Chapter 4.

With only six months to go on the course I took a gap year during which I traveled to Remuera to work as a dish pig in two restaurants diagonally opposite each other at a large intersection. Cycling home in the dark one night I noticed up ahead a group of youths loitering on the footpath and spilling out onto the road. I didn't bother swerving for them and they grabbed my bike and brought me to a halt. One of them mashed a piece of buttered bread into my face, obviously leftover from what his mum had packed for him that night. Then they let me go so I carried on to the next intersection and stopped at the red light, which turned out to be a mistake because they caught me up and before I knew it I was out cold lying on the road and waking up to the sound of a concerned motorist yelling from her car, "leave him alone!" Needless to say I continued riding home making sure I'd left enough of a gap between myself and my pursuers before stopping at any more red lights. Also that year I did Axis Ad school for which I did two months work experience in an ad agency creative department under the auspices of creative director Gordon Clarke. At the time he was pitching for the Tourism NZ account which he lost with efforts like a picture of a man in a forest and the line, "Where the only man-made thing is you." The winning entry was the 100% Pure NZ campaign with the genius NZ % sign. To his credit GC was the first and only person to ever tell me to get over myself - probably the best slogan I've ever been given. Recently I googled him and read a funny story about how once while entertaining dinner guests he got up and started vacuuming. Despite my creative partner and I getting runner up we didn't get a job and I continued washing dishes and deep frying poppadoms and working on my portfolio before returning to AUT to finish my four-year diploma.

Chapter 3. My journey as a writer.

When I was 21 I decided to enroll in a Diploma in Advertising at AUT. I was accepted but, having heard that group presentations were involved, my fear of public speaking prevented me from starting, so I continued working as a builder for another year. The following year I reapplied and this time went through with it. I did the course partly because I was sick of my job and also because of perceived societal pressure to go to uni to “get a piece of paper”. I think I knew at the time that all I needed to get a copywriting job in an ad agency was a good portfolio, but as an early-twenty-something with time to burn I decided to spend a few years as a student instead. I was only really interested in the creative side of advertising but the three year course required me to do papers not only about the broader business of advertising but also straight business papers like accounting and commercial law (which I failed two, possibly three times before I was given a pass mark). The one paper – and lecturer – that made the university experience worthwhile for me I found buried at the end of my second year in the lazy summer holiday. Led by NZ ad guru and copywriter extraordinaire Jim Falconer, the copywriting paper uncovered a love of language which I had lost since I was a kid.

Post Post

After completing my fourth New Zealand comedy festival show, I realise how much more work I have to do to become the world's best comedian (goal setting has never been my strength, so I figure if I just aim for the absolute furthest away stars then I might just hit the top of the tree, or however the cliche goes). The New Zealand comedy festival is easy - you only have to do five nights each in Auckland and Wellington. At a "real" comedy festival you can do 28 nights on the trot if you like. Next year I'd like to do another New Zealand comedy festival, but this time preview my show in the Melbourne comedy festival before. I'm currently having two weeks post festival to chill out and reflect before I start writing a new show for next year. I'm finally learning to think in terms of writing a new show each year instead of just randomly updating my 20 minute pub set with new jokes. It's taken me a long time to start thinking like a professional. In the past I have just been toying with comedy, just because - among other reasons - I thought I was going to live forever. Now I am starting to recognise my limitations and finiteness.

It seems like only a year ago that it was only one month til comedy festival... oh wait, it was only one year ago. I'm not used to doing shows in back to back comedy festivals, so you could say that this year I've had to write a new show twice as fast! Which has been aided by the momentum I'm carrying from last year's show. I really think I'm going to have a lot of fun with my show this year and I'm already having a lot of fun writing and testing it. This year I will perform a Wellington season of my show, something I haven't done since festival 2009 - so, for me, two shows ago. But unlike 2009 I will do my Wellington season after my Auckland season, so I will go into my Auckland season cold, but not as cold as I went into my show last year because that was my first show in two years!!

My new show is called GSOH in which I explore what a good sense of humor is by looking at how my own sense of humor works, and how I write my material. A popular question I get asked is, how do I think of my material? Trying to answer this has made me look at where my inspiration comes from and how I nut out material after it has struck.

GSOH opens in Auckland on Tuesday 8th May, 7.15pm, and runs for five nights at Q Theatre.
In Wellington Wednesday 16th - Saturday 19th May, 10pm @ Cavern Club.

What is 2012

Did my final gig of the year last friday - Titters Comedy Club - then the following morning proceeded to twist my ankle quite badly while out for a jog, thus ensuring I well and truly put my feet up for a few days. In all it's been a good year of comedy, 64 gigs (two down on last year), a lot of new material written, and a good springboard for the 2012 comedy year, which I believe will be a cracker. For my fourth comedy festival show I have both an Auckland season (2nd week) and a Wellington season (3rd week). Also, in the first week of the festival I have two appearances in an unusual late night line up show in which comedians will perform other comedians' material. Should be an interesting challenge, on top of trying to write a brand new solo show in a year.

Have been accepted for a show in next year's comedy festival in Auckland and Wellington. My fourth comedy festival show, but the first time I've done shows in consecutive years. Should be an interesting challenge - am looking forward to it. Have got my theme all figured out, now I just have to write as much new comedy around that theme as possible in the next five months. Am only booked for one more gig this year, at the Classic on Wednesday night. Looking forward to summer holidays before getting married in Feb.

Well since my last post I have only got engaged to the fabulous Jessie Bloore, my girlfriend of 15 months! So, all of a sudden I have a wedding to think about and plan - I've always wondered what that would feel like, and so far so good.
We are having heaps of fun with it because, on a whim, Jess entered us into a Win a Wedding in Rarotonga competition on radio station LifeFM, and we are one of the five finalists, currently undergoing daily challenges to knock out the other four couples. We are now in the top three.
Work continues to have a mind all of its own, with me occasionally getting gigs, and TV show 7 Days returning to air this week after a 7 week break. Some interesting things in the pipeline before year's end though.