We all have secrets. I have a bunch in this truck. But this is one as well kept as any.. I have a soft spot for wrestling.
"Large men in tight tights, well Jez, we always thought.." Thanks Mum.
The truth is I love wrestling for the grand standing, the set up and the pay off's. More often than not my comedy has more in common with the world of wrestling than it ever does with traditional stand up.
If I've had a failing in stand up over the years it has definitely been in not communicating the elaborate back stories I create for myself before taking the stage. Crowds stare mystified as I use references they can't possibly understand the meaning behind.
The Brown Show worked so well because it was staged on a weekly basis and the caricature of myself that I played could develop nuances. I would run the gamut of good guy/bad guy and adopt positions which allowed me to either gain or lose favour with the audience for the sake of entertainment.
For better or worse people would think it was real. Sound familiar?
I can hear jaws hitting the pavement as pennies drop through peoples faces. It was so obvious.
Growing up my sister and I loved wrestling. It was a special treat to be allowed to stay up late, get into Mum and Dad's bed and watch it on the tiny TV in their bedroom.
Early on we had our favourites, Brutus The Barber Beefcake, The Ultimate Warrior, The Rockers, Superfly Jimmy Snuka.. my Dad liked Ravishing Rick Rude, Jake The Snake Roberts and Powers Of Pain. I'm not sure if my Mum liked anyone or just put up with us.
We sure knew our bad guys too, Million Dollar Man and Mr Perfect used to get my goat and I never liked Deano Bravo, Greg The Hammer Valentine or The Honky Tonk Man.
When wrestling was removed from New Zealand television because kids were copying the moves at school, my sister and I started renting the pay per views from the local video store. I can hear the look on my mothers face as we'd head straight to the new releases to pick one out. Wrestlemania, Survivor Series, Summerslam, The Royal Rumble.. we couldn't get enough.
And so began a new era of wrestling enjoyment, isolated from the other children. Rowdy Roddy Piper suddenly appealed out loud and along came the Undertaker, Razor Ramon and of course The Bushwhackers. It was suddenly like we were there.
It was the mid 90's before the infatuation ended. Puberty had kicked in and other things now seemed more important. Wrestling drifted into the background even if the quotes around the house did not.
The WWF got a new name, some other wrestling businesses came along and frankly we couldn't care less. I was a grown up now, wrestling was so fake, the kids are stupid I thought, or pretended to at least.
"Who would like wrestling" I'd scoff, before biting my nails, protecting my dark secret.
There is no question in my mind the effect professional wrestling has had on the way my sense of humour has developed. You have my parents self deprecating wit, the massive influence of British alternative comedy from the 80's, the subversive comedy of the Muppets and right down the barrel the pageantry and spectacle of wrestling.
My ability to work a crowd does not come from watching other stand ups, but from wrestling. And while I have seen hundreds of comics live, I have never been one of the thousands in attendance, but just one of the millions, and millions, watching from around the world as the big men hit the mat.
That is.. until next week.
http://www.wwe.com/events/doha-february21
"Large men in tight tights, well Jez, we always thought.." Thanks Mum.
The truth is I love wrestling for the grand standing, the set up and the pay off's. More often than not my comedy has more in common with the world of wrestling than it ever does with traditional stand up.
If I've had a failing in stand up over the years it has definitely been in not communicating the elaborate back stories I create for myself before taking the stage. Crowds stare mystified as I use references they can't possibly understand the meaning behind.
The Brown Show worked so well because it was staged on a weekly basis and the caricature of myself that I played could develop nuances. I would run the gamut of good guy/bad guy and adopt positions which allowed me to either gain or lose favour with the audience for the sake of entertainment.
For better or worse people would think it was real. Sound familiar?
I can hear jaws hitting the pavement as pennies drop through peoples faces. It was so obvious.
Growing up my sister and I loved wrestling. It was a special treat to be allowed to stay up late, get into Mum and Dad's bed and watch it on the tiny TV in their bedroom.
Early on we had our favourites, Brutus The Barber Beefcake, The Ultimate Warrior, The Rockers, Superfly Jimmy Snuka.. my Dad liked Ravishing Rick Rude, Jake The Snake Roberts and Powers Of Pain. I'm not sure if my Mum liked anyone or just put up with us.
We sure knew our bad guys too, Million Dollar Man and Mr Perfect used to get my goat and I never liked Deano Bravo, Greg The Hammer Valentine or The Honky Tonk Man.
When wrestling was removed from New Zealand television because kids were copying the moves at school, my sister and I started renting the pay per views from the local video store. I can hear the look on my mothers face as we'd head straight to the new releases to pick one out. Wrestlemania, Survivor Series, Summerslam, The Royal Rumble.. we couldn't get enough.
And so began a new era of wrestling enjoyment, isolated from the other children. Rowdy Roddy Piper suddenly appealed out loud and along came the Undertaker, Razor Ramon and of course The Bushwhackers. It was suddenly like we were there.
It was the mid 90's before the infatuation ended. Puberty had kicked in and other things now seemed more important. Wrestling drifted into the background even if the quotes around the house did not.
The WWF got a new name, some other wrestling businesses came along and frankly we couldn't care less. I was a grown up now, wrestling was so fake, the kids are stupid I thought, or pretended to at least.
"Who would like wrestling" I'd scoff, before biting my nails, protecting my dark secret.
There is no question in my mind the effect professional wrestling has had on the way my sense of humour has developed. You have my parents self deprecating wit, the massive influence of British alternative comedy from the 80's, the subversive comedy of the Muppets and right down the barrel the pageantry and spectacle of wrestling.
My ability to work a crowd does not come from watching other stand ups, but from wrestling. And while I have seen hundreds of comics live, I have never been one of the thousands in attendance, but just one of the millions, and millions, watching from around the world as the big men hit the mat.
That is.. until next week.
http://www.wwe.com/events/doha-february21
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