#7: Peter Jones - From Tech Support to Netflix, How to Edinburgh Fringe and Recovering From Bombing

In this podcast, Reece Kidd interviews Australian comedian Peter Jones.

Peter has performed stand-up on the TV series Comedy Up Late (ABC), appeared in Why Are You Like This? (Netflix), and has written for a bunch of TV shows in Australia that won’t mean anything to you if you haven’t lived there, including: The Project (Channel 10),  The Weekly (ABC) and for the one week Narrow World Of Sports (FOX Sports) existed before everything was shut down back in 2020.

He is the co-host of the very funny and occasionally spooky podcast Oooh, Spooky. He also co-hosted Kentucky Fried Chattin’ the only show that dared to try every item on the KFC menu. He has also made regular appearances on the Stupid Old Studios web series Gamey Gamey Game.

Peter has performed stand-up all over the world including having sell-out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe. He’s twice been a RAW Comedy state finalist, and was named by the Herald Sun as one of the New Faces To Watch for his debut show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

 In this interview. Peter talks about his comedic beginnings and his experience with stand-up comedy. Doing his first gig in his teenage years before waiting ten years till his next performance.

Peter Jones discusses leaving tech support to pursue comedy full time. How he wrote for Australian shows to supplement his income while working as a standup in the evening.

Peter Jones shares his favourite bombing story. He reveals how he copes with bombing now.

Peter shares his experiences at the Edinburgh fringe. Discussing the success of his first show and his experience recording a podcast.

Peter discusses the importance of varied audiences to make your comedy international.

Peter and Reece laugh at Reece falling apart at a gig they both went on.

Peter gives Reece some advice on his upcoming Edinburgh show.

Peter talks about his plan to continue to grow and improve in London.

