Melbourne International Comedy Festival comedian Q&A: Tom Gibson, Unqualified

You don’t need to be an expert to appreciate the unqualified humour of Tom Gibson and Chris Ryan.

Tom Gibson, Unqualified, Melbourne Comedy Festival 2019.

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

Unqualified is a show about what it’s like to be fully grown up but not still feel like you’ve nailed the whole adult thing.

Chris Ryan is fortysomething and well aware that she’s supposed to have accumulated some wisdom by now.

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But all she’s accumulated is a whole lot of bad habits and anti-social opinions — and she’s steadfastly refusing to change.

Chris’s dry, laconic wit and endearing relatability turn all her failures into hilarious stories.

Tom Gibson knows nothing about anything and his search to find out some answers just attracts an endless stream of self-proclaimed experts who know even less than him.

His energetic rants and incisive deconstructions of life’s roadblocks are wild and funny.

Tell us about you.

Unqualified is Chris’s MICF debut.

She burst on to the comedy scene in 2015 and almost instantly established herself as a unique comedic voice for the under-represented 40s female contingent.

Chris’s popularity has resulted in her selling out her last two Canberra Comedy Festival shows, touring with the Sydney Comedy Festival Showcase and even being asked to bring her comedy gold to a TEDx convention.

I’m returning to the MICF after debuting as a green youngster way back in 2007.

I became a dad shortly after the last festival and have spent the intervening years performing across the country and hosting a breakfast radio show.

I should have returned to the MICF way before now but am also a creative writer and am completing the final year of a Creative PhD, so kind of kept delaying it.

Rather than lament missing out on the festival (as a performer) for all those years, I’m focusing on how I’ve developed my game so that I can blast the festival out of the park.

Chris and I are advocates of the Canberra comedy scene, where we’ve established two monthly comedy curated rooms, produced and/or performed in multiple charity fundraising events each year, and encouraged dozens of new comedians to take to the stage via our comedy pathway initiative, particularly comedians who represent demographics less visible in Australian comedy.

Who should see your show, and why?

Unqualified is for anyone who feels like the people around them are taking life too seriously, anyone who enjoys laughing at their own failures, and anyone who thinks that the way they’re told to live their lives is almost the exact opposite of how they actually should live them.

If you’re 30-something, 40-something, 50-something or, well, any age where you might replace a digit with ‘something’, then this show is for you.

We’ve both sold out our respective solo shows in 250-seater theatres in consecutive Canberra Comedy Festivals.

We’ve performed in the Sydney Comedy Festival and in Australia’s best comedy rooms.

Now we’re finally coming to Melbourne, we have to cram our best bits into one hilarious hour.

While we’ve got over 15 years of experience between us, we’re largely unknown in Melbourne, so I think we’re going to surprise a few people.

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

Leave your pretentiousness at the door.

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

Dane Simpson — Origins.

Dane is an old-school storyteller whose yarns about his family make me laugh. So likeable too.

Luke Heggie — Have That. I’ve laughed myself silly at every single Luke Heggie show ever. Arguably the most bankable comedian in the festival.

Kitty Flanagan — Smashing. Just a pure pro who’s funny on stage, on the screen and everywhere else.

Daniel Kitson — Keep. If Daniel Kitson isn’t on everyone comedian’s list then something is wrong. He’s the best in the business.

Maria Bamford — The Irrelevant Redundancy. She’s kooky and hilarious and I’ve wanted to see her live for years.

Anthony Tomic — Please Pray for Me. Anthony is a great mate of mine and an underrated comedy craftsman.

Daniel Connell — Piece of Piss. Daniel Connell just makes comedy look easy. He’s so laid-back that sometimes you don’t see the joke until it hits you.

Hannah Gadsby — Douglas. Well, she produced the best live performance ever — comedy or otherwise. Nuff said.

What stands out to you about Melbourne and/or its people?

The best thing about Melbourne is that even the touristy places in the centre of town — the bits you usually steer clear of when staying in a new city — are cool.

The people do their own thing but I never feel like an outsider.

It’s pretty incredible that the one place can be at once a cultural/arts mecca and sport mad.

I’m almost looking forward to spending the daytime in Melbourne as much as I am the post-show nights. Almost.

Who or what is your comedic inspiration, and why?

English comedian, Matt King, did a MICF gala spot in about 1998 that got me into comedy (albeit several years later).

It had a funny one-liner opening then slipped into a joke about animals that had bits like the aardvark making up his name when he heard

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

Chris and I split the show into two halves and, though our focus is always on maximum laughs, each part has a subtle narrative permeating it so that together they present two halves of a whole story.

I’m really lucky to share the show with Chris because I truly think it’ll just take one astute judge of talent to propel her into the top list of Aussie comedians.

We’re going all in for this show and are extremely excited to just be part of the festival.

TOM GIBSON, UNQUALIFIED, MARCH 26-APRIL 7, CROWDED IN THE VAULTS, VAULT 10, FEDERATION WHARF, PRINCES WALK. BOOK TICKETS