He stopped stand-up. Now he's back. It's Marty Sheargold!
In a triumphant return to the stage, the star of NOVA's Kate, Tim & Marty drive show and a regular on 'Have You Been Paying Attention?' will tell stories injected with the brand of humour that folks around the country are familiar with.
Here, Marty has a chat about his break, and what to expect in the new show.
You're back! How are you feeling about returning to the stand-up comedy world?
I’m pumped, couldn’t be happier to be working the rooms again and cannot wait to get to Perth and cancel the shows and have some me time over there. . .
Your departure back in the early 2000s was the result of a bit of a personal reality check during a show. What made you decide to get into it again?
I wanted a challenge and to reset creatively. Have a real laugh and see some actual people enjoy what I do. The day job on radio doesn’t give you that, people could be laughing at the radio or screaming at me to shut up. I want to test myself again and stand-up is certainly a test.
Was there a defining moment in your life where you knew that comedy was the realm in which you definitely wanted to reside?
I stumbled into comedy, like everything in my life. I never had a cloud-parting revelation about having found my vocation. I just drifted into it through an old mate who hassled me to try it and here I am.
Back when you began, did you have any comedy role models? Do you still, today?
When I started, the scene was so united and there was a real community of people hanging out and loving each other’s work. I loved watching guys like Greg Fleet and Anthony Morgan, there were so many great comics around, there still is.
Is there anything particularly important, that stands out, that you've learned about yourself between the last time you were doing stand-up and today?
I’ve really embraced the idea of taking content risks to knock routines into shape. Really giving ideas a chance to work, not being as dismissive and hard on things that don’t work on night one. Trying to craft things rather than crowbar them into shape and listening to my peers about what they think might help make that happen.
You've got a radio gig on Nova, and you're also regularly appearing on Channel 10's 'Have You Been Paying Attention?'. What do you love about the things you've been up to lately?
The radio has become the structure that I live life around, like any job. It’s dependable and gives me routine. I’m very lucky that good people want me to work with, or for them. I never take that for granted and expect it to end at any moment.
What can audiences expect for you to address during your new stand-up show?
I’m talking a lot about things I remember from when I was kid. Having a laugh at what life is like and the things we see around us all the time, the everyday stuff that we forget is actually funny. . . And throwing in some good old-fashioned swearing and talking a lot about my testicles.
Marty Sheargold Tour Dates
18-19 October – The Comedy Store (Sydney)25 October – Enmore Theatre (Sydney)
27 October – Brisbane Powerhouse
9 November – Dunstan Playhouse (Adelaide)
16 November – Regal Theatre (Perth)
23 November – Athenaeum Theatre (Melbourne)
