Uncomfortable Truths
41 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago -Uncomfortable Truths is hosted by Melbourne comedian Pradeepa Timmermans. She interviews interesting local comedians and regular people here in Australia. Each podcast briefly discusses or delves right into at least one uncomfortable truth. These include topics like being a comedian, writing comedy, sex, addiction, corruption, experiences of failure as well as success, mental health - you know, the stuff we don’t talk about. The only thing we find more uncomfortable than these subjects is trying to hold them in! Let's release the shame and fear by talking and laughing about it, together.
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Episodes
Ep34 Blaise White (Geelong comedian, travelling Europe, Edinburgh festival, weed culture)
December 12, 2022 01:50 - 2 hours - 180 MBBlaise White has been doing comedy since high school, and started performing on the comedy circuit here in Melbourne when he was just 17 years old! He has recently returned from a 3 month journey around Europe, where he started the trip by proposing to his girlfriend! And thank goodness, she said yes. He’s performed shows in multiple Comedy Festivals, has performed at Edinburgh Festival, was a regular at Station 59 and became Kieran Butler’s apprentice/partner in running and MCing The Highla...
Blaise White (Geelong comedian, travelling Europe, Edinburgh festival, weed culture)
December 12, 2022 01:50 - 2 hours - 180 MBBlaise White has been doing comedy since high school, and started performing on the comedy circuit here in Melbourne when he was just 17 years old! He has recently returned from a 3 month journey around Europe, where he started the trip by proposing to his girlfriend! And thank goodness, she said yes. He’s performed shows in multiple Comedy Festivals, has performed at Edinburgh Festival, was a regular at Station 59 and became Kieran Butler’s apprentice/partner in running and MCing The Highla...
Ep33 Joel Temperly (Comedy in China, travelling, lockdowns, running a room, economics!)
November 27, 2022 20:04 - 2 hours - 245 MBJoel Temperly started doing stand-up comedy when he was teaching English in China. He’s also lived in Moscow and has recently been to London to ‘hang out with some mates’. Joel loves to travel, and fortunately he ended up back in Melbourne just before the lockdowns hit back in 2020. He first hit the Melbourne Comedy scene back in 2019, and started his first comedy room in 2020. He’s also an economist, believe it or not! We talk about how he started in comedy, his travels, his role as an econ...
Ep32 Rain Ferndale (Visual artist, ex-Hare Krishna, child abuse within religions, cult behaviour, dangers of guru worship)
November 10, 2022 08:14 - 2 hours - 240 MBRain Ferndale was brought up as a Hare Krishna from the age of 5, in Murwillumbah, Northern NSW. I have known Rain since the time she was a baby. I recently watched “Keep Sweet, Pray and Obey” on Netflix, the documentary on the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I noticed some striking similarities between what I saw in the documentary and what I had observed of Rain’s family, all Hare Krishnas. These were similarities such as idolisation of women becoming mothers a...
Ep31 Jameel Rehman (Melbourne comedian, Footscray Comedy Club, Aussie Comedy Network, podcaster, self-awareness, overcoming trauma)
October 17, 2022 04:35 - 2 hours - 183 MBJameel Rehman is a Melbourne comedian, room runner extraordinaire and co-creator of Jambo Comedy night in Footscray. We discuss his background as a musician, using his sales and entrepreneur skills to run a great room, facing and transforming himself during lockdown, his podcast Binge Thinker, overcoming past trauma and where to now with Aussie Comedy Network? I’ve been listening to his podcast Binge Thinker for a while now, and I dig it! Jameel thinks deeply, honestly and is very open in h...
Ep30 Jess Pearman (Melbourne comedian, next level, giving up drinking, comedy for self development, cognitive dissonance, self care)
September 29, 2022 21:49 - 2 hours - 250 MBJess Pearman, comedian in Melbourne since 2016, is killing it on the comedy scene. We talk about her breakthrough in comedy this year, since she stopped drinking. We discuss cognitive dissonance, dark humour, using comedy to work on your own insecurities and 'faults' and how the social aspect of the being a comedian is a huge part of why we do this. Jess and I both come from a music and band background, so we have a fair bit in common. We're also both passionate, so this is a convo where we ...
