Sydney-via-Newcastle comedian Rhys Nicholson is on a mission to discover the secret to happiness and contentment, and he needs our help to do it.
What is your new show about exactly?
Exactly? Yeesh, pushy. I’m really not sure to be honest. I don’t mean that in a douchey “Do any of us really know what anything is about?” kind of way. I genuinely have no idea. At the moment it's mostly about how for the first time in ages I am actually happy and I have no idea how to deal with that. I’m getting bitter about my contentment.
Your early work was full of hilarious pessimism; can we expect much of the same?
Yes, much of the same, if not more. I’ve always followed the motto of “Aim low and you never get disappointed”. I think Jesus or Moses said that? Or was that Obama? I get all of those guys confused. But yes, to answer your question, I remain the way that makes me happiest: fucking miserable.
How much has winning Best Newcomer at the Sydney Comedy Festival helped your career?
Oh heaps. The other day I got free sweet and sour sauce at Kings Cross Mcdonalds. Even though the guy behind the counter didn’t say it was because of the award specifically, his eyes said it all. His dead, cold eyes. Awards are great, I would love some more of those. You guys could hook me up with some award for excellence in questionnaire answering, right?
Do you treat stand-up as a form of therapy or a place to discuss your problems?
I treat my therapy like therapy. I think there is a level of that, sure. I tend not to make too many “breakthroughs” on stage though. I’ve had panic attacks on stage, does that count?
At what point do you draw the line?
“The line” is contextual. In theory I don’t draw the line anywhere because not much offends me and I’m a laugh whore. However, I’m not going to stand up at a battered women’s shelter and do a bunch of punchy domestic abuse jokes (pun intended). In the right situation, there is no line. I am yet to find that situation.
Are certain towns more receptive to your material than others?
Boy-howdy-yes. Although, I have found this weird thing, bogans quite like me. They like me more than any inner city homo is going to. I have no idea why. I think I’m a bogan at heart. I grew up in a small town. I come from bogan roots. Feel free to to make your own joke about me rooting bogans.
What frustrates you most about being a comedian in Australia?
Being a comedian in Australia…. I kid, I kid. I would probably say the TV climate. Just have a quick look at anything made in the UK or the US at the moment. Britain has panel shows coming out of the wazoo. Sure, there are shitty ones, but they are all different and trying something. If I go to one more panel show pilot where someone says “we want edgy” and as soon as I say something like “fingering” everyone goes quiet, I may gouge out my eye with a pair of safety scissors.
And finally, what's next for your famous hairstyle?
Oh, she just got a pilot picked up on NBC. I hate that my own hair is more successful than me.
Rhys Nicholson plays the following dates:
Thu Feb 28 - Sat Mar 2 — Brisbane Comedy Festival @ Brisbane PowerhouseTue Mar 19 — Canberra Comedy Festival Gala @ The Australian National University
Thu Mar 28 - Sun Apr 21 — Melbourne International Comedy Festival @ Portland Hotel
