Comedian Dave Thornton reckons we need to laugh more

COMEDIAN Dave Thornton reckons we need to yank our pyjama pants up to our armpits and dance around more, and the little lady in his life has given him licence to do just that.

Comedian Dave Thornton will be performing at Caboolture’s Generate Festival.

COMEDIAN Dave Thornton reckons we all need to yank our pyjama pants up to our armpits and dance around more, and the little lady in his life has given him licence to do just that.

“We watch the news too much and think the whole place is collapsing around us but in reality it’s not that serious,” Thornton says.

He says being a father to 20-month-old Frieda has given him licence to “act like a moron” and he loves it.

The Melbourne-based stand-up comic will headline Generate Festival at Caboolture, north of Brisbane, on June 29.

He’ll bring his take-no-prisoners, acerbic style to the free Sit Down Comedy Club Comedy Under the Stars event from 5.30pm. And he can’t wait.

After two visits in four months, Thornton says it will be a homecoming of sorts.

“I think I’m a local. Do I have to pay rates now? I should at least have a library card,” he laughs.

So, what can punters expect from his show? … Hilarious tales of the things that make Thornton laugh.

“Stupid things that happen. Most things that happen in real life that you think are ridiculous,” he says.

Comedian Dave Thornton will be performing at Caboolture’s Generate Festival.

These days, his life is lived inside a 3km radius with family at the core.

His material is inspired by all the things that are part of his life.

“It’s cathartic you know. Comedians are like lawyers and ambulance chases when something goes wrong you think this could work for me, I could get a story out of it,” he says.

“Young people laugh but it’s the parents that are nodding and all going, ‘I get that’.”

Thornton’s come a long way since his first disastrous gig at Geelong Performing Arts Complex (GPAC).

“It was almost a biblical event. Not one of my finest moments,” he says laughing.

“The nerves kicked in and I forgot what I was about to say … 15 seconds of silence … kind of like Vodafone reception. It was the longest five minutes of my life.”

He says the crowd was generous but it was like parting the Red Sea as he left.

“If a gig goes well, people swarm you. If it doesn’t, they just move out of the way.”

But he was young, enthusiastic and with a free bar tab dangling in front of him he was living the dream. “Who needed a degree?”

Thornton remembers being paid 50 Euro for a gig in Dublin when he was living there as a backpacker.

“Back then it was the equivalent to the price of a small apartment in Fortitude Valley,” he laughs.

It was proof he could earn money as a comedian. “There’s nothing like a carrot of money to keep you going,” he recalls.

Thornton’s now been pedalling his craft for 14 years and likens his comedic persona to a teenage boy whose voice has just broken and has created an Instagram account.

So what’s this teenager’s dream gig?

“Generate Festival at Caboolture,” he laughs.

“Or maybe a sellout gig at the MCG.”

The Sit Down Comedy Club Under the Stars event is for adults only.

The Wayward Sons will be playing at Caboolture’s Generate Festival.

GENERATE FESTIVAL

What: Event to celebrate all things creative with live comedy, music, art installations and workshops.

Where: Caboolture

When: June 29-30

Details and to register: generatefestival.com.au