Ep29 Billy Stiles (Comedy philosophy, having ADHD, medication, comedy for personal growth, finding the balance)
September 19, 2022 21:51 - 1 hour - 106 MBMelbourne comedian since 2015, Billy Stiles has been gigging regularly, both in rural Victoria and in Melbourne. After being dragged to RAW Comedy by his sister, Billy started gigging on the open mic circuit. We've known each other since 2015, and I've seen him rise from strength to strength. With several Comedy Festival shows under his belt, numerous rural tours and regular gigging in Melbourne, Billy has recently been performing at Dave O'Neill's comedy room "Dave's Comedy Fun House". Bill...
Ep28 Nadine Sparks (Melb. Comedian, Comedy Festival veteran, teacher, targeting your audience)
September 05, 2022 21:34 - 2 hours - 197 MBNadine Sparks and I have been gigging together since Yes All Women's in 2014 at Station 59. With multiple Comedy Festival shows under her belt, years of gigging and working behind the scenes at the Comedy Festival, Nadine is a Melbourne Comedy veteran. She’s been killing it! She crushed in Geelong a few weeks ago, crushed hard! We talk about her comedy journey, varying her material from raunchy to teacher material, how she chooses what material where, the fickle nature of the comedy industr...
Ep27 Jarryd Goundry (Comedian applying military precision, strategies, self-discipline & 100% commitment - what it really takes!)
August 08, 2022 10:15 - 2 hours - 212 MBJarryd Goundry, successful, hard working, Melbourne comedian is super inspiring! He’s forging his own path with his machete of diligence and self-discipline (and of course, very funny gags!) We talk about his tactical approach to comedy, the path he has forged and how he has done it. Jarryd hasn’t waited for someone else to give him a ‘break’. He has been figuring out how to make it all work from the time he decided that comedy is his thing. He’s travelled throughout Australia, both cities a...
Ep26 James G Warren (Comedian, comedy in Tasmania, winning class clowns, Melbourne scene, comedy philosophy)
July 21, 2022 05:38 - 3 hours - 314 MBJames G Warren (the G stands for Good At Comedy) moved to Melbourne 5 years ago from Tasmania, where he had already been a member of the comedy scene in Hobart since he won Class Clowns in 2013. We talk about how he started in Tassie as the young guy, still a teenager, growing out of that identity and finally growing out of the Hobart scene and moving to Melbourne. We discuss being on the spectrum, self-discipline, navigating the social side of comedy, dry vs high energy comedy, the release...
Ep25 Helen Child (Comedian, activist, politically subversive, visual artist, martial arts enthusiast)
July 12, 2022 09:18 - 2 hours - 175 MBHelen Child, aka Helchild, recently performed her show Dolly and the Dicks of Doom in the Melbourne Comedy Festival. It was funny, politically subversive, unique, entertaining and well executed with 2 characters and some sketch comedy on video – it was brilliant! We talk about her parents, artists and socialists, and how this has continued with Helen. We also discuss how she started in visual arts, already politically edgy, and how this, together with her activism and emerging skill of takin...
Ep24 Hung Le (Comedian since 1992, refugee in 1975 from Vietnam, classical music comedy, travelling everywhere with comedy, working on cruise ships)
June 06, 2022 06:49 - 3 hours - 246 MBHung Le - Melbourne comedian legend! He was the first Asian comedian to perform in Australian comedy clubs and on TV, back in 1987, and he was very successful. In 1975, as a child, Hung and his family had to flee Vietnam when South Vietnam finally fell to North Vietnam. He is one of the first ‘boat people' and his story is incredible! I read his autobiography The Crappiest Refugee by Hung Le – an amazing story! Well worth reading. We talk about how he first started performing with a classic...
Ep23 Chris Franklin (Comedian since 1997, Bloke - No. 1 single, travelling a pro-comedian, performing for the troops)
May 10, 2022 08:34 - 1 hour - 105 MBChris Franklin hit the Melbourne comedy scene back in 1997. He won RAW comedy in 1998, and then his song Bloke (parody of the song Bitch by Meredith Brooks) went to No. 1 on the charts in the year 2000. He then released several more songs, and has been a professional comedian ever since. I met Chris in 1999 at comedy gigs when Clint and I were performing musical comedy on the scene. Chris also hosts a comedy night every night during the comedy festival, called The After Party at the Exford ...
