First of all I'd like to give a big thank you to Kynan for his prompt reply. I got it back about two hours after I sent it off, on the 7th of May 2001.
How do you find being a writer and warm up guy for rove[live]?
It's like sailing on a clear spring day, it's like the trusting eyes of a newborn lamb, it's like the breath of angels reflected in a thousand crystal drops of dew.
…It's okay, I guess.
Which do you prefer?
I get a tremendous amount of satisfaction from both aspects of my job. Writing is a process that I find both exacting and exhilarating - the sudden flashes of inspiration, the agonising search for just the right word [TIP FOR WRITERS: The right word usually turns out to be "fermented"]. Doing the warm-up, which I do with the help of my beautiful assistant Gerard McCulloch, is a great rush and a lot of fun, but it takes an enormous amount of energy - energy that I could be spending writing the word "fermented" over and over and over again.
You also worked on the Channel Nine production of rove, what are the biggest differences between the two programmes?
Since we've been at Ten, I've received fewer and fewer of Glenn Ridge's patented prank phone calls. But on the plus side, it turns out that Tim Webster is quite fun to flirt with.
What was it like helping Gerard McCulloch with his comedy festival show this year?
It was extremely tiring, both emotionally and physically, carrying Gerard night after night. Gerard's sloppiness as a performer is matched only by his laziness as a writer - things which would have been much more evident had the audience not been distracted by his embarrassing displays of incontinence. Fortunately his complete lack of charm and popularity meant that very few people actually saw the show, because despite my best efforts to inject some small degree of entertainment into the evening, sitting through the whole hour was painful and in some cases disturbing.
…It was okay, I guess.
Would you like to ever have your own Comedy Festival show?
Well, you're really asking two separate questions there, so I'll answer in two parts.
a) At this stage I've got no plans to do a solo show - they're very time-consuming. Besides, rove[live] is a full-time job and unlike certain team members I could mention I'm actually committed to showing up at work each morning. Well…mid-to-late morning, anyway.
b) Oh, no, it turns out you were only asking one question after all.
What was it like being on the final episode ever of Totally Full Frontal?
It's always a pleasure to know that you're creating something special, something lasting, something truly worthwhile. Oh, I beg your pardon, you were talking about Totally Full Frontal. When you're creating something pretty crappy, it's a relief to know that at least it'll be put on the shelf for a year and then screened unannounced at a time when nobody's watching.
If you could make one thing different about rove[live], what would you change?
Only one thing? Okay…I guess I'd find the money in the budget to get Donikicam™ up and running - a live camera that shows exactly what George Donikian is seeing 24 hours a day.
You've appeared on television for rove and Totally Full Frontal, do you have any other notable television appearances?
I was a carry-over champion on the ABC quiz show Flashback and came one episode short of winning a holiday to Byron Bay with host Phillip Clark. This is really true.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I'll tell you one thing for free - if I don't have a flying car by then, I'm going to be VERY, VERY unhappy.
Do you find that being based in Melbourne, a Melbourne following of you has formed?
Considering I starred in the legendary final episode ever of Totally Full Frontal, my letterbox is strangely devoid of fanmail and my backyard is depressingly free of paparazzi. I'd say that the more devout followers of rove[live] might possibly know who I am (along with discerning music fans familiar with the work of Depardieu), but for the most part I can do my supermarket shopping while remaining largely unmobbed.
Would you like to be more well known across the rest of the country?
My desperate drive for superstardom will not be quenched until my name is more recognisable than the Golden Arches, the Coca-Cola emblem and Rex Hunt's beanie combined. Then and only then will I release my hostages.
How do you feel about all the things that were written about you in the credits of rove in 1999?
For those of you who don't know, the writer/performers were listed together and my credit was just below that. Rather than the conventional "writer" or "additional material" we opted for things like "hangs around the office" and "he thinks he's people". My favourite was "recently met Brooke Satchwell," because it was inspired by actual events.
How do you react when you're referred to as a comedian? Do you like it or don't consider yourself as one?
I consider myself a writer first, and a jockey second. But to be honest, I would prefer to be referred to as "Sharon".
Is there anything else you'd like to say?
Mum - Rove says "hi".
© Dominica Malcolm/Malcolm Media 1999-2009, ComedyDownUnder.com
ad policy |
terms of service | privacy policy |
disclaimer
| about the webmaster