FRINGE - Gordon Southern

Fri 27th Feb, 2009 in Features

UK comic Gordon Southern is no stranger to Adelaide. He liked the place so much he married a local & has been splitting his time between London & Adelaide for the past 5 years. Gordon’s show is aptly titled UNOFFICIAL ANNUAL 2009 and it’s a joke packed examination of what it is like to be a citizen of the world right now and, like any good annual there may also be music, puzzles, pictures, games and stories to keep punters guessing.

Are you looking forward to the Fringe? “Very much,” Gordon said. “It was my first solo show outside the UK and the Adelaide Fringe is part of the big cultural “wet” when all the events come to SA like much needed rain and the place comes alive.”

Do you think comedy breaks down cultural barriers in reaching out to new audiences? “Comedy is unique in that it is interactive: If you’re in the audience and you’re experiencing a cultural barrier, you can pipe up about it and if you’re a comedian and your joke that has people rolling in the aisles in Paris but isn’t tickling Perth… Maybe you have a cultural barrier to dismantle in Fremantle.”

What is your show about? “It’s all the fun bits – the footers, sidebars, short stories. The way people sift through a book or magazine to enjoy the bold print, pictures and highlights first, imagine if that was the whole book.”

Do you have to be careful when working gags in to your routine about your better half? “She’s an entertainer herself and has seen a lot of comedy, so she’s very understanding. So I exploit that!”

How does a comedian spend their day on tour between shows? “Depends where you are. I try and sightsee especially if it’s my first time in a city, but otherwise it’ll be pretty dull: Lunch with other comics in town, the gym, the internet…. Today (in Sydney) I got up very early to watch Liverpool FC draw against a weak opponent, then it’s a workout, then lunch at Bondi with a Sydney based comedy pal. That’s a busy one mind.”

What’s your favourite spot in Adelaide? “I’ll have to say the Rhino Rooms, as that’s where the show is, and that’s where Adelaide comedy has made me feel most welcome over the years.”

Does a comedian plot or plan to pick on someone in the first or second row? “For me it’s to talk with, not pick on. And since I don’t often wear my glasses on stage (I’m a little bit short sighted) the nearer the front you are the better I can see you!”

How did you get in to comedy? “Started on BBC Radio 4 in UK doing sketch comedy and found my stand up vocation then.”

Do you recall your first big break? “Whilst still at University the sketch team I was in were invited to London to record a pilot for a daily national radio breakfast show. We understood this to be an offer of full time employment and moved to London. Two years and a lot of writing one liners at $20 a pop and eating nothing but toast and cereal later we get a series.”

What has been the highlight of your career to date? “Hopefully it’s still to come – I’d hate to think things we’re on the wane and I would have to start playing in the lower divisions as I slow down!”

Are there any particular comedians you look up to? “I’ve worked with some great comics over the years,” Gordon pondered. “Festivals are a good time to catch up with pals and become a fan of some comics new to you. In my career inspiration has come from UK comics Mark Steel for his ability to be political and funny at the same time, Harry Hill for his dazzling joke construction and Al Murray for his skill working with a crowd.”

What would you been doing if you didn’t get in to comedy? “I’ve never known any career outside comedy, so had I not done this I’d still be doing what I was 12-15 years ago. Bartending and working in a sports shop!!”

What’s your best line for a heckler? “The best line is the one made up in the moment, and it shouldn’t be a line – it should be a tangent, a dance that takes the show off in a whole new direction. My comedy doesn’t attract hecklers, it attracts participants!”

Show Details for Gordon Southern:

Gordon Southern – The Unofficial Annual 2009
Rhino Room
9pm each night (except Mondays)

Book on the Fringetix Website or call 1300FRINGE (1300 374 643).