Whether you associate it with Finding Nemo, Mad Max, or Crocodile Dundee, there’s no denying Australia is a land of unparalleled beauty, filled with an array of amazing creatures, most of which will try to kill you.
Whether you associate it with Finding Nemo, Mad Max, or Crocodile Dundee, there’s no denying Australia is a land of unparalleled beauty, filled with an array of amazing creatures, most of which will try to kill you.
While the weapons of choice for these animals usually involve venom and stingers and fangs, there is at least one known to kill with laughter and powers of observation. They call this beast Jim Jefferies, and he will be performing at the Carpenter Theater this Thursday.
Jefferies has traveled the globe bestowing his particular brand of irreverent yet insightful comedy to all manner of audiences. As if stand-up renown wasn’t enough, Jefferies has also appeared in film and television, most notably in FX’s criminally short-lived Legit, which Jefferies also wrote and produced.
The comedian and actor took some time out of his schedule for a quick chat on entertaining internationally, his approach to comedy, and the strange affair of Johnny Depp’s dog smuggling (not sure if I should call him a poochlegger or a pug mule).
When asked about differences about audiences across though the world, Jefferies was quick to say, “there really isn’t that big of a difference,” though that’s not to say he hasn’t noticed a few small differences.
“The big difference for me is when you do anti-religious jokes in America, it’s a big deal because everyone’s religious, so you get a bigger reaction from the crowd,” he said, “When you do anti-religion material in Australia, for example, it’s a fairly atheist society, and the people who are religious aren’t really hardcore about it.”
This may not sound too surprising, but Jefferies’ said American audiences are less abrasive than their British counterparts.
“The British like to heckle more than the Americans,” he said, “Americans like to whoop and clap a little bit more, they’re a little bit more excitable. The Americans want you to do well when you go on stage, they’re rooting for you, whereas the British are hoping you do badly, and then they’re surprised when you do well.”
One might be similarly surprised that Americans aren’t actually the most easily offended kids on the block. “Out of all of them, Australians probably get the most offended, if you rip into their culture,” he said, “Americans take it with more of a pinch of salt.”
Australians are well within their rights to be offended, to be sure, especially when their hospitality is taken advantage of. Such was the case when Johnny Depp broke Customs laws and quarantine procedures, just to smuggle a small dog into the country. Jefferies was understandably frustrated; not only by Depp’s hubris, but the media’s patronizing approach to the situation.
“It’s not an Australian thing, you don’t get to smuggle animals into other countries,” Jefferies said, “I love getting away with shit, and if he got away with it, good work, but he didn’t get away with it. Just take it in the chin, mate, it’s a little tiny fine, who gives a fuck?”
As Doggiegate proved (can we call it that?), reality is often stranger than fantasy, and Jefferies comedy reflects this idea.
“I’ll talk about anything in the real world,” Jefferies said, “It has to be grounded in something that actually happened or something that’s happening, but you’ll never hear me go, ‘there was a gnome and a dragon.’ Nothing against comics that do that, I’ve never done silly or surreal. That’s just not me.”
Jim Jefferies will be performing this Thursday, May 19th, at 7PM at the Carpenter Theatre. Tickets can be purchased here.
