Jake Johannsen
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Jake Johannsen

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Not because he’s one of America’s most prolific standups on the back of virtually non-stop touring, award nominations, several TV specials and a record 46 appearances on David Letterman’s show.

No, his appearance at this year’s fest is unlikely because, were it not for Adam Hills, he wouldn’t be coming here at all.

“I first met Adam 14 years ago at a comedy festival in Kilkenny [The Cat Laughs Festival, Ireland],” Johannsen explains. “I thought Adam’s act was hilarious, and he was a fun guy to talk to offstage, and I saw him again a few more times at the same festival.

“At the most recent one, we were sitting around drinking and having a beer after the show, and even then I didn’t realize how successful he was. I was telling him about having done some TV pilots in the states and that all that stuff is fun and it’d be great to have your own television show. But what I really liked was performing live, to be in that room, with that audience and kind of engage them and take them on a conversational journey is one of the things I really enjoy.

“And then last summer, I was in London and I pinged him on twitter to see if he was around and he was. So we got together and he said, ‘You know, I’ve been thinking about what you said, and you should really come down to Melbourne’. I thought, ‘Oh, I’d love to that.'”

Johannsen makes his debut at the MICF with Jake Johannsen is Talking Show. Produced by Hills, the show will see Johannsen do what he does best – finding the funny in experiences most will relate to, be it death, aging, family or that unavoidable goldmine of material for comedians – the US presidential election.

Johannsen says coming to Melbourne has been “on my to-do list” for a while, but the realities of the American comedy circuit make overseas travelling hard.

“Agents in the states are so busy booking you in the this country and their attitude is ‘Why would you want to go there? You’ll be away for all that time, you could make more money here’. But my thing is, this isn’t about money. This is about life experience and getting out there and seeing new comedians, making those connections. I’m doing it all for my heart really.”

In 30 years, Johanssen has never been away from the stage for more than a month. While his style has remained consistent, Johannsen says he’s still noticed his evolution as a comedian.

“Just like if you speak a language or play an instrument, you keep your chops up by doing it again and again. I feel what’s changed is I’ve gotten more of a way to understand the audience that’s going to be at any given show.

“That’s one of the fun things for me in coming to Melbourne though. I’ve been touring the States for all these years and going back to cities I’ve been to dozens of times. It’s going be fun for me to come to Melbourne and see a whole new audience in a whole new place.”