quit doing drugs, I would still. If my buddy of mine was doing a line of cocaine, which I don't recommend to anyone, but I've done it a lot. But I would hold the back of his neck while he did it. Like, that's how close I still wanted to be to the action. And that's very.

The back of your neck is a sentimental place. Yeah, yeah. It's also like. That's quite like I felt if someone grabbed the back of my neck, I'd be like, what is about to happen? Yeah.

It feels. But if they cares, we just ride. Just, you know, just ride sharp, still quiet. There's still a bit of predator in that. I agree.

Okay. It's a really gentle care. That's even worse. The gentle caress on the back of the neck. Oh, yeah.

It's very. Oh, my God. Just the loitering of the hand just. It's like riding shotgun on a line of cocaine, really, in a way. And it's.

Yeah. But, yeah, so, obviously, I've. You know. So what. How long you been sober for?

Probably about two years right now. Congrats, man. Thanks, man. Amazing. Appreciate it.

I had a couple years, and it's just. Yeah. Cause I get all squirreled out, you know. I'll be in your yard, boy. You know what I'm saying?

I'll be in your fucking yard. Oh, yeah. I'll be fucking out there. So now, you know, you are the guy with the Red Bull. Definitely.

Oh, I look like I'm making bluetooth or something. I start, you know, getting the jitters. People like, oh, my God, that guy's showing up as a router.

That guy's not doing well, you know? So that's kind of the stuff.

What's a. What's like a. Since you've had. You've been obviously very gifted and had a lot of success and worked very hard. All those things.

What are some stuff as. That you kind of wanted to do and you didn't? Cause touring and stuff takes a lot of time and touring and working, and it's like when you're. I've never been to a water park in my life. Yeah.

Oh. And that's something that I'm like, I'd love to do at some point, but I've never been, ever. And is it because, like, a sunshine thing is like a. No, it's, as I said, like, I got. I left school before school finished.

No. And, no, it's not. That's not. I just. I left.

Ed Sheeran
I went to be a singer. I became a singer. And in that time, I was working just flat out to become a singer. And then I became a singer. And then, because I.

People knew who I was, it sort of limited things that I could do, but I never really did it in that I was so focused on my career that, you know, there were tv shows that were, like, massive cultural phenomenons at the time in my age group that I only discovered, like, five years ago, or, like, I didn't watch any football. I didn't pay attention to this. It was just. So I'm gonna. I'm gonna do this.

So, yeah, there were some things that I missed out on in that time, one of which being a war. It's a silly thing, but it's something that I would love to do. Oh, you should get a bet. You should get a bus full of. I don't want to say ginger men or whatever, and take them to a water park.

Theo Von
Yeah, it would be. And I don't know if that. I hope that's not an offensive term. It's not. Or I think you should get a bus full of.

Ed Sheeran
It's interesting, though, isn't it, the ginger thing? Because it's like, it is the last bastion of racism. You can. No, not. No, no, it's.

But things that you can make fun of. Someone on a tv show picked up, they put a picture of a ginger cat on, and they were like, this cat kind of looks like you. And in my head, I was like, if there was someone fat on this couch and you got up a picture of a fat cat, that would be really offensive. So when does the line start? It stops just right outside of ginger, I think.

I think so, too, with Harley. Well, in America, it stops. The only people you can still make fun of are, like, redneck white people. Yeah. And everybody else is kind of off limits.

Theo Von
So it's like, you know. Yeah, but I support. I've always supported people that are really. Pale with red hair. Yeah, yeah.

They come out with an SPF milkshake. I think you definitely. The. The amount of sort of fun that's made out of you as a kid makes for a good personality. I feel like.

Ed Sheeran
I feel like I have more fun than the pretty kids that grew up with. Oh, yeah, dude. My best friend was the good looking kid. Dude. Oh, no, not him.

Theo Von
He's pretty good looking, too, dude. He also looks like a really hot woman in some countries. Okay. I'm not going to name him, but a lot of slavic areas. He's a.

He's a nine female nine dude, if he. And that's only if he partially shaves, so. But know my buddy Scott, when I was growing up, that's whose wedding I was at, he was, like, the handsomest guy, and he's just got no chat, and he just. He. But, no, he was great.

He was just. But, yeah, I always had to be the other guy. Yeah. You know, and you probably. You feel like you've aged like a fine wine, right?

Mm hmm. I've aged. I've aged. I've aged like a decent provolone, I think. Yeah.

I don't know if I'd say fine one. Yeah, maybe a provolone. I'm sure it ages. Just get moldy, right? You just gotta get tested every now and then.

You know what I'm saying? Keep your ph balance decent. But I was gonna say, are the things you started to do, like, in your career that you started, like, it was another, like, thing you wanted to start to learn, like, learn a language, you know? Like, Joe Rogan told me one day, he's like, when I'm done with doing this job, I want to paint. And I never thought I would hear him say.

I was like, huh? Yeah. Howard Stern paints really, really well. Howard Stern does, like, amazing watercolors. They're like, you see them and you're like, holy shit.

Ed Sheeran
Yeah, dude. Silence of the lambs paints, dude. That guy. What's his name? Anthony Hopkins.

Theo Von
Anthony Hopkins, dude. Bring him up. Oh, wow. He paints. That's amazing.

Stop painting. I paint as well. Oh, really? I didn't actually. At the front of the pub up, there's a painting that I did, but it's less.

Ed Sheeran
It's more. It's more. I just go into a studio with canvases on the floor and just splash loads of color. And when it's done, it's done. But that's more, like, I started doing that when I finished.

I did this tour that ended in 2019, and when it finished, I was like, I don't want to do music for, like, a month, but also I want to carry on being creative and do stuff. So I started painting. Then I learned Italian as well, in that was, like, a thing. I bought a place in Italy, and no one. No one speaks English there, so I was like, I have to learn Italian.

But those are, like, the two things that if I wasn't doing music, I'd like to put more time into and honestly, like, discover. I love movies, discovering new things. Yeah. Like movies, like, different artists albums. Will you listen to something or watch something to sometimes put you in, like, a mood to, like, create your own music, even, or.

My creative process is just basically, like, do it. Like, just get in and do it. And if it's bad, forget about it and move on. So I've tried to be creative every single day, write a song every single day or two songs every single day and not worry about whether it's good or not. Like, not be like.

I feel like some people think that, like, writer's block is a thing where you're like, oh, I can't write songs, but you can write songs. You just can't write good songs. I just, like, keep writing. Get the bad ones out. Exactly.

Yeah. So shape of you was written on a day, and we wrote four other songs that day that no one's really heard, and shape of you came out of that. And if I hadn't written the four bad songs, I wouldn't have got the one good song. So, yeah, yeah. Just a process of just constantly doing it.

