THE PRESIDENT of the United States has ruined comedy, just ask comedian Al Del Bene.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
He’s coming to Tamworth with the Sydney Comedy Festival Showcase this weekend.
“It’s weird ever since [Donald] Trump got in office, I used to address things in a willfully ignorant way, ironically play the dummy and say things that shouldn’t be said – but it was obvious I knew what the right thing was,” Al said.
“Since Trump is really doing that now, it takes the humour out of it because now it’s this serious thing where we have this leader who’s kind of ignorant and says stupid things.
“So it’s not really funny when I do it now.”
Thanks to Trump, Al has turned his comedic sights on his personal life.
He reckons his wife is cool with it.
“She’s always been a champion with that stuff, when we got married she said anything goes,” he said.
“She’s totally cool with it, she doesn’t come to my shows that often anymore.”
Al performs alongside Cam Knight, Jacques Barrett, Julia Wilson, John Cruckshank and Oliver Twist.
Read also:
Born in Boston, Al didn’t have to change his show too much to appeal to Australia’s low brow sense of humour.
...my feet were taking me up to the stage and my brain was screaming ‘What are you doing?!'
- Al Del Bene
He remembers being scared out of his mind at his first show.
“I specifically remember when they called my name my feet were taking me up to the stage and my brain was screaming ‘What are you doing?!” That’s pretty much what I remember from that night,” he said.
More autobiographical in his humour now, Al doesn’t address too much social or racial inequality.
“I find if I stick to myself less people can get mad at me,” he said.
“But there are a few things culturally, in the States racism is in your face, it’s out and about and everywhere so when you talk about it audiences are sort of fine with that – as long as you’re making a point and not just going for shock value.
“That’s the only thing I find I can’t really joke about, I can joke about it in Australia but American racism isn’t in your culture so you don’t really get it – it doesn’t go over.
“So I’ve stopped doing it.”
The Sydney Comedy Festival Showcase will be tearing up the freeways of Australia for the sixth year in a row to bring the crème de la crème of the Festival right to Tamworth’s doorstep.
The showcase is at the Capitol Theatre on September 15 at 8pm.