As a child I had a very love/hate relationship with my sister. Apart from the usual psychological maiming which is part of any healthy sibling relationship, we enjoyed the occasional, highly competitive game of Monopoly. After years of trying I eventually beat her. It was swift, efficient, and opened the door to new possibilities for me. Did my sister accept this defeat graciously? Did she fuck! For my sister, it confirmed what we all knew; That I was the one my parents really loved. To this day, I still bring it up at family gatherings, and I always get the same reaction from her; “You’re were a mistake!” Personally, I think she needs to build a bridge and get over it.
After a period of heavy drinking, and enjoying the “culture” of Brisbane, Simon Brodie has moved back to Melbourne, but most importantly, he has moved back to Fitzroy. After 10 years as a resident of this suburb, he now sees himself as something of an expert, and his show, Fitzroyalty – The Guide To Building Bridges, aims to big up all things 3065 (North Fitzroy doesn’t count – sorry). After waxing lyrical about the joys of hipster spotting, and drinking in the Punters Club. It seems the only thing the place is missing is a bridge. Tenuously, this leads to the main theme of his show; Simon believes that the best way to resolve issues is to build their own psychological bridges, and get over them. Whether it was that nasty break up, or finally accepting that your dog didn’t actually move to a farm out in the country, and is in fact dead, you just need to get over it!
One thing that immediately strikes you about Simon is his easy going nature. I could easily see myself talking to this guy in a bar. His material is not groundbreaking, and some of his jokes fell flat on their face, but I found that it didn’t really matter. He regales us with anecdote after anecdote, and you find you are happy to go along with it. To finish the show off, we are treated to an Aussie Hip Hop tribute to Fitzroy. It is the thing of nightmares, truly. This show may not be to all tastes, and there are a high percentage of local jokes which may sail over some peoples heads, but you know what? If you don’t like it, build a bridge, and get over it.
