Top comedians at 2019 Melbourne International Comedy Festival reveal comedy icons
With a swag of funny folk performing at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, we asked some top comedians to reveal their comedic icons.
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Every comedian has to start somewhere - and for many, the seed is planted long before they even think about stepping out on to the stand-up stage.
It might be when they catch the first glimpse of a comedy star on TV or the big screen, or it might be from sharing a laugh with their favourite uncle at family gatherings.
With a swag of funny folk performing at this month’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, we asked some top talent to reveal their comedic icons.
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DAVE THORNTON - GROUCHO MARX
“Growing up, my father had his own cleaning business and even from an early age, I knew he hated it.
His sciatica rarely made Monday to Friday fun.
His friends would tell me you don’t need a calendar around my dad, and you knew it was Monday because all you got was a grunt.
Tuesday, it evolved to, ‘Hello’.
By Friday, he was asking how the family was and complimenting you on your outfit.
And on Saturday, it was guaranteed his afternoon would be filled with laughter and drinking as his mates were all over in his man cave.
To entertain/distract my brother and I from their, shall we say, “bluer conversation”, Dad put on Marx Brothers films.
A Day at the Races, Monkey Business, A Night at The Opera and Duck Soup were on repeat ad nauseam.
The anarchy of Harpo, Chico and Groucho were a delight to see.
(They had two other brothers, Gummo and Zeppo, but they were the straight men and I had zero interest in them).
I’d fast forward the tape player to get to the gags; and the best gags were always Groucho’s.
His word play was the gold standard, but blink and you’d miss it.
I remember a scene where he picks up the phone to demand, ‘Room service? Send up a bigger room’.
And another where he enlightens: ‘Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.’
Some jokes I got, some went over my head, and most lines I butchered.
But that didn’t stop this 12-year-old from delivering his best Groucho to my dad and his mates.
Not only was it fun, but it taught me a crucial lesson in comedy: An audience who are a fair way down a cask of wine, is an easy one.”
Dave Thornton, Lean Into It, March 21-April 21, Max Watt’s and Melbourne Town Hall. Book tickets.
JUSTIN HAMILTON - ROBIN WILLIAMS
“I remember the first time I saw Robin Williams.
He was a guest on the show Happy Days, where he played Mork from Ork — an alien with superhuman powers that were so powerful he could even control Fonzie.
Isn’tthat an insane sentence?
Television took more risks in the old days, so much so that Mork’s popularity spun him into his own show, Mork and Mindy. It was must-see TV at my home.
I was mesmerised watching the traditional half-hour comedy format attempt to wrangle the chaotic energy of Williams alongside the underrated Pam Dawber, who consistently set up gags with her deft comic timing.
I remember watching Williams here in Australia on The Don Lane Show, on rollerskates and picking up objects at random to improvise jokes, including one gag about Nefertiti and her pyramid, which was the perfect blend of clever and risqué.
I’d never seen anything like Williams and when his record, Live at the Met, was released, I harangued Mum into buying it.
This was my introduction to stand-up comedy.
From the moment Williams came out and wondered if Pavarotti was performing at the Improv, I was hooked.
In rapid succession he covered topics ranging from addiction to gun control, from world politics to sexual politics; he dazzled with impersonations and improvisations before returning to his script.
And then, when you couldn’t laugh any more, he finished on a moment of poignancy, a moment he’d earned over the course ofthe show.
But even then, he still found space for a few more jokes.
When Williams took his final bow, his fans felt it in their bones.
I’ll always remember him in that Hawaiian shirt, teaching me the power of one person saying funny words aloneon a stage.”
Justin Hamilton, The Ballad of John Tilt Animus, (three-part show), selected dates March 31-April 16, The Toff in Town. Book tickets.
GERALDINE HICKEY - GERALDINE DOYLE
“One of my biggest influences growing up was Geraldine Doyle.
When I was about 11, I was given a book she had written titled, You Wouldn’t Read about It!
According to the inside sleeve, Geraldine was an Irish comedian living in Australia who made regular appearances on The Midday Show with Ray Martin.
I imagined her travelling around Australia doing comedy shows at country clubs and could easily imagine myself doing the same.
I would read the stories in my mind with an Irish accent and imagine standing on stage with the audience in stitches.
It was so easy to put myself in that position because I loved telling stories, especially ones where I managed to make people laugh. Also, we had the same name.
I didn’t know any other Geraldines and here was another Geraldine who was on TV, had written a book and was funny!
There was one story she told about a gig she was doing at a corporate breakfast.
The organiser informed her he was about tointroduce her before going out on stage and announcing: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, it’s the moment you’ve all being waiting for. I know, I can’t quite believe our luck we got them either.
‘We’ve spared no expense in getting the main event here. They arrived early this morning when they were put into a chauffeur-driven car. Yes, that’s right, no expense was spared.
‘We went to every effort to make sure they got here fresh for you to enjoy.
‘So without further ado, here they are ladies and gentleman … your prawns! Oh, and also Geraldine Doyle is going to do some comedy.’
