Blaise White has been doing comedy since high school, and started performing on the comedy circuit here in Melbourne when he was just 17 years old! He has recently returned from a 3 month journey around Europe, where he started the trip by proposing to his girlfriend! And thank goodness, she said yes. He’s performed shows in multiple Comedy Festivals, has performed at Edinburgh Festival, was a regular at Station 59 and became Kieran Butler’s apprentice/partner in running and MCing The Highlander...
Dec 12, 2022•2 hr 6 min•Ep. 34
Joel Temperly started doing stand-up comedy when he was teaching English in China. He’s also lived in Moscow and has recently been to London to ‘hang out with some mates’. Joel loves to travel, and fortunately he ended up back in Melbourne just before the lockdowns hit back in 2020. He first hit the Melbourne Comedy scene back in 2019, and started his first comedy room in 2020. He’s also an economist, believe it or not! We talk about how he started in comedy, his travels, his role as an economis...
Nov 27, 2022•2 hr 54 min•Ep. 33
Rain Ferndale was brought up as a Hare Krishna from the age of 5, in Murwillumbah, Northern NSW. I have known Rain since the time she was a baby. I recently watched “Keep Sweet, Pray and Obey” on Netflix, the documentary on the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints . I noticed some striking similarities between what I saw in the documentary and what I had observed of Rain’s family, all Hare Krishnas. These were similarities such as idolisation of women becoming mothers at a ...
Nov 10, 2022•2 hr 53 min•Ep. 32
Jameel Rehman is a Melbourne comedian, room runner extraordinaire and co-creator of Jambo Comedy night in Footscray. We discuss his background as a musician, using his sales and entrepreneur skills to run a great room, facing and transforming himself during lockdown, his podcast Binge Thinker, overcoming past trauma and where to now with Aussie Comedy Network? I’ve been listening to his podcast Binge Thinker for a while now, and I dig it! Jameel thinks deeply, honestly and is very open in his po...
Oct 17, 2022•2 hr 13 min•Ep. 31
Jess Pearman, comedian in Melbourne since 2016, is killing it on the comedy scene. We talk about her breakthrough in comedy this year, since she stopped drinking. We discuss cognitive dissonance, dark humour, using comedy to work on your own insecurities and 'faults' and how the social aspect of the being a comedian is a huge part of why we do this. Jess and I both come from a music and band background, so we have a fair bit in common. We're also both passionate, so this is a convo where we both...
Sep 29, 2022•2 hr 58 min•Ep. 30
Melbourne comedian since 2015, Billy Stiles has been gigging regularly, both in rural Victoria and in Melbourne. After being dragged to RAW Comedy by his sister, Billy started gigging on the open mic circuit. We've known each other since 2015, and I've seen him rise from strength to strength. With several Comedy Festival shows under his belt, numerous rural tours and regular gigging in Melbourne, Billy has recently been performing at Dave O'Neill's comedy room "Dave's Comedy Fun House". Billy ha...
Sep 19, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 29
Nadine Sparks and I have been gigging together since Yes All Women's in 2014 at Station 59. With multiple Comedy Festival shows under her belt, years of gigging and working behind the scenes at the Comedy Festival, Nadine is a Melbourne Comedy veteran. She’s been killing it! She crushed in Geelong a few weeks ago, crushed hard! We talk about her comedy journey, varying her material from raunchy to teacher material, how she chooses what material where, the fickle nature of the comedy industry, an...
Sep 05, 2022•2 hr 23 min•Ep. 28
Jarryd Goundry, successful, hard working, Melbourne comedian is super inspiring! He’s forging his own path with his machete of diligence and self-discipline (and of course, very funny gags!) We talk about his tactical approach to comedy, the path he has forged and how he has done it. Jarryd hasn’t waited for someone else to give him a ‘break’. He has been figuring out how to make it all work from the time he decided that comedy is his thing. He’s travelled throughout Australia, both cities and r...
Aug 08, 2022•2 hr 27 min•Ep. 27
James G Warren (the G stands for Good At Comedy) moved to Melbourne 5 years ago from Tasmania, where he had already been a member of the comedy scene in Hobart since he won Class Clowns in 2013. We talk about how he started in Tassie as the young guy, still a teenager, growing out of that identity and finally growing out of the Hobart scene and moving to Melbourne. We discuss being on the spectrum, self-discipline, navigating the social side of comedy, dry vs high energy comedy, the release of s...
Jul 21, 2022•3 hr 48 min•Ep. 26
Helen Child, aka Helchild, recently performed her show Dolly and the Dicks of Doom in the Melbourne Comedy Festival. It was funny, politically subversive, unique, entertaining and well executed with 2 characters and some sketch comedy on video – it was brilliant! We talk about her parents, artists and socialists, and how this has continued with Helen. We also discuss how she started in visual arts, already politically edgy, and how this, together with her activism and emerging skill of taking on...