He Huang (Comedian, starting in the US, Melbourne comedy, being 100% committed, life in China, being confident, what it takes)
May 02, 2022 21:29 - 1 hour - 104 MBHe Huang, originally from China, started performing comedy in Washington DC, USA and moved to Melbourne specifically because it is one of the comedy capitals of the world. This woman is 100% committed to comedy, never says no to a gig or opportunity, is super humble and friendly and has been making waves in the Melbourne comedy scene since she arrived, even during all the lockdowns! She was a RAW national finalist in 2021 and hosts a number of showcase gigs throughout the year. She lives in ...
Ep22 He Huang (Comedian, starting in the US, Melbourne comedy, being 100% committed, life in China, being confident, what it takes)
May 02, 2022 21:29 - 1 hour - 104 MBHe Huang, originally from China, started performing comedy in Washington DC, USA and moved to Melbourne specifically because it is one of the comedy capitals of the world. This woman is 100% committed to comedy, never says no to a gig or opportunity, is super humble and friendly and has been making waves in the Melbourne comedy scene since she arrived, even during all the lockdowns! She was a RAW national finalist in 2021 and hosts a number of showcase gigs throughout the year. She lives in ...
Ep21 Chris Ryan (Canberra comedian, gigging interstate, going pro, women in comedy, comedy for troops!)
April 25, 2022 02:02 - 56 minutes - 78 MBChris Ryan is an awesome comedian from Canberra. She won Best Newcomer 2019 Sydney Comedy Festival and Nominee Best Newcomer 2021 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Chris is in her 40s – this intrigued me that a woman in her 40s was winning these newcomer awards. I went to see her 2022 Melbourne International Comedy Festival show “Can’t Complain”, and I was hooked from the moment she started. Her hilarious candid comments carry deep, dark truths – just my kind of comedy! We talk about...
Chris Ryan (Canberra comedian, gigging interstate, going pro, women in comedy, comedy for troops!)
April 25, 2022 02:02 - 56 minutes - 78 MBChris Ryan is an awesome comedian from Canberra. She won Best Newcomer 2019 Sydney Comedy Festival and Nominee Best Newcomer 2021 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Chris is in her 40s – this intrigued me that a woman in her 40s was winning these newcomer awards. I went to see her 2022 Melbourne International Comedy Festival show “Can’t Complain”, and I was hooked from the moment she started. Her hilarious candid comments carry deep, dark truths – just my kind of comedy! We talk about...
Brad Oakes gives us a lesson in comedy
March 19, 2022 07:13 - 1 hour - 111 MBBrad Oakes, comedian, mentor and Melbourne comedy rock, has been on the Melbourne comedy scene for over 30 years. He is a treasure trove of comedic understanding, self reflection, experience, research and honing. He scrutines his work and the craft itself, to turn a comedic idea into a perfectly polished hilarious gag. He is the master, and that is why many Melbourne comedians turn to him to help polish their material. In this podcast we cover his history briefly, and then we discuss craft o...
Ep20 Brad Oakes gives us a lesson in comedy
March 19, 2022 07:13 - 1 hour - 111 MBBrad Oakes, comedian, mentor and Melbourne comedy rock, has been on the Melbourne comedy scene for over 30 years. He is a treasure trove of comedic understanding, self reflection, experience, research and honing. He scrutines his work and the craft itself, to turn a comedic idea into a perfectly polished hilarious gag. He is the master, and that is why many Melbourne comedians turn to him to help polish their material. In this podcast we cover his history briefly, and then we discuss craft o...
Ep19 Marilyn Leder (comedian, writing, studying in the US, teaching film and television, online dating!)
March 12, 2022 05:21 - 1 hour - 157 MBMarilyn Leder is a Melbourne comedian and University lecturer who teaches film & television, particularly comedy. We first met at Yes All Women’s around 2015, and gigged there together for 2 years. After not seeing her for a number of years, she has burst back onto the scene with more passion and vibrancy than ever! She has a show in the upcoming Melbourne International Comedy Festival – The MILF Next Door. Cheeky what! I’ve seen a little snippet of her show, and it looks awesome! Here’s th...
