Punchline Comedy rings in 2016 with a stacked triple bill featuring Brit Andre Vincent, Aussie Wayne Deakin and Yankee Dave Fulton. The consumate professional who has conquered the clubs around the world, we chat with Deakin about conquering the globe and stand-up start up advice.
Congratulations on coming to China? Will this be your first time here?
No, its my second time. Last time in 2010 I think. I loved it! I had no preconceptions and they were all met.
How would you describe your comedy style?
Laconic and sarcastic and fairly dryly Australian.
Who were some of your early influences?
Steven Wright for one liners and flights of fancy and Billy Connolly for his ability to turn old pub jokes into stories. Eddie Murphy for killer stand up.
Did you have a eureka moment when you realized you had to become a comedian?
After my first gig I was hooked.
You’re now based in London. When did you move and what were the biggest differences between London’s comedy scene and Melbourne’s comedy scene?
Moved to the UK in 2008. London’s comedy scene is just so much bigger eight million people and over 200 comedy rooms. Melbourne has 4 million people and five comedy rooms. So Melbourne tends to be a bit more ‘cliquey’.
You now perform all over the world. Have you found that different parts of the world like different jokes of yours?
It's surprisingly generic. People want to hear your angle on things, so they don’t want you to change to much. Having said that, a word in a joke can have different meanings in different countries and kill a joke.
What’s it like performing at Caroline’s at New York?
Carolines is sort of the biggest comedy club in NYC so you sort of think you’ve made it. The most surprising thing was how helpful and supportive the NY comedians were. And how many bloody Aussies were in the audience!
You’ve performed to over 24,000 at the Falls Festival. What is it like peering into a crowd of that magnitude?
If you think about it, you freak out! You really have to slow everything down because the pure logistics of how sound travels means different parts of the crowd are getting the punchline at different times.
Besides standup are there any projects that you are working on that you'd like to promote?
Nope. I’m pretty much just a straight stand up. I think Dave Fulton has some stuff he wants to brag about.
Local comedy scenes are starting to develop across China. Any advice to people starting out?
Don’t take advice from anyone! Be yourself and find your own voice!
Is there anything you would like to add?
I loved that comedy is so new over here. You really get the crowds finding an art form they’d never really expected to be so exciting live! Maybe they’ve watched stand up on tv and YouTube, but in a club its so much better. The crowds love hanging around for a chat after, which is great!
> Hong Kong: Jan 21-23, 8pm (Thurs) and 9pm (Fri-Sat), HKD350. Tamarind, tickets.
> Beijing: Jan 26, 8.30pm, RMB290. The Garage, tickets.
> Beijing: Jan 27, 8.30pm, RMB290. The Local, tickets.
> Shanghai: Jan 28, 8pm, RMB290. Zapata’s, tickets. See event listing.
> Shanghai: Jan 29, 8pm, RMB290. The Exchange, B/1, River Wing, Pudong Shangri-la, tickets. See event listing.
> Shanghai: Jan 30, 8pm, RMB290. Blossoms, 2/F, Kerry Hotel Pudong, tickets. See event listing.
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