Mental As Anyone

Interview with the lovely Perth Comedian with a Canadian accent, Tor Snyder. Tor has been performing for 4 years and runs the Fremantle Comedy Factory, which was voted best comedy room by Perth comedians in 2016. She recently performed in the Perth Comedy Road Trip at the MICF, a show which incorporated sketch, comedy and improv. Tor also runs comedy workshops, and she's totally swipe right-able.

We discuss: the challenge of understanding mental health issues, learning about communication from an early relationship, the pros and cons of drinking, philosophy of Just Go Out And Have Fun, the transition in her comedy, the Dating Naked show with Mitchell Tinley, being comfortable with herself, the ups and downs of the dating world and falling in love, the biological clock, the subjectivity of attractiveness, opening doors of opportunity, Tor's super powers, lying vs improvising, and Tor's message about the importance of talking about your issues and being honest.

Interview with Dunkeld Comedian Ben Gaylard, who has been performing for 2 years and made it to the state final of RAW this year (well done Ben!).

We discuss: The impact of a recent suicide on the local community, the ups and downs of life with mental health issues, depression getting the better of people who complete suicide, mental health support in the country, Ben's sexual assault at the age of 21, Ben's views on the court system, choosing to move to the country, the need to live life to the full, self-care activities, practicing comedy on cows, dealing with thoughts of self-harm, Ben's super power, Teddy Roosevelt being the universal trivia answer, and Ben's message to reach out and talk to someone if you're feeling suicidal.

Interview with Melbourne Comedian Martin Samuel Dunlop. Go see Martin and his buddy Bec Petraitis perform their MICF show called Burn The Witches, running at the Butterfly Club from 14 to 24 April. Also check out Martin's list work online at www.nihilisticles.com

We discuss: The high prevalence of anxiety and depression, getting stuck in negative cycles, writing for theatre and Channel 31, comedy as an identity and motivator, Martin's experience of therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), pros and cons of medication, fear of being perceived as boring or self-important, the complexity of playing multiple characters in the one show, the ups and downs of comedy and the perils of wallowing in a bad performance, Martin's website, the best joke, views on the Bourke Street Tragedy and the Sydney Siege, psychopaths and personality disorders and murderers, revising the DSM and the Bible, identity issues, end of life counselling for Trump, dealing with death and people living in God Mode, Atheism and Karma, Martin's super powers, and his message to ask the opinion of someone you trust if you aren't sure about your mental health.

Interview with the creative and candid Sofie Prints, who has been performing comedy for about 5 years, and has two MICF shows this year: Mary's Abortion, Sofie's Choice: The Death Of A God (from 29 March to 9 April at Station 59) and the murder mystery spoof play called And Then There Were Not As Many (from 10-22 April at Highlander). Go check them out if you can!

We discuss: Mental health issues being the new norm, stories of family mental health, scepticism about diagnoses, being a difficult teen, sharing her grandmother's name, grandparents being prisoners of war in the Dutch East Indies, her grandmother's eccentricities and family emotional abuse, growing up in regional NSW, Beef Week celebrations, her primary school principal now being in prison, COW FM, faking amnesia to escape to the city, difficulty making friends, getting kicked out of the school reunion, not-so-fond memories of Brisbane, living across the road from Bill Bailey, gradually getting into comedy, studying Art Therapy and Fine Arts, comedy friends, and her message to find your crew, and to come to see her shows during the MICF!

Interview with Geelong Comedian Jake Budge, who has been performing for about 3 years. Late last year Jake reached the accomplishment if 100 comedy gigs (and at time of interview he was sitting at 118 gigs). Catch Jake hosting and performing a comedy gig on 16th March at the Unwined Wine Bar. Possibly while wearing an animal costume!

We discuss: comedy being a way to express himself, patches of depression, being bullied, studying Aged Care, support from close friends, short film about disabilities leading to NDIS work, balancing the day job with late nights of comedy, growing up with a disability, going to Germany as a teen, dealing with negative emotions, Jake's journey into comedy, views on stage craft and performance, getting out of your comfort zone to grow as a comedian, Jake's super power, the inclusiveness of the comedy community, and Jake's message to believe in yourself and never give up.

Interview with Adelaide Comedian Georgie Carroll, who very graciously made time for a chat during her flying visit to Melbourne a couple of weeks ago. Georgie started comedy about 6 years ago, and now travels all over Australia to perform. Georgie has a 2017 MICF show called Gauze And Affect, which you can see at Fort Delta from 28th March to 8th April.

