Comedian and two-time NSW Raw Comedy state finalist Anthony Locascio spent a lot of his time growing up in Australia feeling confined to a prison of ethnic and cultural stereotypes through his Greek/Italian heritage – and now, in 'Don't Call Me A Wog! (An Ethnic Comedy Story)', he'll escape those confines.
This new hour of comedy is the story of that escape, plus Anthony's convoluted encounters with the Greek and Italian heritage that affected him – and his conflicting relationship with traditional 'wog comedy'.
“I never wanted to deal in stereotypes; that kind of humour dismisses the fact that a person’s relationship with their ethnicity is always deeply personal and unique,” Anthony says. “We don’t all live the same lives because our grandparents were born on the same rock in the Mediterranean.”
This is a show for all Australians regardless of heritage or background, and will push Anthony's performance style further than before. There'll be audio-visual, music and lighting components incorporated throughout the set, all of which coming together with Anthony to create an intelligent, dark and vulnerable cultural production.
Here, Anthony has listed his top five musicians with Greek/Italian roots, before he hits the road for 'Don't Call Me A Wog'.
Five
Lady Gaga. Miss Germanotta is about as Italian as you can be (she really looks it too) and you can see the fiery passion in almost all of her work. She is an artist in the truest sense of the word; as a movie guy I’m all for her immaculate transition into acting. When I was 16 I chaperoned my little sister to a Pussycat Girls concert for which Lady Gaga opened, and I can distinctly remember thinking “this will be the other way around one day soon” after her performance. Simply electric, from the outfits to the dominating voice. ‘Bad Romance’ and ‘Poker Face’ are songs you’ll never forget, and ‘Paparazzi’ remains a personal, guilty pleasure favourite of mine.Four
George Michael. The late legend was technically Cypriot but, as with anything vaguely Greek of true quality, we’ll claim him! My mum spammed her Wham! 'Greatest Hits' CD on most rides to and from school, so I’m very familiar with his early stuff. Beyond that, how can you look past ‘Careless Whisper’ as one of THE greatest tracks ever (I even have a little joke about it in my upcoming hour ‘Don’t Call Me A Wog!’) A style icon and a very handsome man indeed, I also very much admired his penchant for public. . . Stuff.Three
Frank Sinatra. Had to be on this list right? This man made being an Italian immigrant in America so much more acceptable through his sheer talent and cool. Sinatra’s music still holds up as endlessly listenable; in fact, I doubt I’d have ever taken the leap and quit my job in corporate insolvency to pursue comedy without having ‘My Way’ blasting through my headphones almost every night on the bus home. Fun fact; Sydney’s Happy Ending’s Comedy Club in Kings Cross, where I regularly perform, is the only remaining stage in Sydney on which Sinatra performed, so it’s developing a legacy of hosting Italian icons.Two
Kelly Clarkson. Kelly is a hidden Greek like me – on her mum’s side, and can apparently speak ‘fluently’ (I’ll be the judge of that). Nonetheless, she’s a total boss with an incredible voice and probably the most successful overall winner of a show like 'American Idol'; I love that she hosts her own TV show. She is also a MAJOR proponent of body positivity which is a big bloody deal for me. Every kid growing up in the 2000s with parental issues. . . So every kid growing up in the 2000s, has felt ‘Because Of You’ to their very core. I have also shamelessly belted out ‘Behind These Hazel Eyes’ like a maniac in the car/shower/pool more times than I’d care to admit.One
Jon Bon Jovi. Had to be man. The Sicilian sensation himself, my long lost cousin, a true idol. Between the ages of 17 and 19 I managed to lose about 22 kilos to get to a healthy weight. I would not have been able to do so without the treadmill assistance of Bon Jovi bangers (and a little Linkin Park). No end to a wedding/21st/baptism is complete without a mass sing along to 'Livin On A Prayer', no gee up for a night out is complete without lung busting to 'You Give Love A Bad Name', and personally, no stand-up set is walked to without 'It’s My Life' blaring. Even newer hits like 'Have A Nice Day' have that quintessential, run through a f...ing wall, Bon Jovi-ness that you can’t escape. Jon Bon Jovi is the greatest wog of them all.Anthony Locascio Australia Tour Dates
14-19 March – Star Theatres (Adelaide Fringe)10-24 April – Club Voltaire (Melbourne International Comedy Festival)
6-7 May – Regal Theatre (Perth Comedy Festival)
13 May – Factory Theatre (Sydney Comedy Festival)
