Supplied
Stand-up comedian Urzila Carlson, who recently featured in Netflix’s Comedians of the World special and is a Have You Been Paying Attention? regular, has just added more shows to her upcoming Loser tour, which kicks off in Melbourne on Thurs., March 28.
What can we expect from your upcoming show, Loser?
Tackling the big issues, like who can and cannot eat a donut at the airport without getting sideways looks from people. Also how long do you need to let a goon sack breathe before getting stuck in.
What’s your process when you put a new show together?
Coming up with an idea/concept is the hardest for me. Once I know what I want to talk about, that’s easy – then I write non-stop. I make notes and audio recordings all year, and a month before I open the show, I write it all down and hope it works.
Was there more pressure associated with your Netflix special compared to other projects, especially having seen what Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette has done for her overseas?
There was no real pressure, nah. I watched Hannah’s special and knew I couldn’t get close to that! I don’t watch Serena Williams and think, “I should change the way I hold my racket, it’ll change my game.” I play my own game and I knew I don’t have a message or a strong voice that needed to be heard by the masses; I talk about coffee and hairy toes. So the fact that Hannah absolutely nailed her special almost took the heat off everyone else. I don’t have to be amazing – there’s already one from down under nailing it. Thanks, Han!
What would you say is the main difference between what people find funny in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa? Have you had jokes bomb in one country that have worked a treat in others?
I don’t think there’s a difference at all; I think we’re all the same in what we find funny. In most places, with the exception of Russia and Germany, everyone always says, “We don’t take ourselves too seriously, and we like to have a laugh and hang out with friends and family.” We all like a BBQ and a beer, and every single country has their own version of “yeah nah” and we all think we’re unique for it. We’re not, we are all just happy to have a laugh and de-stress. Obviously, in some countries you have to address some issues more, like in South Africa they enjoy a political joke worked in, in NZ they enjoy a rugby joke and in Australia they DO NOT ENJOY A CRICKET AND SANDPAPER JOKE.
When was the last time you laughed uncontrollably?
I had dinner with a friend and said, “I grew up poor”. Because I have an accent and she’s Australian and not tuned into it, she asked me to repeat what I said three times, the magical number you can ask someone to repeat. After the third time, she took a sip of wine and said, “Never heard of it.” I laughed gin and tonic out of my nose! I said, “That’s the most Sydney, I live by the beach answer I’ve ever heard.”
Have you been heckled recently?
I don’t get heckled and I actively discourage it. I take the time to write a show, I know how it ends, I don’t need your help.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
