Melbourne Insider: Comedian Dave Thornton

Thursday 8 April 2010, 10:44 AM
By The Team | Posted in People

Funny-man Dave Thornton’s tip for someone who wants to get into comedy? ‘Never go to bed in wet socks’. In today’s Melbourne Insider, Dave provides more helpful insights into the secret life of comedians during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

One of the problems of walking around the streets of Melbourne during the Comedy Festival is you run the very real risk of having your hand severed off by paper cuts. Many of the comics are trying their earnest lil’ butts off to hand you flyers to their show and I know it can feel a little overwhelming.

The thing you have to remind yourself is we don’t mean to harass you – we just want people to come and see our show. Philosophers have often pondered ‘if a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?’ Comics have often pondered ‘if a comedian tells a joke and no one is around to hear it, am I funny?’ Well we may still be funny but the only certain thing is if there’s no ticket sale, we’re definitely poor.

The real fun happens each night after the shows are performed. We finish our arduous hour-long shift and then catch-up with other comics to see how their equally tasking hour-long shift went. A great thing to do after a show is go to a bar that is secluded and select yet with the hope that you will run into other comics who are secluded and select.

A comic’s lifestyle lends itself to the evening, we’re renowned nocturnal creatures, so late night dining is a must. Tapas are a favourite of mine. There’s Vietnamese-French Tapas served at Coda Bar & Restaurant, 141 Flinders Lane. Not only is the food top shelf, the place is one of those ‘man I feel cooler for just sitting in here’ restaurants.

Spanish donuts are a late night favourite of Hairy Canary on Little Collins, as well as Gin Palace, The Toff on Swanston St and, for fans of cosy drinking holes, the Cabinet Bar and Balcony. It’s not very spacious so to combat that they hang chairs off the walls. All you need is a three-metre vertical leap and hey presto you’re relaxed. So come down and check these places out and we can grab a drink, I might even flyer you.

Catch Dave at his Melbourne International Comedy Festival show, ‘A Different Type of Normal’, on until 18 April at Arthur’s Bar at Rosati, 95 Flinders Lane, Melbourne (Tue-Sat 8.30pm, Sun 7.30pm).