5 Aussie Comedians Told Us The Outrageous True Stories That Inspired Their Best Bits
Buckle up!
'Comedy Specials' is available to stream from April 10 and is available in Australia only on Amazon Prime Video.
Sometimes, you hear a joke so absurdly, hilariously, wonderfully good you have to question if it’s really true.
Sometimes it’s your uncle, the one time a year his joke is actually as good as it is in his head, and other times, it’s a stand-up comedian during an award-winning TV special.
No offence to anyone’s uncles, but it’s the latter we’re more interested in.
See, 10 of Australia’s best comedians all have shows coming out as part of Amazon Prime Video’s Stand-up Comedy Special. From April 10, you’ll be able to stream comedy specials from the likes of Judith Lucy, Tom Walker, Celia Pacquola, Tommy Little, Anne Edmonds, Zoë Coombs Marr, Alice Fraser, Dilruk Jayasinha, Tom Gleeson, and Lano & Woodley.
If you’ve ever seen these comedians in action before, you’ll know that you’re in for a whole heap of laughs. But we wanted to know how much of their material is actually true.
Buckle up, because we got five Aussie comedians to spill the tea on the really real real-life stories that inspired some of the best jokes in their Amazon Prime Video’s Aussie Comedy Specials.
Anne Edmonds
“In my Amazon Prime Video Comedy Special, I tell a joke about an angry baby boomer.
“The joke was actually inspired by the time I had a road rage incident with a man who was so old and angry it looked like someone had shoved false teeth into a roast tomato.”
Anne Edmonds: What’s Wrong With You? premiers on Friday, May 8
Dilruk Jayasinha
“In my Amazon Prime Video Comedy Special, I tell a very embarrassing story about a vacuum cleaner.
“The joke was actually inspired by the time I was on a trip away with a huge group of about 20 mates, about 12 years ago, and after a fair few cans of beer had been put away, we kept daring each other to do stupid things, as idiotic boys do. As much as you may have already filled in the blanks of what happened with me and vacuum, last year that same group came to one of my shows and, turns out, there was more to the story than I remembered, but that embarrassing truth was even too much to pull off on stage (so to speak). It’s stories like these that have helped me stay sober for the last three years!”
Dilruk Jayasinha: Bundle of Joy – Friday, April 24
Tom Walker
“Listen, this is filthy, but…. In my special, there’s an extended bit where I mime sucking my own dick. That bit’s probably inspired by the dozens of hours I’ve spent reading self-suck message boards. I don’t know why! I can’t do it, I don’t like the act, I just think it’s so funny and I love checking back in on my little guys!
“There are two types of posters: dudes who are rapturous about sucking their own dicks, posting shit like, ‘Sucked my own dick today. Loved it! Hoping to do the same next week when the wife’s away’, and dudes warily asking, ‘Does this ever feel better? Does this ever feel like I’m getting my dick sucked, rather than sucking a dick? Any tips?’
“I once found a thread where a guy was posting about how he was looking at getting back into self-sucking after five separate back injuries which, he clarified, were all self-suck related, and to this day I think about him any time I’m close to giving up on a script. He got through it. So should I.
“These guys are flourishing right now, by the way.”
Tom Walker: Very Very premiers Friday, May 1
Alice Fraser
“In my Amazon Prime Video Comedy Special, I tell a joke about things people leave in your life without meaning to.
“The joke was actually inspired by the time I had a friend visit me when I was in Cambridge, in student digs with a crappy single bed and a lumpy pillow. He was so uncomfortable (princess and the pea style) that he went out and bought a super luxury memory foam pillow, which he slept on for two nights and then left. For the rest of my time there, every night when I put my head down to sleep, I thought of him incredibly fondly. I don’t think he ever knew he got good evening wishes every night from me for months and months. For him, it was such a small thing, but it genuinely made my life better for ages.”
Alice Fraser: Savage premiers Friday, April 17
Tommy Little
“In my Amazon Prime Comedy Special, there’s a joke I tell about accidentally accepting a FaceTime while sitting on the bog.
“Unfortunately, it was inspired by real life and was with a girl that I had just given my number on Tinder. Safe to say, love doesn’t always strike when you least suspect it.”
Tommy Little: Self-Diagnosed Genius premiers Friday, April 17
Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
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(Images courtesy of Amazon Prime Video)