Onstage at Livewired, The Powerhouse
Had a suitably lovely time tonight MCing at Livewired at the Powerhouse – I say ‘suitably’ because I feel a real connection with the room, given that it was where I really started getting my comedic ball rolling back when it started around 2006.
Josh Thomas kicked it off, proceeded to MC it weekly and made a point of featuring the best emerging comedic talent in Brizzles, with special guests from all over. This was when it was in the Spark Bar, beautiful, intimate, sometimes noisy, but always a rockin vibe. At one point Josh had the idea that after the first half of the show, the comedians would be given a word of inspiration, from which they had the duration of the break to come up with a 3-minute set, with the audience voting for their favourite offering, sending home the winning comic with…shock, gasp…two drinks!
This quickly became my FAVOURITE part of the show to perform in, namely cos it felt like improv but with a chance to stack the deck in your favour. I almost always created a new comedy song – I don’t remember most of them but I do remember one inspired by “apocalypse” with a line that went something like:
“I can’t believe the only things to survive the apocalypse, Were a pair of Thorpie’s Speedos and Angelina Jolie’s lips.”
Fast forward five years and Josh is now the hottest thing on TV since hot things on TV, Livewired has now well and truly moved itself into the Turbine Platform, the improv segment of the show is no longer yet in typical “I WILL NOT LET GO OF THE PAST DAMNIT!!!” form I’m still clinging to the idea of making up songs there.
Tonight’s? A love song on guitar dedicated to a couple in the crowd, Jodie and Chris, aptly titled as a tribute to the place where they met and fell for each other:
“Dick Smith Love.”
Hey, you can take the girl out of the improv, but you can’t take the improv out of the girl.
(Note to reader: don’t take that last sentence too seriously, however sorely tempted you may be. At close inspection, it is highly likely to not even make sense.)