My Friend Flickr

Technically - not on Flickr but soon will be...

After many moons of neglect I have updated my Flickr account with a hodge podge of images including travel and performance photos, recent designs for shows and such and some swiped hilarity from the days of old. Enjoy.

Shake, Rattle and Review...

I haven't really done reviews on my blog because (I'm lazy) I feel the General Public (I'm a pretentious wanker) should go and make an informed decision of their own (I suffer memory loss) based on years of personal choice, profiling and (I've got the trembles from too much Vodka) how they respond to the pretty, colourful posters they view.

Regardless - here are some more to catch quickly -

Jordan Raskopoulas – The Adventures of The Man With the Dominant Claw. Hilarious, and surreal (without being totally alienating or pretentious) with a clever use of re-voiced '80s animation (He-Man and Captain Planet). Also - a bit of a drive through Wrongtown.
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/season/2007/show/181/

Dave Bloustein - Beastly - a charming, engaging performer with a well crafted and very, very funny show about Africa and all it's wonder and troubles (mainly troubles - but made hilarious in his hands). He's got great stage presence and a wonderfully disarming head of hair.
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/season/2007/show/63/

Jimmy James Eaton's Sausage Sizzle - An amazing tour de force of loud silly gags, characters, impressions, singing, sfx and wrongtown. (but the space is a shit room for his show)
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/season/2007/show/375/

Xavier Michelides - What to do When Zombies Attack The man's stand up is as smooth and polished as his head. The zombie framework is a great way to segue into insights about life, pop culture and a raft of gratuitous American accents (but done oh so well). Highlight is the George Lucas section - brilliant.
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/season/2007/show/114/

Mark Watson's 24 hour show - obviously it's gone but it was an amazing experience and created such a intense feeling of comedy community, spontaneity and anarchy that I was whooping and hollering at the final countdown. Next time I'm going in for the long haul.
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/season/2007/show/8/

Daniel Kitson - It's the Fireworks Talking - a big thesaurus-y yes from me - the man is wizard with words, a freak with filth and a wowser with whimsy...
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/season/2007/show/414/

Ardal OHanlon - Charming and funny...in a Craggy Island way...but well worn territory. A yup if you have the bucks.
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/season/2007/show/42/

Pastor Michael - Yay for home grown local talent that is funny and fast. Sharkey's reprise of the crazed evangelist crams all that is crap about religion gone bad and sweeps you up in it. I gotta say though - his wife (The lovely Elissa) steals the show as the Tammy Faye Baker from Trailer Park hell. Support the local funny!
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/season/2007/show/64/

Scrabble Unscripted - When too much comedy impro is never enough - these Sydney improvisers have put together a format that captures all the wacky & zany antics of the board game Scrabble and merged it seamlessly with the more thoughtful and aesthetically pleasing aspects of the ancient art of Butoh/Austen impro - no idea what I'm talking about? Neither do I. http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/season/2007/show/69/

Strangelove The Musical. - Big fan of the film. Big fan of this show. Big fan of Jon Williams and Toby Truslove. Of course this will lead to the next hit show: Truslove The Musical with music by John Willams.
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/season/2007/show/202/

Must see more........

Comedy Festival Update: The wind down....

I love the fact that you can read that title two ways.

The Comedy festival trundles along and I am still loving the crowds of happy punters swarming from venue to venue in search of fresh laughs, a new face or another variation on an Irish accent.

Janelle Koenig came and joined us for a spot of Late Nite Impro on Friday and was a joy to watch as she fearlessly jumped in and whipped up some comedy goodness. Likewise Jimmy James Eaton was a man on fire on Sat with his trademark 'tiny pony riding' and many moves of smooth. Next Friday, Andrew McClelland swells the ranks (ooo errr) along with myself, Russell Fletcher, Rik Brown and Jason Geary. On Saturday 28th Jon Williams (Strangelove and Scrabble Unscripted) will tread the Cloak room boards (while I'll be franticly rushing from Celebrity Theatresports to watch him - he's great).

Comedy Fest organisers please note: The scarylarge woman security guard at the Town Hall has made visiting the Peter Cook bar a journey fraught with danger and unpleasantness. No longer can one breathe smoke, drink copious amounts of alcohol and scan for friendly faces without fear of an evil eye and a chokehold - she has even corrupted the normally even-handed mustachioed fellow who has been there forever. Sack her! Fire her! In fact, put her in a sack and set fire to her - burn the witch, burn the witch!!! Or at least force her to take annual leave for the month of April.

Sir Les and the Man with name of a Bar - Peter Cook - photographed by Peter Milne

This week 80's Enuff rocked my world as I bopped and hopped as only a 35yr old man can on the Trades Hall dance floor, before leaping upon a pew to strut my stuff (...of all the chairs in history I think the Pews have been the most persecuted). I love to watch Flash Dan end every song with his trademark 'leap of rock' . This Friday should be no exception and I urge anyone with residual energy to come and dance (or you know, make sweet love, whatever... jeez to I have to make all the decisions?)