Jul 12, 2022•2 hr 1 min•Ep. 25
Hung Le - Melbourne comedian legend! He was the first Asian comedian to perform in Australian comedy clubs and on TV, back in 1987, and he was very successful. In 1975, as a child, Hung and his family had to flee Vietnam when South Vietnam finally fell to North Vietnam. He is one of the first ‘boat people' and his story is incredible! I read his autobiography The Crappiest Refugee by Hung Le – an amazing story! Well worth reading. We talk about how he first started performing with a classical st...
Jun 06, 2022•3 hr 1 min•Ep. 24
Chris Franklin hit the Melbourne comedy scene back in 1997. He won RAW comedy in 1998, and then his song Bloke (parody of the song Bitch by Meredith Brooks) went to No. 1 on the charts in the year 2000. He then released several more songs, and has been a professional comedian ever since. I met Chris in 1999 at comedy gigs when Clint and I were performing musical comedy on the scene. Chris also hosts a comedy night every night during the comedy festival, called The After Party at the Exford Hotel...
May 10, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 23
He Huang, originally from China, started performing comedy in Washington DC, USA and moved to Melbourne specifically because it is one of the comedy capitals of the world. This woman is 100% committed to comedy, never says no to a gig or opportunity, is super humble and friendly and has been making waves in the Melbourne comedy scene since she arrived, even during all the lockdowns! She was a RAW national finalist in 2021 and hosts a number of showcase gigs throughout the year. She lives in Sydn...
May 02, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 22
Chris Ryan is an awesome comedian from Canberra. She won Best Newcomer 2019 Sydney Comedy Festival and Nominee Best Newcomer 2021 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Chris is in her 40s – this intrigued me that a woman in her 40s was winning these newcomer awards. I went to see her 2022 Melbourne International Comedy Festival show “Can’t Complain”, and I was hooked from the moment she started. Her hilarious candid comments carry deep, dark truths – just my kind of comedy! We talk about how ...
Apr 25, 2022•57 min•Ep. 21
Brad Oakes, comedian, mentor and Melbourne comedy rock, has been on the Melbourne comedy scene for over 30 years. He is a treasure trove of comedic understanding, self reflection, experience, research and honing. He scrutines his work and the craft itself, to turn a comedic idea into a perfectly polished hilarious gag. He is the master, and that is why many Melbourne comedians turn to him to help polish their material. In this podcast we cover his history briefly, and then we discuss craft of wr...
Mar 19, 2022•1 hr 21 min
Marilyn Leder is a Melbourne comedian and University lecturer who teaches film & television, particularly comedy. We first met at Yes All Women’s around 2015, and gigged there together for 2 years. After not seeing her for a number of years, she has burst back onto the scene with more passion and vibrancy than ever! She has a show in the upcoming Melbourne International Comedy Festival – The MILF Next Door. Cheeky what! I’ve seen a little snippet of her show, and it looks awesome! Here’s the...
Mar 12, 2022•1 hr 55 min•Ep. 19
Mimi Shaheen, comedian, telling it like it is! We get right into what’s going on in our heads behind the comedy, the addiction to comedy, the anxiety before a gig & our relationships to other comedians. Mimi tells us how her life was heading straight towards marriage and children, and then took a sharp hook turn, towards comedy. Amazing story! Mimi was born in Syria. She tells us what it was like growing up here in Melbourne in an Arabic family. She also tells us a bit about Syria and why th...
Mar 03, 2022•3 hr 47 min•Ep. 18
Andy Moratis, comedian, musician, room runner, father – he’s had his fingers in many different pies over the years. We talk about his background in performing, his transition from musician to comedian, and now expanding into running comedy rooms. We discuss what attracted him to comedy, body language, getting into comedy later in life, what bookers are looking for and how comedy itself, as a reflection of society, is constantly changing and evolving. We talk about how comedy has changed here in ...
Feb 21, 2022•2 hr 21 min•Ep. 17
Kate Hanley Corley, comedian, music video creator, writer, mother. Kate does it all! We discuss how she came to do her first Fringe festival show in 2012, Melbourne International Comedy Festival show in 2013 and how it has all snowballed from there. She performs a lot of musical comedy in her shows, and has made numerous music video clips that have gone viral! Kate has enjoyed success from her first festival show onwards, and we get an insight into how she has made that happen. She talks about h...
Feb 12, 2022•2 hr 12 min•Ep. 16
Akemi Kawabata, Melbourne comedian, is originally from Osaka, Japan. Her style is cheeky & “naughty”. She’s lots of fun to watch and hang out with. We discuss how she first came here 26 years ago on a working holiday visa, and knew very quickly that she wanted to stay here. She hardly spoke a word of English when she first arrived and studied hard to become an interpreter and work in Tourism. We talk about the Japanese drumming group she played with in Melbourne, connecting with people here,...
