Melbourne International Comedy Festival comedian Q&A: Greg Tantala, The Mooks — Back in the Naughty Chair

The Mooks will be taking you on a journey of the absurd and silly through sketch, song and standup, says Greg Tantala.

Greg Tantala Melbourne Comedy Festival 2019.

What can people expect from your show at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival?

People can expect a great time with a whole lot of variety.

All three members of The Mooks (Chris Cole, Lara Robinson and Greg Tantala) bring their own sensibilities to the show.

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Being older comedians a lot of our comedy comes from us being slow on the big changes happening in the world right now.

We’re not all like ‘Oh, kids these days’ — we’re positive about these changes and feel foolish in how badly we’re keeping up.

There’s a lot of fun to be had in that space — from the complications of online dating to completely misinterpreting the zeitgeist.

We all have our own skills and perspectives.

Chris can really belt out a good comedy tune, while Lara has raised four kids (so there’s a lot of good material there) and Greg has his own bizarre takes on the world which he’ll throw out there, much to Chris and Lara’s chagrin. He’s definitely one who has spent his fair share of time in the naughty chair.

Tell us what you’ve been up to since last time you were here.

Chris has performed a couple of shows at the comedy fesitval, but we did our first show as The Mooks in 2017 in the acclaimed Boganocracy.

Boganocracy was more of a play with some songs to break up the action, but since that show we’ve been moving away from doing more scripted material and building our rapport while developing our own voices.

We’ve thrown some smaller shows outside of the festival and gotten some great feedback, so we’re taking this out to a wider audience.

Spruik it! Who should see your show, and why?

Anyone who wants to see something that’s a little different from traditional standup and more of an experience.

We’re all big fans of comedy variety shows, like Working Dog’s The Late Show and more recently Comedy Bang Bang, where there are segments rather than one perspective. We want to take the audience on a journey through sketch, song and standup.

Part of the fun of making a show like this is weaving all these components together.

Also being one of the shows out in the ’burbs, people living around Brunswick should definitely rock up to Red Betty and break up their week with some comedy.

What’s your No.1 tip for people coming to see a show at the comedy festival?

Always take a chance. There’s obviously big names who everyone wants to see, but take a chance on someone you’ve never heard of.

Most people we know see at least two shows — someone who they’re already a fan of and a local act that looks intriguing.

Which other comedians/shows are you keen to see at this year’s festival, and why?

We’re most interested in seeing local acts in local areas.

Our favourite thing about MICF is that it gives local acts, such as ours, a platform to get stuff out there to a bigger audiences. It’s people like us who are giving it a crack that excite us the most.

In terms of some of the bigger names we’re excited to see Ron Funches, who is one of the most exciting comedians in the world right now, and we always make a point of seeing Bob Franklin, who is one of Australia’s most unique comedy voices.

Who or what is your comedic inspiration, and why?

We’re all massive fans of the original D-Gen and Working Dog who we all hold a candle to.

They’re still putting out great stuff to this day.

Chris is a big fan of British comedy and his favourites go as far back as the Goon Show to as recent as The Mighty Boosh.

Anything else you want us to know about you or your show?

Come and check us out, it\’s going to be one of the more unique shows of the festival.

GREG TANTALA, THE MOOKS — BACK IN THE NAUGHTY CHAIR, APRIL 4-18, RED BETTY, 859A SYDNEY RD, BRUNSWICK. BOOK TICKETS.