Peter Jones Instagram
25 Days in Edinburgh Podcast
Oooh Spooky Podcast 

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Transcript

0:01

King Riskin interviews funny people. So I'm here with Peter Jones, Australian pro comedian, host of Spooky. Absolutely nailed it. Being on Australian TV. A lot simpler than that. I wouldn't say a lot, but yeah, I know. We all know what really. Is the big deal. And he's here in London. My computer. How are you? Yeah, I'm great, man. How are you? I'm very, very good. As per usual, with this podcast, we've had a little preamble with the article set up. You stay very composed. I had a meltdown and. It was interesting to watch. Every single time. It's like that, you know, stressful and also do the interview. Never mind the tech support I do for myself before. But you were very calm. As are man. So I'm here. So, Peter, we'll get right into Yemen. Do you remember the first gig? My first gig, yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, yeah. It was the first gig. I actually did it. I did. I've got 2/1 gigs. I did it once when I was 19 and then didn't do it again for ten years. I did one gig one time. On an origin story. And then yeah, and then just and that was in Sydney, in Australia I was yeah, I was 19 and I thought I bombed. I like, I don't I didn't even I also didn't really like I knew. But I didn't accept. And. I kind of I like I wore. Glasses with like no lenses and I didn't wear glasses at all. I just looked like that'd be funny to wear. Glasses and no lenses. Didn't comment on that or anything. There's a bit at. The end, my final closing bit I did where I thought it would be like a I sung a segment of the TV just like every listening I kind of like, but I didn't commit so I didn't actually sing it. I just got a list. I just kind of. Read the TV Guide. It's my big close up. But nothing. And then I just was like, I didn't know how to do it again. Like, I didn't know how to do another key. So I was just like, Well, I've. Done stand up now. I've done the one game and I don't know how to do it again. Like it was. For a big competition in Australia that was like advertised everywhere. So you just sign up and it was in the heat and did not get through obviously. But I just thought like, well, I've done it and then kind of like it just kind of hung around in my brain. I'm like, I should do it. I should do it again. Like and I just kept thinking about it over the years. But I'm like, Oh, it went. From, Oh, I've done it to then like, Oh. I'd like to do it again until like I should do that again. I think I really bombed. I think that was really bad. And, and then my second first gig was me and a friend of mine. We'd, we both had talked like we both wanted to do it. So by, like, let's do it. But I didn't want anyone I knew to see me do it. And so I, I was living in Ballarat which is outside of Melbourne in Australia, and I had gone through a big break up, which is also really important to this origin story. So you make rash decisions. So I book, I went to New Zealand. Oh so you're from Australia. I'm I was living in Australia. I went for a week, I just I booked a gig in at the Classic in Auckland and I flew over and did my. First day in a country where no one. Knew me so that. Nobody could say. Like if I bombed again, like nobody can say it. Did you. Have the sunglasses. And the glasses? The lenses, glasses. But God did. I never want to. Want them again. I should bring it back to. The good bit. No reference. No reference to. Oh, that's folly. So hard to. Go that gig. Regret. Yeah. Yeah. So what did you change from the first ten years. That you told about this? That what I just was like, I mean. Oh, when I was. No, I did. I just had the biggest virgin energy of like. You've seen like I've seen this whenever I've seen. Acts like in the like I've I've gone like that competition. I've judged that competition in Australia and I've seen I'm like, man. You see like a 19 yo kid get up with. Like this lame sort of like what was I doing like this sort of like not anti comedy, but like. Man, I'm really clever. It's just like, Oh man, you can't tell that everyone knows that you're, like, the biggest virgin, but it's seeping through like, it's so obvious. And so just, you know, over time, you know, I'm 29 when I when I started, when I did the next the next first one and me and my friend, we just been writing together and running it back and forth and running our jokes back and forth with each other. And so he was just like really honest with, like, we're both really honest with each other. Like, yeah, that's funny. Yeah, that's not funny. So we kind of had run the set a lot before we did our first one that I just happened to do my first one somewhere else. In. Another country because I was so scared of it being bad again in front of people. We just telling everyone, you have to get over ten years. Just like I didn't say it was my first like whose first gig because. It's like a like a new act, new material. But we're like a who's first gay, who's doing their first gig. And I'm like. No, I'm like, well, I think what was like, I didn't want them to know. I didn't want anyone to know. That was like, Oh, this is my first listen, which is stupid, because if they go, it's your. First, and then everyone's like, Yeah. But I just didn't. And then I ended up doing two gigs in that little trip. And then, yeah. And then that period where we doing anything related to comedy, like any sort of sideways like. Yeah, I was kind of doing like, you know. Just writing funny stuff and then just passing it on the internet sort of things and making like short films with my brother and stuff like that. Yeah. So just kind of doing like comedy adjacent or not. I mean, they were comedy, not standup sort of stuff. That's better to say, stand up. So I'm just ignoring them. I'm like, Then I'll stand up. I don't what we did, we did YouTube videos. This is like pretty. YouTube's that. We have. For like film stuff and we video this is like and just like show reference. That's all you have to give. You have to get me one of the for the story where you. Where. You're trying to be like funny with it or was it. Yeah, like funny comedy. Like comedy like short. Films. Or like but just like yeah, just short films with my mates that I just wrote. All these people who'd like, like something to do, but like they didn't want to. I didn't wanna do comedy, but I was just like, I can't be in my show and I just go, Oh, we're doing this one, we're going to be gangsters. And it's like it's a parody of this sort of thing. And we just filmed this sort of shit, which, you know, just film it, put it on tape and then give. It to a. Friend or you had to hand it or anything. Yeah. Yeah. So pre. YouTube. So YouTube had been around. Absolutely. That would have all been up on YouTube for sure. But I was just filming with my mates, you know. With their outfits and like commitment to the projects. The costumes were. Always just whatever we were all wearing. Oh. So it would be like we'd do like one of. Them was, we did like a parody of like. Armageddon, the movie Armageddon. And so the costumes were just like, and you're the president just wear a tie, you know, that sort of stuff. You the tie. I know my dad does. Oh, yeah, right. Get your dad's tie. The suit jacket. You're the president in this like thing. But it was great. That's great for him. But like, never for any kind of actual like this isn't going anywhere other than me. My mates are having fun and then watching it let it go. I'm like, Oh, that's fun, you know? They must be amazing. Do it back on. No, no, I love it. I found this great. And we're going to. Watch the game like no plays no matter what, who. Like he was in so many of. Them, he's like. No messaging. Like he was messaging me. I think was like last year. I was like, man, those those videos that we those films he is the back is like so like he's got kids now he's just like this. Is like a that was great. Just this weird time. We were just like, we've got so much. Spare time that all we're doing is like. Or what if we make a movie just. To make us that our mates laugh and like, that's the bit, you know, that's. Really fun as well. Yeah, that's great. Was there any like had an aspiration to go like, I'm going to I'm going to be the next. I absolutely was like I'm. It was that it started. As like I'm going to be I want to be a director, you know, I want to be Spielberg. And then I made the first one I tried to make like a serious one. And it was so awful that I'm like, what if instead the deliberately bad. What if they're supposed to be. Like, what if they're serious? But they're, you know, and so they were all just comedies after that first. What was the first one? What heartedness you? It was still supposed to be a comedy. But I tried to make it good. Like I tried to make it like it was like a. Premise of it was it's just like a three minute film, but it's about a guy. Preparing for a date and then he's been set all this blind date and he gets along to the date. The date turns out to be sister. That's the whole thing, like incest. He like and he's like, what the fuck is this? Is I like, but I've made my poor friends. He's like, Yeah, we're doing rehearsals, you know, we're going to do like, I made him this so many times. Like I'm like, Yeah, they're doing all that because I thought they're like, you know, film directors make people do lots of takes. I'm like, do another take. Like, Do you want me to do anything different? No, no, no, no. Just do a different take. Just like Ravi, like take their weekends away from, you know, you only have youth for so long. I'm like. I'm like, we're got to go to a shopping mall and film these things. But it was a sister who was the sister of a friend of mine. Oh, okay. That's right. Yeah, yeah, right. Actually, it was a friend and one of my good friends, she was it was the four characters. But what she roped in somebody who she did like acting school with, she's. Like, oh, I love the idea of her just is this woman now who's just out there who I bet like just for that shoot sort of thing. And like an actor roped in an actor who's like, Yeah, great, I'm going to be in a short film, just become a director. Yeah. So when you're 29. Yeah, what we did, where you what were you working out. Is there something. When you were always working in it. Support at ambulance. Yeah. The ambulance service in Australia. In Melbourne. Adelaide, sorry. In Ballarat. Outside of Melbourne. That's actually quite cool because two things people might not know is ambulance service. They love jokes, their lives can be dark and then right support also love jokes because people are stupid. So yeah, most of it in a show created environment. Absolutely. I mean, two of the docs. Like these things like I remember starting comedy and comedians would always say like, oh man, like imagine if real people were sitting at this table and hearing. How dark these jokes. Were. It's like, Man, you've never worked in it. Those people's brains are fucked. They're the darkest jokes. It's like, Oh man, we're saying this crook stuff and we're getting away with it. It's it's like, Are you kidding me? And then also on top of that, paramedics. Yeah, it's so it's like and then having. I'd also gone for a job at the 000 but I'd sat in on this training program with the people that taking the triple vocals. It's just like, Yeah, yeah, he's got a dark sense of humor in the world is two people with the hottest jobs in the world. And it's like. Then sitting around a bunch of comedians being like. Oh man, it would be in some fucking measure, like for real personhood, any of this, it's just like made real people to fuck. And they say such worse stuff. But this. They're not gonna be like, Oh, my God, how can you say this? You know. Paramedics actually deal with dead people actually. Dealing with them. Yeah, my sister's paramedics. Oh, really? Yeah, right. And then I worked my tail, obviously, so I understand those two. Oh, that is wild. Because you have to. Because the stuff you're dealing with do not laugh. And it's actually super grim. Absolutely. Yeah. I feel how long she's been a paramedic. She's interesting, though. So she's done like the the later stages that were transported out there. And she was like, oh, no, it's really like fucked up. I'm like, Oh. I. Didn't have no idea those people. Like having asthma attacks. No, people should be out of that job. Before you because. Paramedics, it's just like they start it. It's just like a downhill until you like, well, I can't do this anymore. This is. This is Fox. You ever met an old paramedic? So when you went back into comedy, was