All aboard! The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) Roadshow is well and truly on its way around the country.
Performing at 75 locations across Australia before it's wrapped up, the Roadshow features MICF favourites and newcomers like Alex Ward, Blake Freeman, Cal Wilson, Carl Donnelly (UK), Daniel Connell, Ivan Aristeguieta, Chris Ryan (read our chat with her here), Mel Buttle, David Quirk and more.
David Quirk has cemented his place on Australian TV screens in shows like 'Please Like Me' and 'Rosehaven', as well as an original voice on the international comedy circuit. He's made waves on home shores and had success abroad in the comedy world – his breakthrough live show 'Shaking Hands With Danger' took out the Piece Of Wood at MICF.
Here, we catch up with David amid the Roadshow tour.
Tell us a bit about what you’re bringing to audiences on the MICF Roadshow!
I will be bringing you 20 odd minutes of DQ Solid Gold, honed on the road and finessed in theatres Australia wide. Also some of the most awkward crowd work you’ll see and good outfits.
For anyone new to David Quirk, how would you describe your comedy style?
Dry, patience-testing, pretty cool.
Tell us a bit about your breakthrough show ’Shaking Hands With Danger’.
Oh, that one. Well it was a pretty great show at the time in 2013, and I’m quite proud of it, even still. But I doubt it’d be possible to come up with that show now. It was about the time I cheated on my partner with a person in Helsinki, Finland and the fallout from it. 90 per cent of the show was about that and the other 10 per cent was about the time I was on a plane with Slash from Guns N Roses and this was somehow woven though the story about my ruined relationship. I was not looking for sympathy with this story but I was looking for empathy, as I decided that every person in a relationship has either cheated, been cheated on, or thought about cheating. From that point of view, the show resonated with people, I found.
When did you discover comedy was something you might like to pursue? What triggered this?
I remember being in primary school and telling teachers and kids that “I’m going to be a comedian when I grow up!” I don’t know how I even knew what a comedian was at the time, but it wasn’t until I was in my mid to late 20s when I was fully into comedy that I remembered being under 10 and announcing that to the class like a little dork, and seeing that it came true. Pretty wild. I always liked making people laugh. It seemed like the way to go and always made sense to me.
You’ve had successful seasons not only in Australia but overseas, too. How has it been to travel so far as part of your job?
It’s one of the true perks of this weird profession. I’ve seen so much of this wide, brown land and many other thinner, less brown lands and I have comedy to thank or blame and I love it. I’m lucky and I know it.
You’ve been in ‘Rosehaven’ and also ‘Please Like Me’. What were those experiences like for you?
Both were incredible. 'Rosehaven' was five seasons long and I was part of every one in some way. It’s all shot in country towns in Tasmania and I love Tasmania so much so it was quite special being paid to go down there and work with some of the best and most lovely actors and crew. I am good friends with Celia and Luke and I admire them both very much. For 'Please Like Me', it was a couple of years earlier than Rosehaven and the script/character was fairly challenging at first, well, because, I had to get naked and have sex on camera, which was pretty rare for me (still is) but I got into it. I “danced like no one was watching” so to speak. That character is probably the one I’m most proud of. Thanks to Josh Thomas for all that and the ABC for having me on both those great programmes.
What’s your favourite thing about being on the road with a bunch of comedians?
Since my bladder is no good, I’m often asking to pull over on long and even short drives, nothing unusual for me, but if I did this without being trapped in van full of comedians, I’d never have heard the term “Baby needs to go toy toy” about me, over and over again.
Why should people come along to the MICF Roadshow?
Because it’s genuinely an excellent showcase of various great comics handpicked by the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and it really is a solid, hilarious night out. There’s a lot wrong in the world at the moment and the Roadshow is the perfect way to take a bit of the edge off for a few hours.
What have you got planned next?
Skateboarding, maybe doing my most recent show 'Astonishing Obscurity' in London, writing a new show or two for next year, doing comedy at Splendour in the Grass, skateboarding and I might go up to the snow.
David Quirk plays as part of the MICF Roadshow at Brisbane Powerhouse on 8-9 July.
