I Can't Believe It's Not Goth

A few weeks ago at the air show, when they started playing AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” to accompany some of the aerial displays, I couldn’t help but chuckle and think of Wil Anderson’s show from the comedy festival last year. Back in 2003 when I saw him for the first time, it was in one of the smaller upstairs rooms of Melbourne Town Hall. I’d gone along with a workmate who was actually seeing Wil for the second time during that comedy festival, because she couldn’t keep up with him the first time. Four years later, the venue’s much bigger, but most importantly, Wil’s mile-a-minute pace and mischievous sense of humour haven’t changed one little bit.

I can see how some people might dismiss Anderson’s brand of humour as being a bit crass, or even juvenile. Personally, those are the main reasons that his style appeals to me so much. Although some gags do indeed sail close to the wind, he’s ultimately a very likeable character with a sharp wit and observant eye, who actually makes a lot of sense regarding many of the more contentious issues he tackles. That said, I do agree with a lot of his political and social commentary, so maybe I’m biased.


Without giving too much away, during this year’s show, Wil draws on a vast range of fodder – including the “emo” (as opposed to Elmo) phenomenon, getting older (and whilst in a nightclub, mistaking the noise of a fire alarm for a remix), the drugs controversy plaguing the AFL (more specifically, Ben Cousens), saving water (not by showering with a KFC bucket), George W. Bush’s assertion that God talks to him (mistaking ‘construction of an ark’ for ‘destruction of Iraq’)….and still manages to fit in three Amanda Vanstone gags.

I was only ever an occasional watcher of The Glass House, so last night I’d completely forgotten about the show’s demise. The thought of whether Wil would try to get mileage out of it during his routine never crossed my mind. Admirably though, and with great aplomb, it was only in the last five minutes that he commented on the unexpected folding of the show, thanking the audience for their support and using the opportunity to take a brief swipe at the ABC’s idea of balance in its programming.

Last year I sat back and wondered what keeps me going back to see Wil Anderson each year. I think it’s because you literally laugh for the whole hour and although he veers off on tangents, he does always come back to where he started and the pace is never allowed to meander as it can during some shows. Put it this way, every time I’ve gone along, at the end of the show I’ve looked at my watch in disbelief, wondering where the time went.