Vince Sorrenti ‘I’m Offended’ show: How Bulletin readers can get tickets before general sale

Nothing is off the table as comedian Vince Sorrenti brings his explosive ‘I’m Offended’ show to The Star, and Bulletin readers can get tickets before they go on general sale. Here’s how.

Vince, you’ve got your show I’m Offended coming to the Gold Coast in January – tell us about it.

It’s the first time I’ve done public shows in decades as I’ve been pretty much immersed in the corporate events scene.

I got approached by a promoter about a year ago asking if I would consider doing a tour.

I said not really I’ve been out of the scene for so long.

He rings me up the next day and said I’ve booked the State Theatre.

We filled it, I am blown away by the response it’s been absolutely amazing.

The theme of I’m offended it’s a push back on ‘wokeism’.

I’m not going out to offend anyone but I’m here to make the point in this show that comics should be able to talk about whatever the hell they want to talk about and there’s lot of people – judging from the last show – that really want to hear what I’ve got to say.

It seems a lot of comics have this issue at the moment where they feel they’re being censored, is that right?

Yeah or cancelled – and what that does is it stops them from going to places they need to go. Comedy is not the problem, comedy is the answer. We need to talk about stuff. If a comic can’t talk about something that’s important in your life to help take the pressure off then who can? If there’s a sensitive subject, a war in the Middle East, the Voice, transgenderism, sexism, racism – people don’t talk about this stuff anymore and we’re keeping a lot of it bottled up and it festers and it gets worse. You need to have a laugh.

With that said what can we expect to be on the table in your show?

I’m going to talk about the way we were treated through Covid.

I’m offended at the way we got pushed around. We have sit here, stay home, wear a mask check in, keep your distance, wash your hands, get the jab, get tested – seriously – this whole stay at home this just drove us mad. Home schooling was a joke. The hatred between the premiers was enough to turn the states against each other. The animosity between the states: ‘Your premier’s a d--khead why don’t you open your borders,’ ‘Queensland hospitals are for Queenslanders,’ for God’s sake that went down like a lead balloon in the southern states.

The way they took it upon themselves to become these authorities and deny us our freedoms I think is still a very big issue in people’s minds.

I have a little stab at Annastacia Palaszczuk. She picked a fight with everyone – even picked a fight with Brad Fittler the Origin coach. I’ll admit Brad might not be the smartest guy in New South Wales but he would be in the Queensland government.

Vince Sorrenti is coming to the Gold Coast – and Bulletin readers can secure their tickets early. Picture: Richard Gosling.

I think many Queenslanders will back you on that – and you mentioned Dan Andrews earlier?

We lost Gladys Berejiklian during the election but poor Gladys she had one affair – Dan Andrews screwed the whole state of Victoria.

After the Victorian government’s shock decision to pull out of hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games, what are your thoughts on the Gold Coast being a hopeful?

Oh that is so exciting – that would really stick it up Dan Andrews’ jumper if Gold Coast get the Games. I hope the Gold Coast get the Commonwealth Games – it would just be fantastic. Your mayor – he’s a genius. I’m a big fan. What’s his name?

Tom Tate

He’s a beauty, I like Tom.

He’s going to love hearing that. He’s a bit of a comedian himself.

Good on him, he’s welcome to do 10 minutes before I get on stage in January.

You’ve been at quite a few fundraisers here on the Gold Coast including last year’s Men’s Matters Race Day – are you a GC regular?

Queensland was a real saver for entertainers – because you guys didn’t lock down as hard or as long as other states and because people had an enormous desire to come to Queensland. Last year I was up here 45 times for conferences, events, award nights, sporting events, fundraisers.

Queensland exploded post-Covid. Other states, particularly Victoria – it feels like they’re still in lockdown. In a normal year I’m in Melbourne once a fortnight. I’ve been to Melbourne five times in the last four years. It is dying a dog’s death. I’ve got no idea what’s going on down there – I don’t know if it’s the politics or the mentality of the people or “wokeism”. AFL grand final week which is normally one of the busiest weeks in an entertainer’s year – it was dead. The last two years. The Premier in his wisdom made that Friday a public holiday. Well that’s killed so many of the lunches and corporate dinners. The parade they had it on a bloody river last year – that was just about as interesting as watching paint dry.

