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Interview 8 – Jeff Green and Matt Elsbury
From the gains and losses of late-in-life parenting, the demise of heckling and the social media ‘self-esteem train’, to building comedy bridges on the back of global disasters… it’s an action packed half hour of Stellavision chat.
Jeff Green – famous in both the UK and Australian comedy scenes – believes many comics (and writers) begin their careers after a life changing loss (“I’m just not going to be that crushed guy!”). Keep an ear open for when Jeff explains why his ‘Ex’ is still next of kin on his passport ;>)
When Matt Elsbury is spotted in the street and asked to tell a joke (comedian’s bain), he semi-politely explains he is a professional, agrees a price on the gag, generates an invoice followed by a swipe on ZipPay (12 easy monthly payments). But he also cautions that earlier success does not guarantee future entitlement. As Matt puts it: “Your next audience owes you nothing.”
Stella ventures that comedians are ‘vicarious empaths’ – near enough to the action to be singed, but not so close as to blister. Finding the grumpy and exasperation in a situation, is to find the comedy (being just ‘angry’ is not really funny). Being able to create and explain a strong feeling, so the audience can compare it to their own experience is where comedy connections are made (and make you laugh despite yourself :>)
Don’t forget to check out the Stellavision website for forthcoming shows.
To listen to all our podcasts and episodes, go to:
Come to Stella Kinsella Books for stockists, and the fascinating back stories on Stella’s own publications.
YouTube Transcript
00:18
uh sobbing a big bill oddie all right cutting to the chase
00:24
welcome again thank you so much to my lovely crowd of Newports comedy room
00:29
hunters who come so regularly to see these shows and stick around for these
00:35
rather unique podcasts we are in fact building up an interesting archive of
00:40
some fantastic Australian or Australian working comedians who have really got a
00:45
bead on the social context and the zeitgeist if I can use that word because
00:50
there is no one more acutely able to comment on what’s happening in real time
00:56
as our stand-up comedian community now community of stand-up comedians I
01:02
suppose that’s true but you don’t really get together an it though comedians but
01:06
can I please welcome to two really hard-working comedians in Victoria
01:13
predominantly but nationally and to some extent internationally I think that’s
01:17
fair to say will you please welcome to the Stella vision here at the Newport
01:21
comedy room podcast the wonderful Jeff green and Matt Ellsbury thank you please
01:29
tell her thanks for having us and thanks for putting on such a great show with a
01:32
wonderful audience and we both had a great time very rarely perform on raffia
01:41
it’s it’s a first for me I have to say I’m just a little nervous that your
01:47
intro stellar for the podcast has said the bar little high talking about the
01:51
zeitgeist when I believe about an hour ago I was talking about my two-year-old
01:55
and a cupcake how profound allowed to be during this podcast hurry the process up
02:01
a bit with a few Jane away but we can’t just can’t defame ah we can’t do that
02:06
now listen this is called funny about boxes inaudible you can you can pick it
02:10
up on any of your Spotify or podcast listening devices that you have but what
02:15
we do here on this show is we talk to comedians about the nature of writing
02:18
and what that actually means because writing comedy is a bit weird isn’t it
02:22
it is weird I’ve I’ve written three books three well I’ve written my show so
02:28
I’m a writer often call myself a writer when I when I don’t want to mention
02:32
a comedian in taxis Sam a writer yeah and or you know if I’m coming into the
02:37
you know coming into the country and you have to put your your occupation down
02:42
because if you book comedian they go well tell us a joke and you say well
02:45
your parents are proud of you and then you don’t get in my standard line is now
02:51
I say I’m sorry I’m a professional I’ll have to invoice you do you know Stevie
02:57
Nicks from Fleetwood Mac still on her tax return rights
03:01
roxtor right that’s beautiful yeah so I’ve so I wrote three books and back in
03:09
the 2001 was called the ages that have living together that was the first book
03:12
and then the second book was called the 80s that had been single they tragic
03:15
follow-up and then the third book was the eighth set of having a baby and and
03:20
I’ve I’m island and as met directors and my personal life for material and I’m
03:27
actually a chemical engineer that’s my degree genuinely yeah which basically
03:31
