The comedy style and execution of Tim and Eric is sometimes so aptly deadpan that interviewers from Howard Stern to Marc Maron have been left asking themselves: “Are these guys fucking with me?” Simple answer. Yes, yes they are.
Taking satirical comedy to a never-before-seen level of absurdity, the duo will return to Australia this year with a brand new show, the 'Stralia-Zealand Experience. “We were down there a couple of years ago,” Tim Heidecker says.
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“We had a great time and wanted to come back and see all our fans. I've always wanted to visit and I wasn't expecting Crocodile Dundee or anything, but I was very impressed with the sophistication. Everybody was really nice, the food was very good; it was all very well-organised, wouldn't you say Eric?”
“I think it's very well-organised and very lovely,” replies Eric Wareheim, Tim's partner in crime. “When we played down there we didn't know we'd get the love that we got from our fans, because we met everyone after the shows and every single person said 'thank you for coming all the way down here', so it was a great reception... except you do have those huge bats in some cities, which are not okay. We're going to have to deal with that in terms of security and our buses this time.”
While Eric may not be too keen on bats, he admits he has a fascination with another type of native Australian wildlife – the bogan. “I just love them, I think they're wonderful,” he says. “I did get in a bunch of fights the last time I was in Australia, but bogans are just an interesting breed.
“A lot of time when people come to Tim and Eric shows, everyone looks pretty similar: funky shirt, bad breath and weird stickers, and bogans are just a fun treat to mix it up a bit. We're into diversity in our entertainment.”
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Since making their debut with the animated 'Tom Goes To The Mayor', which was supported and given exposure by actor, Bob Odenkirk, Tim and Eric have satirised nearly every aspect of American culture and politics.
While the pair are brilliantly adept at being able to highlight the nonsense rife in everyday life, Tim states there are some lines that even they don't cross. “We have our own self governors of what's in good taste and what's fair game, those are pretty normal lines that most people wouldn't want to cross.”
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Tim and Eric have expanded their influence into the world of publishing with the release of their first book, 'Zone Theory: Seven Easy Steps To Achieve A Perfect Life', a parodical self-help guide lampooning modern so-called gurus claiming to know the secrets to a happy life. “We had a couple signings/ healing seminars in America and a lot of our fans came out,” Eric says.
“A lot of people bought it and I think we helped a lot of people. I mean, making comedy is fun – making people laugh and everything – but to actually write something that helps someone's life, that's another thing.”
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Ahead of the tour, both Tim and Eric have special messages for their Australian and New Zealand fans:
“These are all new comedy skits, written specifically for the wonderful people of your country. We do it with time, care and love, and we guarantee 1000% of our energy, our commitment, our talents and our wonderful creativity.”
“We just hope you come out,” adds Eric. “Join in on the fun and help us express our creativity. Please bring meat pies and VBs to the show, they don't pay us.”
Tim And Eric 'Stralia-Zealand Experience' Tour Dates
Tue 8 Dec - Astor Theatre (Perth)
Wed 9 Dec - Astor Theatre (Perth)
Fri 11 Dec - Enmore Theatre (Sydney)
Tue 15 Dec - Brisbane City Hall
Wed 16 Dec – Hamer Hall (Melbourne)