But I don't think I've ever really watched. The only movie that I've watched to create something was I did a song for the Hobbit and they showed me the movie and then they went, this is the point where the song comes in and your song has to convey this and bring the audience out of the movie. And it is a point where smaugs go into the big town at the end and he's gonna destroy it and cover it in fire and flames and blah, blah, blah. So they were like, we need you. This chaotic bit and then a calm bit, and you basically taking the audience out of the cinema.

So that was the first time I've been, like, inspired by a movie, I guess. Wow, that's a pretty cool task, huh? Yeah, really cool. And also in that process, you're essentially working in a creative medium that you don't really know anything about. And you're so excited.

Like, I was so geeked out to be working with, like, Peter and Fran and then getting to do the press tour with all of the actors and stuff, and you're suddenly there in a world that you don't really belong in. But it's like. It's like, what? The reason musicians are obsessed with sports players and the sports players are obsessed with musicians. And it's because each can do something that the other can't do, but there's still, like, a level of dedication you have to do to get to that point.

And I love being on the other side of the coin. I went to my foot, like, went to one of the Celtics games the. Other day and being like, Boston Celtics? Yeah. Oh, yeah.

Theo Von
You get in free over there, I'm sure, dude, there's no way. They're like, he made it funny and no judgment, dude. It's all good, man. If I show up. Yeah.

If I show up, like, at a remedial reading center, I fucking get in immediately, you know? Yeah. Yeah. But my point is being on the. Watching it, and I've never really had an appreciation for basketball before.

Ed Sheeran
Cause I've never really, like, I've been to, like, a couple of games, but, like, something clicked on that game, and I was like, this is so exciting, and they're so skilled, and it's so fast, and, like, what I loved about it is, in. In football, if you're losing five nil with ten minutes to go, you've lost. And in basketball, you could be losing, like, by 20 or 30 points with the last two minutes to go. And it just could go, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. And then win.

It's, like, really exciting. Yeah. Who's your basketball team? Um, basketball? No.

Theo Von
I don't know, dude. Actually, I like Caitlin Clark steam. I started following her in college, and I'm. I like. I'll watch her highlights and stuff.

You know, she plays for Indiana fever now. But me and Caleb went to a Iowa Hawkeyes game where she broke the record. Wow. Which was pretty cool, dude. I like.

Ed Sheeran
I like Iowa a lot. We're pretty high. I like Iowa, too, man. You know, in. I played IndyCar in Iowa.

Theo Von
Really? Yeah, I remember. You race or. No, no, I was just playing the gig. I waved the flag.

Ed Sheeran
Not. Not very well. I remember walking. You bring the Union jack to that, and people would get a little to. I think someone there, as I was walking to stage, someone grabbed my arm and looked at me dead in the eyes and was like, welcome to God's country, Ed.

Oh, my God, I loved it. Oh, yeah. That sounds like the ghost of high cholesterol found you, dude. Like in a Charles Dickens novel or something. Damn.

Theo Von
Yeah, I'm trying to think. Oh, yeah, some. I'm trying to think of, um. Yeah. Have you ever gotten asked to go play for, like, a chic or anything over there and, like, a.

In, like, a castle or anything like that or where? Like, in, um, the desert or anything? Uh, no. Uh, probably. Probably my.

Ed Sheeran
Yeah, I've. We get private show requests. My thing is, like, I never want to feel owned. Yeah. Like, I don't want someone to be like, you do this.

You do this because I paid you this. So, like, if I'm ever going to do a private show, it's usually for, like. It's usually for, like, a company's end of year party or something, and they're just like, just do a show. Right? You turn up, you play.

Play the show. But I would feel weird if someone was like, you come and you sing this song at the time that we tell you to sing it, and you just. I like touring. I like playing shows, so I do my shows, and if I'm ever going to do a private gig, it's usually someone just saying, can you just do the show that you do there? But in a smaller place is what I would prefer to do.

Theo Von
Right? Yeah. Not like, yeah, come perform it in this wet cage at 640. Yeah, come and play. Come and play a cover of this song that isn't even your song.

Ed Sheeran
To my daughter while she eats breakfast. Like, I'm not that. That ain't me. Yeah, that's like, kind of. That's almost a very expensive ASMR.

Theo Von
It sounds like, as well. But one time I got offered to go to this place in the Middle east somewhere, and it was like. Like Ludlla Harta or somewhere. Place you hadn't even heard of, right, dude? So it could have just been in New Jersey or whatever, but they were.

And it was like, there was like a chic and you had to be behind a big plexiglass area. You would come in, perform there. He would be eating there with, like, 90 of his girlfriends or whatever. You would perform, and then you lie. Down and he shits on your chest.

There may have been an afters. I'm not sure, brother. I didn't know, but I didn't read the whole fanflit either. But I do know that they were allowed to ask a few questions at the end, and then you got to eat, but you had to stay in this area by yourself through the plexiglass while they all had. And you went, you did it.

Well, they had a great time. I didn't go. And what was the fee for that? The fee was probably $1,500. What is it, like, do you have a private fee?

Ed Sheeran
Like, if someone goes, come play bar mitzvah? Yeah. You have a fee? Yeah. Now I would have a fee for sure.

Theo Von
Because it's like, what else do you want to do with your time? Are you already relaxed and are you going to be missing something that's important? Because now I have to set up time where I'm relaxing. It's like I had to set up time to watch baby reindeer. I had to put it on my calendar.

Good show, you know? God, it was good. I hope they do it again, you know? I'd hate to. I hate to.

For them not to go through it all again, especially the guy kind of. Went, oh, as in do like a sequel show. Yeah. Or just both of them just figure it out. They talk about they are doing a season two, and it's like, from the perspective, isn't there, like, it's the court case or something like that.

Ed Sheeran
Apparently, she's gonna get her side of the story. Yeah. Wow. I can't wait. Well, good, good.

It's balance. Oh, yeah. It's very fair. We need balanced news out there because. Yeah, we, yeah.

Theo Von
I love that lady. That's the crazy thing. You almost start to fall in love with the lady. Mm. You didn't think no, Piers, the way she was talking to Piers Morgan.

Ed Sheeran
Have you done the Piers Morgan show? You know, he just asked me to do it. You gonna do it? I don't know. I don't know.

Theo Von
I don't know enough about. It's hard for me to know what british people are up to. You know, like some cultures, you can kind of get a read on them, and you're like, what's going on? I think Britain's very direct. I think he'd ask you a lot of very direct questions, and you wouldn't.

Ed Sheeran
But you don't strike me as the sort of person that, like, needs to navigate direct questions, so I think you'd be fine. I did his show, like, 2013 when he was on CNN, and I found it a great interview. Yeah, yeah. You enjoyed it? Yeah.

