Uncomfortable Truths

Blaise White has been doing comedy since high school, and started performing on the comedy circuit here in Melbourne when he was just 17 years old! He has recently returned from a 3 month journey around Europe, where he started the trip by proposing to his girlfriend! And thank goodness, she said yes. He’s performed shows in multiple Comedy Festivals, has performed at Edinburgh Festival, was a regular at Station 59 and became Kieran Butler’s apprentice/partner in running and MCing The Highlander comedy room up until March 2022. He now runs his own entertainment company “Anything Goes” in Geelong, which runs a weekly comedy night at The Brewery and several trivia nights around Geelong. He, like myself, is also a big weed enthusiast. We talk a lot about weed laws and regulations in Europe. I’ve know Blaise for years, and it was great to get to know him on a deeper level. Give it up! For Blaise White.

Blaise White

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Pradeepa Timmermans

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Joel Temperly started doing stand-up comedy when he was teaching English in China. He’s also lived in Moscow and has recently been to London to ‘hang out with some mates’. Joel loves to travel, and fortunately he ended up back in Melbourne just before the lockdowns hit back in 2020. He first hit the Melbourne Comedy scene back in 2019, and started his first comedy room in 2020. He’s also an economist, believe it or not! We talk about how he started in comedy, his travels, his role as an economist, running a comedy room, learning not to take things personally and his new comedy room that has just opened up in Collingwood – The Gem. Joel himself is a gem to chat with, with heaps of interesting experiences and views on life and the world. Have a listen – it’s a good one!

Joel Temperly

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Pradeepa Timmermans

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Rain Ferndale was brought up as a Hare Krishna from the age of 5, in Murwillumbah, Northern NSW. I have known Rain since the time she was a baby. I recently watched “Keep Sweet, Pray and Obey” on Netflix, the documentary on the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I noticed some striking similarities between what I saw in the documentary and what I had observed of Rain’s family, all Hare Krishnas.

These were similarities such as idolisation of women becoming mothers at a very young age and limiting their education. I also noticed that both religions ask you to believe what you are told by the guru, no matter what, even if it doesn’t make sense. This also often happens in a dictatorship.

Rain tells us in what ways they are similar, and gives us a unique insight into what it’s like growing up as a Hare Krishna, here in Australia. I watched most of the documentary “Faith and Fear – The Children of Krishna”, which outlines the horrific child abuse that went on in the USA and India at Hare Krishna boarding schools, aka Gurukalas. I ask Rain if she witnessed any of this kind of abuse, or if she was subject to anything similar. Her story is captivating and horrifying.

She was kicked out of home when she was 13 and has been estranged from her mother ever since. She is now 26. None of her family are Hare Krishnas anymore. Despite this, her 19 year old younger sister, who was born into being a Hare Krishna, has recently become pregnant to a 35 year old man. She has a Year 10 education. This has all transpired with her mother’s encouragement and support. You’ll hear that this is exactly what she was brought up to do, and despite the fact that they are no longer Hare Krishnas, the conditioning runs deep, it would seem. This conversation will blow your mind. You won’t believe that this is happening with no investigation or transparency, right here in Australia. Hang in there. It’s worth it.

Jameel Rehman is a Melbourne comedian, room runner extraordinaire and co-creator of Jambo Comedy night in Footscray. We discuss his background as a musician, using his sales and entrepreneur skills to run a great room, facing and transforming himself during lockdown, his podcast Binge Thinker, overcoming past trauma and where to now with Aussie Comedy Network?

I’ve been listening to his podcast Binge Thinker for a while now, and I dig it! Jameel thinks deeply, honestly and is very open in his podcast. A good podcast for the self reflective, critical thinker. We had a really cool convo – and a very educational one! Well worth the listen.

Jameel Rehman

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Pradeepa Timmermans

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Jess Pearman, comedian in Melbourne since 2016, is killing it on the comedy scene. We talk about her breakthrough in comedy this year, since she stopped drinking. We discuss cognitive dissonance, dark humour, using comedy to work on your own insecurities and 'faults' and how the social aspect of the being a comedian is a huge part of why we do this. Jess and I both come from a music and band background, so we have a fair bit in common. We're also both passionate, so this is a convo where we both get right into it. I loved it - I think you'll love it too. Enjoy!!

