Heading back on over to Australia for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Finnish comic Ismo is armed with his new show, ‘Watch Your Language’.
It’s not entirely new, mind you; his last show of the same name was duped by the pandemic before he’d had a chance to share with his audiences. Ismo has kept the title but changed up the content: “I’d been writing so much new stuff, I forgot about the old stuff!” Ismo shares.
Ismo, in his typically observant comedic style, will touch upon topics of divorce and being single. A lover of language, there’s going to be a lot of stuff pertaining to the English language, as well as parallels with his mother tongue and country, something he’s never done before.
“A lot of people don’t know anything about Finland,” Ismo says, “so it means I have to talk about it in a way that assumes people don’t know anything.
“Sauna – 'saw-ner' – a lot of people don’t know that’s actually a Finnish word! Finland has the most saunas in the world, and we are obsessed with saunas. So I’m going to talk a bit about saunas, and how in Finland we are not afraid of being in the nude! How are Australians with that? Because Americans hate being nude!”
Hard to answer Ismo’s query, it’s not something Aussies think about on the daily, is it? Maybe Ismo can change that up a bit. Comfortable with his own nudity, however, Ismo says it’s not something he can indulge in in America where he currently resides, it being against the law. “In Australia, how would it look if somebody were to run around naked on the streets? Would that be, like, a crime?” Ismo’s really wanting to explore the ultimate freedom now he’s re-entered singledom.
Suggestions of nudity aside – (“Are people in Australia naked when they use saunas?”) – ultimately, with his sets at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Ismo hopes to instil many things – an urge to visit Finland, an education, and just to make people laugh about the differences between cultures and languages.
“My goal is also to instil the urge to have sex with me because I'm single now,” Ismo adds slyly. He’s on the hunt, so his audiences better watch out. “I don’t know if I’m a hunter, more of a gatherer, maybe.”
You can just imagine Ismo trying to draw in a harem of potential lovers, luring them in with his dry wit. “That would be nice,” he swoons wistfully. “But in Australia, I’ll be in four different cities, so I hope I score in each one.” Ismo is nothing, if not ambitious.
“It’s been a learning curve to be single again,” he says. “I’ve never been a pick-up artist – in Finland, women initiate, like, way more than in America. How is it in Australia? Do women become men sometimes, or do they wait for men to pick them up?”
You’ll have to come and see, Ismo. You’ll have to come and see.
Ismo plays Greek Centre – Mezz (Melbourne International Comedy Festival) 4-23 April.