He's, like a research guy, and he doesn't, like, he just asks you the questions that I feel like people would. Want to hear, I think, yeah, 100%, man. Do you feel like you'll make different music since you have, like, a family and stuff now? Does that start to, like. I guess it's kind of a silly question, but it's like I made an.

Album that my fans weren't, like, over the moon about because I feel like I was in quite a happy point of my life. And so the album didn't have much tension. It was just, I made a record, but, yeah, I feel like my, you know, just because I'm married with kids doesn't mean that, like, you don't have tension in your life. I feel like, even more so. There's been things in my life that have happened over the past two years.

So I think the music that I'm making at the moment is more like the music I was making in my early twenties when there was a lot of tension going on in. In my life. But you definitely go through periods of time, don't you? I'm sure you go through periods of time where you're like, things are good. Yeah, I feel quite settled, quite happy.

And then suddenly a bombshell happens and then you have to. Yeah, yeah. So I feel like that's, for me, always creating music. I can see, like, back on my albums, there's like a lineage of, like, this is where I was at this point. This where I was at this point.

And I feel like if all of the albums sounded the same, it'd be boring. Yeah, you have to evolve in some sort. And it's good to have, like, this is the album when I was, like, the album when I made an album in Covid. Quite settled, quite happy. We had our first child and.

Yeah, I listen to that now. And it's not. There's no, like, heartbreak songs on it or sad songs or blah. It's just kind of. It is what it is.

Theo Von
Yeah. Cuz a lot of times it's like, rip my fucking heart out, Eddie, you know? Yeah, I think I'm getting back okay, good on this one. I think that's what we want, man. But.

Ed Sheeran
But this is what you're saying about taking time off. You have to take time off to actually live life. Like, if I'm on the road, I think this is another thing why people who get successful early have their age freeze. Because when I'm on the road, life does just pause. Yeah, because you like today, you wake up, get on a plane, you fly here, we do an interview.

You might go after dinner tonight. You go. There's no, like, actual real life interaction in your actual personal life being lived because you're constantly working. So you'll go back. I always found this.

You'll go back home and you'll press play on your life again, and then you'll be like, holy fuck. So much has happened. How do I keep up with this? Your friend who was dating this person is now not dating this person. You've missed that whole thing.

Your dad might be going through something. You've missed that whole thing right now. Your brother's doing this. It is weird. It's a really great way to say it, too.

Theo Von
Yeah. It's like you just put it on. Pause and you go and do your thing and you come back and you press play on you, but it's like the whole world has been pressing play. Yeah. And I think.

I think everybody can even relate to that too. I mean, going and touring and that kind of thing is a little separate, different. Cause you kind of get taken out of your life almost and then go, and then you just drop right back into your life. Okay, well, like, yeah, even for me, it's like, well, was I dating somebody? Oh, shit.

I never responded. My sister invited me to this, and that thing's over now. And it's like, why? Oh, yeah, just like. And then you look at old emails or sometimes, like, your thoughts, processes will have changed and things you wanted to do and move forward with three months ago, you're like, that's not the thing I need now.

Some things you're glad you didn't move forward with. Some things you're like, oh, dang, I missed out. Yeah, yeah, exactly. But some of that's kind of fascinating. Hey, it's Kayleigh Cuoco for Priceline.

Ready to go to your happy place. For a happy price? Well, why didn't you say so? Just download the Priceline app right now and save up to 60% on hotels. So whether it's cousin Kevin's Kazoo concert in Kansas City.

Go Kevin. Or Becky's bachelorette bash in Bermuda, you. Never have to miss a trip ever again. So download the Priceline app today. Your savings are waiting.

Ed Sheeran
Go to your happy place for a happy price. Go to your happy price price line. When I started podcasting, an online store was one of the furthest things from my imagination. And having a place to sell things or sell t shirts or this or that. And it started off my buddy Ken was making our t shirts in his basement.

Theo Von
And things started to grow. And as the business started to grow, we had to grow. And so did our store. And that's where Shopify showed up to help. From the launch your online shop stage to the first real life store stage, all the way to the did we just hit a million orders?

Stage. Shopify is there to help you grow. And now, thanks to Shopify, our website is able to fulfill the desires of things that people want. If they want a shirt, they want a hoodie, or they want this and that, we're able to meet them where their wants are. And I'm thankful for that.

You can sign up for a $1 per month trial period@shopify.com. slash Theo. All lowercase. Just go to shopify. Shopify.com.

the to grow your business. No matter what stage you're in. Shopify.com theo this episode is brought to you by betterhelp. If you are going through some moments in your life that are troubling or you're not feeling like yourself, or you just can't seem to meet your life where you need to be, then you may need to talk with someone. I've been there.

I do it every week. Therapy is a part of my life. Betterhelp. If you're thinking of starting therapy, give betterhelp a try. It's entirely online.

It's designed to be convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist and switch therapists at any time for no additional charge. When life goes fast, it's important to take a moment. And sometimes you need someone else to help you take that moment. Take a moment.

Visit betterhelp.com theoday to get 10% off your first month. That's better. Help. Help.com t h e o did you ever, like, dude, I'll notice sometimes, like, I get scared to, like, see people in person. Cause I feel like I'm not gonna be able to, like, live up to whoever they think I am.

Does that make sense? Or is that, like, really egotistical thing to think, do you think? No, I think especially, like, the position that you're in and the kind of, like, cultural significance of who you are and what people perceive you to be. I definitely get that because you might be having an off day, and people are like, hey, be the guy. And you're like, right, fuck off.

Ed Sheeran
Like, I just want to, like, chill out. So. Yeah, definitely. But I think that my way of moving through life is always just be, like, always be completely honest of what it is at that point. So I remember being like, I will usually say yes to photographs if I'm with my kids.

I'm like, look, I'm with my kids. I'm trying to be a dad. But, like, sometimes if I'm feeling off, like, my aunt died and I was at a train station and someone was like, being really, you know, like, a fan, and, like, come on. And I was like, my aunt has just died. Please, I just need a fucking moment.

And in. If you are honest like that, people get it. Like, no one's. But if I'd just been like, fuck off. Like, yeah, suddenly it's a thing.

But I think honesty throughout this is what I was saying earlier about just, like, saying truthful things when they come into your brain, it's. People get. People appreciate honesty. I think yeah, that's a good point. And maybe they can feel it too.

Theo Von
That's always the thing. I think that gets weird as you get older. If you even think about telling a lie, sometimes even a small lie, I'm like, it just feels like it's the lies. If you tell lots of small lies, then you then have to keep up on, like, who did I say this to? And who did I do this?

Ed Sheeran
So that's if you go through life and you're. I tell I was a mime, and then you're fucking everybody you meet, you're. Like, now that's it. That should be something that in your spare time, when you're trained to train, you do stuff. If Joe's gonna be an artist, you should train to be a mime.

