If you can reel off the likes of Chris Lilley, Tim Minchin, Peter Helliar, Josh Thomas and Hannah Gadsby on your alumnus rollcall, you must be doing something right. Since its inception in 1996, RAW Comedy has become Australia’s premier open mic comedy competition and in the lead up to the showdown at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, the spotlight is rolling over our young and hungry Sydney comics every week at the Comedy Store. We speak to one who has made it, MC Daniel Townes, and one who wants to, Damian Sommerlad, to find out how they are handling the heat …

DANIEL TOWNES

What if it turns out these raw comedians tell some funnier jokes than you? I hope they do tell some funnier jokes than me, funny new comedians are a good thing, it means the future of comedy in Australia is safe.
How important are these kind of comps for comics trying to get a toehold in? They are important but it’s not the end of the world if you don’t win. Winning them opens doors and so does not winning them … and still being funny. That said, if you were going to win a comedy competition RAW is definitely the one you’d want it to be. It’s the biggest competition in the country, it’s got the prestige and the prize is amazing. No pressure.
What word of advice would you give yourself of five years ago? Don’t put pressure on yourself in comedy competitions, enjoy the gig for what it is and have fun.
And what’s one thing you hope never happens in a comic sketch again? I don’t know to be honest with you, anything can be funny if it is done well and with a new approach, even old ideas.

DAMIAN SOMMERLAD

What’s the rawest thing you can think of? Nappy rash. Life ain’t easy at two.
How do you prepare your material? Are you a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants or speech card kinda guy? ‘Every battle is won before it is ever fought’ Sun Tzu.
If you win, what will you do with the prize money? Build a giant papier mache effigy of myself and start a cult.
Who are your comic idols? George Carlin, Bill Hicks, Ricky Gervais, Rik Mayall.
And your dream gig? One where people laugh.

Until Feb 28, Comedy Store, The Entertainment Quarter, Building 207/122 Lang Rd, Moore Park, $10-15, 9357 1419, comedystore.com.au

Laugh Your Tits Off promises a, “very titty Christmas” – whatever that means – but one thing they’re guaranteed to deliver on is a very funny night. With a line-up stuffed with crackers like David Williams (compared to comedic great Jim Carrey by USA Today), David Smiedt (“The best comedian in his price bracket,” according to Joan Rivers), funny guy and Phuklub overlord Nick Sun, fantasy writer and Wil Anderson-supporter Sam Bowring, plus look-ins from rising stars Genevieve Fricker, Ray Badran, Sean Woodland, John Cahill and more, LYTO could be the perfect antidote for, well, all the sh*tty things about Christmas. Tunes supplied on the night by FBi’s Jack Shit. (AB)

Dec 21, 8pm, FBi Social at Kings Cross Hotel, $16-22, oztix.com.au

Get ready for the witty, gritty and often offensive antics of Wil Anderson. The multi award-winning comedian and TV show host will take to the Laugh Garage stage for some intimate and no-doubt pun-tastic jabs at everything from politics to pizza commercials. Fresh from a sell-out overseas tour, Anderson has been described as, “the rock star of the Australian comedy world” and is a must see this summer. (GF)

Dec 7-10, The Laugh Garage Sydney, Sydney, $10-25, 9264 1161, thelaughgarage.com

Armed with nothing but razor-sharp wit, awesome comic timing and an amazing lack of inhibition, Sydney’s fastest-thinking comic actors are set to fight it out in hilarious and totally unscripted fashion this Saturday in a bid to claim the coveted Theatresports Cranston Cup 2011.

Twenty teams began the race. Only four remain. Bear witness to the amazing talents of Bear Pack, The dysleXia men, Rock Steady Crew and Bigger on the Inside, as they attempt to outshine their opponents by creating the most imaginative and side-splitting scenes, songs, characters and other surprises on the spot and without preparation, all based on suggestions thrown at them by the audience. It’s tough and only the strongest improvisers survive.

The theme for 2011 is ‘Superheroes’, so audiences can expect to see superpower-wielding performers jumping through the air in single bounds, moving objects with their bare hands, chillaxing with bears and other extraordinary talents. Anything can happen and frantic hilarity is guaranteed. Plus, this year’s very special opening act sees the Theatresports School Challenge Intermediate champs, The Theatresprouts from Sydney Secondary College: Leichhardt, face off with the Scared Scriptless Cup winners, The Fighting Trousers. Keeping the night rolling will be hosts and Theatresports legends Susie Youssef and Jane Simmons.

Dec 3, Enmore Theatre, 118 Enmore Rd, Newtown, $48-55 or $156 (family), 9550 3666, improaustralia.com.au

There’s a lot of crap on TV but Spicks and Specks is something all Aussies can agree is the goods. After seven fabulous and hugely successful years the show is wrapping up with a finale live performance that will knock your socks off. I caught up with resident team captain and funnyman Alan Brough.

Is the first time performing at the Horden? Yes it is. I know it has a long history and anyone who is anyone has played there so I’m excited about that.

