Martijn Crins (35) was a comedian and is now a bicycle courier
“In 2009 I won the cabaret festival Camaretten. I did the finalist tour and quit it again. It remained theater as an actor for ten years, until last year I decided to look the devil in the eye again. I planned a year to look at material did 13 stand-up shows and then came corona.
I have always been cycling. I have a huge preference for the race. A friend tipped me to give my empty days some structure by working as a bicycle courier. That seemed to me something: I like to cycle, live in the city, but prefer to be outside. I must be taken out like a dog.
But don’t romanticize it: bike couriers aren’t for everyone. You must like to forgo. My body has changed, I have lost some weight and sometimes I get up with general fatigue in my body. Such a cargo bike is heavy, is packed and you usually also cycle with a cart behind it. Sometimes 90 boxes pass through my hands every day. Boxes of the Zara, it is so silly. Even if you also have a round of medicines, that is more satisfying.
I am sure that both jobs will intersect. Cycling through Amsterdam is inspiration for my stand-up work. I literally get a cross-section of the city, a look at society that is unique. You are the postman, you see the differences.
But only cycling from now on? No. I miss my job incredibly. The government also supports the cultural sector, but it is completely disproportionate. More money goes to floriculture than to us. While the social value of culture is proven to be great. Especially now that we are all locked up. Will I soon be returning to a devastated landscape? We all run that risk. “
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