means I can make a bong out of anything right but did you say Bob I’d bonk no
03:36
bomb now yeah well both in fact but I did my did chemical engineering at uni
03:41
I’m a maths physics and chemistry so I’ve always looked at jokes as like
03:45
puzzles so I see that I see the punchline and this is James I’m speaking
03:50
genuinely I I try and put them together I know there’s a there’s the perfect
03:54
combination of the of the words and the N where to put the punchline
03:58
and so I’ve often that’s all that’s often how I approach writing I am I try
04:03
and find a theme to what I want to talk about each year I give it a heading and
04:06
then I and then that gives me a spine so that I don’t drift too far off or if I
04:11
get writer’s block I know I’ve got to come back to what I’m supposed to be
04:15
talking about so I was watching you tonight and your methodology and so you
04:19
start with the end and you you move back to them and so that you can create the
04:23
logical conclusion yeah I usually start with the punch lines in what Matt says I
04:26
usually start with a punch line and then and they
04:28
create that the proper build-up and then I and I really work hard on the on the
04:33
woods and I try and make it as economic as possible and I try and choose the
04:38
right words it’s not Lots have been talked about in terms of comedy with
04:41
what the right work Mark Twain talks a long time and so does Bill Bryson all
04:45
about the correct word in in in in comedy writing so I try and I perform it
04:51
with the audience often when audiences are watching me they think I’m talking
04:55
but I’m not I’m listening I’m listening or than a talk so I’m listening to how
04:59
they’re responding and and then I’m editing and I’m also remembering what
05:04
how little bits went and so I changed I changed my delivery according to the
05:08
audience I changed the order of things I changed the material up I’m gonna
05:12
choose and and and so and basically that’s and that that then becomes the
05:17
show because I was watching you again tonight because I’ve seen you several
05:20
times and I guess you you you know it’s like a matrix you can mix it up and
05:24
change it as you go but what at what point do you walk into a room and
05:28
determine how you’re going to do that and I’m looking if I’m looking for mana
05:32
bill so I’m lucky if I’ve got people who are on before me because that will give
05:35
me a reading of the room and then I’ll look at the audience and a look at the
05:38
demographics and I’ll make a right on my hand still still right set this now a
05:43
lot of people don’t lock comics don’t Bryce I write setlist out for every show
05:47
yeah and it just makes me feel better and I don’t always follow it if I rarely
05:51
follow it but at least it’s there and the material is front front and center
05:55
of my mind well look I do put a bit of work into curating each show and making
05:59
sure that there that the acts kind of complement each other and and and Matt
06:03
I’ve know your work and Jeff I know your work and even though you’re completely
06:07
different you do both love to talk about the arrival of children in your life and
06:11
they’re they’re sort of I would say impact but actually I think I should say
06:14
onslaught you’re such it’s such an all-encompassing thing particularly as I
06:20
mentioned before I was stupid enough to come to this game particularly light and
06:24
so I think you kind of become the bridge then you have the friends with our
06:30
children and the friends with children and the the divide starts to open well I
06:34
was the friend without the children and became the friend with children so I
06:38
know what both sides alike and I won’t say which one I want back
06:43
because then though Doc’s will come around and take my children away from me
06:47
but if you talk to each group but particularly because the arrival of
06:52
children is just so all-encompassing I have not had a proper night’s sleep in
06:59
five years and it’s not because the the asthma’s acting up or anything is
07:05
because of the arrival of Rugrats it just changes every single thing I don’t
07:09
think you ever sleep again after your children or I’m probably I’ve slept for
07:14
five years but I have a bladder problem entirely different and but also equally
07:19
I have children I children later my children were born in my 40s and my
07:24
sisters had kids when my sister was 17 when she had a child so you know my
07:29
sister’s kids are all grown up I got I got grandchildren nieces and stuff but I
07:34
children late in life like a fool but but I’m really glad I did I’m glad I got
07:39
that out of way at the way I don’t think I would have been a particularly great
07:42
dad at that point you look I disagree though because look at that there is a
07:49