the goal to be comedian for a good time? I think it was like. I want to do stand up. I want to be in standup. I think it was having spent like a year, just the decade not doing like just working, you know, just being a guy. Yeah, but you're getting the ideas and it's probably a gift compared to people that went straight and standup know that you have all that like life experience and like, yeah, in situations. Yeah. Or Walter attack sport was it. It was over the phone. Yeah. Over the phone. Oh that's it. That's the gold mine. Because you can't even like visually help people. You have to be like, please turn it off at all. Yeah. Over the phone with paramedics. That's what it was. But again, for Colvin. How did you approach getting better than an early death? I just wanted to just gig as much as I could. Yeah, I was just, like, get up as often as I could all the time. As soon as I started it, I was like, I just want to do this as much as I can. Like, I was just. Just try to book an hour. Yeah, maybe my friend who I started with, we'd both like before we started, we both had printed out like, here's a list of every gig there is in Melbourne. We have to drive like an hour and a half to go in and do these gigs. So we try to do them together and then we're like, Alright, you contact this, I'll contact these guys. And then it got to a point where I was just like getting so on like one another, like I want another one. And then I went to I out going to Toronto probably like six months in. And then I saw how much they were gigging and I would gigging like all the time, hey, say I made a dude who just moved to Toronto and he'd done like ten gigs in one week and I was like, and in Melbourne it was like, if you're doing three gigs a week, you're. Like, God, you're killing it. And he was doing like he. Did like ten the week. I'm like, Holy shit, these guys are standing the same time. We are and they're doing so much more work. They're going to get better if we're just back. They're not doing it. And so then when I came back from that trip, I was I got to be doing like my numbers have got to get up. So I just was trying to, you know, keep all. The time and how did you get the numbers up? And you can just. Do drive driving further. Now it was always. Just in Melbourne, but it was like just keep trying to book like always be booking spots. Just like like if you got a spare night just because I was working a lot of nightshift at night support as well. So it was like any time I'm not busy at night, just try and get a gig. And then if you can't get like this music open, like, you know, find something to get up to go and really properly destroy yourself. Go into comedy to people who truly don't. Most audiences, they're bargains, don't want it. But like people who really don't want to go do it to them. Was there any really weird gigs in Australia at that time? There was. There was a gig. Called Fresh Faced Comedy, which we used to do a lot, which was it was a cafe and then the front half of the venue was a cafe and then there was a stage in front of all the cafe tables and stuff, but behind the stage was a video store that. So they turned off the. Lights and the video store, but they didn't. Shut the video store. So like you're standing on stage and behind you are all the shelves with all the DVDs and stuff on them. And so they would still have. Customers come in, like walking through the cafe, being like, I just rent some. Videos and. I would genuinely. Give them a lantern that they would then take this lantern through the aisles. Of the David is behind you. On stage. There'd be somebody like searching for like, oh, fuck me. They got basic instinct. Like just with a lantern, like an old timey mind. I just like walking through the aisles of the DVD store. I mean, that was I mean, that was actually pretty good. But it would have to reference it over to. Where people just like. People just to ignore it, but also that classic level of being a pretty new comedian where it's just like, I don't know how to like, Oh, this is weird. And everyone in the audience be like, Yeah, it's a video store. Cafe. Also. What's that. Business like? The video store slash cafe that's still operating. But yeah, that, I mean that's the weirdest one. But there was a lot of like. They would definitely sell drugs. Or they're going to, you. Know, I don't want to speculate, but just sort of. With us go, Oh, that's funny. Can you remember any horror story gigs from the early days? Um, horror stories. Like big bombs. I mean, big, but they were always, always big. But like, it would be the thought that. You know, you can justify that I was either, you know, you can justify a lot of bombs or this is like I applied to a bunch of backpackers who didn't speak English and they didn't like my jokes. It's just like, Yeah. Probably not. But then that feeling of like, there's this gig MIB It was at a backpackers, it was at a backpackers and it was like notorious for being like, this is a bad show and but it was just kind of like a rough gig in that like people are chatting, there's like a pool table and that was the worst. If you could hear like a bowl being hit and then sunk during. Is it just like off to the side? Are you going to, you know, after, I guess you have a backpackers? I think you've got to I think I mentioned this to you that your backpack is that has a pool table. So that's why I enjoyed the gig so much, because it brought back memories, I got to say. So for people to. Understand what Peter is talking about as I run a gig in Wombat Hostel, it's called on. It is a nightmare for comedy. Yeah we we started calling the bomb bots because people aren't ready. So there's a pool table to the side which we do try to shut down. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean they did at my bay as well. I tried. People are just like you can't really stop like a tall, like Hungarian man on holiday from playing poker. So we want to tell a joke. It's like, I don't care. And then there's also a ping pong table and then there's just a bunch of international backpackers, basically what you've described as a nightmare gig, but you went full circle, so you were actually my favorite ever act to do the hostel because you went in and you got everyone involved and everyone was electric and I was exotic and I was like, Oh, because we were telling myself like, it's not possible to do comedy here. So every time we were like, Oh, now possible guys. But you know, we do our best. You come in smart to play some men like the host, you're just like, Jesus Christ. Okay, we have to up. Our game. So that was very good to say. And it's good that you went from here not get as much in the. Yeah, I mean but that's I think it's also good if you position it. Until X I do that it's like this is going to be bad. It actually allows them the. Chance to have more. Fun with it. Yeah. I used to run a gig with my friend Andrew Portelli called Lucky Cop, which was in the Melbourne, but Notorious Gig had been running for years and we were like, we ran it for like a year, but it was like we always say like this is the best, worst gig in Melbourne. Like it was the worst gig you will bomb, but you can just do whatever. Like we don't care, just try and get their attention. Like it's a crowd that doesn't. It's exactly the same as that sort of thing. You're just like, They don't care about you. Some of them don't understand what you're saying. For me, that's a. Whole that's all the. Laughs I get is me asking people basic questions and they're like and I'm like, and that's why they're like, See. I'm not a thing. Yeah, but if you set it up, it's like, because there's some gigs, I'll. Be like, Oh, this is a real proper night. And then you go and it's bad and it's difficult, and then you can't really operate outside of those parameters of like, oh, well, you, you think it's good. So I have to like, you have to if you acknowledge that like this is going to be really difficult, good luck. Like, we're not going to. It's not going to. Hold this against you. We are we. Need to send a message beforehand to be like, hey, this is on tonight. If you want to drop out, don't run it. Why don't. Wait? People will drop out later on because we're like, I don't really want to do it, but just drop out right. Now if you don't want to do. It. But if you do it, then it doesn't matter. Like it doesn't matter, genuinely doesn't matter. You can do whatever with them. Well, the best thing is, look, my co-host is so positive and like put together and he's like, everyone's going to try their best. I'm just sat in the corner and smoke. I'm smoke and be like, guys. I don't you would be invited back. Yeah, I think you're fine to come back. I'll be fine. But that's it. And the people that actually grew up with the sort of like, fuck it all, it should do really well because everyone like the crowd, I don't know. How are they? They're all from different countries, but they sort of respect the gladiatorial approach of being like rulers, children in the corner. There's like a mum here, there's somebody and they're like, Oh, we respect that. You're trying to entertain us because. Then still come and sat down. In front of you to be like. All right, entertain us. You just have to take them all. And then it's like and they're from everywhere. And then it's like, Oh, that's a, you know, I'll get them all. But, you know, best is when people try really hyper localized British material, perfect north and of course plays and being kind of like it has it went through their head that these people don't know either silence and I sort of really enjoy the crumble. I don't know. I'm a fourth grader. But like when people go out with like their word for word perfect script, that's worked in comedy clubs and they're just like, No, I never heard silence like that before. It's not even silent. You hear a bar and you hear someone. You hear someone speaking. German in the back and it's just module to say, but people really afterwards are like really happy they did it because as you said, they're like, once I listened, I feel like all that was really. Can I come back? Yeah, take. Over. And it's also really important for them to recognize that like, you know, there are people in the world that don't know what disco is. Like, heaps of them. In fact, most of them are all in that room, but they're all there. And so it's just like, oh, you know, like you're just like, oh, you know, I'll go to the big disco. This is like, we don't know the fuck that is. How would we possibly know the. Explanations of task or just comedy? I wish I should be better record and people like explaining really British things because it's like some of the best things to people are like asking questions are like reason. I'm so funny. Well before I ask you about it all but experience, I'll explain that the last time I seen Peter, it was horrific because I knew we were going to record this, but we were at a game called Spice of Life. It's a run by an American comedian, very funny guy. Previous guests of this previous. Guest. This podcast work on Peter with Jon Jacobs and I was like, okay, there's a lot of comics I respect here. Go up and do the tried and. Tested. Stuff race. I was on second and I went up the field immediately and I don't know for a while, like I bomb regularly, but like that this one was like silence. There. And of course I'm a hawk. So I'm talking about terrorism, talking about a child abduction, something just dumb topics that I shouldn't be talking about. And it was just awful. I looked out and I seen everyone. I was like, Oh, that's Peter. That's good. And I was like, 8 minutes and I'm supposed to do a 10 a.m. on Slack. And I'm like, I heard the night on stage. I'm apologizing to the host on why I've got to go back to Belfast. And I got off the stage. I think I got a clap for like leaving or saying I should act on a joke and just not. And I don't know, it was horrific. Mike doesn't go into the stand. I'm trying to put it into the start. I walked over to the most elaborate camera set up in the middle of all of these, like pro and savvy broker meetings that I'm like, Oh my God, I'm going to shit myself this out of the camera rather than even say goodbye. I don't know what I thought. Yeah, I never leave. I always say I. Was going somewhere. I was. I was just awful. It was. I mean I mean, it was funny to watch because this thing is. Yeah, because it was like I could. You could tell it like you didn't do like way like, you know, you could like you could tell when. You thought you started bombing, which I think you thought you said a bombing earlier than when you actually started bombing. Yeah. So