Comedian Dan Rath has plenty of stories to tell this year.
From Boba Fett dress-ups to mermaid skeletons, he's not short on yarns and he's gearing up to present his award-winning laughs to Brisbane and Sydney audiences.
Dan scored the Melbourne International Comedy Festival's Piece Of Wood Award, for his show 'All Quiet Carriage Along The Inner West Line'. Beyond the world of stand-up, Dan also co-hosts the podcast 'Neurotic News' alongside fellow comedian, Damien Power, and he's also appeared on 'Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee'.
Dan will be taking to the stage to present 'Tropical Depression' – but before he does, why not learn a little more about him?
'Tropical Depression’: Is this show basically your weather report for the soul, or is it more of a deep dive into your day-to-day life?
Tropical depression is when you’re in a malaise. Tropical depression is when you’re ready to board Malaise Airlines and you don’t care if the plane lands or not. It’s about wearing a Hawaiian shirt even though you’re on Lexapro. It’s clinical indifference.
You’ve mentioned everything from being bashed as Boba Fett to developing feelings for a Door Dash chatbot. How much of this show is drawn from real-life disasters vs things your brain just cooks up for fun?
I’ve never drawn from real life because it feels like I’m plagiarising from God.
Winning the Piece of Wood Award must’ve been a sweet moment – especially since it’s voted on by your fellow comedians. Did you celebrate sensibly, or did it involve another parking ticket and a mysterious crypto investment?
It ended up setting me back financially because I had to pay to get it engraved.
How do you develop a balance of chaos and craft when writing a show?
My persona is just a byproduct of Red Bull and stage fright.
Your interests cover a lot of ground. Do you find stand-up is the perfect outlet to mash all these odd fascinations together, or are there things even too weird to make it into a bit?
I would say most things are too weird to make it into a bit. But I looked on seek.com and there were no jobs where you can write about being bashed for cosplaying as Boba Fett at an anti-vax protest.
What’s your go-to ’thing’ that never fails to calm you down and centre you?
I wish I could say it was transcendental meditation but sometimes you just end up ruminating about a barista who disrespected you. So I’d have to say lithium.
Your special 'I’m Not Doing Well Folks' has racked up serious views online. Has the digital audience changed anything for you – do you think differently now about how your comedy plays live vs how it lives forever on YouTube?
It’s had no effect on anything.
Finally, let’s settle this: if you HAD successfully bought that mermaid skeleton with your crypto, where would you have displayed it? Front lawn? Lounge room centrepiece? Straight into storage like an art collector?
I’d donate it to a museum so it could be on display with other historical artefacts.
Dan Rath plays Brisbane Powerhouse (Brisbane Comedy Festival) 1-4 May and Factory Theatre (Sydney Comedy Festival) 15 May.