physical toll on having children later in life and and you maybe do it a little
07:53
bit out of sync with your your coach or your friends and so forth but actually
07:57
although my partner says to me our daughter is being raised as if by
08:01
grandparents which is not a great comment but actually I think we’ve
08:08
probably done a better job as a consequence better job we’ve got more
08:11
patience or I mean one of it one of the things is that you do well I feel I’ve
08:16
got more patience and I also I’ve had I’ve got all my partying out the way but
08:20
but equally I go you know when the kids want to go to the Melbourne and Royal
08:24
Melbourne show and I’m in my 50s and they want to go on the rides and I’m
08:29
saying let’s go on the teacups and they don’t know dad let’s go on the
08:31
dislocator I know dad take us on the blood clot and
08:35
there I’m always saying yes Jeff get on the blood clot with him I said but
08:39
remember 50s it turns you upside down throws your body into five different
08:42
directions I’ll have a stroke imagine coming back home from the Royal
08:46
Melbourne show did you down enjoy the raw bubble show you can ask him it’ll
08:49
take a while to get down so I have to tap him out with his nose on a special
08:52
keyboard but at least you do get a park nearer to
08:55
the turnstiles but anyway the one thing I think that the universal truth that
09:01
people accept about artists or Flanders oh and anyone that spends a great deal
09:04
of time contemplating is that you at you you you you have an enormous need for
09:09
introversion and you have an enormous need to spend just long hours by
09:14
yourself contemplating things so that you can reconstitute it into a consumer
09:18
before Martha comedy or a novel or a radio play or a podcast or something but
09:23
when the kids come along that’s kind of gone and they see an asshole and you
09:26
just leave it to your partner to do but I don’t get that feeling that you too
09:29
have done that so I have a very genuinely I have a very understanding
09:33
partner and and often she will say to me you know you are following your dream I
09:38
don’t you know I like to bring the children up but I want to break and and
09:43
it’s it’s very hard to get the right balance out between her having a break
09:47
and you bringing in the income I mean that’s what every favorite families
09:50
going through that one of the good things I did feel when I had kids was I
09:54
was actually losing touch with my audience when I was in my 30s I doubt I
09:58
was partying had quite a lot of money a disposable income without children and I
10:04
felt like I was I wasn’t connecting the main thing about comedy is three rules
10:08
of comedy Connect connect connect there they are the rules of comedy and you
10:13
have to you have to connect your job onstage is to attend to your
10:17
relationship with the audience at all times the minute you stop and looking
10:22
after your relationship with them is the mini you start dying on stage so that
10:26
relationship that you have with the audience is vital and I found that I was
10:30
having less and less in common with the people who were going doing it tough who
10:35
were bringing up children who were paying mortgages who was struggling with
10:38
bills and I was really struggling to find out what we had in common then the
10:42
children came along and suddenly I had a lot more in common and and and and it
10:47
really reap it rebuilt my relationship and made me I think a better more
10:52
empathic comic so you joined the club I suppose yeah and what about you met
10:56
because you would have been on a similar pathway I guess you’re relatively late
11:01
to parenting you said so what were you doing with all of that
11:03
free time your head um well it is a similar story I didn’t quite hit Jeff’s
11:09
income stream or level of prettiness so I didn’t have quite the part he’s
11:13
available to me but it is a very similar sensation but the main difference I
11:17
found with the writing because we are a two-income family unless you ask my
11:22
partner in which case she’ll say one and a half and I’m not the one but so as a
11:28
result I you know I work at night I do home dad for most of the day and I’ve
11:32
learned previously I used to take about half an hour to settle myself into a
11:37
writing session like kind of unwind set everything up get it and now I have half
11:43
an hour and so if I spend all that time on one the unwinding I’m unprepared for
11:47
the combat I have to go back into with the children I’ve got two minutes to get
11:52
in get started and get underway and then be hauled back in as soon as you find as
11:57
soon as you smell smoke basically you know the writing sessions over because
12:01
