Are you excited about making your Fringe debut as a performer?
“Totally! It's my first Adelaide Fringe show, but Andy is a veteran of many Fringes here, Melbourne and Edinburgh. We did this show in the Melbourne Fringe in October and it went great!”
Is this your favourite time of the year on the “pop culture” calendar?
“Well it's bananas in Adelaide for the next few weeks. 900 Fringe shows PLUS the Festival PLUS Soundwave PLUS Womadelaide PLUS Laneway Plus plus plus. Not to mention all the concerts. Ordinarily I'd be out every night, but I have an extremely pregnant wife at the moment so I'll have to pick and choose pretty carefully. It is a great time to be in Adelaide, if only we could spread things out a little bit instead of going back into hibernation for eleven months.”
Tell LMA about your show?
“Hang The DJ is a comedy show about music, DJ's and DJ-ing. Both Andy and I LOVE music, which is what lead us to becoming DJ's in the first place. However neither of us fit into the tradition or clichéd version of what a DJ is. We both play lots of different styles of music, but the common thread is having fun on the dancefloor. So as Andy is a comedian who DJ's and I am a DJ who does a bit of comedy, we are uniquely placed to poke fun at stereotypes of DJ culture, pop music in general and ourselves. There's obviously a lot of music involved and some stuff that people won't have seen either of us do before.”
What happens after the show?
“WE DANCE! The show is pretty unique because it's a late night comedy show where we talk about how important music and dancing is to us for an hour and then it turns into a dance club until the wee small hours. And when I say 'dance club' it's not doof doof or dubstep, it's party central. Andy and I both come from an Indie Pop background, but LOVE all kinds of music and anybody who has ever been to any of my clubs like Pop! or Bang! or Crank! or Andy’s Finishing School in Melbourne, will know exactly what I mean. We play everything from Britpop to Motown, Elvis to the Black Keys, Beastie Boys to Spice Girls. Anything goes. A ticket to the comedy show gets you in free or people can just come along for the dancey bit on its own.”
How did you come up with the idea?
“Funnily enough we had both come up with the idea separately and when Andy mentioned doing a show about DJing and I told him I'd had the same idea, he said "LET'S DO IT TOGETHER!". At first I thought he was just humouring me as I'd only done a few stand up spots, but here we are some months later bringing Hang the DJ to the Adelaide Fringe!
How did you meet Andrew M?
“When I was DJ-ing a club called BANG! at Fowlers some years ago and during the Fringe this well dressed chap guy would turn up and dance like a dervish to Britpop songs. He introduced himself while requesting Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine, suggesting I go to his comedy show and mentioning he was also a DJ in Melbourne. The last bit I shrugged off, because people always think they are a DJ. However I did go to his show and later in the week he was DJing in the Garden and I figured I'd give the kid a break and stick my head in. Don't remember what he started his set with, but it was good and after about 20 minutes I realised we were brothers in music. We have been firm friends and DJ-ing with each other ever since.”
Who will the show appeal to?
“Everybody has had some dealing a withDJ of some description. In a club or at a work Xmas party or a wedding. And people love music and they love to laugh. It's a really funny show, whether you've ever been to clubs or not. So people who love to laugh, love music and love to dance.”
How was the Melbourne experience?
“Melbourne Fringe was really great for us. We had good houses and good reviews. It was a brand new show for Andy and my first ever full show doing comedy but we both had a great time. People really seemed to love the show judging by the amount of people who stayed for the dancing and talked to us excitedly afterwards. For me it was slightly terrifying on opening night, but after that I just wanted to get out there and do it.”
Were you happy with the reviews?
“Our run was pretty short and there was a couple of reviews that both said nice things. One said a dance routine (yes there is a dance routine) was "an impressive effort for two portly gentlemen", which was pretty fair!”
Have there been any embarrassing blunders in any of the shows? If yes, do tell!
“Nothing major. A few flubbed lines here and there, but as one of the other reviews in Melbourne kindly offered, it came across as "endearing", thank goodness ha ha. One night Andy missed a whole section of show, but the joke was so good it was worth apologizing to the audience and going back for the punch line!”
What’s next on the horizon for you both?
“For me it's first time fatherhood as our baby is due just after the Fringe. As I'll literally have my hands full, Andy will be doing a variation of Hang The DJ at Melbourne International Comedy Festival with another DJ friend of ours, Kieran O'Sullivan in April. My plan for this year is to start DJ-ing in Adelaide more regularly again, the last couple of years I seem to DJ with Andy in Melbourne more regularly than I do on my own turf! Then I'll probably get down to writing endless jokes about nappy changing, baby Bjorn’s and the consistency of baby drool.”
Hang The DJ will run Fridays and Saturdays between the 8th and 16th of March in The Garden Of Unearthly Delights. For tix and Info click here
Interview by Rob Lyon