like you lost faith in. Yourself almost immediately. Took it away immediately. And it was so funny. It's so interesting to watch that and know like the audience probably like know that it's probably know that it's not going well, but they don't necessarily know that you're bombing. In the way that maybe they can pick up on it, like subconsciously and stuff. They're like, Oh, this guy is in. Having a good time. When I start. Crying on stage is going to very like I got to take a lighter. Right? It sounds but it was so interesting. I mean, because all I'm. Thinking is like, all right. He no, he thinks he's bombing. He knows he's bombing. He's thinking about how many other comedians they hear, like I get to like and I even like knowing that you'd set up the cameras. I saw you set up the camera, and it's just like, Oh, it's brutal because you've got the camera set up. It's like going to tell this of the well. But one of the Civil War funny people also mocked up the audience. Somehow you've got to saccharin confuse everyone but and so that extra and then how. Quickly you laughed I'm like, oh, he thinks that was the worst set that anyone's ever done. Yeah. It was like it was just like. That. Was great, but I appreciate that. But, you know, but it was grim. But it was like you're also like you're also a new kid, you're a new comedian. And also it was no one's got to remember. Yeah, nobody there is going to be like, oh, that was such a spectacular. But I'm going to remember like, I'm going to take notes of that. Like, I recognize. That like I enjoy a bad bomb that. Was just a like it was just like you just didn't do well. Yeah. And then you lost faith in yourself too completely. Whereas, like, a spectacular bomb is just like, that's what you want to keep in your memory. That one's gone from everybody who was there. Has had. Gigs that bad. Since then, you know what I mean? Like we've all had gigs that. Were also like, Oh, they'll fuck you. That was shit. Where is that? Was it was, it was so obvious that you're like. Really how quickly you live on stage. I was like, Sorry, Jon. I don't even know. Like, I don't even know if Jon says name. I'm like, Sorry, Jon, this is. Just walking around because. I'm trying to be like, I've been too old to be, like, authentic and be myself. But when. It's a grim. State, it's just like, Oh guys, I know you don't want me here, but I don't want to be here. And there's no humor. I'm not getting jokes. Oh, it's funny. But also that the. Reaching out to try and. Cause you like everything was like you went like rolling in the instincts of like, I'm going to chat to them. But it was just like but it was also that. Like as you were chatting to them. It's just like. You can hear in your brain, like, I don't believe. This will go well. I think it's all you know, it's like if you look at the Italians, but it's also the think of like you're talking to like a bunch of Italians who like it. They like I was on later on they wouldn't I can't. Remember them laughing at my stuff. But I'm just like, but there is like they're Italian, you know, like, like I don't like probably not like I probably want, you know. To go back the next week and like I was in like gladiator mode. I was like, why? I don't redeem myself to that. Like, no one remembers what it's like. These people are like, always going to ruin the night. John Harvey on second again was like, John's forgot what happened last time, but it was like the front row was a lot more full on. It went really well. Yeah, but just from like have an actual people to talk to that weren't I wasn't speaking Italian didn't make that mistake I was making fun of like a big start or something. Afterwards I came off like nail into like it's just, it just went okay for everyone else. But for me, I'm like the redemption. So I'm finally back out. If I would, if I would have repeated this. I didn't have the camera set up. Yeah. Yeah. You want to make clear there was no there was a little tripod with the camera hidden in the corner. I was like, no. But if I were to enter awful psychological, I would have been ruined. Yeah. Because I. Because he gives me award every week. So I need this. I need all this while it's I can get. And that's where the pressure comes from, I guess. Yeah. Don't take this all the way. It's just. But also he's not going to get that, you know, like I like he doesn't care because I mean from John's Bond. Yeah, yeah. But he's he's. Got the I don't know what I guess it comes with time just like the. Yeah. Because he's not uncomfortable, he is just like I'll get up again, they'll love me very shortly. So yeah. Whereas I'm like I'm, I'm going on chicken people's hands but like don't sorry. I thought it was your Tuesday night. I didn't mean to. Have even paid. I'm like all over for the tickets that they did. So does that have you got any, any horrific poems you'd like to share with us? Peter Obviously, you've learned from them all, mate. That's wonderful. Comedian Yeah. But like, I still bombing. I'm still like when Peter just sent I'm the video. I have not seen it. I it's just like, you know, it's like the it's still coming for you. Like they come coming. They still like you no matter how like I've seen comedy. So we go forever who are great still bomb because the audience. Just doesn't like they just don't connect the audiences. It's like, well, whatever you're saying, I'm not even I don't even want to like I'm never going to relate to it or whatever. But one of the worst, worst, the worst, worst time I ever felt it was also the same thing, which is like it was fine, probably fine. I know. It was bad, but like. A proper. Proper bomb is just like people are going to tell someone else about. It, you know, that someone else will bring that will be like, oh fuck yeah. Had to have seen it. I had one was it was in New Zealand and I was doing a show where it was mean to my mates who are doing my podcast is speaking with Luke Marler and Adam Knox. We were going over and we were doing this late night showcase where it was US three and then also two local Wellington acts from in New Zealand. So we were just like, we didn't know any of these, we just wanted to book a bunch of like local acts. So we had a couple of local acts on every night of this show. We went for like a fringe and, um, so is this thing of like, well. We don't know. These guys will. Make some local acts, you know, that come along and they'll do the show. I was hosting this one. And the room was, the room was alright. But it was like actually quite a cold sort of. It was a difficult to get it going show always. Yeah. It was like, you know, it was this venue that. Was in the middle of a mall. Like you walk out of the venue and there's like a food. Court. Nice. And the cinema is upstairs. This is like, this is. This is all right. This is where it is. I think it was like an improv comedy club, but like, you know, it's come and go. It's quite a big space, quite a cold space. And like every night I think I'd hosted the previous one and my mates, they'd hosted one and they were always kind of a bit cold to get going. But I really. Let it get. Into my head because every joke I said and again there's like maybe 50 people there. So all the things that you can go like, well, this is actually what's happening, the reality of what's happening. But in your brain, every joke got nothing and it just induced panic. Every day it was just panic each time. And then I was I have a bit about I stopped doing it again, but I got a bit about fights. And so I do crowd work of like what fights? You know. What you've been who's. Been in a fight, you've been there fighting to try and get the crowd going like that. And there was these a couple of. These this group of three guys. Who really kind of like under their breath, sort of like every joke had to be a joke about like I'd mention of being it's. Like you should be. It'd be, you know, like, sort of under their breath, kind of making fun of me. And I'm like, all right, like, and I couldn't. Get out of it. I just couldn't get out of this spiral of, like, freaking out rather than either enjoying it or telling them to shut up. Yeah, I didn't do either. I just kind of like. Okay, we'll or we'll do another. Joke. And then and I was asking, this quiet guy is sitting down the front guy with a big beard, real quiet. He hadn't spoken up, but he was mates with these two other guys. And I was just like, Um, oh, you've been in a fight. And he's mate's like, Oh. No, are not. Have you been in a fight? What have you been like? Oh, you don't want to know. You don't want to know. He's like, not oh, come on, what have you been in? And then, yeah, he'd been in Iraq and I was like, and again, this is just like the sweat is just purple. And I'm. I'm in full. His hand, like, I'm just. Spiraling in my brain and continue to get nothing. I do my bit to nothing. Like. Because it's just like, yep, it's hard to laugh at a panicked man if he doesn't mean to be like he's just like a man up there. Who's, like, internally panicking and trying to be like. Aren't we having a good time? It's like, you're not like, it's so clear that you're just so uncomfortable that and I just completely. Spiraled with that one. And then I was hosting. So then I said, okay, come back up to this crowd that I was convinced, just like hated me. And, and then the. Actual, the first that kind of struggled. But then by the end, my friend Adam, he had a great set and. And they were like, and I'm like, Oh, man, I was the worst cook I've ever done. So it was like it was, yeah, it wasn't great. But like, whatever. But it was like it really hit it like a like spiral. The next night I'm like, I've got to go for a walk. We were right near the water mark. I got to go for a walk along the water just like. Because like it was the same sort. Of thing. I was like, I need redemption. I get like, this is like, man, I'm this is terrible. I'm terrible at just the worst. Just look at the water being like, is it deep enough? Like, I really swim. Maybe I should just dove it. Like, at night I'm standing up like a dork just being like, this is it. I'm sorry, but this big boy, they're like, Well, we're looking at your column. So of people who have completely forgotten, you know, the not the. Next night, they're forgotten. They were ever there. But it's just like, yeah, that's the that was like a proper spa on stage. You're spiraling as that man goes. Well thought of. You've been arugula. Oh, no. So we'll sort of techniques. Do you have. No if it doesn't go well like I was you've got to like better. Like, what do you do if it doesn't if you don't get the craze involved ish and you want from it, uh, about it. You just have to do another gig, okay? Yeah. You just have to see. Sometimes it can cause like I did one recently, which was like it was like a rugby club here and I'd not done a rugby club in, of an area of the country I'd never been to. Like everybody over 65, they don't tend to like me like. Oh, that's interesting. It's up. There. But this particular crowd, like we like it was probably like a 3070 hit, right? In terms of like the jokes that they laughed at and the jokes where they were like, I don't you also like I'm like, I don't know if. You hate me, but I don't think you do because you keep laughing every so often. You just like either. You just maybe don't. Get it. I think it was like, but that sort of like you just have to keep going. And oftentimes they, if you just go okay, you know, like alright. Just move it. Like you can just keep going in the set like you. Have to keep going. And so you said to the server apologize because it's possible they don't even. Know that you're like they don't know it's going bad, they just are not laughing. It's not a comedy club, you know. It's like, you know, you know, set up in a rugby club, you know, it's like this isn't where. Comedy supposed to happen. They don't know if this is supposed to go like this, you know. But then afterwards, just being like. Okay. Well, if I'm in that situation again, I should do this differently. And then like, Oh, you just have to just get up again. That's so positive. I'm like looking at it, I'm like, Well, Rotary Clubs can't go back. You're like, What could I change up? Like, No, there's another exciting form. In one place I could perform in the hostel. So it just so that's my. Entire career. I'll just do longer and longer sets in the hospital. So Googling to say if there's more wombats. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. World Tour boombox world tour. I'm just. Going to award myself one comedian of the year. For. The rest of my life. For the rest of my life. So how did you go from you improved in Australia? Yeah, it's for us full time comedy. So how do you go from open mic to pro comedian for all of us? Peter I died. But in Australia I was. The reason I was able to go pro is that like I was also writing for TV, so I was doing comedy writing for TV and it was kind of when that happened, which I got the job because that it was at this show that employed a lot of comedians and they were like, We want more writers. And those are a couple of comedians who were like, Well, we think we they recommended me for the job. So it was like that. I went in and did the trial and just started getting shifts there and doing that a couple of two or three times a week was able to be like, Oh great. Now with this income and now with how much I'm making from standup, I can just do this. Oh, so that was the moment where you just stopped in the day job? That stopped the day job. I actually had gone. What I was doing for a period of time was when I moved to Melbourne to do comedy. I was just doing these call center jobs after the ambulance, what I'm just like and I do them right up until like Melbourne Comedy Fest. It would happen that I'd quit the job and then get a new job after the festival and then do that for like 11 months, quit that job and then get a new one. And then I had just started another call center. At the same time I got this writing job and I had to call in sick to the call center to go and do one of the trial shifts. And I was like, and then I had to sit down with him like, actually, I'm now writing for TV. So I'm not going to come you're not gonna come in again? Because that was like, if I need that, I need the time. Even if it wasn't going to be enough right away, it was probably going to be over time. So I'm like, I can't do this. And this I was just happened to be and it was like even with the, the day job stuff, it was like shifting down from being full time to being part time to then getting this other. By that you mean you would earn less and less work, or did you formally go towards the well? Initially less. And then it was yeah, doing like 25 hours a week. So it was like I was now making enough from stand up that I could do less of the day job. And then it got to the point where as like I'm now with this writing job as well, I can not do the day job, I can just do comedy so well. I imagine with the day job, with the stress, what were you doing with it? How did you finally remember the back? It depended. The just depended on the job. So like the last one I had, which was the 25 hours a week, one was like pretty stress free, but it was kind of way. And because it was last time, I had more time for comedy. To go. And drive to gigs or to not have to leave straight from there. You know, I like I did this like when I was living in Ballarat, which is an hour and a half on the highway to get into Melbourne. So I had to leave straight from work get changed while driving on the. Phone, the headset I, I'm sure that'll be. Fine. Just a heart attack. Can you turn it off. And I and so yeah. Just giving myself more time to just focus on comedy. And have you been in like a writing role before that night? That was my first one. That's my first writing job because. This scares me, the idea of a writing room, because I imagine I'm like, what's it like? This one was kind of. It's just like, uh, it's pretty good in that everybody else there, they're all comedians. And then a lot of them are just, you know, they're all mates, you know, from gigs and stuff. And it wasn't really the idea of you write your jokes and then you pitch them to the room. It's just like you just write your jokes and then you give them in like that. We put them all, all the different. They just go to the it was like a light entertainment news show. So there was serious panel members and comedians on the panel to make jokes. We were writing the drugs for. And so they'd get the sheet and look at the sheet and go through and then you'd know whether they like it or not if they said it on the show. So it wasn't like you're sitting in a room pitching like, do you think. This is funny? Do you think this is funny? Like it wasn't that sort of thing. It was just kind of like more individual. And then that would just, you know, put together at the end right. Before an our people check in how many jokes you're getting through or how do they assess if you're, like, doing your job? Yeah, you'd have to submit. Like I said, we usually all of us. Just I don't even know if it was like ever actual requirement of how many we'd submit, but we're all just kind of like, we'll just submit this, like, over time, these guys, like, we were all just submitting like, you know, six different lines or every different topic. But no, there wasn't any kind of like. The fuck is this. Almost be an amazing for your comedy as well. So you were doing standup in the evenings? Not during the day, yeah. And you started the podcast to the stage already. Yeah, I was doing the podcast. Because you're like 200 and something episodes deep. Yeah, yeah. With respect. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That the like is such a nice chemistry. It's while this just constant laughs the whole time because it was that's no it was like these boys are having the time of their lives. It's really. Infectious. Yeah. Those got I mean yeah. Noxon and I did those shows that in Wellington. We by years ago decided we started doing like split shows where we would go to um, I think we did it in Perth initially, but we'd go over there and like, yeah, do you know a show in Perth and we just, so we'd end up traveling and like living together like all the big long road trips. Like we drove to Adelaide one year which was like seven and a half hours of just making each other laugh like, you know, each way. But like. So. We spent a lot of time, you know, living together. We did Edinburgh, we've done it a few times and then yes, just living in the same house the other. So kind of end up getting on the same sort of wavelength to be able to, you know. And it wasn't why I think we done that for a few years before we started doing so. You mad at gigs? Yeah, we met a gig. Sister comedy. Yeah. And then you're just like, okay, that's it. So what was the first split, Bill? How long into that? Um, I think it would have been. I think it would have been 2017. So I think we would have been like, yeah, like four years in. 20 minutes each. Yeah, 20 minutes. So you're all about. The same sort of. You had all been about the same sort of. Yeah. Looking out about the same time and I think Knox had been maybe a couple of years longer than that. Yeah. So we just met each other at gigs and. And who, who pitched the podcast. Uh. We had done, we just decided because we. Went to Edinburgh one time, so we decided to a daily podcast in Edinburgh just for the heck of it. And then we did that and we enjoyed that so much that then we did do Spooky. Off the back of that, we're like, Hey, we should do, we should do something. So the 25 days of Edinburgh was before. Yeah, for so yeah. Yeah. So we did, it was probably like a couple like yeah, 25 days in August 2018 and then we started this spooky that October in 2018, I think like 2018 or 2019. So for anyone those know 25 Days of Edinburgh is just everyday daily podcast it document did you three in Edinburgh and there's gasps as well. Yeah it sometimes gets you. On you amazingly. Episode 24 Like the last one of the day, I looked at it to say like, okay, they're going to be like, I had Edinburgh Fringe, so expect it. But no, you were having like you were talking about something spell and drinks. It was just so fun. I was like, where is all this energy come from? You should listen to some of the middle. It doesn't get dark there. So there is one of the years, I think it's the second year in 2019. We also did it the year that Edinburgh wasn't on. So we did. We did it. We pretended we were in Edinburgh. Yeah. So it was one where we just were like the. Pandemic was happening so we weren't going to go to Edinburgh. So I was like, Let's just bulk record. I think that's the 2021. We were going into lockdown when you were going into lockdown, so we wouldn't be able to record in August. So we just got together for two and a half days, straight up, just recording 25 episodes and we are delirious. But like, yeah, I think. It's 2019. If you listen to some of those music, they're like, you can tell that we are getting on each other's nerves. Like there's so. Much tension in some of those, but then by the end, you know, it's been the background that is, I think especially the 20 that 2019 one, it's just like, well, it's a bit attention. Because you're doing a split show together, always doing. This splits. Then you live with in that you're in the university accommodation. Are all of you there or you like live separately? Now we are all living there. We're living there together. And though he is privy to the 20 1829 who were also living in the same flat and like the 2019 one, we were living in a flat with so was one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight of us in a three bedroom. Two, two, one bathroom. Well. Bosco Oh, that's so yeah. Oh really sort of chunk of it. There were items in there and then yeah. I mean actually previous years there were yeah. Just like yeah. So the tensions. You know, if you got to give me a little. Bit of tension in that the last year that there wasn't there wasn't really the 2021 wasn't. Your veterans out at that stage you just co live and codependent though just. Less of it than. That. So when you decided to do the first Edinburgh, where were you all out and call me. We all pros, we all learned from it or fuck it, we're going to Edinburgh. Yeah. I mean, it's really. Sweet in the way that like you like the distinction here between like. Your pro semi-pro. Or it's just like in Australia she's like I yeah, you're Canadian. You're new. Or you've been doing comedy. Yeah. And it's like it's. Probably same here before. I just, I look up to. People so I know the people. They say it, they. Say, What level are you? Are you a pro, you a semi-pro or are you, you know, an open mic or are you an open sport or whatever? And like, there's a real solid sort of like you can't call yourself this if you know who they are, whereas because it's so it can be so nerve like. We're all. Doing pro standard stuff. But some people you might still need a day job to supplement that because there isn't this huge amount of income in comedy Australia to be able to get as much of it. So you can't be like, Oh yeah, well even with a writing job, by doing a writing job as well as stand up, like I could only go full time at comedy because I had a writing job to supplement even though I was making money from stand up. It's just like, Well, if I'm living off that, I probably need a bit more than you know. And so it's, it's just like being like, you know, it's like, are they good at comedy? Yeah. Is, is like, is like now they're pro though they get paid for or is there certificate placement? It's like, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. So you're all earning money from comedy? Yeah. We all. Would have been earning money for the. First Edinburgh. And then who pitched Edinburgh? I think because we just done it for. We done that. Yeah. That year I think we did Perth, Adelaide, Wellington in New Zealand and then we're like we should do Edinburgh because we're just like doing like let's just go to the festivals. And so that was in that particular year I think we just did, yeah, like five of them and we also did road trips where we went up and did various gigs around. We just put on our own shows outside of festival. Let's go. But how did you market for those just foreign. We just do Facebook at Facebook. Yeah smart. Edinburgh go. First. It was great because we like didn't know anything and we didn't get a show until quite late, but we had, we only got a half run, but we were in a great location, which doesn't exist anymore. But like we, I don't know, we had a great run, like a win. Great. We did. We, we won through one of like BBH or LA. Yeah, laughing. So I was laughing cause. How did you decide on that the first time? Are you just like our friend? A friend died and Jones. He'd done laughing at us previously and he told us that this is one I do. And like. Guys usually, like later on, like in. Closer to the day, people will drop out. So dates might become available like you, we're just going to go anyway. We didn't even have a shop. We just like let's just go over experience of fringe. And then we were I would pick up a half run towards the end of it I think had a pretty good time.