one of the children who’s gotten out of sight has put a knife in something
12:05
electric so that’s when you know creativity is done find the phone corn
12:10
bill ambulance back to real life my wife says um I said darling I’m
12:15
having trouble writing my show I can’t look after the children she’s you’ve got
12:18
five minutes go right oh yeah I can get into the zone in five minutes she just
12:24
thinks it just fucking falls out of me but it doesn’t it’s em it looked better
12:28
it sounds cruel but I had suspected supportive it’s very supportive I
12:33
couldn’t have done it without her and I genuinely could not have done anything
12:37
couldn’t have been a parent and a comic without her now um Jeff put this at this
12:43
squarely if you’d stayed in Britain you probably would have been a bigger star
12:47
and earned more money Australia just can’t really support its artists and it
12:51
doesn’t want to it doesn’t necessarily like us unless there’s a bushfire fund
12:56
and then it really likes us but um so so can I talk can you talk a little bit
13:00
about as much as I know you love and appreciate your wife and moving here
13:05
there is a part of you I imagine that thinks if you’d stayed in Britain apart
13:10
from Boris Johnson you would have had a bigger career is that fair to say yes I
13:14
would definitely because the UK definitely do
13:17
UK’s in the middle of everything I mean there’s lots of opportunities you’ve got
13:21
you know you know all the radio stations radio one two three four or five you got
13:25
all the BBC’s nine BBC’s ITV channel five and they’re all creating and comedy
13:32
a good quality comedy and there’s just opportunities all times and and and the
13:36
UK’s in the centre of thing I know that because I used to read headlines when I
13:39
lived in London like um you know if a global financial crisis envelops the
13:43
world world leaders gather in London to discuss fiscal strategy then I came to
13:47
Australia I read headlines like trapped supermarket Sparrow fine alright and the
13:54
cost of real estate and football yeah yeah yes and that and and less atlas
13:59
this value attached to it to their comp comedians and it’s a shame because
14:03
they’re comedians are great you know we got em wonderful social commentators
14:07
like Will Anderson like like all of the people who are you know earning a living
14:12
in this country are difficult living but they are only you mentioned early about
14:17
him the kind of era that we’re in and I’ve watched I’ve been and I’ve been a
14:23
comedian for 30 years I did my first gig when Ronald Reagan was president that’s
14:27
that’s a long time ago so I’ve watched all of the four trends so when I started
14:32
out was very political Ben Elton was was a big comic in those days then we went
14:37
into observational I’m considered an observational comic observational comedy
14:40
people have michael mcintyre me Adam Hills people like that then then we then
14:46
we went into surreal like Eddie Izzard Ross noble fest surreal comics then
14:51
improv lots of people just you know trying to work what the audience got and
14:55
then background to politics again we’re currently in the me to era of comedy
15:00
which has happened for the past couple years Australia has a very small comedy
15:04
community and they sometimes can be very self-important and they do tend to like
15:09
to put their opinions down and we do feel under pressure at the moment to be
15:14
to be censoring ourselves there is it is not a libertarian atmosphere you
15:20
couldn’t you can’t dissolve things you cannot say in Australia in the UK it’s
15:24
still a very broad Church you can say what you like and the audience will
15:27
decide you know we are we are we’re so censoring only
15:30
ourselves self censoring I don’t think it’s a good thing
15:33
I much prefer anything to be said on stage and for the audience to decide
15:37
whether it’s funny valid or good jokes or bad jokes
15:42
I don’t like censorship and it’s a shame that we do have it do you think the
15:48
presence of social media and its impact on what comedians can and can’t do
15:52
apropos of what Jeff just said do you think it’s improved life for comedians
15:56
or is it it’s are we just becoming incredibly overly self-aware and a bit
16:01
too precious here in Australia well the word echo chamber gets sewn around about
16:05
social media a lot and it you find that every market becomes divided into
16:11
smaller and smaller sub markets and so trying to find an idea that catches a
16:17
large group gets harder and harder as people tune in more and more to their
16:21
own comfort area so it’s as with any technology control out the standard get
16:29
off my lawn line of you know there’s good and bad in any sort of groundswell
16:35
shift but in the case of social me one thing there was I’m trying to member how
