I still haven’t really figured that one out; however I will talk about why ‘I think’ I think Comedy is so attractive to me, you still follow? Yes, that’s good.
Remember the saying, “One man’s trash is another one’s treasure.”? Well, the same goes for comedy, “One man’s misfortune is another man’s chuckle.” As my comedy teacher once told me, “According to the UPR (Underlying Primal Response) theroy, laughter is a primitive response to simulated danger…. to our social status… or survival.” Now onto the point of why I think I love comedy as much as I do.
Like many people, I have had many problems to deal with, or challenges as some people may say. I will admit now that for a good 19 years I would put on the ‘poor me’s’ and whinge how shit my situation was just to get someone to feel sorry for me. It was when I discovered comedy, or more so went to see Adam Hills for the first time that I realised my ‘conditions’ where actually a gift in disguise.
It has been three years since I first met him, what came out of that first meeting and the ones to follow have changed my life. Before 2007 I felt alone, and didn’t feel like I belonged anywhere; since then I have two best friends who love comedy and many more that are around, I have gotten to know some performers and have supported them throughout the 09-10 Melbourne International Comedy Festivals. Comedy has made me confront my fears and finally accept me for who I am.
Finally I think that what attracts me to comedy is that it makes me laugh, and laughter I did do at this years comedy festival.
This year there were the annual awards that were presented during the last week of the festival, some of these awards; the Barry Award are named after Barry Humphries and others like the Piece of Wood award, started because of Greg Fleet finding a piece of wood backstage at awards and deciding to give himself his own award.
So this year, the winners are:
The Age’s Critics award: Asher Treleaven – Secret Door
The Melbourne Airport Newcomer award: Claudia O’Doherty – Monster Of The Deep 3D
The Directors Choice Award: Hannah Gadsby – The Cliff Young Shuffle
The Piece of Wood: Sam Simmons – Fail
The Golden Gibbo: Sam Simmons and David Quirk – The Incident
Each year the public vote for the show they thought was the best of the festival.
The Bulmer’s People’s Choice award: Wil Anderson – Wilful Misconduct
The Barry Award: Sammy J and Randy – Ricketts Lane (Author and Sammy note: Randy’s handler is Heath McIvor.)
Finally, there was an award that wasn’t really an award but is now a proper award. This is the Johnsy award, which is basically the comedians comic of the festival; this year it went to the well deserving Oliver Clark for his show Lady Killer.
However I have decided that I will present 6 of my own awards to comic’s shows I thought were well deserving of it. So, it is my honour to present:
The My Last Comedy Festival Show award: The Lemon-Lime Time Miscellany Hour Live Why Not with Ryan Withers
The If You Are In A Life Or Death Situation This Show Will Assist You award: Dave Bushell & Xavier Michelides in Passion of Crime
The If They Weren’t A Comedy Duo They’d Be A Boyband award: Luke & Wyatt – Stacks On
The Educational Show award: F+ck, A Love Story: Or Why Emma Will Never Get Laid In This Town Again
The Best Street Sale show: Orange Adventure
The I Promise To See You Next Year award: Nick Cody
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