Gen Fricker made her comedy debut in 2011 as a finalist for triple j's Raw Comedy competition, and has since sold out seasons in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney as well as supporting US comic Reggie Watts on his last Australian tour.
She's unique and a little weird, but in her new show she's focusing on the fact that she's also 'Very Important And Extremely Brave'.
She's got a heap of experience in media including being a lunch presenter on triple j and appearing multiple times on the Channel Ten quiz show 'Have You Been Paying Attention?'.
Here, Gen answers a few questions about the concept of the show and what audiences can expect from her new material.
There is a LOT of positive adjectives in your show description, and your show is called 'Very Important And Extremely Brave'. Tell us where the title/concept comes from?
People always say to comics, ‘Oh I can’t believe you get up and tell jokes in front of people, you must be so brave’ or ‘that’s so courageous’ and I always think, if you knew how much money we get paid to do something so stupid, you’d be 'brave' too. So I just kind of ran with that idea. It’s all extremely dumb.
What kinds of things can we expect you to cover in the show?
The show is about trauma, and how we expect people to tell their stories of trauma. They must have a neat and redemptive ending, which is completely unrealistic. That it’s one of the most universal human experiences and it’s still kind of fetishised and turned into misery porn and slapped with labels like 'important' and I want to play with that.
What's your favourite thing about the world of comedy?
Just how passionate people get about it – comedians and audiences. When you love something, you really love it, and when you hate it, it can literally suck the life out of you.
How did you discover it was something you might be into?
I’ve always been in awe of funny people, it seemed like a magic power to make people laugh. So I was always hanging around funny people, and slowly started dipping my toe into stand-up and sketch comedy through them, but I never thought it would be a career until I made it to the RAW Comedy Final.
What's the biggest misconception about the comedy industry?
That comedians are fun people, or we’re always up and on. There are definitely people like that, but most are miserable psychopaths who should be avoided at all costs.
When you go out on stage to do a stand-up show, what are your main intentions?
I just try and stay as loose as possible, because if I start stressing and tightening up, the audience feels it and then no-one feels good. That and trying to make people laugh, I guess.
And how do you want audiences to feel when they leave?
I want them to feel like they’ve forgotten about something important but they don’t mind too much because they’ve had a good time.
Are you more comfortable performing to a live audience on stage or appearing on televised studio audience shows such as 'Have You Been Paying Attention?'? Why one over the other?
They’re so different so it’s hard to pick! I love the process of TV and watching people who are very good at what they do make something consistently entertaining. But performing live is great because I love interacting with living, breathing people and finding something new every night.
Gen Fricker Tour Dates
3-8 March – Brisbane Powerhouse (Brisbane Comedy Festival)19 March – Home Of The Arts (Gold Coast Laughs Festival)
20 March – Novotel Canberra (Canberra Comedy Festival)
26 March-19 April – Trades Hall (Melbourne International Comedy Festival)
8-9 May – Astor Theatre (Perth Comedy Festival)
14-17 May – Enmore Theatre (Sydney Comedy Festival)
