One of the first jokes Sammy J makes in his latest show ‘Good Hustle’ is that he is the comedian that your grandma likes.
He might as well own it with a joke, because it's true! You can imagine even if Sammy J went out of his way to offend the audience, they would just tousle his blonde hair and smile.
In a world of edgelords, Sammy J is effortlessly likeable and his comedy, while incisive and thought-provoking, always remains good-natured. Take for example a character played by offsider James Pender, who could be used to make fun of bogans but instead becomes a celebration of the big-hearted openness of most Australians.
In a world where we’re constantly told the fracture lines we have been split along, away from each other, Sammy J’s ability to make us all laugh together, at each other, heals us whole. One of his strongest bits is a slow burn about Australia Day turning ignorance into a laughing matter and gently asking, what is really important?
Music is used throughout, an easy way to move an audience in spite of themselves, just another way Sammy J affects his audience with smooth command. Even when he is demanding you get to your feet, or like a typical Victorian taking a few swings at Queensland, it feels inclusive and fun.
His sketches on the ABC have offered him a perfect opportunity to take on a mature subject in the news. There have certainly been things to talk about since he took on the role five years ago.
‘Good Hustle’ celebrates the characters he created along the way almost as a summation. Good artists have the ability to move on and reinvent themselves for new eras of their career. If that is what Sammy J plans here, it works as a fond farewell for the characters, but his appeal will remain enduring.
The strength of his comedy is not in the targets that range from Barnaby Joyce, the housing market, militant students to cancel culture. Nor is it the surgical precision with which he undermines their pomposity or hypocrisy in the way all good comedians do. No, it is the way he makes you recognise a little of yourself in all of them, and in laughing at them, you are reminded of the importance to laugh at yourself.
Good hustle Sammy J, good hustle champion.