Did you ever want to be a rockstar? As a kid I wanted to be in musicals like Jesus Christ Superstar.

You enjoy touring? It’s extraordinarly exciting. We just have a ball. It’s like being on holidays with your friends doing gigs.

Do you get up to trouble? What happens on the road stays on the road. You might find different combinations of alcohol than you would have at home.

How’s the stage show going to differ from the TV show? Well, for all those people who yell at the TV at home when you yell out the right answers at us we’ll actually hear it.

What’s the vibe like? It’s always great and people are in for a really fun and colourful night of entertainment.

You’ve said this tour is a way of saying goodbye to your fans. How do you feel about the show ending? I’m feeling fine. At first we had no idea how the show was going to go but it’s been seven years and people are still watching. It has been an unexpected blessing and marvellous event in our lives. It seems contrary to the nature of it to be upset. I’m just happy I was involved with it.

Nov 15-18, The Horden Pavilion, Driver Ave, Moore Park, $65-99, ticketek.com.au

Sam Simmons’ greatest fan thinks he has a touch of the ‘forever alone’ about him, and I think she may be onto something.

When you’re watching the man smash tacos against his naked chest in a packed Inner West theatre, or asking young ladies in the front row to cup his balls, you can almost hear his mother whispering, “I just want you to find a nice girl and settle down”.

But maybe that’s the point.

His latest show, The Precise History of Things, is your typical Simmons mix of physical humour, pop culture references that vary from obscure to dated to spot-on – “And suddenly RYAN MALONEY, that guy who played TOADFISH on NEIGHBOURS, shows up and SAVES THE DAY” – and pithy observations about his own unpopularity.

The catch with the ‘no one likes me’ routine, though, is that when it’s true, it’s just awkward. And so it was that on the night I attended, Simmons spent much of his allotted hour railing against the audience for not laughing hard enough.

That’s the thing about Sam Simmons: if you walk into the theatre expecting brilliance, you’ll get it. Simmons does ‘absurdist suburbia’ exceptionally well, and this show hits plenty of high notes.

But he has no time for non-believers – so if, like me, you walk in doubtful but ready to be convinced, you may walk out disappointed. And with an inexplicable craving for corn chips.

Until Nov 12, Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Rd, Enmore, $28-32.50, 9550 3666, factorytheatre.com.au

How many brainy comedians does it take to create a YouTube hit? In the case of American scientist-cum-comedian Tim Lee just the one, and he’ll be bringing his material to the stage this Fringe Festival for just three days in this Australian premiere.

Science and comedy … what’s the connection? Although they seem very different they are strongly connected. Science is the pursuit of the truth. Comedy, on the other hand, is the truth plus absurdity.  As a comedian what I need to do is add some absurdity to the science and the comedy flows naturally.

How has YouTube changed the face of comedy? YouTube IS the face of comedy now. It’s not the beautiful face that TV once was. It’s more like Mickey Rourke post plastic surgery: honest and brutal. It’s the only channel that’s seen all over the world.  I get email from Africa, Asia, Australia,  Europe, and the Americas all because people have seen a video on YouTube. That was never possible with TV.

An American on Aussie soils … will you be adjusting your material to suit? I change things up as I move around because humour can be location specific. There are bits that work well in one town that don’t work at all in another.  I’ll be changing things up a bit for Australia but I won’t know exactly how till I get there. You have to be in a place for a couple of days to get a feel for the sense of humour. What’s different about people in this town than all the other towns I’ve seen? I’m coming into Sydney a few days early so I have some time to figure that out.
What’s harder, writing a PhD or a good joke? A PhD dissertation. A good joke is its own reward. It makes me so happy to see all those people laughing.  Writing a PhD dissertation is a thankless endeavour.

Do you plan on checking out any local Fringe Comedy, and if so, what? Absolutely! I want to see Fringe Comedy Showcase. It’s a mix of local comedy acts. I love these kind of shows because you get exposed to a wide range of humour.

Sep 17-24, 99 on York St, $12.50-19.50, thesydneyfringe.com.au

Whether your favourite Martin Short is as an el guapo amigo, a mad hatter, a Saturday Night Live regular, a narcissistic politician making deals with Martians, or just as your average fast-talking, joke-slinging Canadian comedian, there are plenty of reasons to witness the magic when he hits Sydney shores this September. We have double passes for the Friday 2^nd September show at the Sydney Opera House to give away to a few lucky readers – just email win@alternativemediagroup.com with all your contact details plus your favourite ‘Martin’ moment for your chance to scoop some Short!

UK comedian Russell Howard can – almost – picture himself jogging around the Botanic Gardens with comedy great Louis CK. At least, he’d like to think so.  “It’s like that fantasy of being at Glastonbury and the Kings of Leon ask you to play backing recorder, just cos you look like a good bloke,” he laughs.

This is one fantasy that might come true. Russell Howard – whose show Good News was BBC3’s highest ever rating entertainment series – will be taking to the stage alongside legends John Cleese, Martin Short, Dylan Moran and Demetri Martin. On being booked to such a bill, Howard is humble: “It’s great, because the crowd is excited to see some big names. Then you wander on and people are like, who’s that prick?!” This for a guy whose last UK tour saw crowds upwards of 240,000.