16:41
long ago was there was basically a letter signed by about a dozen legends
16:47
of Australian comedy but legends of a previous style shall we say people like
16:53
you Kevin bloody Wilson and Vince Sorrenti I think was in there as well
16:57
Alba moaning the overly PC nature of the audience and the the main thing that
17:04
came to mind to me is that moment these are people that have earned their
17:09
stripes over a long time even if their style of some of them does not gel with
17:14
the current audience something I think that every comedian needs to remember is
17:20
that you’re next audience OHS you nothing they do not owe you a laugh
17:28
because you’ve put in a certain amount of time or as in a certain number of
17:34
miles in the tirado you have to make that group in front of you laugh and
17:38
this is what Jeff was talking about Connect connect connect you have to go
17:43
to them and make the experience happen in their heads and so they don’t owe you
17:50
a laugh because you’ve turned up you have to earn it each time you go out and
17:55
so with the current bemoaning largely and this is the also social media has
18:01
made it that there’s like a permanent record of everything we do now there are
18:05
no mistakes that get swept under the carpet because the carpet is being
18:09
lifted under lifted up and looked under all the time and in a permanent ongoing
18:13
way that’s a good point yeah when I started out there was no internet there
18:18
wasn’t even any telephones or electricity we were all we were doing
18:22
gigs on horseback and I heard that wheel there is sir yeah it’s true no people
18:29
used to heckle more that’s a bit hectic there was a wall of hair now with the
18:33
internet they don’t need to they can go to the toilets and heckle you at home
18:36
send you a nasty tweet and but I enjoyed heckling I enjoyed that they yes doing
18:47
enjoy yeah but and and and and and some of the great things you know gex I’ve
18:58
had some wonderful ankles because what have you um I like I saw a guy on stage
19:04
a guy who walked on and said hey I miss good evening I’m a schizophrenic because
19:10
how much have it why don’t you both fuck off then he’s a big no I think that’s
19:16
very much a UK thing in the in the UK heckling is more of a contest yeah in
19:21
Australia you’re lucky to find a heckler that uses
19:24
consonants it tends to be which is harder to see to Australian
19:33
heckling you generally don’t find you find it lower than the blood-alcohol
19:36
level I think it’s generally the concept of it it’s awkward isn’t it
19:42
okay so are you you’ve tapped into what I think is is starting to emerge again
19:46
comedy has sort of sat in the background as a bit of window dressing in there in
19:50
recent decades we’ve had a great economy we are starting to get to some pretty
19:54
awkward times in on the global horizon we have untold numbers of extinct
20:00
species about to drop off the planet we have an environmental change happening
20:03
we have a virus it’s turning into a pandemic which no one has seen the likes
20:07
of since the Spanish flu I think comedians are going to be highly in need
20:11
one more time but what I do want to ask you please do come into their own
20:15
actually your rights comedians come in sit around when when that when our backs
20:18
are against the wall that happened in the UK and during them after the GFC and
20:22
austerity and and and also during the Gulf War and committee were comedians
20:27
work was suddenly sought out by audiences for relief but also for
20:32
observations and for dialogue and for narrative on what’s happening and making
20:37
sense of it that’s right making sense of it and kind
20:40
of cutting to the chase yeah and and actually explaining to them to the
20:43
public what isn’t happening but in the context of political
20:46
correctness it’s getting a little bit weird so my question to you is given
20:51
that there are currently people that are still trapped on a boat as we speak
20:55
what’s it like being a comedian on a cruise well what’s it like being a
21:01
comedian on a cliche coin thing comes to mind again because you can get heckled
21:04
the days after the show and the crew ships the only place that will give you
21:10
that environment you’ll find yourself getting heckled at lunch you’re trapped
21:15
on board and there’s a lot of old people it’s like a floating Adelaide cruise
21:19
ship Cheerilee
21:23
yeah it’s a it’s in you know and I don’t mind them I find them I find that you
21:30
know you get stuck behind them on that I go not the gangplank they’re discussing
21:33
the ship going it’s gonna be better than when we sailed with Noah you come on you
21:38
old bastard so I wanna get to the cabin before the ice caps melt but term they
