Annette Slattery talks to Adam Rozenbachs in the lead up to his second Melbourne Comedy Festival show Traces of Nuts
You are a prolific writer for comedy television shows like Spicks and Specks and other publications besides. Do you classify yourself as a writer who performs or a performer who writes?
I think I’ve always seen myself as a performer who wrote; it’s just that in the early days I wasn’t such a great performer. Though, to be honest, if I’m filling out an official form for a bank loan or something similar, I’ll put down Writer… because if anyone sees the word “comedian” on any type of application they’ll immediately throw it in the bin. And not even the recycling bin.
You’ve been active in the comedy industry for almost a decade and yet 2007 marked your debut at the MICF with “Wrong Way, Keep Going”. You seem to have left your festival run later than most. Was this an accident of circumstance or a conscious decision?
It was a conscious decision, mostly based on fear. I didn’t think I was good enough to put on a show, or that anyone would come, until one day I thought, “No, I’m not good enough and no one will come… but I’ll do a show anyway.” And people came, and then they laughed. But having that fear forced me to work harder to compensate. Putting on a show is also a fantastic source of weight loss and sleep deprivation, so if you’re an over-sleeping obese person, I’d recommend it.
How do compare writing to performing?
I love writing because I just enjoy trying to write comedy. Whether it’s TV, print or radio, it’s just such a good feeling to pick a topic and try and make it funny. Whether it’s stuff for me to perform, or for others, it’s just such a great job. I’ve always been a fan of comedy – TV, radio, books – so to be a part of it has been a dream. And you know, if I write a bad joke that someone does on the TV, I never tell anyone I wrote it. But if it works… out comes the skywriter!
I love performing because you have that instant response, whether it is good or bad. There is no better feeling than having written something, and then being able to perform it and get the reaction you’d intended. The rush from a great audience response is in my top twenty-six great feelings of all time. The other end of the scale is writing something you think is absolutely fantastic, and then getting absolutely no response… man that sucks. It’s so disappointing.
It says in your press release that you are allergic to nuts. Is this a piece of convenient comedy fiction or is it true? If it is true, is it an inspiration for the show? Can we expect stories about giant bloated Adam?
It’s absolutely true, though it is a convenient piece of comedy for those around me. I’ve been offered a Snickers bar more times than a stoner has called up The Mint on channel 9.
I wouldn’t say my nut allergy is an inspiration; but I do talk about it a lot more than I ever used to. Mainly because there’s a great source of material, and I don’t really know any other comedians who talk about it. I listen to heavy metal music too, so I’m pretty sure there aren’t too many anaphylactic metal head comedians out there. And if there are, I’ll be popping some cashews in their next Jäger Bomb. That’s my territory.
Last year I talked about some close calls with my nut allergy – this year I’m talking more about finding out about it, and what I have to do when I have a reaction. I did consider doing a demonstration, but I figured I may not get past one performance.
How would you describe “Traces of Nut” to prospective punters?
To comedy punters – it’s a bit of an insight to how I think on a daily basis. It should be fun; it may be scary. I hope you’ll find it funny.
To TAB punters – it’s a comedy show. Now go tuck your shirt back into your tracksuit pants.
Check out the festival website for booking details