You guys I am returning to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe! Hurrah! You guys!
I had a bloody blast last year and can’t wait to get back amongst the cobblestones and the drizzle.
The show will be slightly updated with all that silly Australian politics stuff and will almost definitively have some Trump gear in there. I mean, SOMEONE has to take that guy down, right?
In a week of Sonia Kruger and Pauline Hanson nonsense, let’s talk to someone who’s actually doing something GOOD for immigrants and refugees and people of colour.
David Manne is a human rights lawyer and the Executive Director of Refugee Legal (formerly the Refugee Immigration Legal Centre or RILC). He’s passionate about helping people who ask our country for – and are deserving of – legal protection.
David gave me the lowdown on the Australian refugee crisis as he sees it: where we’re at, what laws we’re breaking, just how generous we are and what should (and can) happen next – an evacuation of people languishing in our offshore detention centres.
You can catch me at the Splendour In The Grass Comedy Club
Comedy Central’s Roast Battle @ JFL 2016
The World Keeps Happening at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Five facts to fight Sonia Kruger’s fear of Muslims by Jamila Rizvi
Human Rights with Philip Ruddock – The Wheeler Centre’s Fifth Estate Podcast
Cause of the Week: Refugee Legal (rilc.org.au)
I am excited and terrified to be returning to the Roast Battle at Montreal JFL this year. The whole brutality is going to be filmed for Comedy Central and in Round 1 I’m up against this crazy motherfucker, Earl Skakel:
Wish me luck and follow all the action on cc.com/shows/roastbattle
It’s episode 69 so let’s talk about LOVE.
Writer and philosopher Alain de Botton is in the country to promote his (brilliant) new book The Course of Love: an exploration of the confusing ideas romanticism serves up for us. He thinks love is a serious matter indeed and one worth examining closely, and in this chat we talk about its effects, its position in our hard-wiring and its many forms.
Also, in the wake of Brexit and Trump, Alain reflects on how emotional intelligence might better inform our public debate.
You can catch me at the Splendour In The Grass Comedy Club
The World Keeps Happening at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Article: “Classwashing” Australia’s racism problem won’t make it disappear by Ruby Hamad
Video: In Praise of Short-Term Love
Cause of the Week: The School of Life (schooloflife.com – Sydney, Melbourne)
How about that election, hey?!?!?!?!?!
As the votes continue to be counted and we all wait to see what happens next, half of the brilliant Something Wonky podcast Jeremy Sear joined me to discuss what it all means. He told me how he came to be a progressive person, negative gearing, tax cuts, Hanson, the plebiscite, humanising politicians and a whole new way of thinking about our electoral system. Good times!
The World Keeps Happening at the Sydney Comedy Store, July 9th
You can catch me at the Splendour In The Grass Comedy Club
The World Keeps Happening at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Article: AEC Admit They’ve Lost Count And Will Have To Start Again by The Backburner
Cause of the Week: Refugee Legal (rilc.org.au)
I’m back! And the election is upon us! Before the big day, I sat down with Jason Ball, the Greens candidate for the seat of Higgins. Some polling suggests the Liberal Party’s primary vote has fallen sharply and the blue ribbon seat could change hands on Saturday, which would be, to put it mildly, fucking remarkable.
Here Jason explains why he thinks he could be in with a shot, what it’s like to be involved in such a campaign, how progressive Australia really is, homophobia in the AFL and in wider society, some of his run-ins with potential voters and whether he’d actually be ready to be an MP if he actually wins.
The World Keeps Happening at the Sydney Comedy Store, July 9th
You can catch me at the Splendour In The Grass Comedy Club
The World Keeps Happening at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Stand Up 4 Orlando at the Comedy Theatre, Melbourne
Article: The Battle for the Electorate of Higgins by Vice magazine
Article: Greens candidate Jason Ball hits back at homophobic graffiti
Please vote good and proper! Head to aec.gov.au for all the info about the election
Cause of the Week: beyondblue (beyondblue.org.au)
My show got nominated for the 2016 Helpmann Awards which is mighty nice. Congrats to the other nominees and thanks again to the good folks who came along to check it out.
Got to have a chat with the brilliant Kevin “Bob Evans” Mitchell and you can listen to it here.
Perfect.
Sami Shah is a comedian who just so happens to be an ex-Muslim atheist “militant leftist”. Raised in conservative Karachi, Pakistan, and now living in Melbourne (after 5 years living in regional WA), Sami has appeared on QI and Australian Story and regularly performs stand-up all across the country.
Here Sami explains how a book made him a revolutionary and discusses Pakistani politics, the difficulties in criticising Islam and the failures of the refugee rights movement in Australia.
The World Keeps Happening at the Sydney Comedy Store, July 9th
The World Keeps Happening at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Sami’s podcast Sami Says on iTunes
“Northern Exposure”, Sami’s Australian Story
How to fail at being brown by Sami Shah
Dan Carlin’s Hardcore Histories
Sami Shah’s second life as a comedian
Article: Asylum Seeker Resource Centre in turmoil amid toxic culture claims
Cause of the Week: Edhi Foundation (edhi.org)