“The mind works in mysterious ways” – and the stand-up comic utilises this to reach deep into his or her psyche to find something that will make us laugh. So what happens when comic relief comes from someone with a mental illness? Often, it’s highly inventive. A mental illness can often take its sufferer to places that the sane never …
The “Cranky Yank”, a true seasoned professional with an impressive CV including performances on Saturday Night Live, is able to have the audience laughing by mocking the politically correct before he even comes on the stage. His prolific use of ‘F bombs’ fits in well with his sarcastic style and demeanour. The America/Australia theme is a fertile ground for his …
Few comedians could successfully weave the Human Papillomavirus, or HPV, and male feminism into a hilarious joke. But that’s no problem for ‘Old Wang’. The Malaysian born Brit, who also refers to himself in multiple first persons, aka White Wang, Horny Wang, and Young Wang, takes the audience on a audible slide-night of his life, from his kungfu father and archaeologist …
Never has there been more important time to laugh. News and social media are bombarding us with doomsday predictions, nuclear annihilation, and societal chaos. Not that the kids have noticed. The average kid between 3 and 6 will laugh around 400 to 600 time’s a day, whereas their ‘miserable’ parents only chuckle between 12 to 15 times. It’s not surprising …
Stand-up comedy is no longer a man-only affair – and rightly so. Today Australia is blessed with an abundant choice of female comedians – appearing on stage, panels, news platforms, and sitcoms. We’ve gathered a smattering of performers in the list below, and would like to ask, “who is your favourite?” Know your Aussie comedians: Cal Wilson – The late …
We Aussies know that our land is girt by sea, and filled with hilarious talent. While some of our comedians have stayed home, others have gone for far-off locations – and made their mark. Here’s three of the hottest Australian comedians in the UK right now. ADAM HILLS Most people in the UK have heard of this Australian legend. The disabled …
YOU LIKELY REMEMBER THE STAND-UP GENIUSES Billy Connolly and Bill Bailey. Chance are you have DVDs of their performances to catch over and over again. But UK comedy has changed over the years. There are now TV shows and comedy news programs bringing more UK comedians to the limelight. Here’s a look at three top UK comedians today. Sarah Millican Sarah …
IF YOU’VE JUST WOKEN FROM A COMA, you won’t know that the term ‘bucket list’ means a list of things that one would like to do before dying – that is, before ‘kicking the bucket’, or going back into a coma. According to the Wall Street Journal, it was screenwriter, Justin Zackham, who coined the term when he was composing a checklist that …
I FIRST SAW THE DOUG ANTHONY ALL STARS, or DAAS if you are in a hurry, at the Union Building in RMIT University, Melbourne. It was 1994, and the trio had reached a decade into their abusive, in-your-face, yet somehow intellectual, comedy careers, that sprouted from the streets of Canberra where they first busked. Tim Ferguson, tall and charismatic to the left. …