I would love to see you be a mime fully painted. Just be fucking great. And they're always stuck in the smallest apartment. It's like, first of all, get a better job, you know, and fucking get out of that rat trap. That's what I always think about those guys.

Theo Von
But that's a lost art, isn't it? Miming? Yeah. What else is a lost art, dude? There used to be a lot of mimes, Ed.

Yeah, look, pull that up, dude. How many mimes were there? Probably in 2010 or 2005. Let's fucking go back. Since we have access to all this online and mimes were some of the first mixed people as well.

Nobody wanted to kind of see it like that. I'm not sure there's much records of mimes. Yeah, it's quite a niche subject, theo. It's quite like, yeah, this is another thing. When you are trained to be a mime, you got to make the mime archives, because then we can rely on you to get.

Ed Sheeran
When we google, we're like, theo's got us.

Theo Von
Innit? That's kind of perfect, dude. Yeah. Why don't they have a fucking. First of all, I'll say this about mimes.

They're lazy. I'll straight up say that right now, bro. And mimes, well, magicians are comedians. Arch nemesis, right? And that's been since, like, the beginning of time, dude.

But I'll say this also. Mimes can suck it. I'll go ahead and say that right now, bro. If you're a mime, dude, bring it, bro. I think the day that you learn to be a mime, you'll actually learn a bit of appreciation for it.

Ed Sheeran
You'll be like, actually, this is way harder than I thought. And then you'll be making you make the mime archive. Yeah, that can be. That can be your side hustle. There should be.

Theo Von
Who was the most famous, mom? Oh, well, there was Charlie Chaplin, wasn't there? He's british. Marcel Marceau. Marcel Marceau.

Was he british? No, I think he's french. Yeah, sure. I'm sure the Brits commandeered him.

I'm sure they put a flag on his back at some point and said he was british. Bip the clown, his name was. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Who? Marcel.

Marcel, yeah. Let me look a little bit about him. Marcel Marceau. Can you zoom in on that so I can read that there, brother? You go up to the top.

Marcel Marceau, 22 March. He was born. Oh, he lived for a long time, 2007. Was a french mime artist, actor. Most famous for his stage Persona, bip the clown.

He referred to mime as the art of silence. You know, Mister Bean was kind of like that, wasn't he? The artist, Mister Bean? I think it's fascinating. Well, it's fascinating because he essentially every country understands Mister Bean because there's no talking in it.

Ed Sheeran
I heard a rumor that he, when he did the show, got them to agree to never show it in Italy because he liked holidaying in Italy. So that's the one place that I think they had the movie, but they didn't have the tv show, so it. Wasn'T just constant, so you wouldn't remember him as much. Did you ever get to meet him? There was a period he was going to be in a music video for a bit, so we were actually in touch on email and it was.

I think the idea I had was very vague and I think that was the problem. It wasn't like, this is what it is. This is when it's happening. And it was basically, I was kind of like, would you be interested in this? It might be this.

He was just like, it needs to be more. More solid than that. But we had it. We had a good exchange. The guy who.

I did. Did you watch the movie yesterday? Yesterday? No. No.

Anyway, the guy that made that movie, I mean, I'm in the movie. I put. I play myself in the movie, but the guy that made that movie, who wrote Notting Hill and love, actually, and for weddings, and he wrote Mister Bean, so he's very close with. He wrote. So that was a care.

Theo Von
It wasn't just that guy made it up. No, well, they. They did it together, I think. I think it was a stage show to begin with. So they did a show called Blackadder, which was, I think it's the best british comedy ever.

Ed Sheeran
It's basically hatter Black Adder. And it's set in. It's the same characters but set in different periods of time. So there would be somewhere there in the. Is it the tudor time with.

And then there's one in the georgian time. There's one in World War Black adder one. Oh, Mister Bean's in it. Yeah, he's, he's the main guy. So they did that first and then they did.

Then they did Mister Bean. I need to go back and watch this. Blackadder is like an all time classic. Really? Really.

I watched they, they do a Christmas Carol and that's my, like, Christmas routine as I always watch black out of Christmas Carol. Oh, yeah, yeah. I watch, um, family man. Have you seen that with Nicolas Cage? Cool.

Theo Von
The wife should watch it this year. Got a massive cardboard cost out of Nicolas Cage in my house. Really? Oh, then you'll love it. You should.

Ed Sheeran
I watched Mandy and was just like, I'm sold. I gotta have some of that. Have you seen Mandy? It's fucking bonk. Can you pull up the scene of him?

Just type in Nicolas Cage, Mandy, toilet scene. Mister Bane. What a great man. Wonder if his children are loud and he's like, oh, this isn't what I wanted. Yeah.

Wow, it's a great movie. Yeah. God, that alone, that even just that much of a moment of something that feels so real, that is our political system right now in America. Somebody said that you used to do, like, open go to comedy mics. Did you ever?

Not for me to do comedy, but I used to do it to. Actually, no, I did. Actually, I did a. I used to play with this. They were an improvisational rap group called abandoned.

And he was comedian who rapped and made. He basically would be like, they had a song called what's in your pocket? And he would rap about what was in everyone's pockets and make it funny. So I played with them for a bit, but no, for me, it was more. The scene that I was a part of was very cliquey and very like the cool kids over here.

And I was always part of the misfits. And you would go and play these gigs where everyone on the lineup would have an acoustic guitar and they'd all be singing love songs and I'd just be another one of them, just not as good. I wasn't. I was 17, not 25. I had.

My songs were very, like, rudimentary and, like, not great. And I saw, I found, like, this guy, actually, my best mate Jamal ran a YouTube channel that was primarily rap, and he put me on that channel, and then suddenly there was a whole group of people that were like, oh, we actually quite like this acoustic music. So I would turn up at hip hop nights first, and grime nights and soul nights, and. And I would play, and I would get a better reaction because it was just different. It was something that would stand out, whereas I did not stand out in the acoustic scene, because it was just the same as everyone else.

Theo Von
Interesting. And so. And then I started playing comedy night. Comedy nights, poetry nights. I would turn up at different things.

Ed Sheeran
I used to get roasted whilst the toughest gig I ever, ever played. It was an all black comedy night in central London called the Sunday show. And I was booked for this show. And as I was setting up my guitar, the guy on stage was roasting me, being like, what the fuck is this white kid doing with his tiny guitar? And blah, blah, blah.

And it was probably one of the best gigs of my life. I got on stage instantly. I instantly went into a rap tune. I dropped this song and this song and this song, and the reaction was better than anywhere, because I think people were expecting me to fail, and because I didn't, it was even better. And.

Yeah, and those. I think that is what gave me my first bit of success, my first buzz. The buzz within the kind of grime and rap community in the UK. I think that was the first place I felt welcomed and accepted and celebrated and still. And still is, like, I still feel more love and appreciation.

