Ageing disgracefully – Nik Rabinowitz unbottled

Nobody loves the ageing process, but stand-up comedian Nik Rabinowitz is making it public in his latest show, Pension Killers. The SA Jewish Report spoke to him before he took to the stage.

How do you feel about the ageing process, especially yours?

Ageing in general isn’t that bad. It does wonders for a good wine or whisky. But I guess it’s easy to age well and gracefully if you’re safely tucked away in an oak cask or a bottle. It’s ageing while carrying on like you used to that’s a bit of challenge. I can’t say that I feel any smoother or more wooded with a fruity nose than I did before. In fact, I’m starting to worry that I might be corked.

Why make it so public?

As a comedian, if I don’t make my personal life public, I don’t know if it’s actually even happening to me. “I tell people all my thoughts and feelings through a microphone, therefore I am” – isn’t that what Descartes said?

It’s mostly in my joints. I still absolutely destroy my kids at bunny rugby though. Even after I showed them Chasing the Sun – seasons one and two – the eight-year-old still has absolutely no tackling abilities.

Is there anything about getting older that appeals to you?

When you get older, people don’t mind as much if you say exactly what you think out loud, which I mostly do now anyway, but I’m looking forward to having something to blame it on.

Do your children see you as old? How do you react to that?

The other day I told my son that we share the same curly hair, and he said, “You don’t have hair.” I didn’t react at all, but I did immediately call Dr Larry the hair transplant wunderkind to find out if he’s still willing to give me the plugs in exchange for a plug, which he is.

What inspired you to create Pension Killer?

My father was nearly 60 when I was born, making me an “OG pension killer”.

Forty years later, at our third child’s bris, we asked Rabbi Liebenberg to name her “Rivka Brocha Chutzpah Perogen Pension Killer Rabinowitz” as a way of honouring her father having to work for three extra decades to support her financially. I’m joking – it was a naming ceremony not a bris. She’s a girl (who only sometimes identifies as circumcised).

What really inspired me to create this show is that I’ve just always had this inherent drive to live my passion, share my journey, tell my truth, and make my monthly payments. This should help with some of that.

When you go on about getting old, how do your parents feel about it? Do you care?

My mother worries about my receding hairline. My dad doesn’t seem too bothered though.

What do you hope your Pension Killer audience will take home from your show?

Increased dopamine levels, and none of Daphne’s glasses.

Where did most of your material for this show come from, and were any elderly people harmed in the process?

I got some of the material from my experiences at Highlands House in Cape Town, where I have a multitude of rabid female fans. Also, how dare you call me “elderly”? This interview is over!

• Pension Killers opens on 23 July until 3 August at The Theatre On The Square in Sandton. Tickets are available at www.computicket.com