Aidan Jones' new hour of comedy 'Passing Time' is coming to Adelaide Fringe.
After spending the last two years drifting in and out of lockdowns in Melbourne, Aidan has a bunch of stories about where the mind goes to escape uncertainty, and the various lengths he went to in the last two years just to pass the time.
Aidan first performed stand-up in 2012. Since then, he's sold out runs in Edinburgh, Perth and Adelaide Fringe festivals, and pre-COVID was on the road in Europe, the UK, Asia and Australia.
As a sneak preview of his show 'Passing Time', playing Adelaide Fringe this year, here are five things Aidan Jones did to pass the time during Melbourne lockdown.
One
Created a YouTube gardening show that no one watched. During the first lockdown while everyone made banana bread, I got into the garden. Since there was no stand-up comedy but I still have a deep, burning need for attention, I decided to turn my new hobby into a YouTube show. I called it 'The Backyard Bitch', named after legendary Australian gardening show 'Backyard Blitz' – instead of Jamie Durie it was me, stuck at home yelling at my tomatoes. Some of the videos did okay, but after I read the entirety of 'Dark Emu' to my spinach plant to see if it'd grow better, I figured it might be time to stop.Two
Started a Cert III in Horticulture at TAFE. After realising I didn't actually know anything about gardening, I thought I might study a little and learn something. TAFE courses were heavily subsidised by the government, and I always like meeting new people, but the first four months of the course were all via online learning. When classes returned to face-to-face I realised that the campus was a 90-minute commute (EACH WAY!) from my house, so after the Christmas party, I politely emailed saying I wouldn't be coming back.Three
Doing comedy to passers-by in my driveway. I saw an article online about a portrait photographer in Sydney who set up a booth on the pavement outside her house and photographed people as they passed on their morning walk. I thought why not do the same thing for comedy! People mostly enjoyed it, although I had a pretty rough time trying to think of jokes to tell the kids that inevitably came by. I don't think my act is particularly dark or offensive, but it really is not for children.Four
Emailing my grandpa. My grandpa and I have been emailing regularly for about 10 years, but especially during the pandemic I've found his perspective and wisdom so valuable. He tells me stories about growing up in the South-East of South Australia, about shearing sheep in far-North Queensland, or about his life now in Victor Harbor. Apparently, he tells me, his permit for collecting seaweed has just expired.Five
Putting on comedy shows in the park. I was supposed to film my first ever comedy special in July 2021, but it was pushed back to November because of Melbourne's 247th lockdown. I still needed to keep the show fresh and in my mind, and needed audiences to practise to, so when restrictions eased to the point that we were allowed to have five people together in the park, I advertised my services on Instagram, and set up a bunch of shows in the parks of inner-city Melbourne.Aidan Jones' special was filmed in November, and released in December 2021. 'Passing Time' plays Producers Hotel (Adelaide Fringe) 18 February-6 March. He then plays his show 'Pap' at The Victorian Hotel (Melbourne International Comedy Festival) 31 March-24 April.