Theo Von
From the misfits? No, from the. From the grime and rap community. I. Yeah, in.

Ed Sheeran
In the UK. Interesting. Yeah. You know, that's such a good idea, dude. Like, to take whatever your thing is and put it into go to the space that's different, because then you're the different.

It wasn't. To be honest, it wasn't like an idea. It wasn't like a light bulb moment. Where I was like. But even when you say it, though, it makes me think, like, that's it, really.

Theo Von
Like, there's no way you can't help but stand out, right? So, like, think it has to happen organically, though. Cause I feel like if Jamal hadn't put me on his channel, and he put me on his channel, the Sunday show booked me for their comedy night. I did that. And then whilst at the comedy night, it's a very organic thing.

Ed Sheeran
I think had I just turned up at the Sunday show, they'd be like, yeah, and maybe it wouldn't have gone the same way. Right, that's a good point. That's a good point. But, yeah, to change up the environment that you're in and really challenge yourself, that's pretty brave. Yeah, I used to do some black shows, like predominantly black shows in the States, dude.

Theo Von
It was hard sometimes, but when you. Killed it, you killed it. Oh, you killed it, dude. Yeah. And people would stop basically.

Ed Sheeran
Very. But I bet it's either like you kill it or you bomb. There's no in between, there's no like, alright, shows. And when you don't do good in front of a black audience as a white guy, you feel the pain of hundreds of years.

Theo Von
You feel, I mean, my pain traveled all the way back to England in a boat and then got off and experienced more pain. I was like, how much pain is inside of me, dude? I remember tears coming out of like, the inside of my throat and I was like, I didn't know I had tear ducts in my. Is that the worst that you bumped? No, I've fucking bumped pretty good over the years, Eddie.

Yeah, I've had some bad ones. I've had one where you came out. It was like a battle of the bands at a school. You had to come out between all the bands. They didn't know.

They just thought you had to come out in the beginning. They boo me off stage. They don't have to go out six more times, dude. Wow. And every time it just.

I feel like the boot, like my eyebrows started interrupted. But one time the. I was so shocked, one of my fucking eyebrows fell out of my head from like. It's called what makes you appreciate it, though? I feel like anyone had success on stage has had to have been booed, have things chucked at them, have moments.

Where the shock, the trauma. Some girls like, something's on your shirt. It was my fucking eyebrow, dude. Like.

Ed Sheeran
I was like, oh, shit, that's bad. Yeah, so that kind of stuff. To not be able to protect your tear ducts from the window just because you had a bad set, dude, that's the kind of shit that people do that we do not need to be going through. Yeah, I think sometimes the tough parts are like, sometimes I'll drift out of what I'm actually doing when I'm on stage. I don't even know what it is.

Theo Von
It's not like I'm daydreaming, but sometimes you'll just. I don't know, I'll kind of go on autopilot. Not because I want to. It just sort of happens and you have to drop back in, you know. I do that sometimes.

Ed Sheeran
I did that. I do it quite regularly on perfect because it's just because I'm not having to think about what I'm doing with, with my feet. And occasionally I just drop the second verse by accident and I just kind of come to and I'm like, oh, I've just, just not sung the second verse. And the song's now, like, minute and a half long. But you do.

You get in a. There's certain things, I'm sure there's certain routines that you just know so well that your mind just sort of wanders. Yeah. And then how do you make them feel new and to surprise yourself, too, you know? And I think it's good every now.

And then to completely rip up the rulebook of what your performance is and just at it as well. Yeah, that's a good point. Do you, was being a father something that really kind of, like, people talk about it all the time, that it does so much for him? Was it as much of a surprise for you? It seemed like you had a lot of love in your life with your spouse, so it wasn't like a.

Theo Von
Yeah. I think it's, you just selfishness ceases to exist, I think, because suddenly all your decisions are made based on. I've got two daughters now, and it's made based on what's best for them, you know, rather than what's best for me or what best for my wife. And that sort of simplifies life in a way, because you, you, there's not as many questions. It's just like, well, what's.

Ed Sheeran
What's right for these guys and then. Cool. Done. But, yeah, I think, you know, I was a. I was a real party boy.

Like, real, like, I loved getting on it. Oh, yeah. In all aspects, I think. I think probably, like five years ago, me and you would have had a lot of fun together. Yeah.

But I think having kids really, really dialed that down. I stopped drinking spirits. I stopped, like, smoking and doing all these, you know, having wild nights. Like, I don't think I've seen the sunrise since having kids. But obviously, you're sober when you see the sunrise with, with kids.

But I don't, you know, I go to bed at, like, midnight now, even if I'm having. I drink wine and I drink, like, one or two beers. And that's my vice, I guess. We have to be a proper parent. You have it.

Theo Von
You have to be a parent. You have to be a leader or whatever. You have to. Or you have to feed this when it wakes up. Yeah.

You know, I think it's like being in college, I bet with like a roommate that can't cook or whatever, and. You'Re like, do you know what I see it as? It's your drunk mate at college that you need to get home from the bar and you're feeding them bread constantly and water. It's kind of that. And they sort of fall asleep.

Ed Sheeran
It's kind of like that. You sort of waking them up for like feeding bread and stuff like that. And then they sort of falling asleep in their chair. It's kind of like that. Dude, one time I got in a taxi to leave a bar when I was in Charleston.

Theo Von
I used to live in Charleston and I forgot to. I guess I was drunk, I just passed out. The guy drove around, dude, he drove like $190 worth. I finally fucking wake up, dude. He's just driving, bro.

We're like still like about twelve minutes from my house. So I get home, I owed him like $220, dude. It took me like two weeks to pay that guy. Jesus God, man. Just things like that that I just don't miss about sometimes just being wasted, dude, or hiding out.

Ed Sheeran
And you find you have conversations now, like if you're having a conversation with your mate and you're sober, it's more. Like, yeah, I find I don't waste time in bullshit. Like, I'm not out at what, you know, like in the wee hour. But shit doesn't get as weird either. You're not, you know, I feel like.

I say it in one of my songs, but I feel like past 02:00 a.m. it's like nothing's happening. You're like all sitting around a screen watching YouTube videos and like chatting about the YouTube videos. Whereas I think, like, I feel like my friends call me the sparkler because I shine bright for a very short period of time. So I'll go out at eight and I'll be home at eleven, but in those 3 hours, like, I'll have fun.

Theo Von
Yeah. Oh, that's a good guy to be. Yeah, I'm gonna start working on that. I'm gonna save up all my good stuff for eight to eleven. Eight till eleven is a great time as well.

Ed Sheeran
And then you're in bed by midnight. I usually get up at like 05:00 a.m. anyway. So you're like in bed by midnight and then you're fresh ish in the morning. You're a workout guy.

