Author Archives: Tom
YES/NO: A Comedy Lecture About Changing The Country
As well as my stand up show IT IS I, I’ll be performing this brand new load of shouting at MICF 2023 for TWO SHOWS ONLY.
For the first time since 1999, the Australian people will soon be asked to vote on changing our constitution.
The last time we said “yes” was more than 45 years ago.
Join Year 11 Legal Studies graduate and university law dropout Tom Ballard as he deploys jokes and funny pictures to blast through the history of Australian referenda and to ask the big questions: What the hell is wrong with us? Why are we so afraid of change? Why does our constitution suck so hard? Should we just start this whole thing again, please?
Don’t miss out on the limited run of this special comedy event – these shows will sell out.
As seen on Tonightly with Tom Ballard.
Book tickets here.
257 – Craig Foster
Craig “Fozzy” Foster is a former Socceroo who has become not only one of Australia’s most respected sports commentators and broadcasters, but also one of our most respected social justice advocates and human rights campaigners.
This episode is Craig’s keynote speech at the 2022 Refugee Legal Annual Dinner, which I happened to MC online. It’s followed by a brief Q&A between Craig, myself, and Refugee Legal’s Executive Director (and former LIASYO guest) David Manne.
Fozzy is extremely dedicated and clear-sighted when it comes to the fight for human rights – for refugees, for women, for workers, for sportspeople, for everyone – and this speech was a great reflection on the various campaigns he’s been involved with, and the state of human rights on Australia and across the world right now. It was especially enlightening to hear Craig discuss the human rights issues surrounding the World Cup in Qatar, and how massive sporting events can sometimes provide massive opportunities to advocate for greater human rights protections.
Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you
If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron
My debut book I, Millennial: One Snowflake’s Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else is out now!!!
I’m touring my new stand-up show IT IS I all over the country in 2023
ARTICLE: Craig Foster lashes out at FIFA over ‘gutless’ move at World Cup
Cause of the Week: Refugee Legal (refugeelegal.org.au)
Direct download | iTunes | Spotify | libsyn
256 – Talking “I, Millennial” w/Osman Faruqi
My book I, Millennial: One Snowflake’s Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else is out in the world! Gosh.
We launched it in Melbourne with a lovely event at the Easey Street Concert Hall in Collingwood, featuring me in conversation with my mate Osman Faruqi. Oz and I discussed the guts of the book and why I wrote it, and I read some bits out and took questions and we all had a great time. I hope you enjoy listening back to our conversation.
Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you
If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron
I’m doing some big fun shows at Just For Laughs Sydney this weekend, too
Direct download | iTunes | Spotify | libsyn
UberChew
Trash Future Pod LIVE
I got to be on the latest live ep of the Trash Future Pod in Melbourne. It’s such a funny smart show with nice people. You should listen if you don’t already.
Thank you.
255 – “I, Millennial” Prologue
This week I’m bringing you a taste of my debut book I, Millennial: One Snowflake’s Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else. You’ll hear the full prologue from the audiobook that sets the whole thing up and talks about me doing drugs.
The book comes out next week – you can pre-order it here.
I’m having book launches in MELBOURNE, SYDNEY and BRISBANE – check out the details and book tickets here.
Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you
If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron
Come see the 2022 Yearly Wrap show I’m hosting at Comedy Republic in Melbourne in December
I’m doing a Work in Progress show at the very cool Brunswick Picture House in January
Direct download | iTunes | Spotify | libsyn
254 – Ben Schneiders
Ben Schneiders is an award-winning investigate journalist at The Age and author of the new book, Hard Labour: Wage Theft in the Age of Inequality.
Over the past eight years, Ben’s reporting has exposed the scourge of wage theft and worker exploitation in Australian hospitality, fast food, retail and agriculture. In Hard Labour, Ben summarises just how widespread and serious this problem is in Australian capitalism today, and lays out exactly what’s been happening over the past 50 years that’s seen workers’ power dwindle so much.
This was a great conversation, in which Ben and I discussed the enraging specifics of the wage theft cases, why the SDA sucks, how much we should blame the ALP for all this and where we might find some hope in the future for Australian workers.
Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you
If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron
I’m launching the book with events in Melbourne, Sydney & Brisbane
Come see the 2022 Yearly Wrap show I’m hosting at Comedy Republic in Melbourne in December
I’m doing a Work in Progress show at the very cool Brunswick Picture House in January
Hard Labour: Wage Theft in the Age of Inequality is published through Scribe
ARTICLE: Shopped Out: SDA & Fair Work Commissions by Ben & Royce Millar
Cause of the Week: Join your union (australianunions.org.au)
IF YOU WORK IN RETAIL PLEASE JOIN RAFFWU NOT THE SDA (raffwu.org.au)
Direct download | iTunes | Spotify | libsyn
BOOK LAUNCH TOUR, BABY
I’m launching my whittle book in MELBOURNE, SYDNEY & BRISBANE and would love you to come along to watch me be all intellectual and shit.
Here’s some hot copy:
The world is in chaos. It’s time for a revolution and “comedian” Tom Ballard is ready to serve as its glorious leader.
After 30 years of his entitled Millennial life, Ballard has had enough of the smashed avocado jokes. He’s furious at the raw deal his generation has been given, and he’s pretty sure things can’t be this crappy because of brunch.
It’s not your imagination: Millennials really have inherited the bill for our current ‘prosperity’, and it sucks. Millennials have been handed a housing crisis, crippling student debt, the gig economy, a cooked planet, a truly broken political system and now a global pandemic, as a treat. For a moment it looked like COVID-19 might radically change things – like housing the homeless and lifting the unemployed out of poverty – but it ended up just making rich ghouls like Gerry Harvey even richer.
In I, Millennial: One Snowflake’s Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else, Ballard unpicks how we got here and why.
MELBOURNE
WHEN: 6:30pm, Wednesday November 30th
WHERE: Easey Street Concert Hall, 35 Easey Street Collingwood
IN CONVERSATION WITH: Osman Faruqi
Book here.
___
SYDNEY
WHEN: 6:30pm, Friday December 2nd
WHERE: Better Read Than Dead, 265 King St, Newtown
IN CONVERSATION WITH: Jan Fran
Book here.
___
BRISBANE
WHEN: 6:30pm, Tuesday December 6th
WHERE: 193 Boundary St, West End QLD 4101
IN CONVERSATION WITH: Emerald Moon
Book here.
Work In Progress @ Brunswick Heads
New jokes! By the beach!
After writing a book, filming a TV show, becoming an uncle, surviving the plague and going slightly mad, Tom Ballard is back with a hot new hour – just for you.
Catch a work in progress of Tom’s new stand-up show in Brunswick Heads before it tours the country! One show only.