Mental As Anyone

Interview with the entertaining and animated Harrison Engstrom, who hails from Wollongong and has been performing comedy in Melbourne for two years. Harrison is creator of That Comedy Podcast, which evolved from Laugh Till You Cry Podcast. He also works in video and content creation, and edits videos for Quick Bites Comedy.

We discuss: Foreign Accent Syndrome, Harrison's experience of hypnotherapy, the surprise popularity of his podcast, Corey White admiration, 9-11 obsession, Harambe the gorilla's hashtag, the story of Diane Schuler, worry about being a terrible person, undiagnosed ADHD (which is perfect for his job), the impact of his engagement break up, advice of what not to do with acid, the Icarus myth, making a Census skit, Operation Avalanche, techniques Harrison used to cope with depression, the importance of routine and discipline, revelations at Mount Keira, belief in possibilities instead of expectations, philosophy about death, Harrison's super powers, vacuum cleaner distraction (apologies to Harrison and our listeners!), speech patterns and accents, the firework incident, and Harrison's messages that mental health issues can be hard but instead of motivation, focus on discipline and find what works for you; listen to Harmon Town and Bojack Horseman; and take care of yourself & reach out for help if you need it.

Interview with the engaging and inquisitive Comedian Kirsty Webeck. Kirsty started out with a comedy workshop/showcase three years ago, and soon after put together a 1-hour show, which (with her Public Relations background) she managed to sell out very quickly! Since then she's written several hour-long shows, including her first MICF show in 2015. Kirsty also works on Joy FM (94.9), including a recent seven-week stint on DriveTime.

We discuss: Getting gigs before getting to know other comics, the risqué and wild challenge of drinking water on stage, the opening of doors with networking in comedy, the importance of mental health maintenance, mindfulness, baring your soul with comedy, depersonalising, views on social media and mental health, reacting vs responding, locus of control, the danger of assumptions, Kirtsy's super power, giving and receiving compliments, the issue of today's desire for instant gratification, and Kirsty's message to keep yourself healthy in every way and to be kind to everyone around you.

Interview with Craig "Coombsey" Coombes, the creator of Naked Tuesday (there's no space between the words if searching on Facebook) which is all about getting out of your comfort zone. Coombsey frequents the Comic's Lounge as a punter, has appeared as a guest on Adam Hills Tonight (check out the footage here https://youtu.be/5CP8h-MO3Rs), and does a bit of specialised* stand up. These ventures into the comedy world came about after Coombsey was diagnosed with thyroid cancer four years ago. He had treatment including surgery and radioactive iodine, but despite all efforts it was found that tumours had spread and Coombsey was given an estimated 18 months to live. That was three years ago. In that time Coombsey has quite literally been living his life to the full, which was kicked off when his close friend Pete B got him started on a Bucket List.

We discuss: Coombsey's experience of the illness (which he thought was viral laryngitis in the beginning), the subsequent treatment and insisting on a timeframe when he received the bad news, the significant role his Mum played in how he received the news and in his general outlook, The Bucket List and how everyone needs a Pete B, the first time he met Adam Hills, the profound health benefits of comedy, family health history, family reactions and setting a positive example for his kids, dealing with the tough times, upcoming plans including comedy in Montreal and filming a DVD at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, the importance of his tattoos, Coombsey's super power, and his message to make the rest of your life the best of your life.

*Coombsey does cancer-related material, where he aims to have a laugh at cancer's expense. Coombsey likes his audiences to have fair warning about who he is and what he's about so they can be on board.

Interview with Melbourne Comedian Mimi Shaheen, who first performed comedy on Valentine's Day this year, and is off to an impressive start so far. She performed her second gig in front of a large crowd at the Comic's Lounge (which was a milestone as she'd frequented the venue as a punter from the age of 15). Mimi has always loved comedy: she received various comedic theatre roles in high school (which earned her a spot at the Victorian College of the Arts), and has a very dark sense of humour. Mimi had TWO gigs at the Comic's Lounge this week, and will be performing at Yes All Women on 6 July, and Funny At The Brunny on 18 July.

We discuss: The adventure of comedy speed dating in December 2015 which in a roundabout way led Mimi to attend the Comic's Lounge workshop group, putting in lots of open-mic hours, the past pains which brought about her dark taste in comedy, comedy goals and wanting to "eat it alive", Mimi's experiences as a Social Worker/Family Worker, immigrating from Syria as a child and the challenges of fitting in, how bullying and other traumas have shaped her work so that she is a strong advocate for children, inter-generational problems and other issues in her work, Mimi's techniques to maintain a healthy work-life balance, managing temper, Mimi's super power, and her message of finding a way to laugh as it will assist with coping.

Interview with Melbourne Comedian Anthony Jeannot, who has been doing comedy for 7 years and has a few MICF shows under his belt. His 2016 festival show, Rage Against The Man Child was reviewed as "intelligent and insightful" (Herald Sun) and "funny, sweet, uplifting" (Squirrel Comedy).

We discuss: Anthony's period of anxiety following graduation from university 2 years ago, how the anxiety affected him in regard to job duration, lack of confidence and feeling overwhelmed, how Anthony started dealing with it differently once the anxiety was pointed out to him, acceptance and managing perfectionism, vicarious learning from seeing the people he admires not always getting things right, rewarding himself for getting on stage – regardless of performance, never wanting to be the "tone deaf" comic who cannot try new material, dealing with being constantly evaluated, meditating for wellbeing, "lego blocking" what works for him, Anthony's passion for sharing ideas, super powers, and his messages of the importance of talking to people and treating wellbeing as an outcome to be evaluated – it's just as important and valuable as evaluating other areas of your life and leads to greater insight and awareness.