Theo Von
Yeah, I like to work out, man. Yeah, it's fun. Nothing too crazy. But I do like it. But, like, every morning, you'll do a bit of exercise?

Yeah, four days a week. I'll work out. Cool. Pretty swell. I like doing the sauna.

Ed Sheeran
Yeah? Yeah. Ice bath. And I like doing the ice bath, man. I don't know if they work or not, but they tricked me into believing they do.

For me, it's less. I like, I don't mind if they work or not, but it gets my core body temperature down. I'm a big sweater. Are you really? Yeah, yeah.

I sweat. Like, if I'm on stage, I just drip, drip. You're just leaking, huh? Yeah, well, I think it's. I think there's something in the irish blood where I heat just does not agree with me, you know?

And, uh, because you brought your own. Heat, of course, the sun would be like, who the fuck is this?

Theo Von
You know what I'm saying? Stepping on my turf right now. But if I go in a sauna, I'll usually be sweating for, like, three, 4 hours after. So getting in an ice bath almost, it's kind of like cauterizing a wound. You just.

Ed Sheeran
Yeah, it's done. Yeah. I like, dude, Ireland was so. I never had seen. I did.

Theo Von
I grew up in New Orleans, right? In that area in Louisiana. Like, Marty, grow up, people being drunk, right? I never say it's a different thing of drunkenness. It's just in the.

It's like people. We went into a bar. It's people in there. There's no furniture, right? Just people holding each other up, drinking.

It's like, you can't even let the guy stop drinking. They won't fucking let drink, dude. I remember we're in the bar. Outside of the bar, they built another bar around the exit door. You open the exit to the bar, you're in another fucking bar, dude.

Ed Sheeran
But drinking culture here is different than America. Like, we would, like, I found when I lived in Nashville, it was like sports bars. You go to a sports bar to watch a game to drink, and you would see people there on their own drinking a huge vodka tonic. Just like, I'm here to get fucking trucked. There's irish bars on the motorway in America.

I'm like, who the fuck is driving to an irish bar? But here, if I'm like, for instance, I saw my best mate Nick yesterday, and I was like, oh, let's go out for a couple of pints. And we would go out, and we caught up, and we had three pints of beer. And then that was it. And that.

It's our culture here is very much built around, you know, generalizing. Not. Not everyone loves drinking, but I would say, like, 80% of the people in England love a beer every now and then. Or you would go out and instead of getting shit canned every time you go out, you know, like, I would go to these sports bars, and it would basically be like everyone in. In the sports bar in America would be going with the sole purpose to be dribbly drunk by the end of the night, taken home in an Uber.

Whereas in. In England, it's very much. And. And Ireland and Scotland and Wales, it's a regular with my friendship group anyway, a regular thing to have maybe, like, one or two pints at the end of a work day, and then maybe on a Friday, you'll have, like, six pints and a bottle of wine. You'll go out and do the shots and blah, blah, blah.

But it's far more just part of the culture to do it regularly. Yeah, yeah. It seems like they wear it better here. It's not alcoholism to drink every day here. Whereas in America, if you drunk every day, it'd be alcoholism.

Theo Von
Alcoholism. Because I've. Obviously, people take it too far here as well. But the general thing, I think is, am I right in saying that lads like, you would go out for a couple of pints after this? And it wouldn't be like, I think we treat every event with beer.

Ed Sheeran
Yeah. You sad? Have a beer. Are you happy? Have a beer.

Yeah. Is it a wedding? Have a beer. Is it a funeral? Have a beer.

Yeah, everything. But it's not alcoholism. It's the culture. It's just the culture. It's not like, I wake up every morning and I'm like, I need a beer tonight.

It's like, you'll get to the end of the day and your mate will be like, oh, I'm in central London. Do you want to go for a beer? Rather than, like, I need a beer? It just sort of. Right, yeah, yeah.

Theo Von
That's interesting, dude. Because a lot, like, by the definition of alcoholism, and everybody can decide for themselves if they're an alcoholic. That's one thing I know about that program. Like, you have to decide. Like, there can be, like, the rules that kind of help you decide, but it's a personal decision.

Right. But, yeah, people would look at a lot of people in Ireland and be like, oh, everybody. Everybody here is now call, like, nine out of ten people, even some people in comas or whatever, drinking, and you're like, that's new. But, yeah, but like, that. But that's not the same, because I.

Ed Sheeran
Think it's a misconception. Oh, I agree. When you say that. It's like, because I don't. I actually don't like the culture of, like, people viewing Ireland as, like, an alcoholic country.

It's like, it's not. It. They, they, you know, we can have a good time, but it's not like, I don't know, it's the same. Same in England. Like, it's.

It's just the culture. Yeah, I agree. But they're good. Germany's the same. It surprises me how good at it they are.

Theo Von
I think that's what surprised me. Just that, like, practice. Wow. Also, we drink from a very young age, irresponsibly or responsibly, but, like, I had my first beer when I was, like, 1213. And you learn how to manage your alcohol by the age of 16.

Ed Sheeran
You know, if I drink this many cans of strongbow, I'm probably going to throw up. So I'll drink this many cans of strongbow. Whereas I think in America, it's very much like 17, 1819. Maybe it's even just getting to college for the first time, where you're then finding out what your boundaries are. Yeah.

France, they start drinking wine from, like, five. Oh, God. They give. They give tiny glass of wine to their kids, and it makes them respectful alcohol by. I'd watch that online if they had that, to be honest.

Theo Von
No judgment or anything. And I don't know any of the children, but. And I wouldn't want to know any of them, but I would watch them drink a little bit of wine, dude. And just especially, you can't, you know, do anything bad to the screen or whatever. There's a YouTube video I actually wanted to do it for.

Ed Sheeran
One of my songs. Bloodstream was to have a video of compilations of babies trying lemons. Get up, get up. Baby's trying lemons for the first time. Here we go.

Theo Von
This is so good.

Oh, whoa, whoa. He couldn't handle it.

Ed Sheeran
Anyway. We're good, we're good. We're good. Oh, that's remarkable. Do you think about, like, what else you want to do in life?

Theo Von
Yeah. Just like, yeah. Do you start thinking about, like, oh, what's something new you want to do? Getting to do that movie thing sounded really cool to me. I'm going to segue into, I've been doing probably for the last seven years, stuff with music in high schools because the, in my area.

Ed Sheeran
So it basically went in, like, 2017, 2018. My old music teacher came to me and he was like, look, the government, the government is currently in charge, do not value art at all. Like arts, drama, music. And they cut all the funding for comprehensive. Oh, my God.

So my music teacher came to me and he was like, look, we're going. I think they had to share, like, between art, music and drama, like 700 pounds per year, like, for all three subjects. So I started funding that at my local high school. And then you see a, like, massive uptick in, like, kids doing production, kids doing songwriting, kids doing this. So then I just started keep putting it.