It was such a silly story and I loved it.
I loved it when I was 11 and now, as a comedian who has had my fair share of the worst introductions, I love it even more.”
Geraldine Hickey, Things Are Going Well, March 27-April 30, Imperial Hotel. Book tickets.
JOEL CREASEY - JOAN RIVERS AND KATHY GRIFFIN
“When I was about 15, I was allowed to have my own internet and laptop in my room.
And when I say internet, I mean my mum told me the WiFi code.
One night, I found myself in a YouTube blackhole and stumbled across the work of Joan Rivers and Kathy Griffin.
I was immediately obsessed.
While most boys my age were in love with Vin Diesel or a sports hero (I’d name one, but I don’t know any), I identified with these tough, sassy, brilliant female comics.
I’ve been lucky enough to not only see both comics live, but I was invited backstage to see Kathy Griffin after her most recent epic, three-hour stand-up show.
As for Joan, I spent several years working on and off as her support act. I couldn’t believe it! Me! Joan couldn’t have been nicer the first night I met her in New York. She came up to me straight away and said, “You’re really gay.”
I squeaked excitedly, “Thank you! I know!”
She asked if I had been to see any Broadway shows yet. I told her I had been there for a day. And seen four.
Working with Joan was the closest I’ll get to having a religious experience.
She was humble, down-to-earth, so sharp and incredibly beautiful.
So many jokes were made about her plastic surgery, the best coming from Joan herself, but she genuinely was stunning.
I mean, she wasn’t having that work done on the cheap!
I am so grateful to both these icons for shaping my comedy.
They are the reason, I believe, that everyone should believe that women are absolutely, categorically, without a shadow of a doubt, much, much, MUCH funnier than men.”
Joel Creasey, Drink. Slay. Repeat. March 28-April 21, The Forum. Book tickets.
NIKKI BRITTON - LUCILLE BALL
“One of my favourite memories as a kid was laying on the floor at my Nanna and Grandpa’s house on a Friday night, watching them crying with laughter as Lucille Ball wreaked havoc on the fuzzy screen of their big boxy television set.
(It was my job to stand on a chair and hold the antennae just so on particularly windy evenings.)
She was the very first woman I saw on TV give zero hoots about how a lady should behave and I was captivated by her rubber-faced lunacy from the first time I saw it.
She didn’t just poke fun at what was considered appropriate behaviour for a housewife,or a woman, she flipped it upside down and took a crap in its hat. It was pure clown.
In every episode of I Love Lucy we saw her wide, sparkling eyes telling a story of playful panic beneath a stunning head of strawberry blonde curls.
I used to imagine what it might be like to invoke the kind of giddy joy in people that Lucy did in my grandparents.
She broke all the rules for women, and in doing so, wrote the book for comedy.
Lucille Ball wasn’t the only reason I got into comedy (vodka also played its part), but she was absolutely the first, and her irreverence and disregard for what is deemed acceptable is definitely something that inspires me in what I do.”
Nikki Britton, Once Bitten, March 28-April 21, Melbourne Town Hall. Book tickets.
MEL BUTTLE - JANE TURNER AND GINA RILEY
“‘Can you leave off my weight for five minutes mum?’ Kim Craig (nee Day) says.
A TV show set in a suburban townhouse? With strong mother/daughter tension? You have my interest.
I reckon if I ever got a tattoo, it’d be Kath and Kim related. I was, and still am, obsessed with whatever Jane Turner and Gina Riley do.
I first came across them in Fast Forward.
For some reason I was allowed to stay up late and watch this show, and it got into my comedy psyche, and perhaps influencedmy style to this day.
I don’t do sketch or characters, but I find myself writing stand-up about my suburban life, my family and my beloved French onion dip.
To this day if I can’t pull myself out of a bad mood, I’ll jump on YouTube and watch Jane Turner’s character Margaret Bland, from the Margaret Bland School of Dance, on repeat.
It is a pure joy to me. I’ve met a few of my other comedy heroes, like Judith Lucy, and Maria Bamford from the US, but I’m still to clock Jane or Gina around the traps.
My mum can’t really understand how I make money from telling jokes about my dog in a pub, but whenever I explain that I’m trying to do what Jane Turner and Gina Riley do, she gets it a bit more.”
Mel Buttle, Welcome Aboard, March 28-April 21, Melbourne Town Hall. Book tickets.
WANT TO SEE THE COMEDY FESTIVAL IN STYLE?
This year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival line-up is one for the ages — and Front Row Melbourne is offering the chance to score the best seats in the house.
Entries are open for the giveaway, which includes four VIP passes to three comedy shows plus the festival’s opening night, a dining package, a private helicopter tour, four return airfares to Melbourne, accommodation, and four airport transfers.
Run by Visit Victoria, it’s one of three Front Row Melbourne experiences up for grabs next month.
STAY TUNED FOR OUR REVIEWS ON THE HOTTEST SHOWS AT THIS YEAR’S COMEDY FESTIVAL.
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