Not every teenager is as confident as Joel Creasey when he was at 16.
The now 26-year-old comic, who is about to embark on his new show 'Poser', recounts those days. “The first time I performed was at a rough pub in Perth and it was part of the Raw Comedy competition.
“My parents had to take me to sign me in. It was super rock & roll. Also my parents invited all of their friends along so if I was shit, I was going to be exposed amongst all of their friends. So my parents are very good at applying pressure to me.
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“Sometimes it’s just blind confidence. There’s nothing worse than seeing a nervous stand-up comedian. Jokes aren’t funny if you don’t feel like the comedian is in control.”
Joel is openly gay, and his witty retellings of his encounters are often in his act. “It’s a sign of the times that I’ve never had a problem. If anything, it’s worked to my advantage.
“If you’re a 35-year-old heterosexual male comedian, and there are so many, there’s only so many jobs. Networks have to adhere to diversity quotas, which is awesome for me but sucks for them.
"I think people think there’s more gay comics than there are. I mean there’s me, Tom Ballard, Josh Thomas and Hannah Gadsby, but we’re all quite good and we get quite a bit of work. But I think it’s because we’re gay, we’ve had to toughen up pretty quickly.”
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Much of his 'Poser' show deals with his disastrous year of dating last year. “I met a lot of douchebags last year. And gay men can be pretty awful, and I think I met all the worst ones in 2016.
“[The show is] all about my past, shit dates. But you never know what people’s intentions are when going on a date, whether they’re looking for a story or asking you about what it was like masquerading in the jungle.
"People stop me all the time and I love it. I never get why any entertainer sees it as a problem. It’s like, these are the people that pay my bills! I’m a 26-year-old gay man, of course I love fucking photos!
“I mean; I am a poser. I’m just going to tell you about my travels and all the shit I got up to and my work with Carrie Fisher and Joan Rivers and how I should not work with my heroes anymore because they end up dying.
“I am hoping to get a job as Trump’s new president secretary because I think I’m going to be able to knock him off next. I’m going to use my power!”
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While his time on network TV show 'I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here' brought him mainstream prominence, he didn't like his look. “I felt so ugly on there the whole time, I had a full-on beard. I looked heroin chic by week six.”
He also has fond memories of Maureen McCormack aka Marcia Brady. “She was one of the warmest people I’ve ever met. She was just a kooky lady that ended up being my African housemate for six weeks.
“They try to keep it all secret about where it is because of the paparazzi, but it’s in the middle of the jungle. So if they want to do that they’re putting they’re journos at risk because there are lions and hippos around. Hippos are really fucking dangerous. But they’re all so cute. 'Madagascar' has given them the wrong fucking PR!”
Joel Creasey Shows
17-24 Feb - Adelaide Fringe FestivalSun 12 Mar - Brisbane Comedy Festival
30 Mar – 23 Apr - Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Fri 12 May - Sydney Comedy Festival
Fri 23 Jun - Astor Theatre (Perth)