I think it's like at 7: 46:34

15 p.m. or so it was like a good timeslot, only half the run. We'd, uh. We, I don't know why. Like we had great audiences, good numbers, and we're like, what are people talking about? You know, I think the venue. We were at, I think had a firing team was like a. Lot. It was just like really. It happened to be like a. Really great. We had a really great run. Was it an Australian show is so hard edge market we. Just called it threes comedy. Which. You know it just yeah three's company which is still doing we're still doing that. So basically and it was really simple and people need to. Get over it was a like the first the. First show. Was that. Did you sell like the half. From we had some. Sold out so we had some full shows. Yeah for sure. We took the house out of it but it was like but it's also like it's a pretty, like. It's an easy sell to be like, hey, it's three comedians. Like what's they? And we might not like one them, but you might like it. So I'm selfishly asking because I'm going out for my first good show and it was exactly the same situation. Yeah, we were the most useless bunch of people and somebody organized what between us? I don't know. I've got this. I don't want the role, which I have decided. No, he can organize and I am. I get the both know. That what are you doing. Which also we're going to switch on. You're like that. So 350 hits.

Yeah 11: 47:53

15 p.m. Kildare ten which is the bottom of the Royal Mile. I got. Never been. That's all right down the bottom of Canongate. Don't know. Near the park I've seen on Google Maps. Okay. Yeah, I like that. I like that. The imagined royal mile. As long as I'm in the vicinity, that's a there. So what are your thoughts on that for our first quarter in 20 minutes? H I'm probably gonna have to open the AMC or whatever. It was this local. Three on Wise Man. With the number three or the word three. What do you think would be better? The number. Three. Really? Yeah. Okay. No, the number three, we will change. And we have an Australian man. Just because you get closer at the top of the guide. Oh thank God. You said that we were dividing French at the moment we don't even take range logo. He is a lot further down the alphabet. So to number three, I wish you did that. So smart. I didn't want. I going to go back and be like, boys, we've figured that out. We don't even need to for a. Parents give us the if you've already registered the as three with. The T. H I. Don't know if. You don't. Even know if you don't. Know what's what as my job I don't know how I've got this job. So what do you think about 11, 15 time limit? 15. Fun. Fine. I'm scared as I'm not just going to be a bunch of, like. Abusive, you know? It won't just be that. No, no, it'll be fine of done. Yeah. Midnight shows where we did midnight last year, and I reckon we got no abusive like those sort of drunk. Like I've done shows previously where it's like kind of if the venue is rowdy, then you'll get rowdy people in that venue who'll pop in and be like, You know, Yeah, but you will probably be fine. It'll be fine. Like 11, 15 people like it'll be tough during the middle of the week, but like you'll still find somebody to rope in, hopefully as you're harassing them down the end of that and straight. Like, because I bark for spice of life. Oh, you know what? I'm going to say it. There's no friendship right in from the point of all. So I'm standing I went out on Sunday and there was no it was like super sunny, super warm. We're in the same basement. People don't want to go inside. I forgot the flowers. So understand there have been like no one else is with me. The other boys haven't shown up. So it's just me in the street being like, you want to watch it? And they're like, No, they don't understand what I'm saying. So I'm just screaming out them like, Come in for comedy, please. And then I just went home when that another gig. But yeah, so I've lost my self-respect, that's all. That was a summary there, Peter. So we'll be. You. You'll be fine. You'll find people. And I won't just be like, Yeah, rude. I mean, you might get some rowdy crowds in the latest fight. A drunk, drunken group, get them in and then deal with that in it. That's also. Okay so what would Peter's guy to the friends be for a first timer? Well, give us the hot tips. What do his mates bosses you can do but also say a bunch of stuff and then just so if you've never been up at all. I went up last year for three days. I just same pros. I was great. Yeah I'll show McLaughlin. I was like, absolutely go see that. And then also go see stuff that looks dog shit. Because if for two reasons, one, if it's especially bad, that's pretty funny. But also to know that you're fine. Yeah, yeah. Not that guy like, baby, come into my show. Well, these are not. That's a real wise man. Exactly where are like it's going to be doing like you know. You'll do a solo show at some point like in Melbourne. It's always good to go because you just get in your own head, which is like, Oh man, I'm failing and this is Dolan's at my show. This is terrible, I'm awful. And then you go see someone else's show and maybe they've got it's poorly attended or whatever. And you be like. Oh, okay, this isn't it isn't just happening to me because it's this feeling of like, it's just happen to me. It's only bad for me is like, I'm the only one who's failing at this. This is like not everybody is almost all the time. I actually really. Rare for it to be like, Oh, they just sold out because they were the best comedian. It's like, that's never. That rarely happens. You know. Really. Go see somebody who's like a lunatic because it's pretty fun. But also we went to a show one year, we got this terrible flier for this magician. We're like, man, this guy's going to be terrible. And we went and it was the best show. We're in a small room with this really quiet young man who just did magic, didn't even do it like a lot of talking, but it was incredible. Well, like, I wish I'd brought more money doing it to him. It was one of my favorite shows I've ever seen, so you can do that. As well, but go see the weird shit as well I. Think because. Even to be the weird shit, I think that's going to be my. You want to break down? I'm just going to. But there's going to be no jokes. I'm going to be apologizing to Joel. And so. I'll be like this. One time this was like, well, it's no, I'm looking forward to it. Do you think there's still value in Adam? Because people tell me so many different things. I don't know who to listen to. Peter Yeah, people should still go up. Oh yeah. I mean, it depends on what you want to do. What do you want to do? Do you want to do a lot of gigs? You can do it then I. Want to say all the gigs that I just love. I just want to get the numbers up. Yeah, you can do a ton of gigs then, like you can. Are you doing the full run? Yeah, yeah. Great. You can pick up so many gigs. How do people do that? Just there'll be people that already like if you join any of the Facebook forums or they post about like, Hey, we've got this gig, we've got spots, just apply for everything. It is like a showcase, especially that like the free venues. I'd go to meet the person who runs a bit. Like if you have any dropouts, let me know. Guess what? They'll have dropouts, especially towards the back end of the festival. People will be dropping out all the time, and if you still want gigs, you can pick up a lot of gigs or showcases. That's my whole thing. I always it. Going in there, I'm going to be like, No, no, I need someone. I'm going to every showcase. I'm going to be exactly. And that's the other thing. There are a thousand. Categories you talk about. Yeah, like, oh, good for me. So yeah, exactly. Exactly right. You because there's so many of those where it's just like that's where you clean up as well because again, those guys will. Drop out at some point. They'll be like, Oh fuck, I can't do. I'll be drunk. We can say I paid too much, so right on the money and they're. Back to their lives doing. Showcases. That's insane. American tours are like, Oh, let's go see 4 hours heritage. It's just me onstage, you know, by terrorism, guys, I need to stop saying that. So, yeah, if you can just pick up, if you want to do it for gigs, you can. Do it and get a ton of gigs. So you get a ton of station and then by the end of it, when you come back, you'll just have this feeling of like, man, I've just done packed in, you know, 100 gigs in 25 days or whatever, or 100 and, you know, 200. It's hundreds of. Whatever. But you're packed in. All this comedy and all this stage time that you'll be so. You'll be you'll be going through the. Motions with your set and you'll be so free of worry about like. Don't care anymore about comedy. That's what I'll. Learn. Yeah. Once you get to that, that's it. And that's the solution. Because the problem with that you had with that gig where you bombed is you care. Yeah. You if you didn't care. You wouldn't have bombed. Yeah. So hard to cultivate that though because I've read this like who are the Jackie or some of these? Like when I stopped caring, I was like, okay, I'll stop here and go there. I'm like, I don't care. You have to be you have to probably know. That's the trick. And it's it is really difficult to get to that point. I mean, like I still care about, you know, that rugby league. I still care about that. But like to get to the point where it's like you're completely there's no fear and you don't care that a friend of mine, she told me that she was ready to quit. She was like, I think I'd be fine with never doing comedy again. And what instead happened was that was the breakthrough. And she just then went to another level because it was just like by now properly don't care. Like I could quit and never do it again. And then that was the point where this is like. And now that you're free and you're free of that and now. You're actually even better at it because you now don't have that care about it. And doing so many gigs in Edinburgh back to back to back to back, you will get to a point. It's just like, I don't care. I don't care what people say, what could possibly happen. It might be you've been yelled at by a bunch of Scots at in the middle of the night. What could possibly have a mechanism like here? They can make you go like, okay, that's fine, whatever. You throw, it's. True. So what sort of breakthroughs have you had then like that? I don't care what else is sort of happened that you've been like, oh, um, the big question. Yeah, I. Don't care is like figuring that out. It's great where you can just do the like. Also knowing that the more like just get on stage. Like if you just get on stage or even like I like the idea of like, you just you just you play to as many you do is make different choices you can to as many different audiences as you can so that you and that's that's it. That's really all it is. But if you just keep playing to the same audience, it's just like, you know, a big Tesco's. It's like you were in Portugal, you couldn't possibly know what this means. They don't speak English and you expect this to travel. You know, you. Find that stuff out like it's good that acts go and. Do like go and do a backpackers because just like those. People are not. Going to get these specific references easily, use them elsewhere, but like those people won't get it. Do you have anything to make them laugh, you know? And it's like going and doing that, you know, a rugby club or go and do whatever, like all people, young people, because it's also like even the idea of doing like a paid, like it was a group of like year 12 students one time it was like a whole of them. It's just like this is going to be like fucking terrible. But it was also like, Yeah, but they're also like you. I remember being a teenager being like. What did I like? TV shows like stuff regular. Like, not like. Well, actually fuck you. Like, I'm not going to go out and no was sitting there be like fuck off like what it's all it's just like they're also like they're also all like you know, a. You know, like a an alternative crowd or like a mainstream crowd or whatever. You will find out that there's actually you can do. If you're still you. You can do that and change very little. And it works across all of those audiences. Okay. Well, this has been a very insightful thing because I imagine quite early on when I started and I remember being like, okay, I had no idea, like you were Australian, period. I