Charlie Pickering – Thirteen Ducks
One of the big reasons he loves his wife, Charlie Pickering explains, is that he’s positive of her name.
The smaller reasons remain a mystery, though there’s not much he doesn’t cover in his new show Thirteen Ducks. From hurting his back picking up a book to bodyguards in South Africa, from John Howard’s concession speech to why he can’t stand people saying ‘don’t shoot the messenger’, he delivers a tight and very funny hour of stand-up.
Pickering first tried solo stand-up in 2000 and since then has steadily gained experience in radio, television and live performance. He’s been nominated for the Barry and for the Perrier Best Newcomer in Edinburgh.
The title Thirteen Ducks refers to the thwarted efforts of a New Zealand farming family to win a local duck-shooting record. They were, you guessed it, thirteen short of success. Pickering threads the story of his encounter with the duck hunters throughout the show, segueing into observations on racism, political correctness and recently turning 30.
Some of the biggest laughs come from his commentary on a Zoot Review transcript, an interview featuring F-grade celebrities comparing the merits of different brands of tissues. The inanities of the script mean it would be tempting to let the jokes write themselves, but he extends the premise in quite another direction, eliciting sustained applause.
The dictator material takes a risk but works well, avoiding references to individual countries in favour of an impersonation of ‘mental marching’ and absurd titles like the Airtight Flame-Retardant Leader.
Thankfully, Pickering keeps audience interaction to a minimum. This helps to maintain the show’s momentum as well as endearing himself to the crowd, stretching the limits of what they let him get away with.
His accents aren’t the best, but he knows it, and covers with self-reflexive jokes about sounding Jamaican. Jokes about kids’ names and SBS news have been done, but his take on federal politics is original, providing perhaps the most compassionate view of John Howard you’ll come across all festival.
From the first few jokes, the girls next to me were squeaking with laughter. By the end of the show, it was thunderous applause from everyone. At 30, Pickering might feel like he’s getting old. But as a comic, he’s on top of his game. He evoked big laughs, long laughs and lots of them. Go and see him now, before everyone else does.
And if he’s sold out, well, don’t shoot the messenger.
Visit the comedy festival website for bookings and further details