Jess Pearman, Melbourne comedian

Jess Pearman

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Pradeepa Timmermans

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Melbourne comedian since 2015, Billy Stiles has been gigging regularly, both in rural Victoria and in Melbourne. After being dragged to RAW Comedy by his sister, Billy started gigging on the open mic circuit. We've known each other since 2015, and I've seen him rise from strength to strength. With several Comedy Festival shows under his belt, numerous rural tours and regular gigging in Melbourne, Billy has recently been performing at Dave O'Neill's comedy room "Dave's Comedy Fun House". Billy has also been making guest appearances on Dave's radio program on Nova FM. We talk about how Billy got started, the impact comedy had on him, being diagnosed with ADHD, life after starting medication, learning to not be so reactive in comedy, walking the middle line and comedy philosophy. It's a great conversation with Billy - enjoy!!

Billy Stiles

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Pradeepa Timmermans

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Nadine Sparks and I have been gigging together since Yes All Women's in 2014 at Station 59. With multiple Comedy Festival shows under her belt, years of gigging and working behind the scenes at the Comedy Festival, Nadine is a Melbourne Comedy veteran. She’s been killing it! She crushed in Geelong a few weeks ago, crushed hard!

We talk about her comedy journey, varying her material from raunchy to teacher material, how she chooses what material where, the fickle nature of the comedy industry, and how to carve yourself a piece of the pie even if you aren't noticed and supported by the “comedy powers that be”. Her experience and expertise makes this conversation a must for anyone wanting to create a career in comedy in Melbourne. We discuss the shallow side of inclusion, when diversity trumps funny, and how middle-aged women can be so easily dismissed, in comedy as well as the rest of life.

We get right into it, we get passionate – you'll love it!!

Nadine Sparks

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Pradeepa Timmermans

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Jarryd Goundry, successful, hard working, Melbourne comedian is super inspiring! He’s forging his own path with his machete of diligence and self-discipline (and of course, very funny gags!) We talk about his tactical approach to comedy, the path he has forged and how he has done it. Jarryd hasn’t waited for someone else to give him a ‘break’. He has been figuring out how to make it all work from the time he decided that comedy is his thing. He’s travelled throughout Australia, both cities and regional. He’s developed strong muscles around making people laugh in all of these places, and marketing and getting people into his shows.

His stories are riveting! The experience he’s had and the advice he gives is gold for any up and coming comedian who wants to take control of their career and move forward. For someone like me, who was a hippy for a decade, his military background is totally foreign to me. Hearing the structures and practices he has brought from the army to tackling comedy as a career, is en point. Fascinating! It’s a bit confronting to see what it takes, but it’s always better to face these things head on rather than pretending you know what you’re doing, when you don’t. When a path looks difficult, I pretend that there must be an easier way and make my own pseudo-path. It’s better to know what it really takes, so that we can make informed decisions that are based on truths, which are sometimes uncomfortable!

Jarryd Goundry

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Pradeepa Timmermans

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James G Warren (the G stands for Good At Comedy) moved to Melbourne 5 years ago from Tasmania, where he had already been a member of the comedy scene in Hobart since he won Class Clowns in 2013. We talk about how he started in Tassie as the young guy, still a teenager, growing out of that identity and finally growing out of the Hobart scene and moving to Melbourne.

We discuss being on the spectrum, self-discipline, navigating the social side of comedy, dry vs high energy comedy, the release of shame for both the comedian and the audience in truth comedy.

It’s a deep discussion. We go into what holds us back and how to overcome these fears and patterns. James runs two comedy rooms in Melbourne – Red Betty and Smiling Politely. He tells us what it’s like to run rooms, being part of the web of the Melbourne comedy scene, managing the room and working with other comedians. We also talk about his sketch comedy collaboration with Aarti Vincent and Krutika Harale in The Amazing Cannonball Flower. It’s deep, it’s long and it’s worth it!

James G Warren

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Pradeepa Timmermans

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Helen Child, aka Helchild, recently performed her show Dolly and the Dicks of Doom in the Melbourne Comedy Festival. It was funny, politically subversive, unique, entertaining and well executed with 2 characters and some sketch comedy on video – it was brilliant! We talk about her parents, artists and socialists, and how this has continued with Helen. We also discuss how she started in visual arts, already politically edgy, and how this, together with her activism and emerging skill of taking on a character at friends’ parties, led to her performing these characters on stage.

We also talk about how she has trained in boxing and martial arts from a young age, at her request. She tells us that women are stronger than we think, she has always trained, and still trains now to stay strong. Helen talks about how, where and when she has had to use her fighting skills, particularly when she would first arrive at a new school. Helen started performing stand up comedy, in character, in WA and then moved here to Melbourne after she grew out of the Perth comedy scene. Helen is a fascinating character, quite unlike anyone else I have met. During our podcast I wasn’t quite sure what she would say next, which is what made the podcast so interesting!!

Helen Child

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Pradeepa Timmermans 

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