21:42
are there their audiences that’s the thing as a comment you can’t be precious
21:47
their audiences they’re people and you have to connect with them you have to
21:51
find a bridge and I don’t mind I don’t mind them I don’t mind audiences I love
21:55
that’s why I’m in this game loved performing for people well there’s
22:00
another question Jeff with a degree in chemical engineering you could have been
22:03
making pills you could have been thank you take any cells
22:08
but you bet you went for comedy so what happened um
22:11
what genuinely happened I worked for a company called POC when I left uni we’re
22:15
selling oxygen and acetylene to welders then I got fed up of the glamour of that
22:19
and then Germany paparazzi yeah I got dumped by a girl and a lot of comedians
22:24
there is usually a big incident that happened in their lives that made them
22:28
get onstage you know maybe they lost a job lost her parents you know we have
22:32
had a relationship breakdown that just made them go and what am I gonna do am I
22:36
gonna be this person my previous life or is it is it gonna be a catalyst for
22:40
change and so I got dumped by this girl and I was I’ll show you I will show you
22:45
I’m not gonna be that guy that still works at BO saying nice in South Wales I
22:49
will get out on stage and em and tear and and and and and and and and prove
22:55
her wrong well and wonder what do you think your wife would say to this girl
22:58
if they ever miss AHA well she said she said she’s my next of kin on my on my
23:03
passport because I thought you know where if I die she can deal with all my
23:08
shit right so you clearly over her there
23:14
it was there my wife would be five like I suspect my wife would be five thank
23:18
you for dumping him and that was the reason I was I went to the comedy store
23:24
I would cheer up and saw three comics and when this is what I want to do wow
23:28
that’s amazing Matt Matt do you have a sort of a muggle
23:32
life as well as comedian ah I think it’s part of the puzzle I mean as I was
23:38
talking to one of your lovely audience’s members before well-balanced people
23:43
don’t go into comedy they don’t need to I see
23:47
to combine it with the previous topic I almost made a cruise passenger cry by
23:51
accident I love doing it deliberately but this was by accident now we were in
23:56
conversation I mentioned clearly my son’s in the show and this lovely person
24:02
asked me how I would feel if my son’s wanted to go into comedy and without
24:07
thinking about it I immediately said I hope to give my son’s a secure enough
24:11
upbringing that they feel no need to go into comedy and she’s a miracle oh why
24:17
cause this Brad I suspect your mother probably cried more ah she just enjoyed
24:23
the fact that I was having a house at night besides I was a disappointment to
24:27
my mother doing comedy I felt really I do because she was she’s a single mom
24:31
and she got me through uni and a lot of a lot of sacrifices and then I said I’m
24:36
gonna be a comedian she cried my mother fought all comedians were
24:39
manic-depressive drug addicted alcoholics wow she was so accurate she
24:43
sprang on because they are Wendy self-medicating to get it just right
24:47
there but she must be here before you now you’ve moved from you’ve got a
24:51
lovely family I mean we live in a nice part of the world and so forth yes yes
24:54
yes and she can all sit yeah without stopping it Christmas Island so that’s a
24:59
good cook for her yes um okay look we’re gonna we’re gonna wrap this up soon too
25:03
but you both write independently of stand-up the thing is a lot of the
25:07
public don’t believe that comedians actually write out the stuff that
25:11
they’re going to say but you kind of have to don’t you
25:15
well some some don’t so you know I people say where do you get your
25:18
material from I go I have three places one is the blank page with with the head
25:24
the other is when I’m on stage and improvising around the topic that I’ve
25:28
all the ideas that I’ve written on the blank page and then sometimes the
25:32
audience will chip in so did you improvise a bit tonight I
25:35
usually I’m improvising when the audience is really behind it yeah
25:39
there’s a couple of bits something that playing yeah there’s because it’s that’s
25:42
quite a new show that’s and I’ve I did tonight yeah that’s from Adelaide and
25:48
Perth okay so a lot of that was new a lot of the times I was still still not
25:52
well I liked it because I wrote it in something yeah yeah
25:56
thank you yeah and what about you Matt do you have been again with the five
26:01
minutes between the children throwing toys out of the side of the car and
26:05
smelling them yes Matt smoke sure Missy but I did think that when I had a young