think you went up and smashed a gig and I was like, What's going on here? And then I kept saying, you know, they're gigs and you always do really well like our audience as well. Sizes, shapes, different thing. I was like, Let's Peter. This is. Just frivolity. So it's like you just cover to open my eyes. So there's still that I knew you were just on stage, obviously like pro, but I didn't you weren't like, well, walk around being like a you have permission to speak to me. No, it would be nice. Alright, nice and friendly and then I find out obviously you're pro and stuff, but I was like, why is he at these gigs? But was it just so you're doing different cards because you would always be doubling up and then the other gigs and stuff. But yeah. Doing different. Crowds but also just initially just trying to get any stage time here before, you know, like it's a slow process to get stuff over here because it's like, well, come and do you know a tryout spot, then you do a tryout. So I was like, okay, great, we'll book you in three months time for a paid spot. And it's like, okay, great. So in the meantime you got got to do gigs. Yeah, but I saying that you were winning the competitions here and stuff and like things like that. Oh The Gong. Show. Yeah, oh yeah, stuff. And I was like, Oh, obviously he's got a good art and smash it, but it's good. But it's strange for me coming like into this and seeing that you have to still do that. It just depends. It just depends on whether people will get back the emails or not. And then there's a lot of like and some, some with some clubs or some places. It's just like, I can send him an email and be like, I, I've done this stuff that you've never heard of. In Australia, in Australia. And they're like, Right. And sometimes you just never hear back end like, well, what's the process to get spots here? It's like, go and do the win The Gong Show and you get a spot. And like, Great, I'll go win The Gong Show. And then I'll get a spot. But like, man, the Gong Show, the fucking terrifying. Did not. Happen in Australia. Don't have like don't have him in Australia. Like will do, but they don't have that sort of white one. They never have always like 100 people in the, the one up in the Manchester one to like two. Hundred organ. Bucket. Yeah. The fucking bucket ones like 200 people. This is like that doesn't exist. And also the idea of like playing to an audience that you've in a city you've never performed in. Or. Performed once in to be like. And they just going to be like, because I'm just expecting that to be. Like, Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, cool. Yeah. That's your accent. Like, you know, like, it's just is like, just like it's also that weird, terrifying thing. But also the. Other thing of being like, I know, like, and everybody else is like an. Open mic who I second you. It's, it's so low, like, they're scared, but like I was shitting my ears. I'm like, man, if I fuck this out, I'll shit I back to the waterfront, you know, straight into the ocean because it was just like that was the most. The first Gong Show I did was the most nervous I've been since my first gig. I probably. Every single Thursday. I looked at my heart right like I had my Fitbit on, which is I used to time. I said I looked at my heart, right? It was through the room just for that brief five minute time and read. One is saying, Yeah, he came up to me. He goes, You're really nervous. Guys. I can see your head. But is really nervous. I'm like, Yeah, man. Know after you had four gigs that night like Yemen, I was shaking myself. But then it's like it is that flip thing of like then I did well and it's just like because it's a scary thing, you know, like you can abominable. You can still do bad even if you are, you know, friends of mine who are really great comedians. It's still a difficult thing. Like if it's a just a slight misstep or like an audience is an already audience is a weird, you know, especially those Gong. Show the best ones I'm from Scotland or something can go gong and they're just like going. Bad. It's like it's got nothing to do that has nothing to do with the act. Yeah, you know, those sorts of ones. It's like that's the audience that's at any act walking off and be like, Fuck, they hated me. It's like they've got their own issues to work through, you know, those three people who happen to have the cards or whatever, but it's just. Like it is that funny thing of being like for it to feel good. Is like, Man, I feel great. But it's also like, yeah, and everyone else is like brand new. So how do you. Stay so positive and optimistic? Like having to go back to like the dark, the dark realms of open like and. Just you. Just have to do like if it's like if this is what the process is, just having to accept that that's the process where it's like, I can complain about it and be bitter about it. And, you know, and I complain about stuff all the time and I'm bitter about stuff, but like if I can, if all I do is instead sit around and, and early on I was like, fuck, I got to do, you know, that sort of thought. But then you go, But if I can complain about it and then nothing happens, you know, I'm still if I don't do it, then nothing happens and I don't get that other set. And if I don't get that set, I don't, then get this other set of I don't you know, it's like I can just sit here and not do it and complain about the process. It's just like, man, they make you do this and then they make you do that. It's just like, Yeah, man, because it's fucking the thousand comedians and I just putting all these filters in place to stop. A thousand comedians just knocking on their door, be. Like, Can I have a spot? But if you go, Hey, you have to. Jump through this one too, or they just jump through that one and then we'll put you on and then you'd like. Well, fuck you, you can't say that I'm the best fucking you know, what the fuck's this? It's like, you're right. It's like, send me an email. It's like, send an email and we'll give. You a spot. Or like it's just like, Oh, come down to the show and then meet the booker and then we'll give you a spot. So, oh, fuck, dude, you can't just talk to me on the phone. It's like, Yeah, don't do it. I have 200 Instagram followers. Record me like and like I've ran. Shows in Australia as well, which is like, you know, that sort of thing where it's like that's the other thing is I've been on the receiving end of people getting upset with the process where it's like we ran an open mic where it's like we would put, you know, the best acts on early. And if you did well later in the night, we'd move you up and. Then people would get so it's like, Oh, all night again and there's no one here is like, Yeah, because you're not great. All you have to do is get on stage, do your jokes. And those jokes be funny. We can tell if there's no one there and the jokes are funny, we know what funny is, but they get on stage and said, Complain. About us, complain about the room and. Complain that there's no one. There is just like sucked in. The next week you're in the same spot. Like all you have to do is get up and tell your jokes and maybe move up in the end. So I know from that experience on the other side of it being like, the last thing they need is me being like. Oh, you think I have to go? Whatever it is, fill out a fill out a fucking form. Just tell from the video who just got together. Yeah, well, I'm on the smallest level from birth and gigahertz. Yeah, I've recognized this as well. People are like some people go and they're like, Oh, well, I'll do 20 for you. And I'm like, Well, you know what? I'd really like to see you also. But no, that's. Not how this works like this. And they do anything or they'll like council last minute. So I'm like, I've developed like if I would be such a nightmare, if I actually had to call my club, I mean, I'd be like, What? No, you council wants no, I would have them jumping through all the hoops. I think it sort of makes sense in a way. It yeah. Weirdly not. Acceptable. It's like it's annoying, but like you also, they need you to do it just so that they can filter because it is just a filter. Whereas like you would get 100 people applying if it's just if it was just a message, you get 100 messages or whatever. But like you just need one filter to be like, all right, spell your own name properly at the top. You've lost three people, you. Know, three people getting. Through that. You feel like there's some gigs where she's like, Put this in the subject line and then they'll be mad that they didn't put somebody didn't put it in the subject line. And she's like, All right. But also, that's the only thing they're asking you to do. Yeah. As is like then do the one thing they're asking you to do and they might give you a spot, you know, and then maybe they'll give you more spots. Or maybe also they're annoying because they're annoying. No, I want to be anointed. I want to get my own, like set up, but I'm going to be a nightmare. I know people I like. They'll be they can do whatever they want. No one else getting shot. They won't be a good will for them. But that's also a great way you already know. Like, why do you even put in a format to find people you don't like and don't know to come and do your show? Yeah, just book the people you already like, who you already know. If nepotism is the. Way it is. So I like Sheila. That's just me being honest. Like, I don't get it. We tried the form. It was a nightmare. I know people just are like, Oh, I applied the form three times. Just 400 people abide by some selfishly. Peter Right. So where I'm out is we're going into Edinburgh and none of us have 20 minutes. Yeah, right. Perfect. I've just. Yeah, I could lie, but I don't want to. What do you do? I know we don't have 20 minutes, so what should the process be then? That's what you want to get to. Like a good split the well to try our best to get that good switch but. That's a. None of you have 20. Minutes. I think they they know. That's all right if you've got because because. Of because Edinburgh has this one of the best things about it is because it's so not really like in some of the venues, especially the free venues, it is in like such fringy spaces. So like, you know, kitchens. And. Attics and whatever because of that nature of the fringe and that understanding from the audience there is that experimental feeling about the festival that you can also experiment with your material. So if you went up there and you spend time being like, Well, I've got 30 minutes of ideas, you can spend the festival working down to like what's actually 20 minutes of jokes? Well, probably more likely to prevent it. Yeah. Yeah. You'll get your work. Down to whatever it is. But you can start with this pool of like, I've got all these different ideas, I can run these through for a week because all of that sort of experimental nature of the festival, it's actually the best way to go and be like, I don't have enough stuff. And they're like, That's fine, weirdly, especially in that sort of situations. Pressure But should you be like, what should the I'm so confused. What the aim should be should be aiming to get 20 so I can do a club can or like what's, what's the path? Should I go to my club or should I just be like, Fuck all these people, I do appreciate you. It's not going to be funny, so I'm just going to trick people. That's the way I'm clubs. You mean what should be the path for you to. Develop more material? Yeah, like, because from my head, there seems to be two paths you can go down, like club comic route, be super tight. Yeah. Entertaining and like, everything's super punchy. Yeah. Or you can just develop your own show eventually or split show where you can sell tickets and be like, Super Go Rogue. That's how I describe it. So I feel more inclined to go rogue because I hate gatekeepers. Yeah, it's like a start up, I'll. Tell you what. But have gatekeepers. Yeah, it's different set of games. Okay, that's interesting. So what's the gatekeeper for? Like the Go Rogue? Buy my tickets. They Go Rogue is one if you're doing it in the festivals, the the festivals or stuff. But also that's probably also down the stage of like, you know, if you got to go like I want to do TV stuff or I want to do whatever, it's just like all those people that above that is like you can go if you're talking about completely independent, the clips, the online, and then you just then you get your own producer and then you get your own. I mean, that is that is another way to do it versus like I then just travel on tour around doing much. I mean. Is is that feasible? