At only 24 years of age, Josh Thomas is something of a veteran of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
At only 24 years of age, Josh Thomas is something of a veteran of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, racking up his fifth consecutive solo show this year. His promotional material for his latest stand-up show says he will be talking about everything that has ever happened. Ever.
“No, I’m just talking about me,” he giggles, in his kitchen in Melbourne, about Everything Ever, which he’s written with fellow stand-up Mel Buttle. Last year’s show, Surprise, was a candid and autobiographical offering, detailing his coming out and relationship at the time with fellow stand up Tom Ballard, which earned him a Barry Award nomination. Having since broken up with Ballard, and now dating another Tom, Thomas says this year’s show will be more about his family, although the new boyfriend does get a mention as well. (His pet dog, John, however, will not be appearing this year)
“When you tell people what it’s about it sounds so lame but it’s about my family and different stories that are hopefully funny, two are a little bit sad,” he says. “Yeah, why not mix it up?” he giggles at the prospect of sad stories in a comedy show, “but they’re also funny”.
As the Generation Y team captain on television show Talkin’ Bout Your Generation, Thomas’s profile has increased, which has changed his life in several ways.
“Well, I have food now in the fridge,” he says. That’s a plus, but there’s also a negative. “I can’t go out now late at night on the street by myself because people will yell at me but other than that really, it’s fine.”
Except for gossip journalists. They’re a brand new beast for him. “Because I had that thing where I called Ruby Rose a cunt, I’m suddenly interesting to gossip journalists,” he says, referring to their Twitter spat earlier this year, where he accused the television presenter of leaving him to pay a $774 drinks bill. The dispute made the papers at the time and he says that will be another thing he’ll be talking about in Everything Ever.
“Once you have one story in there,” he says of the gossip columns, “you kind of become like part of their narrative, which is much too sophisticated a way to refer to gossip journalists. They just start writing articles about anything that you do, that’s the new thing that’s happened,” he says.
He gives the example of waiting in a queue at an event, being asked by someone he didn’t realise was a journalist, “Can you believe they’re making you wait?” to which he replied ironically “Imagine making me wait.” It appeared in the print the following day with no trace of the intended self-deprecating humour, running instead as, and he changes his usually cheery tone to a mock earnest one “Josh said he couldn’t understand why he was being made to wait for the tent.” Not only do they make it all sound so very melodramatic, he says, “I sound really weird!” Everything Ever will afford him the opportunity to set the record straight, however, and milk it for maximum laughs.
Josh Thomas performs Everything Ever at The Arts Centre Playhouse from April 1 – April 17. It’s at 7pm Tuesday – Sundays. Tickets are $28 – $35 and available through Ticketmaster online, 1300 660 013, theartscentre.com.au, 1300 182 183 and at the door.