It’s been over 10 years since you’ve been on the public stage. Why?

I haven’t needed to. I’ve found this niche in the corporate world and the money’s great and I get treated well, but look with the economy going the way it is corporates are like mmm (hand down motion) so I just need another revenue source at the moment.

Add that to the fact the pandemic was a disaster for entertainers.

I had two years of no income. I’ve got a mortgage, I’ve got four kids and a wife. A lot of people in my business are no longer in my business. No one really thinks about the entertainers. We’re the first ones that get tapped on the shoulders when there’s a bushfire or flood relief but when we have no work, no one gives a stuff. People go, ‘Well they’ve got plenty of money – they’re only doing it in their spare time anyway,’ well no – it’s called show business.

A lot of comics tried to do these almost Zoom stand-up shows … here’s a tip to all comics – never do that. It’s about as funny as watching a war on TV. It’s not good mate, it’s not good.

Vince Sorrenti promises no subject will be off the table in his raucous comedy show. Picture: Richard Gosling.

How are you feeling going back into the public arena?

It’s awesome – honestly I still pinch myself. Love it – so much new material because the best time for comedy is when everyone goes through the same experiences. Whether it’s the Olympics, if there’s a war, if there’s a big strong social movement. Covid impacted every single person on the planet – so it’s an enormously good subject for comics because everyone can relate. It’s a great on-the-same-page subject.

You’ve said a few funny things in the past such as yoghurt having more culture than the Gold Coast. What do you think of the Gold Coast and the people of the Gold Coast?

What’s the difference between yoghurt and the Gold Coast? Yoghurt has an active culture.

No, that’s not true. Actually the Gold Coast gets a very unfair rap. Back in the days when I used to do public shows the Gold Coast Art Centre (now HOTA) was one of my favourite venues in the country – a really hip street level, grassroots comedy venue. It was a fantastic venue. Tina Turner was a fan of mine when she was alive. I did some work for Tina Turner overseas and she used to request catch up CDs of my latest shows and they were recorded at the Gold Coast Art Centre. Tina Turner has heard me work at the Gold Coast Art Centre.

My wife and I had only been married for three weeks and she flew us to her villa in the south of France for her 50th anniversary in show business party. Get this – her manager is an Aussie Roger Davies. He’s a big cricket fan and saw me doing the One-Day Cricket Final many years ago and wanted to get me for his 50th birthday.

He booked me and I had to sign all these waivers so I couldn’t discuss who was in the room. So I walked into the room and there was Tina Turner, Daryl Braithwaite, Pink. Tina absolutely laughed her backside off. I get a phone call a couple of days later – she’s having a big party in the south of France and wants me to be the entertainment. It’s her 50th anniversary in showbiz party – she had a lot of connections with Australia and Australia was a huge part of her comeback so she really wanted an Australian theme as part of her big celebration.

I just got married and it was, ‘Listen love we’re going to the south of France to Tina Turner’s villa,’ She was shaking she couldn’t believe it. I think I got four kids out of that trip.

But the thing was there were no Aussies there. The people at this party Bono, Giorgio Armani, Sting – then here’s your act Vince Sorrenti from Punchbowl.

I was absolutely s--ting myself. Tina said, ‘Listen I just want you to be Aussie,’ I couldn’t have obviously so I just did little bits about all the countries the people there were from.

And her Nutbush to French Riviera story was kind of like, I’m not trying to big note myself, but I’m from Punchbowl to Bellevue Hill so I got it – she came from a dirt poor family to this rock goddess with this $50m villa on the French Rivera – that was the highlight of my career.

You said you had to change your comedy game plan – how do Americans take your style of comedy? Obviously Tina loved it.

I spent many years in the States. I had a show on MTV in 1989 while living in New York. I love the United States. Americans are very ethnocentric, they don’t get a lot of the rest of the world. It’s got to be all about them and in ways they can understand it. Strangely enough tiny little things that you would never get are very different – the big smoke I thought that was an American expression – they don’t know what a windscreen is, it’s a windshield – that’s how accurate you have to be when you tell a joke.

It sounds like the show is going to be amazing.

We were a sell out in Sydney and I cannot wait for January 6 here on the Gold Coast. It’s an honour.