The New York TimesThe New York Times

An outsider takes on Ireland, from inside a plastic bag

By Rachel Connolly

24 Apr 2023 · 5 min read

David Chambers, aka Blindboy Boatclub, is a podcaster and comedian from Ireland. His show, The Blindboy Podcast, has attracted 700,000 to 1 million monthly listeners. The NYT explores his popularity.

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Irish podcaster David Chambers spends his days in an exceptionally drab office. A room so drab it is striking. In a recent interview via Zoom, he was dressed to match, in a white T-shirt and plain black hoodie. The only noteworthy thing on screen was an orange and white plastic bag that Chambers wore over his head. His green eyes, thick eyebrows and beard could be seen through the bag’s holes, but the rest of his face was obscured.

Although they don’t know what he looks like underneath the mask, most people in Ireland know Chambers, 37, by his pseudonym “Blindboy Boatclub,” or, more often, just “Blindboy.” He is best known as the host of “The Blindboy Podcast,” a weekly show in which he discusses eclectic topics, like the unlikely benefits of lion urine or the link between heavy metal and futurism, and tells personal anecdotes that unspool like short stories. He addresses topics like mental health that Irish news media outlets rarely touch, and brings a millennial sensibility to political discussions. His register is earnest and intellectual, but also funny and down-to-earth.

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