I built a recording studio there. There's like loads of, like, proper instruments that aren't broken. And you just see the school getting better at music. So then I started doing that in the county that I'm from, and we've just now changed it to do it nationwide. And I'm now visiting more high schools and places that really need music funding.

And you see what a difference it makes, too, because I'm not. I'm not an academic person, and in the real world, I would be viewed as stupid, but I excelled at music and therefore people think that I'm good at something. And so I found it massively helpful to be in a state funded school that really encouraged that. And they've basically cut funding in England for it. So I'm doing what I can to get funding for it, but I think getting the new government will be better at it.

I think that's remarkable. But the thing that's kind of what I want to segue into is music education because it worked so well for me and I know it can work so well for other kids. I'm kind of like proof that normal kids can just pick up guitars, work hard and do, and our country as well, like, what we're famous for is our art. We're famous for music with the Beatles, we're famous for painting Damien Hirst, we're famous for movies. You've got, like, Danny Ball coming out of here, Christopher Nolan.

And the government is just putting importance on maths and banking. And, you know, we make arms, but no one is. No one is proud that we make arms, and no one is proud that our banking is really good, but they are proud of our art. And so for a government to be like the art doesn't matter. Where do you think the art is going to come from?

So I think that that, for me, is the next part of my career is getting proper, proper funding and art, music, drama back into schools. And actually Ireland do a very good job of it. Ireland are very, very pro their arts, because they know that that's their cultural currency. You know, you two travel the world, and they. And they see that Banshee Zivin Ashierin comes out.

Everyone goes to watch that movie. And Ireland are very, very good at recognizing that and funding. There's lots of Irish. The sons of pride there, too, still. Because people travel around the world as irish superstars in all aspects, and they spread.

People are like, oh, Ireland's awesome, because so and so comes from Ireland. So and so comes from Ireland. And it's the same in, in, in England, like, british music. There's Adele, there's Harry Styles, there's stormzy, there's me. There's, like, musicians travel the world, and we people are like, oh, that's a british musician or that's a british artist or a british actor or actress.

And that's what we as a country are proud of. We're proud of our football as well, but in terms of, like, art, and it's so weird that no importance is being put on it. It's not even that importance isn't being put on it. It's, like, completely stripping the importance of it and just being like, this doesn't matter. I'm sorry to get all.

Theo Von
No, but when you. When you kill that in a culture, it's. It's horrible, man. Even, like you said, like when you said earlier about, like, going to that NBA game, right? You don't realize till you sit there at the front row or until you get close to something, how important it is or what are you, if you could even be good at it.

Like, I remember stand up comedy. I'd seen it, like, videos. People had, like, dvd's would get passed around the neighborhood, like Chris Rock and stuff like that. And I'm like, oh, this is cool. But until I was in college and actually went to a show, not then, until that moment did it hit me.

Ed Sheeran
Like, this is what I could do. Oh, that this is even a thing that you could do. Like, just seeing it on a. On a screen, it just didn't, it didn't really tabulate. Am I right to assume that in school you would probably be like, I don't know what I want to do.

What am I good at? I'm not very good at history. I'm not very good at English. I'm not very good at this. And then suddenly you find comedy and you go, this is something that I can really excel in, I think, unless you give kids that opportunity.

And also, I feel like you can destroy a kid's confidence at age twelve by just being like, yeah, you're not very good at that. And if you give a kid. I was given confidence by my music teacher, by my dad, by my friends when I wasn't very good at all. I listened back to the music that I was making when I was, like, 14. Thank God.

Theo Von
My friends were nice. Yeah. I listen back and I go. I go, fucking hell. My dad was not honest because he was just like, this is great.

Ed Sheeran
Confidence was built, and it's got to a point where I then was like, I'm going to release my first single, and I'm going to make a music video. And then that was the song that got successful. And had I been like, I don't know what I'm going to think about that. I think that's also, like, changing the culture of that. Of, like.

Like, I went up to Sheffield the other day to do a couple of school and music course visits, and they were amazing. Like, way better than I was at 14. And I feel like all it takes is someone to be like, you're really, really good at this. And then they go, oh, well, then I should carry it on. Yeah.

Theo Von
And, well, having the equipment, like, you're saying, like, putting that equipment in that schools, dude, that's so cool. Because if you have a camera and you have, like, a podcast set up or something, you can record something you can do. The second you do that one step, now you're in a whole new per view or whatever. Yeah. And then you're like, now what's possible?

It's like. But until you do your first as well. Yeah, your first show, right. Well, I've done one. Wasn't that good.

Ed Sheeran
I'll go and do it again. I'll make it better, and then it just improves, and you don't know what. Part of you wants to do until you, like, it's almost like a metal detector. You're like a metal detector. And until you kind of go over that little whatever that is and the something inside you kind of goes off, you know?

Theo Von
Well. Cause all you need to do. That's the thing as well that I say to kids, I'm like, you only need one thing that you're good at. You just find the one thing that you enjoy that you're good at, and you just work really hard at that, and then it will work. You go, like, the music industry is, if you want to work in the music industry, you can.

Ed Sheeran
Like, I was. The day that I made it in my mind was I was gigging around. Gigging around, not getting paid. I got booked for a wedding and I played this wedding for, like, 200 pounds. And I remember getting that 200 pounds cash and being like, oh, my God, this is half my rent for playing a gig.

Theo Von
Looks like we made it. Exactly. And in my mind then I was like, I could just play weddings for the rest of my life. And I'm fine. I can do music.

Ed Sheeran
And it's about finding the, you know, me getting 200 pounds for playing covers at a wedding isn't me playing Wembley stadium and making my albums and stuff like that. So it's not necessarily the dream, but it is doing music as a career. So you can find if you said, tomorrow, like, right, I want to be a chocolate taster, and I'm going to be the best fucking chocolate taster. You could potentially make that a career if you just worked harder than other chocolate or gamer or. I don't know, especially in the UK.

Theo Von
Willy Wonka's from here. He is, right? Did you ever meet him, Willy Wonka?

Ed Sheeran
No, did I meet. Did Timmy. I think I might have met Timothy Chalamet. Somebody must have, I'm sure crossed with them. I'm sure someone's met him eventually.

Yeah. Fuck lucky. That's the kind of people that you. Some people you don't get to meet, you know, some people, the government hides them.

Theo Von
What about the queen or anything? Can you text her or whatever? Well, she's dead. Well. Oh, oh, the new queen.

Oh, is there a new one? Get a new one. Sorry, I didn't know. And I'm sorry that she's deceased, too. I did.

Ed Sheeran
She died in 2022. Oh, yeah. And then King Charles is now the king. I did like her jubilee. I played her gig and there's an amazing picture of her shaking my hand and smiling.