More shows I have to see:

Science-ology - Ben McKenzie
All Of Me - The Menage DuBois Story - The Frotters
What to do when Zombies attack - Xavier Michelides
The Needle and the Damage Done - Fiona Scott Norman
The Hound of the Baskervilles - Adam McKenzie, Tegan Higginbotham and Robert Lloyd
The Lost City of Argos - The 4 Noels

and all the others of course............................

Have a great week people
X

Living the Rock star dream

Here's an excerpt from the very funny Age article 'You're 'avin a larf' by Marieke Hardy

"The Melbourne Comedy Festival provides a fascinating glimpse into what life can be like for those funny men and women living the stand-up dream. For 25 giddy days, the most socially awkward, stumblingly shy, physically challenged folk you'd ever imagine are suddenly feted as rock stars, and pursued with duly feverish intent.

They are wined and dined, taken for dawn strolls down the balmy inviting stretch of Southbank, secretly kissed in sticky Chinatown alleyways by big-eyed girls with knapsacks, whispered about in public and in private. They are staked-out and shadowed, lusted after and late-night texted, hailed as heart-throbs and adored as potential paramours. What this must feel like for those who have most likely spent their entire childhoods ducking well-aimed blackboard dusters and hearing the words: "I don't know, I've just never seen you in that way. Couldn't we be friends instead?" can only be guessed at."

Come on - if we all hold hands and close our eyes and whisper "I believe" I'm sure we can make it come true.

heh heh.

Interview at The Pefect Blend

Stalking for fun and profit

Steve contacted me asking if I wouldn't mind answering a few questions about my time on Neighbours - happy to oblige mate (ignore those screen grabs though... ugh).

Comedy Festival Update

Have added two more performances to my calender -

Scrabble Unscripted - Saturday 14th April 9.45 The Imperial Hotel, Cnr Bourke & Spring Sts, Melbourne. I had fun performing with these Sydney rabble-rousers last week so when they asked me if I'd like to play again naturally I said no. It wasn't until they offered me a $62 and a pig named Walter that I bent like a grass in the wind.

Late Nite Impro - Friday 27th April, 11pm The Melbourne Town Hall. One last dip of the big toe into the late night pool of excitement - mmmm and it's warm too.

I'm having a ball dividing my time between the downstairs Trades Hall bar and the Hi Fi - I've got to say the Trades Hall is winning so far with it's relaxed atmosphere and comrade style comfy couches.

Melbourne Comedy Festival Blog Entry De Jour

Shows seen so far:

Pastor Michael

Daniel Kitson – It’s the Fireworks Talking

Puppet Up

Best word-at-a-time game I've seen in a while...

Scrabble Unscripted

Ardal O’Hanlon

Bibs and bobs at the Hi Fi (not an act – more of a saying)

So far – I’m very happy, yes - by god, very happy, a quality fest with plenty of smiling faces on Friday night heading into the Melb Town Hall for good times and cacking of dacks. Except, of course, for the miserable bastards standing around outside, shivering, handing out flyers. The autumnal cold whispering around their ankles as they curse the day they said yes to a mate of a mate when they suggested “it’s a great way to see a lot of free shows…” Bless ‘em and take pity General Public - why not graciously receive the flappy flyer promising all manner of “Hilarity”, “Comedy Gold” and “Voted - Worst Made-Up Media Quote 07!” because every time you do - a little laughter fairy comes back to life.

And besides – I’m probably one of them.

We kicked off Late Nite ('Night' for the pedants) Impro last night to a full house and loads of beautiful, hearty laughter. We all had fun trying out our new loose format called “The Loose Format That’s Not quite a Harold or Short form but containing elements of both”. Catchy eh? It’s on 11pm every Friday and Saturday night at the Cloak Room at the Town Hall and I’m performing next on Friday 20^th.

UPDATE: Our first review and we have been praised with faint damn from Nathanael Scott over at the Funny Tonne

"A rather standard but particularly funny imrpov routine. Definitely worth checking out after you've seen all your shows for the night." 7/10 stars

Thank you Nathanael - an astute observation and a minimalist word count that belies your web background - sexy. I love that rating. Cheers.

Also coming up:

I'm performing with the Scrabble Unscripted folk on Tuesday 10^th (such a good day for Comedy don’t you think?). Their shows have already been selling out (tickets – not creatively) so book early.

And Miss Rochelle’s School for Naughty Girls on Wed 11^th - I saw them in the corridor of the Trades Hall on their opening night and, quite appropriately, they looked like a bunch of nervous, giggly schoolgirls. Should be fun.

Happy Festing (sounds horrible but meant well)