26:09
child and I was you know walking and walking and walking and I thought you
26:12
know what I can’t write any more novels I have no time but I can write five
26:16
minutes of comedy and I’m just gonna do that I was just gonna say Jeff and I
26:20
have two very different processes because I particularly when I’m running
26:23
stand-up I always think about myself I don’t write well I react well okay so I
26:28
will if I’m trying to write on a particular topic I will just read as
26:33
much as I can and find ideas to bounce off rather than starting from the blank
26:37
page I need to be need to have something to react to to use tonight for example I
26:42
had a plan for how it’s gonna open the set and then you introduced me as being
26:46
a nice guy yeah and that sent me in a completely
26:49
different direction because for the reasons I outlined nice not really in my
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repertoire at the moment and won’t be until I can get back into some hacks
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well yeah because of this lack of sugar and carbs in my life Xmas psychosomatic
27:05
Matt you’re just causing yourself an illness you’re not the first person to
27:08
say that you may be the last we do people who suffer from any sort of
27:18
allergic reaction here the whole psychosomatic thing a lot and I you you
27:24
couldn’t say smells kind of the glint in her eye there she did that as I wind up
27:29
and if I if I was eating normally it wouldn’t have worked but I’m not
27:36
so so yes mainly on you makeup again I am just a bounce off what Matt said I
27:42
although I do have a blank page I can’t write about anything until I know how I
27:47
feel about it yeah I have to feel something I have to feel and it’s not
27:51
always anger angers not funny emotion people don’t like to laugh of angry
27:55
people grumpy as well its exasperation is funny but not hang on and so you have
28:00
to find your exasperation and you have to find them because audience is also
28:04
they’re triangulating what’s what you’re saying
28:07
what’s your emotion what do you think about what you’re saying
28:10
and then they triangulate and then they find the joke in the middle when your
28:14
emotion neutral audiences don’t can’t laugh and an emotion neutral comedian
28:20
what does he what does he think about what he’s saying she think what you know
28:24
we need to know where what we need to know where the feelings are from your
28:28
point of view to find what you’re saying funny so I need to find out what I’m
28:33
what I think about and often you have to choose a very strong emotion about
28:37
something if we’re talking about the Royal Melbourne show I can’t be oh into
28:41
the Royal Melbourne show people don’t care our next that’s not interesting
28:44
before it I just went to the Royal bubble show it was the worst fucking day
28:47
of my life people go oh tell us more because they’ve had that experience
28:50
yeah well and and and and you’re and they can see you’re your M commitment to
28:55
the to the topic I think comedians are vicarious impacts I think that we sort
29:01
of carry the hopes and dreams of all of the audience but we also carry the fees
29:04
and conundrums that we face each day as well and if we’re any good we do a lot
29:10
of us don’t manage that no that’s true you pointed at me then I feel awkward
29:18
listen I want to thank you both so much for coming along to television at the
29:22
Newport comedy room and our little podcast that we’ve been creating for
29:25
some time now you can hear it on audible you can hear on Spotify thanks to Dave
29:29
Stokes author to audio who has been putting all of these together for me
29:33
thanks again to the new fall comedy room as a club and thank you both for such a
29:38
great insight into what it is to sort of you know write comedy and be a comedian
29:43
because Jeff you’ve just analyzed it beautifully and it is far more complex
29:46
and a far greater skill and an that I think people really ever want to
29:50
give it credit but I I think I should try it kept right five minutes tonight
29:55
when you get home just try it and then instead I’ll give you five minutes
29:58
that’s my pop and don’t just write it and then stand on stage and just see how
30:02
it feels because it’s a great way of losing weight it really is yeah couple
30:07
of kilos go just very very quickly but hey listen thank you all so much can we
30:11
please give a big round of applause to Jeff and Matt for their participation
30:14
tonight what great guests they’ve been and and
30:18
what sort of fantastic insight as well and thank you also to you as well and
30:21
please join us again at television at the newport podcast thanks to everybody
30:26
see you later good luck
30:45
you