Theo Von
Oh. And people are like, oh, she was pleased to meet you. And actually a comedian had just told her a joke, so it looks like she's really happy to meet me, but she had no idea who I was at all. But the picture says a thousand words. They go, there you go.

Do the royal people, what are they do? What is it really like over there when you go over there? I don't think it's. I don't envy it at all. I wouldn't want to live that lifestyle.

Ed Sheeran
I remember being in Japan once for the Rugby World cup, and I met one of them and he was like, you know, he's six, seven years older than me. And he was like, this is my first time in Japan. And in my mind, I'm like, I would have just assumed that you go everywhere all the time. But I think it's very much like it's a working job. They go and open hospitals, open care centers, go and do this, go and do this.

And it's. It's. I wouldn't envy the lifestyle at all. I think it's. It is quite restrictive.

I don't think you can just be like, I'm gonna go do this. I think, like, have you seen the crown, the show? Because, like, even when they go on holiday, they go on holiday and they have to do, like, a press shoot before the holiday. And then people just take photos of them for the whole holiday. Because it's kind of like you allow because you are funded by the public.

The public own your life. Yeah. It's gotta feel we are in. Yeah. So it's not something that I would necessarily envy.

It's something that. It's a big debate in this country whether people agree with it or not. I personally, like, think it gives a certain, like, grounding for the. There's like a historical aspect of it. And when things happen, it's like, Americans love seeing the ceremony that's.

That's over here. Like when the queen passed away, the funeral is, like, very impressive and it very much, I don't know, represents England for the world, you know? England, look at it. Yeah. Because I think England.

Theo Von
There's something there. There are a lot of great things. It's, like, very proper and it's like. There'S a lot of things that I would not agree with as well. I think it is very, like, it's rigid almost.

Ed Sheeran
It's a very polarizing subject, but. Yeah, but I definitely wouldn't envy the lifestyle. Oh, yeah. It seems like it would be tough. Like, you're such a con and you have to be a concierge to your own country, and you have to be such a representative.

Never talk about anything negative. Their thing they say, never complain, never explain. So anything that happens, they just. Right. You just a middleman?

Yeah. You can't show any emotion, like, even at, like, funerals and stuff, like, you know, meant to cry and it's like, really quite hardcore. Oh, yeah. Gosh, I remember my first funeral, dude. Not fun, are they?

Theo Von
I was not good at funerals. No, I was the. I feel like there then. Then needed to mark it, though. I missed my grandmother's funeral.

Ed Sheeran
I was doing. Did you see that court case last year that I was in? You know about that? I was in a court case last. Year and we all, my friends, are criminals, to be honest with you, she.

Died at the start of the court case and the funeral was like midway through it because she had to be buried and you couldn't go. I couldn't. And I still feel weird about it that there was no marking of the. Like, you know, seeing a coffin be put into a grave and covered and I don't know, there's something in me that's like even like visiting her grave now. There's not.

It still feels like an open book. Yeah, open door, I guess. I think funerals are important for the ceremony of like marking it. It's kind of like the first day of grief as well because before you go to a funeral there's like a weird month or whatever where everything's like really fucking intense and grief stricken and then kind of. The funeral is the day that you go.

Now we start processing it. Yeah, yeah, yeah it is kind of wild, dude. Does any of your music get played at funerals too or not? Yeah I've got a song that I wrote about my grandmother called supermarket flowers which is a popular funeral song if that's like a thing to be proud of. Like, I've got a popular funeral song.

Theo Von
But yeah it's such an important. It's a song that. It's a. It's a moment that people don't think of that much, that needs a song kind of in a way maybe. I don't know as a songwriter maybe people do think about specific moments that need songs but I definitely do like.

Ed Sheeran
I definitely know what I would have at my funeral same as I would have at my wedding, you know. You know, you'd know what. What tunes you want. There's a irish folk song which is like always the final song that is sung on a folk night which is called the parting glass where it's like the pogues or. No, no, it's like traditional.

It's like. It's. Of all the money that I had I spent it in good company and all the harm that er, I done alas it was to none but me and it's basically like all of the things I did and all I've done for once off wit to memory now I can't recall so feel to me the parting glass good night and joy be with you all it's basically the last drink of the night this is. I sort of feel weird that I just sung on. No, but there's a farewell but yeah it's the last drink of the night and it's basically everything that's happened.

It's happened, and let's have this final drink and then get on with our lives. And I think that's quite a nice way to, like, go out of this world, basically being like, of all the. Of all the comrades that ever I've had, I'm sorry that I'm going away. You know, like, it's like a. It's just a message to people.

I like it. No, man, I appreciate you sharing that, too. Yeah, it's nice. It's nice, man. That, from everyone that's ever spoken about, Jeffrey, you always seem like a person that just shares the gift of who you are with the world as clearly as you know how to.

Theo Von
And navigate that the best you can, man. So I appreciate you singing. That's nice, dude. And. Yeah, and I appreciate you spending time with me, man.

Ed Sheeran
Thank you. Thanks for coming as well, man. I really, really have enjoyed. I feel bad that I call that I referenced the term ginger, and I feel bad that I mispronounced the name of this place, man. Oh, that's all?

I thought you were doing it on purpose. Okay, I was all good. No, no, the ginger thing. And I wasn't the ginger thing. I'm actually, like, I have a good sense of humor, so I'm fun with being.

Theo Von
Yeah. I just shouldn't have said it, though. But I'm like, my point is, if this is on limits, then other things should be, too. Yeah. It shouldn't be the only thing that's on limits.

Oh, I agree, brother. And let me tell you this, we're turning on all the limits, okay? One time, we'll get you out to a live show and turn on all the limits. I hope you make a million more wonderful songs and just keep blessing us with your gifts. Thank you so much, Ed Sheeran.

Ed Sheeran
Nice one. Thank you. Cheers, man. Now I'm just falling on the breeze and I feel I'm falling like these leaves I must be cornerstone oh, but when I reach that ground I'll share this piece of my life out I can feel it in my bones but it's gonna take a little.

Theo Von
Now I'm just falling on the breeze and I feel I'm falling like these leaves I must be cornerstone oh, but when I reach that ground I'll share this piece of my life out I can feel it in my bones but it's gonna take a little.

Ed Sheeran
Now I'm just falling on the breeze and I feel I'm falling like these leaves I must be cornerstone oh, but when I reach that ground I'll share this piece of my life out I can feel it in my bones but it's gonna take a little.

E512 Ed Sheeran

Primary Topic

Episode Summary

Main Takeaways

Episode Chapters

1: Introduction

2: Life as Ed Sheeran

3: Creativity and Songwriting

4: Cultural Reflections

Actionable Advice

About This Episode

People

Guest Name(s):

Content Warnings:

Transcript