With topics ranging from his brother’s epileptic fits (“It’s graphic, but with an uplifting end”) to nuanced responses to the London riots, his aim is to communicate the heart of the issue, no matter what that issue is: “So it’s not a myopic view – it broadens it up.”

And in response to the accusation (admittedly, on his own press release) that he has been shipped in specifically to lower the tone of the Opera House, Howard says, “I am going to wander in and do a shit on the stage! You have no idea what people write about you – it makes me sound like a filth monger. But I will keep it on an even keel.  It’ll just be a show about various things … it’ll just be funny.” Which, apart from getting to witness Howard pound the pavement with Louis CK, is all we’re after, really.

Sep 4, 7.30pm, Opera Theatre, Sydney Opera House, $47.90-69.90, 9250 7777, sydneyoperahouse.com

WE DOUBLES TO GIVEAWAY! To be in the running, email win@alternativemediagroup.com with all your contact details plus the best joke you’ve heard all year. Get on it!

Comedian, performer and writer Margaret Cho is renowned for her crude humour that focuses on sexuality and race issues. She starred in the show All American Girl in the 90s, wrote and directed a feature, Bam Bam and Celeste which premiered in 2005, has published two books, and released an album, Cho Dependent last year.  She is now hitting Sydney Opera House with her new stand-up, Cho Dependent, as part of the Just for Laughs Festival.

When did you decide that you were going to be a comedian? Very, very young. I mean, I started stand up when I was 14 and I started my professional career at 16. It’s something that I always knew that I could do. It’s something that I just dedicated my life to and I will continue to do.

Did you find many obstacles starting out as a woman? Well I think comedy in itself is a very male dominated industry. The thing about comedy is that women aren’t supported in the way that the men are, so for women to survive in comedy they have to have a pretty resilient, tough quality, you know? They have to be pretty thick-skinned and super independent. Fortunately I didn’t have any other place to go. I didn’t have anything where I felt I had any value in society. I was a really overweight, queer teenager, so the only time I was visible is when I started doing stand-up comedy and I could express my opinion and be this other voice that people were forced to listen to. Because I was being funny but also I had a really distinct point of view and that really helped me a lot.

Did physical appearance have something to do with that? Yeah, well, I think that because I was overweight and very shy, and I was so invisible for my entire life, that I didn’t really care about failure. Failure didn’t have a lot of meaning, so if I did poorly, it didn’t really reflect badly on me because I didn’t have a lot in my life that would lift me up. I had no kind of place where I was getting self-esteem or attention or any kind of care, so in a sense the fact that I looked the way that I did helped, actually, because I worked on other areas of my life. I worked on my intelligence and my communication skills and all these different things that I would be able to rely on to draw people closer to me, and that really helped to be a comedian.

There was a Christopher Hitchens article that came out in Vanity Fair a few years ago called Why Women Aren’t Funny, where he says men need to be funny because they lack in so many other aspects, whereas women are already appealing. Do you agree with this and if so, why aren’t women funny? Well I think women are funnier than men. I mean, people I love in comedy are people like Joan Rivers and Whoopi Goldberg and Rosie O’Donnell. These women really were game changers when it came to comedy. So I don’t understand when people say women aren’t funny because that to me is where I draw my inspiration from. I do know that women aren’t supported in this industry and that a lot of the women who are really successful happen to be gay because we operate better without the approval of men, which is something that you won’t necessarily get as a female stand-up, you know, because female stand-ups are, I think, a threat to the male idea of what comedy is. So we’re just not as supported and, you know, if you’re a lesbian you don’t care about men any way so that sort of has made it easier.

On that point, do you think there is something about comedy which, more than any other art form can be therapeutic? Yeah there’s something raw about it. I mean, it’s a storytelling medium so you can really go into your tale and tell your story and it’s gratifying to have an audience laugh with you and agree with your experience and so I find comedy to be extremely therapeutic and extremely gratifying and very helpful actually, emotionally.

Is everyone bisexual? I think there are degrees of bisexuality. I know that I am and I’m definitely somebody who fluctuates in terms of attraction between male and female all the time. Also, I’m attracted to transgender people so I find, for myself, the term bisexual is probably not necessarily inclusive because I feel there are more genders than male and female. A lot of people fall in the middle of that range, that are neither male nor female or are both and that I’ve had relationships with. But I think everybody is to a degree bisexual whether they’re willing to act on it or not that’s another story.

What themes will you be exploring in this tour? Lots of sexuality, lots of good stuff, lots of dancing with the stars, there’ll be lots of music in there so there’ll be a lot of fun stuff. It’s going to be really like, old fashioned variety shows which is my favourite so there’s going to be a lot of stuff.

1-4 September, Sydney Opera House, $63.92-$79.90, 9250 7777, sydneyoperahouse.com

BY HENAR PERALES