Oh, and I forgot to thank Peaches at the start, so … Thank you Peaches.

Interview with Actor/TV Show Host/Producer Andy Nolch, who has been making The Kink TV show for 1.5 years (watch it on Fridays at 11.30pm on Channel 31). The Kink is a late night comedy TV show, in the style of Letterman or Rove Live.  Andy has always enjoyed comedy and found a way into television, funnily enough, via a job he held in a plumbing store.

We discuss: how The Kink TV show evolved, comparisons to Tom Green, the catharsis of podcasting, Andy’s depression which started in the later years of high school, attempting university and a postal job before taking time out to do what he loves, trying various methods to deal with depression, the side effects of anti-depressants, discovering Scientology, learning how to learn, starting a business, Naturopathy and other activities/techniques that helped Andy, Andy’s super powers, The Celestine Prophecy (by James Redfield), the benefits of gems, and Andy’s message that you can cure your mental health issues by taking one step at a time.

Interview with Comedian Jaymie Wilson, who started performing comedy in 2006 (14 February to be precise). He's got several MICF shows under his belt (including one with guinea pigs), and he's been performing Puppetry of the Penis for 4 years. Jaymie performs locally, interstate and overseas, and in his first year of comedy he did a staggering 506 gigs!

We discuss: quitting real estate and getting straight into comedy, his awesome first gig - but bombing for the next 8 months, jumping right in the deep end at the interview for Puppetry of the Penis, being on stage in front of a large crowd just a few days afterwards, Jaymie's personal relationship issues when a request for a paternity test showed up in the mail, the subsequent ups and downs of his mental state, the delay of results due to the legal process, how his stage partner deals with spontaneous erections, how Jaymie met his current partner in quite a memorable way, his parents' professions and Dad's unorthodox methods, addictive personalities and minds, drug of choice = comedy, 506 gigs in one year and reflections on the guy who beat that record, gig jealousy and stage anger, dealing with a period of depression, avoidance of drugs and alcohol, the constructive methods Jaymie uses to manage mental health issues nowadays, Jaymie's super powers, and the message of not being afraid to be different, and sharing advice from Comedian Chris Bennett – make sure your act cannot be followed.

Interview with Comedian Tessa Ryan, who has been on the Melbourne scene for about a year, and has been performing in a sketch comedy show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival called DotComedy (the last show is TONIGHT – Sunday, 3 April). Tessa does stand up as well, and has been known to frequent the Imperial, The Wild, Club Voltaire, Attik and other open mic rooms.

We discuss: Tessa’s panic attacks as a child and fear from not knowing what they were, the self-fulfilling prophecy of anxiety, the helpfulness of Progressive Muscle Relaxation, awareness of self-medication, preparation for change, exercising and other helpful coping techniques, gradual return to exercise after not doing it for a while, incidental exercise, how people are not very open about mental health issues, people going to counselling for help about their loved ones, comfort eating, short-term vs long-term goals, friends keeping mental health secrets, watching for extremes in behaviour, the power of hindsight, the importance of making time for yourself and getting enough sleep, Tessa’s super powers, the sage advice to Pat A Cat If You’re Sad, and Tessa’s message to encourage everyone to be more open about mental health issues, put yourself first and be kind to yourself, always.

Interview with Melbourne Comedian Hamish Paterson, who has been doing comedy for six months (with a pause in the middle due to a bad gig experience). Hamish is a fun and likeable guy who tells personal stories on stage, and also works at The Comic’s Lounge to immerse himself in the comedy environment even when he’s not performing.

We discuss: Building his comedy confidence and being himself, comedy goals both local and abroad, meeting one of his comedy heroes, starting and stopping psychology studies, experiences of living abroad with his family, depression, how Hamish almost got his family deported from Dubai, the perils of taking Roaccutane, a “toxic” relationship and “life crisis” after high school, anxiety issues, views on being realistic with kids, The Bad Gig, reading the comedy audience, learning from mistakes, triggers for anxiety, lying & losing friends vs the relief of being himself, Hamish’s super power and ones he’d like to have, and the message of perseverance being the key to everything, along with staying healthy, self-belief and not being a lazy b!tch!

If you’d like to catch Hamish doing comedy, keep an eye out on Facebook to see if he’s at a roast battle or an open mic room or around Melbourne.

Interview with Melbourne Comedian Caili Christian, who is a self-professed late-starter, but is already kicking comedy goals. Caili is involved in a couple of MICF shows (including support for Angela Green’s show Perfectly Reasonable, and the 100% Nuts showcase) and does regular open mic gigs around Melbourne.

We discuss: Caili’s sudden start in comedy after walking out of a frustrating job, the welcome from the comedy community, Caili’s “meltdown” three years ago, Tropical Island Therapy, Caili’s view on medication, the challenges and rewards of working on Nauru, Caili’s pivotal role in helping the other workers cope AND reach their personal goals, Caili’s view of government corruption, challenging social norms about women and gender stereotypes, the move to Melbourne, shift work and managing anxiety, work/life balance, comedy goals, coping strategies, owning her excuses, Caili’s super power, and her message of going easy on yourself and finding support and where you want to be.