Part of McCarthy’s motivation comes from being acutely aware of the power of laughter as medicine. He cites an example of where a solid laugh relieved his grief. He and his great grandpa were tight, so when his pop passed away, McCarthy was stricken. Thankfully, his great granddad had the foresight to alleviate his pain by playing a long game – putting together a box of keepsakes for McCarthy to be given to him after he passed. As he sifted through the knickknacks, he started to laugh.
“There was a box of laxatives at the bottom of the box,” he says. “I was kind of pissed off and confused at first, but my great grandpa had left me a note saying that ‘no matter where you are onstage, the brightest light will always be me smiling at you … and the laxatives are for me to give you the shits one last time’.”
McCarthy has been cracking people up since school, where being funny became his “thing”. Despite that it didn’t occur to him to step up to the mic until he was 17 – even then, someone else had to suggest it. Working at a pub at the time, he had been asked to organise a comedy night. Backstage, McCarthy made the MC laugh so hard that he urged the youngster to have a bash. McCarthy gave it a go and hasn’t looked back.
“I’m now playing places I could never have imagined back then,” he explains. “From picking up the microphone in front of a few people to a couple of a hundred people – it’s a big difference.”
McCarthy shines brightest with observational storytelling, drawing on his own experiences – largely those involving his family, who have always backed him. “They’ve always said that I was destined for comedy,” he muses. “I’ve never known if that was a good thing or if they just thought I was terrible at everything else in life.”
McCarthy is chuffed to be premiering his first full-length show at this year’s Fringe. “The Comedy Festival has so many big names that some of the smaller acts get overlooked,” he reflects. “Everyone can have a go at Fringe though. Plus, it gives comedians the chance to check each other out.”
A comedian by night, McCarthy is a construction worker by day. “I knock off at 3pm and the gigs take place at night, which helps. But at thesame time, I get up at 5.30 to go to work, so I’ll be fucked when I’m coming home from a gig at 11.30. Then I sleep for five hours and have to operate heavy machinery the next day. On site is a good place to try out new jokes though. If they work they go in the show, and if they bomb you hear about it all day.”
BY MEG CRAWFORD
Venue: Courthouse Hotel – The Dock
Date: September 24 – October 2
Times: 7.15pm (Sundays 6.15pm)
Tickets: $20
