Watch: Welsh Jesus sings new national anthem God’s Country
If you’ve been to a comedy gig in Wales during the last year, it’s very likely you would have been blessed with the presence of Welsh Jesus on stage.
The messianical mirth-maker dreamt up by comedian Gareth Hunt from Merthyr has taken the nation’s comedy scene by storm with his very Welsh take on the son of God.
He recently gained hundreds of new disciples with his biggest gig so far at the Glee Club in Cardiff.
Boasting that he can turn water into Carling and that he invented the word ‘bampy’, this idiosyncratic second coming, is now hoping to perform another miracle.
This time he’s looking to bless the nation’s rugby side and help them conjure up a first Six Nations victory against France on Saturday with his rousing new (unofficial) national anthem called God’s Country.
The song is an optimistic ode to the brilliance of being Welsh and how we must be proud of coming from Wales.
We were granted an audience with Welsh Jesus who told us more about the song and how his comedy character came to life – resurrected in Dan Yr Ogof caves.
Tell us about new unofficial Welsh national anthem – God’s Country?
You don’t need me to tell you we haven’t been doing great in the Six Nations this year, and that can get us as a country down. So I just thought, it’s not all doom and gloom is it? They’re a young side and I’m sure they’ll do better next year.
Aside from that can we all just take a minute please to remember how awesome it is to be Welsh, with our history and landscape and imprint on pop culture with the likes of Tom Jones and Stereophonics and especially with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney buying Wrexham, flying the flag all over the world.
I love being Welsh and that’s what the songs about. It didn’t take that long to write, about half hour, once I worked out the chord structure because all the thing’s mentioned in the song are ingrained in me as a proud Welshman.
(Please note – strong language)
Where did Welsh Jesus come from – how did you dream him up?
So during lockdown, (remember lockdown?), at the time me and my girlfriend were living in a small two bedroom house with a one year old. We’d put the baby down for his nap about midday and then have a break from each other for an hour (haha).
She would normally watch TV downstairs and I’d go upstairs and write. At the time I was writing a lot of poetry and watching a lot of John Cooper Clarke and that sort of thing then one day I wrote a poem called Welsh Jesus and that was that, I didn’t think anything of it other than it was a pretty funny poem.
Cut to 18 months later when I got back into doing stand up comedy and I asked my girlfriend if I should do the Welsh Jesus poem in my act but dress up as Jesus to do it. She said it would make it funnier as long as I was prepared to look like a dick and so low and behold Welsh Jesus was born.
What has the reaction been like to Welsh Jesus?
Really positive. People love that guy. I find that being a character on stage gives me much more confidence especially being dressed up as Jesus, I can get away with murder when talking to the audience too, it’s mad.
The only downside really is when I’m asked to do a gig promoters will sometimes say, “you are doing Jesus though and not yourself right?” Which is quite funny really, it’s like I’ve created a monster.
Have you had any Christians walk out in disgust?
Haha, not yet. I’ve not had any backlash really with regard to the religious aspect of it. I think people see it for what it is – a daft character who’s just there to make people laugh. I’m not trying to mess with anyone’s beliefs, just trying to make people feel good. A lot like the real Jesus!
There’s a lovely Tom Jones impression in the middle of the song. I take it you are a big fan?
Thanks. I have to give credit to the Mrs again for that as that wasn’t in the original version, when we got to filming it in The Foundry in Brecon it was her idea to do the Tom Jones bit so I just did what I was told.
Am I a big fan of Tom Jones? You really have to ask that. The man’s a living legend. I saw him at an outdoor gig in Bristol a couple of years ago and his voice is still amazing and it still sends shivers up the spine and he’s in his eighties now. There’s hope for us all!
If people want to give the Welsh Jesus page a like/follow on Facebook for any upcoming gigs, he’ll make sure you all get into heaven. Welsh Heaven that is.
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A Welsh Jesus. Interesting. I presume Andrew RT Davies is playing the part of Judas Iscariot? No need to act, I see. Born to play, not to rule mind. He couldn’t win a one legged arse kicking contest let alone run a country. He’d lose the first leg.