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. You'd probably want more than 5 minutes of material. I will see you also. But you also you also don't have to, but you will probably for the first tour, those audiences that come and see that show will go, Well, we love him. I don't know about that. So I love him and I'm going to continue to watch his videos. I dunno if I'd pay the money again to go see him do an hour. Okay, so I'm going to vocalize this and I'll probably cut it out. So, so my idea very loosely in my head is we do this of show, we get a weird 20 minutes, wouldn't work in a club, but people don't leave like depressed and they're like, okay, it wasn't a complete waste of time. And then from there just start like working progress. And they were split. So yeah, or a fake like ratio where I just get someone else to fill in the time like, yeah, me. But it won't be me. It'll be another split show. Yeah. And then you just keep doing that over and using sympathy talk. That's how eventually it builds up is not a plan. I mean, that's a plan. And I just put up clips from crowd work and basically M.C. it for further. I don't know. Yeah, I mean, yeah, that's that's a that's. A perfectly feasible model for. Yeah, if the clips that you're putting up are old crowd web clips and you're spending the rest of the time but you have to be writing you're yeah. If you write like rotten, you run new as much as you can and run as much new. So if you go into if you spend from now to Edinburgh writing you and like just write heaps so that you've got a big pool of like stuff. That you like how there's something in. This and then you spend Edinburgh running that toe in and run it in writing. That's when you'll be hosting. So you'll be doing some crowd work, but also if you want, also want the clips. But then the other half of it is you do, the crowd works or eclipse. But then what you can do is then when you do the tour sort of stuff, if you do your own show, there's a guy in Luke Cage in Australia who is a huge he's he's done exactly that built up his own audience is massive to his all over he toured in the UK recently but what he does is a big chunk of the show. He does a lot of crowd work and he does all these tuition fees to big crowds and weird stuff happens. And then, you know, he's got a clip is another clip that can go viral and so it's all just, you know, and then he's also got the rest of the show, which he's not using those clips from the stand up. But that's allowing him to be like, well, now I've got these big chunk of people who want. To see me. Who then see like a, you know, like a clip go viral of him doing crowd work and then go like, well, I'm now going to go and I'm going to say whatever. And then another thing. And then it's just like this building snowball effect that you get from those shows. And he too is every single year it meant like it was. So March he started like February runs through to September and he just like he's just he's on tour and he just but then once he can get to that point of like, I've now got enough for an hour and then I'm also developing the next album, then you're doing it over that tour. So you're like, You U2 are doing that, but like what is right? So I understand what writing it is, but like, what does that mean to you? Like, does that mean I write a story and then I try it? What is the how are you writing kneejerk? So I write it all. I used to write short stories, so I write it all out as a back story. So there's supposed to be a start. My talent. Yeah. I have an idea of whether it should be funny, but I don't learn it word for word. I used to learn it word for word and I don't. Yeah, I don't know if that's good or bad. That's good. And then I go up and I just try the story. But I often what happened, I was like, Percy you out of the story and I go back to the crowd. Yeah. And then the stories like I'm not tried on a new part. I don't know what I've tried to come off and people are like, Oh, I was nice. You talk to my wife, I would try to say, so that's the process at the moment. So I just need to be direct and be like, I'm going to try the story. It's not funny. Yeah, I just. Yeah, if you want to if you. Storytelling sort of stuff. Yeah, I think for sure you just go, you have to tell the story and even if you tell it without having written it beforehand and go like I'm just going to tell the story as it happened, as I remember it, and then you just tell it to an audience and then go, Right, that didn't work. This just fact, I'll tell it again and then you have to keep retelling it until you finding especially. That's an easier way to do it, which is like you're just telling an actual story, you're finding the funny in it rather than, yeah, you don't like. If you're not saying if you're saying it word for word every single time, it's like word for word exactly what I write down. This is like it probably never going to sound like conversation or is never going to sound natural. It's always going to sound, Oh, he's just. Really on the right. Like if you're. Not connected, like it's that other connection. Whereas if you start the story as the first time you tell it is, I'm just telling it and then work back from there. But I mean personally I find that difficult to recapture. The, the first time I tell the story, it's like, Oh, great, that was great. And then I've tried again and I just can't get back that. I can't find that rhythm. But that just takes time to get back to that. But yeah, if you want to tell stories and stuff, that's probably the way to go. Well, the only reason I say that is because I used to do a really tightly worded I knew where every punch line was. It was a really weird set about my ex Spanish ex-girlfriend. She told me it was real quick outside of points. I don't know what happened, but I. I did that for the entire time I was doing it. And then one day it just stopped working. Yeah. I was like, Fuck, this is all my material. Yeah, this is my competition. Said, this is what I want to do. Yeah, I know. I just. I can't even make myself, like, go back because I'm not. I'm not really me. I'm like some weird. Yeah, like, I'm not that high energy in real life, but I'm not like, Oh, my girlfriend's cheating on me not to talk. So I just thought I was like, okay, her stories are much more natural, so we'll try that. Yeah. And also, you probably did it so often that you broke it. Yeah, I probably. I didn't know I could break. I was really sad. I was like, this is in the bike. For the. Rest of my life. You probably go. Back to it, but you did break it. Okay. Just probably if that was all you were doing, if it was the only set you were doing and you weren't doing any other new stuff or even I do a lot of, you know, like try out tents and stuff and you're like, I'm doing my showcase and he's my best hand if I get awake or I'm like, I'm doing that same ten, I going. To lose my mind because like I just said, it's like, Yeah, no, it's. Fine, it's fine. I'm enjoying it. I'm enjoying it. But at a certain point is, is like, if, if there's a day where like a middle bit doesn't, well, it's just like, fuck and you know, you just can lose your like is just saying it over and over again and it lose all meaning, you know. So you kind of I like to break that up. We do like a real shit over Mike or anything else to break it up, like do spend. If I don't have to do that time, I can do newer stuff, do the newer stuff because it's getting your brain thinking about something else while you're on stage rather than just going through the motions. Because if you just go through the motions and you said over and over. Again that you want it to sound. Private, actually. Oh, you get those. Why's if you're. Also. Yeah, like you're going to. It's like. You would just get so. Bored of it and you just get so. There's no phone in the room. You're fine, you're having no fun. You're just reciting it, man. These you see this so often to where it's like you can watch someone just get on the rails where their brain just switches off. You can. See their eyes just they're still sort of in the room, but they're not like. This, joke is going to go how this joke is going to go. It's not going to connect. It's going to. Probably work. But it's not connecting with anyone. It's always good to watch it. We've like you'll say it with someone doing start with a good bit doing seven you in the middle, you doesn't really work. And then they go back to the classics and watch their body switch into or we're going to. Crank one the crank. And now we're just going. Straight through the motions. And this is the joke. And this is the set up and this is the punchline. And it gets a big laugh. But you can see their eyes being like, I really wanted this new stuff. You could just see them just going through the motions. Of like this work that goes like this and I'm fucking sick of it. And over time, you can absolutely break it. You can fix them again. I just needed not do them, but like. Sometimes they broken forever. So sometimes genuinely, yeah, you can have like a class. I had some jokes where it's just like, Oh, this is like an absolute banker is a classic. I'm going to use this. This is a great one of my best jokes. And then at some point they break. Let me go. Okay, I'll get back to it later on. Like, Oh, it's gone. But it's. Probably gone because it's just like you can't use. It. Well, let's might be a bit mad too, but so I told it in the present tense and I'd say, I play a game. They're called You're cheating on me. I'm going to prove it. Yeah. And it was basically just off the back a field relationship, like very ominous. Dark. Stuff. I don't know if that ever happened, but it was like that was like I was I was clearly processing something. I it was to go to comedy, which is a nightmare. But then I tried to tell it honestly where I was like, I used to have a girlfriend and I got really complicated lives in the past. But imagine she's here. I'll try to reenact it. Isn't this funny, guys? I bet that's. That's not how you fix a joke. Apparently so. So what's the plan then, in London, Peter? Why you came to London? Just to do more comedy, do more comedy and learn a bunch of different skills. And yeah, what are those skills? I just like again, performing to different audiences. And in Melbourne, been there for nine years and you kind of get to a certain point where you just like, Oh, I've done every gig and I've done every gig every month for the last. Four years and it's kind of like it is like it's great. The best thing about, like I was saying, Melbourne size, it's just like, oh, I know everybody like it's it's a big scene. So there's a lot of gigs, but it's also a small enough scene where you know everybody and like I love everybody and I wish that I was still I would like that it was like, I wish we had a scene this big, as big as London in Melbourne, because it's just like I could still be. Hanging out with my back facing these people rather than anybody talking about fucking Tesco. We could be talking about, you know, Woolworths, but just, but like. Just going. Like oh I've been doing, I think I realize I at. One point was like, oh, this is like one of the, the best gigs in the city. I'm like, I'm in and I just for whatever reason, I saw that. I'm like, Oh, I did. I was hosting it and I was like, Oh, I hosted this. It was like, Yeah, it's like six, seven years ago or something. I'm like, Fuck. Been hosting this show or I've been doing this show forever. And it's just like just to do something else and to grow and to get more opportunities and. And there's the Peter Jones show coming soon. The Peter Jones. Show, yeah. Are you going to do it or your own. Oh, my stuff. Yeah, I think I'll do like Edinburgh next year or the year after. But I just want to get like the lay of the land and figure out, you know, what's. Going to come very well so far and you've always been very nice to everyone. So. Well, we all appreciate it, though. Many weird gigs we'll go to. Thank you very much. If you get any sort of socials or anything, you want me. Just my Instagram at the end of the chance for. Everyone that's enjoyed it. Please it a five star on Spotify and I'll talk about how big it is and that's also a threat I. Think. I could do. Well, thank you very much for calling Peter right now. Our thanks for having.