Mo Gilligan's Love For His Baby Photo ¦ Russell Howard's Wonderbox

What's the next thing in the box? The next thing is probably my childhood picture. Uh-huh. So, uh... Is it of yourself? Yeah, it actually is, actually. Good. I got to a stage where... So, basically, I remember, like, my mum used to have this lovely picture of me when I was a kid. And the story behind it that my mum always said, it was just like... It was like... So, basically, she went to, like, a... It was like a... You know, babies. I don't know if she took... I think it was mother care, maybe. I'm not too sure. She went to mother care to get, like, my kind of portrait picture, as such. And I had loads of, like, just, I don't know, baby muckle on me. I was probably, I think, about one or two. And then they seen, like, this black African doll, yeah? And then my mum was like, I can't take a picture of me in this. So, she took the clothes off the black African doll and she put them on me, right? So, took this picture. And I remember, as a kid, I always used to see this picture. And I was just like, oh, I hate that picture, man. I used to, when my friends used to come around, I used to take that picture off the wall, hide it. Because at that stage, that's when there's, like, free reign for your friends to come in your house and just look around your house, not say nothing, man. And then the next minute, out of your friends, they'd be like, shut up, man. Look at that picture when you look like Eddie Murphy and coming to America. And you're like, bro, I trusted you to be in my house. So, I always used to take it down. And then I think it got to a point, like, in my mid-20s, where I was like, where's that picture? Like, I just don't know where that picture is. I think the only person that actually probably had that picture was probably my granddad. And he passed. And I don't know, it might have been in, like, an attic or something. Because he was always the one who had the pictures of grandkids. But my mum doesn't have it. No one has it. And I think the next picture I have is another picture of me as a kid when I was probably two or three years old. And I have the original copy of it. I think it's weird. I think when you're a kid, you don't, it's just a picture. But I think the more you grow up, you realise you're like, I've got less and less of my childhood things. And I think this is the one picture of me as a kid. I think I'm about three, maybe four years old. And it is the one picture where I'm just like, it's just really cool. It's just like, it's in black and white. And I'm so like, I'm such a nerd where sometimes I get the picture. And for no reason, I put Parental Advisory on it. You know what you got in the rap albums? And I put it at the bottom right corner. Because it looks like if it was a rap album, it will be the coolest picture as a kid. It's like the one picture I have that like... Would you use it as a tour poster? I don't know. There was a part of me like, I think that's the thing. Or is that you're giving it to the world and you want it for you? Yeah, I don't know. There's a part of me where I'm always fascinated with rap album covers. And they've always got pictures of them as kids. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. So like, if you think of... You've got like Nas. Like, I can't remember what one is. It might be Illmatic, Stillmatic. Someone will probably correct me. But it's him again as a kid. Is it Illmatic, right? Yeah, yeah. You googled that. I saw it's just all in there. But it's the one picture where it's like a picture of me as a kid. It's like a black and white picture. It just looks so fucking cool, man. It's like me in a little hoodie. Weirdly, I think I'm just holding a stick. I'm just holding a stick. And it's like, I think I'm... Boy with a stick. Even that sounds like an album. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just like... Just a bit of dog shit on the end. Yeah. And it's just a cool picture I've got. And I've got the actual physical picture. And I actually have it up in my house now. I have it up in my house. Not in the bedroom? No, no, no, no. That'd be so weird, man. That freak you've messed up. Yeah. Is this a chicken nest? Just a little kid with a stick. Treat him right, girls. But I have this thing at the moment where I'm just... It's kind of got me into like... In the last probably year or two, I've got into photography. Not in a way where I've bought the best camera, but I just bought like... Just like a little wind-up camera now. Yeah. And I've kind of weirdly got into film. And I just like start taking pictures. Like, it's my thing that I've got into that's not... It's not even my thing. But when I've got about four rolls and I go to Happy Snaps, it's one of my favourite days ever because I forget those pictures I took. And I'm like, I don't even know what this is. And yes, it gives that feel that it looks nostalgic, but it also makes me realise that all these pictures I've got of me and the kids is like, it's only me who's got this copy of this physical picture. Whereas I think now everything feels like it's... Everything is digital. Do you know what I mean? All the pictures I've got, I've got 50,000 pictures in my phone. So I think now having these actual physical pictures feel a bit more sentimental now. Do you know what I mean? Growing up. And even finding them, like when I find this, that's my thing. If I find an old picture of me as a kid, it's like, I'm like, oh my God. Like, wow. It's because photos, they weren't a thing you did a lot when you were younger. It was like, you would take loads on holiday. Yeah. Because your dad, your mum had the camera. It's like, right, let's get a snap. And then you'd have one for your first day of school. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You might have one at sort of a party. You might have one at Christmas, but it wasn't like an everyday thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You would never dream of taking a photo of yourself. You'd be like, but do you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because you couldn't waste the 32. 100%, yeah. It's really fascinating. Do you know what I think is interesting as well? Is that when it comes to, you know, as a kid, you just go around life just enjoying the joys that life has. But your mum is documenting everything of like, come on, take a picture. And you're like, why? It's just a picture. But it's until you kind of turn into an adult and you realise you're like, I get it now. Why? You was always taking pictures of me or moments or, you know, when you go to a wedding, you're dressed up and you're like, come on, take a picture. And you're like, I don't want to be a mum. And you start realising, you're like, I see why my mum was always documenting life. Because now I'm like, so hungry for any picture I get of me or my sisters. Yeah, yeah. Or even when I see pictures of like, my mum or my dad when they were young. And I'm like, oh rah, like, these are pictures of you as like, like, you know, even I remember seeing a picture of my dad as a teenager. And I'm like, wow, that's what you look like as a teenager. Because I've only seen you as dad, the adult, you know what I mean? So I think now like, I'm like, that picture specifically, there's other pictures I've got. Like, I've got a picture of me when I was in primary school. And I think it's like the Christmas party. And I'm just like, so fascinated. When I look at this picture, I'm just like, like, as a kid, that was your life. Like, all those people in your class were just like, these are my best friends, and I'm going to be with them forever. And there's certain people I see in that picture, I'm like, rah, I remember that person or whatever happened to him? Like, you see, I'm seeing faces in these pictures and I'm like, okay, I still see you sometimes. I know what you're up to. I've got you on Facebook, but I'm like, sorry, can we find out where this kid is? Because he was only with us for a year and I have no idea. And then I'm looking at, I don't know what his name was or anything. Edwin McGill was mine. I had a copy of Crazy Cars. Do you remember that computer game? Oh, what's that? It was a really cool computer game. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And he was Canadian. And I took it because he was exotic and exciting. I took a shine to him. I said, oh, do you like computer games? He's like, yeah. I said, I've just got Crazy Cars. He's like, oh yeah, can I have it? I was like, yeah, of course you can. Left school, didn't he? Never saw it again. Must be 30 quid, that guy. I was thinking about him the other day going, what happened to Edwin? Whatever happened to Crazy Cars? But I think it's that thing, isn't it? Of like, presumably kids don't get to do that now because everyone is permanently connected. That you don't get to leave school behind or leave university behind or leave jobs behind because there's always a digital imprint of where you've been. And it's funny that you're now looking for the remnants of your youth. Yeah, man. It's funny, isn't it? Massively. I think it's like, I don't want to say like, the internet has probably made the world a smaller place, but you realise what's upstairs in your attic kind of makes you go back to the time, you want to say before the internet, when it didn't feel like such a smaller place. And even when I come across old things from school, I see my report the other day and I was reading my old report from secondary school and I think, you know, a kid, you're just like, oh, this is so unfair. And I read it and I was like, yeah, this is quite true. What was their assessment? What was the overall assessment? Talking was always the one. It was always very destructive in class, talking. But then it's interesting because you go into things like art and was like, amazing art. He's got a real keen eye for drawing in the pen and you look at those things and it was like, and I'm looking at the other, you know, you look at their maths and you're just like, oh, very, very, like, because I was dyslexic, I think my, it was easier for me to kind of talk in class and just be silly and be funny rather than get with my work and ask for help. So a lot, I spent a lot of time in school, just I'd be the class clown, I'd be funny, I'd be silly. When actually I look back at a report card, I'm like, I can see that I actually needed help there. You read the report and you're like, yeah, talking, destructive. And I'll be like, well, I'm talking to these lot. Do you know what I mean? They find me funny, but then they're the kids who are getting their work done. And I think for me, struggling with being dyslexic, but also feeling like, well, I don't need help. I'm all right. And there were also lessons where I'm like, like I used to love science, but once it got to, I guess it got to, I was like, yeah, we're now going to do it. And you're like, why did you have to write up? Can we just burn something on the Bunsen burner? Because they're the fun things I want to see. Do you know what I mean? And that's stuff that I used to enjoy and was good at, but would still talk. So it was like, teachers would be like, well, you're clearly quite a bright kid because you do like some of this stuff. So are you talking because you find it difficult or are you just talking because you want to have a laugh and distract everyone else? So, yeah, it was interesting reading that as a kid when you look up those things in your attic and you're like, I think now what looking at back it, I'm like, yeah, I was a bit of a little shit as a kid. Do you know what I mean?