Feb 03, 2022•3 hr 42 min•Ep. 15
Thomas Banks is a Melbourne comedian with cerebral palsy. This means that his speech and mobility are affected. He’s not always easy to understand, but I do always “translate” for you guys, and I encourage you to hang in there. It’s not often that you hear disabled people having their voice heard, particularly if they have a speech impediment. That is particularly why I interviewed him. He is outrageous, funny, full on and uncensored. I’ve known Thomas for a few years now, and I learned a lot mo...
Jan 26, 2022•2 hr 40 min•Ep. 14
Akwasi Osei-Tutu, Melbourne comedian, soccer player, and all around good vibe guy is about to go travelling. We will miss you Akwasi!! Originally from Ghana, and grew up in Perth, Akwasi started comedy specifically to face his fear of talking to a group. One and a half years into comedy he performed his own comedy festival show, successfully, and continued to perform shows in following MICF, Adelaide and Perth festivals! How? He is self-disciplined and chooses to consciously face his fears and w...
Jan 17, 2022•2 hr 46 min•Ep. 13
Krutika Harale, comedian, recently moved from Sydney to Melbourne – Melbourne wins!! Originally from Mumbai, Krutika has lived in NY City, Brisbane, Sydney and now Melbourne. She is also an architect and graphic design artist. An adventurer at heart, curious, wanting to know how other people in the world live, think and interact, Krutika took jobs in these cities to have new experiences and meet new people. Her path to becoming a comedian started with improvisation classes in Sydney. This helps ...
Dec 26, 2021•3 hr 8 min•Ep. 12
Grant Cater performs regularly on the open mic. comedy scene, and I’m so glad he does. He’s unique, he’s hilarious and his distinctive laugh is second to none! (Except maybe Thomas Banks!) We talk about getting comedy stage time again after lockdown, his experiences on the comedy scene, his muscle condition and how it affects him, our friend Thomas Banks, and Grant’s trip to the USA with his brother. This includes his experiences with a medical marijuana dispensary over there. Crazy shit!! We ar...
Dec 20, 2021•2 hr 2 min•Ep. 11
Keren Storai, the Princess of Dark Comedy here in Melbourne has recently had baby Jemimah!! We talk about the total lifestyle change from becoming pregnant, having a baby, the sacrifices, writing comedy, alcohol, mental health and ayahuasca. It’s a very honest, deep, rich, vulnerable conversation. How does one go from drinking at gigs almost every night of the week, to not drinking or doing gigs, and taking care of a baby? Find out. Keren’s advice on writing and performing comedy is gold! I had ...
Dec 13, 2021•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 10
Aarti Vincent, local Melbourne comedian. Aarti's catch phrase - "Yo yo bitch tits!" I first met Aarti on the open mic. comedy scene at the Yes All Women’s comedy in early 2020. Aarti is originally from Delhi, India and has lived in Australia for about 15 years now. She tells us about her life back in Delhi, her transition to living here in Australia and how she got into comedy here in Melbourne. It’s very interesting to hear her talk about her observations of Australia and Australians, from the ...
Dec 06, 2021•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 9
Andy Goodone has been a comedian here in Melbourne, and Sydney, since 1981. 40 years!! Amazing hey? It was fascinating hearing about how comedy, as we know it, was just starting come onto the Australian entertainment scene in the early 80s. He tells us how it all started, what it was like here in Melbourne back then, how the first Melbourne Comedy Festival started, who won the first Moosehead award, what the comedians and audiences were like back then and what it’s like being back on the open mi...
Nov 29, 2021•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 8
Lisa Gatenby, Melbourne comedian and the woman I want to see on Playschool! I’ve been gigging with Lisa on the Melbourne comedy scene for several years now. We got to know each other a lot better when worked on the Slut Song video clip together. She was great fun to work with! She’s got lots of life in her, lots of positive energy, easy to work with and very funny!! I loved getting to know Lisa better in this podcast. She’s traveled and done lots of cool things, as well as having intelligent ins...
Nov 21, 2021•2 hr 38 min•Ep. 7
Welcome to Uncomfortable Truths Episode 4, with my friend and fellow comedian, Trent Mahon. This is the second half of a 4 hour conversation we had. If you want to hear the first half of the conversation, please listen to Episode 3. In this Episode Trent tells us about his trip to Peru and his experiences with Ayahuasca in Peru. Super interesting! After the first hour we start talking about the world in general, until we hit the 2 hour mark. To play us out for the 2nd half of my conversation wit...
Nov 08, 2021•2 hr 15 min•Ep. 4
Welcome to Uncomfortable Truths Episode 3 with Trent Mahon, my friend and fellow comedian. Trent and I became friends while gigging together at the Highlander, Melbourne around 2019, until lockdown in March 2020. We both dabble in “conspiracy theories”, we’re both psuedo hippies, we’re both marijuana enthusiasts and we both believe that there needs to be more empathy and compassion in this world. We talked for 4 hours, so I have split it into 2 parts. This first part we talk about Trent’s backgr...
Nov 07, 2021•2 hr 9 min