We discuss: How Georgie got started in comedy, the origins of her comedy festival show, the martyrdom of nurses, the lack of mental health support in Australia, kids with anxiety, episodic nature of depression or anxiety, restrictions on hospital patients, problems with ice, patients presenting with hopelessness, improvements in the Adelaide health system, lack of funding for "unfashionable disorders", Melbourne moving the homeless, The Melbourne Look, having a strong sense of adventure, assimilating into Australian culture, having a happiness barometer, swimming in the sea on NYE to gather perspective, preparing for her kids to enter teenage years, Georgie's super power, and her message to be kind to others.

Interview with Sean Bedlam, who is a Melbourne Comedian and Political Activist. Sean is currently doing his comedy via social media, and has a video series called The Furore coming out soon.

We discuss: The love of performing vs reality of performing, being informed to inform others, having a breakdown in his 20s, the limits of mental health support provided by Centrelink, classism and mental health treatment, Sean's sunstroke episode, self-care by stopping what he's doing, choosing not to fight negative thoughts, acting on things in his control, the problem of paranoia about what others are thinking, family issues, receiving the message that sadness is weakness, reconnecting with his Mum later in life, having to let people go and managing guilt, challenges from childhood and from growing up in a war service area, secrecy/violence/suicides/shut-downs, enjoyment from pointing out injustices, having the gift of the gab, showbiz people always trying to fit in, emerging signs of fascism, some dos and don'ts of self-care, the importance of daily exercise, the joys of Nexflix and reading, message that if you don't want to meditate, don't!, and to take stock of life every now and again.

Interview with Cherie Smith, who started comedy about 2 years ago as a way to meet people after moving to Melbourne. You will often find Cherie at open-mic rooms or the Comic's Lounge, and she appeared on the ABC's Hard Quiz last year. Cherie also co-runs the Comedy Women's Association room every 3rd to 4th Tuesday in Footscray – follow the page on Facebook for upcoming dates.

We discuss: the pros and cons of taking a redundancy package, burn out, feminism and making a point with her comedy, awareness of triggers, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, situational mental health issues, running her own race, the ebb and flow of emotions, acting in accordance with values, workplace injury and emotional abuse, handling suicidal thoughts, the benefits of counselling, not apologising for tears, hating vulnerability, the 7 habits of highly effective people and the circle of influence, Facebook misery and hope, confirmation bias, the Mr Rogers meme, the benefits of healthy eating and exercise, love of Tai Chi, comedy & socialising, the benefits of cutting back on alcohol, the ice epidemic in country Victoria, Cherie's super power, and her message that you are never alone and make sure you talk to someone if you're struggling.

Interview with Comedian Sharon Andrews, who started comedy pretty much by accident a couple of years ago at Aireys Pub. Sharon now performs regularly in Melbourne, and also co-runs the Red Door comedy room in Geelong (on the first Thursday of the month) for the Surf Coast community as well as visitors from Melbourne. You can catch Sharon's first solo show in May at the Butterfly Club – it's called People With Glass Dildos Shouldn't Throw Stones.

We discuss: Sharon's academic approach to start comedy, her fear of public speaking but being up for the challenge, being diagnosed with depression 12 years ago, consciously considering how to actively look after her mental health, teething problems with anti-depressants, the absence of information about how to come off anti-depressants, research and views on medication, the issue of people tending to stay on anti-depressants for the long-term, the contested view of prescribing anti-depressants with people expressing suicidality, awareness of protective factors, listening carefully to herself and her needs, reframing unhelpful/anxiety-provoking self-talk with reassuring thoughts and worst-case scenario planning, mindfulness at the beach, Sharon's super power, and her general message that you are more powerful than you think – you have great capacity to contribute to your wellbeing and seek out people and things to bring you joy and enhance your life, and also to choose to avoid things that do not.

Interview with Classical Musician Ben Turner. Ben is a Bass Trombonist who lives in Berlin, and we crossed paths recently as Ben is visiting his hometown of Melbourne. Ben has a podcast discussing all things mental health, called Double Depresso, and we did a double recording: You can listen to Ben on MAA here, and Shae's Double Depresso interview will be out soon.

We discuss: Berlin being still under construction, orchestras and other musical work, worry from projecting forward, problems with Perfectionism & the Imposter Syndrome, the "I'm not enough" story, the frog in boiling water analogy (sorry frog fans!), reflecting on rock bottoms, drugs & alcohol in classical music, the bigger picture perspective, views on having only one teacher, positive feedback and accepting praise, the myth of pursuing happiness, being present and enjoying the journey, Ben's super power and his general message of the importance of connecting to others.