Ep18 Mimi Shaheen (comedian, addiction to comedy, life changes, life lessons, being Arabic in OZ)
March 03, 2022 00:36 - 3 hours - 313 MBMimi Shaheen, comedian, telling it like it is! We get right into what’s going on in our heads behind the comedy, the addiction to comedy, the anxiety before a gig & our relationships to other comedians. Mimi tells us how her life was heading straight towards marriage and children, and then took a sharp hook turn, towards comedy. Amazing story! Mimi was born in Syria. She tells us what it was like growing up here in Melbourne in an Arabic family. She also tells us a bit about Syria and why th...
Ep17 Andy Moratis (comedian, musician, room runner, father)
February 21, 2022 03:17 - 2 hours - 197 MBAndy Moratis, comedian, musician, room runner, father – he’s had his fingers in many different pies over the years. We talk about his background in performing, his transition from musician to comedian, and now expanding into running comedy rooms. We discuss what attracted him to comedy, body language, getting into comedy later in life, what bookers are looking for and how comedy itself, as a reflection of society, is constantly changing and evolving. We talk about how comedy has changed here...
Ep16 Kate Hanley Corley (Comedian, successful festival shows, music videos, character comedy, motherhood)
February 12, 2022 03:39 - 2 hours - 180 MBKate Hanley Corley, comedian, music video creator, writer, mother. Kate does it all! We discuss how she came to do her first Fringe festival show in 2012, Melbourne International Comedy Festival show in 2013 and how it has all snowballed from there. She performs a lot of musical comedy in her shows, and has made numerous music video clips that have gone viral! Kate has enjoyed success from her first festival show onwards, and we get an insight into how she has made that happen. She talks ab...
Ep16 Kate Hanley Corley
February 12, 2022 03:39 - 2 hours - 180 MBKate Hanley Corley, comedian, music video creator, writer, mother. Kate does it all! We discuss how she came to do her first Fringe festival show in 2012, Melbourne International Comedy Festival show in 2013 and how it has all snowballed from there. She performs a lot of musical comedy in her shows, and has made numerous music video clips that have gone viral! Kate has enjoyed success from her first festival show onwards, and we get an insight into how she has made that happen. She talks ab...
Ep15 Akemi Kawabata (Jap/Aust Comedian, onsen baths, living in OZ, family violence & it’s health consequences)
February 03, 2022 04:28 - 3 hours - 307 MBAkemi Kawabata, Melbourne comedian, is originally from Osaka, Japan. Her style is cheeky & “naughty”. She’s lots of fun to watch and hang out with. We discuss how she first came here 26 years ago on a working holiday visa, and knew very quickly that she wanted to stay here. She hardly spoke a word of English when she first arrived and studied hard to become an interpreter and work in Tourism. We talk about the Japanese drumming group she played with in Melbourne, connecting with people here...
Ep14 Thomas Banks (comedian with cerebral palsy, medical marijuana, being independent, travel, Slut Song!)
January 26, 2022 08:55 - 2 hours - 230 MBThomas Banks is a Melbourne comedian with cerebral palsy. This means that his speech and mobility are affected. He’s not always easy to understand, but I do always “translate” for you guys, and I encourage you to hang in there. It’s not often that you hear disabled people having their voice heard, particularly if they have a speech impediment. That is particularly why I interviewed him. He is outrageous, funny, full on and uncensored. I’ve known Thomas for a few years now, and I learned a lo...
Ep13 Akwasi Osei-Tutu (David Goggins of comedy, facing your fears, personal growth, self-discipline, physical fitness, going travelling!)
January 17, 2022 20:25 - 2 hours - 229 MBAkwasi Osei-Tutu, Melbourne comedian, soccer player, and all around good vibe guy is about to go travelling. We will miss you Akwasi!! Originally from Ghana, and grew up in Perth, Akwasi started comedy specifically to face his fear of talking to a group. One and a half years into comedy he performed his own comedy festival show, successfully, and continued to perform shows in following MICF, Adelaide and Perth festivals! How? He is self-disciplined and chooses to consciously face his fears a...
Ep13 Akwasi Osei-Tutu (comedian, facing your fears, personal growth, self-discipline, physical fitness, going travelling!)
January 17, 2022 20:25 - 2 hours - 229 MBAkwasi Osei-Tutu, Melbourne comedian, soccer player, and all around good vibe guy is about to go travelling. We will miss you Akwasi!! Originally from Ghana, and grew up in Perth, Akwasi started comedy specifically to face his fear of talking to a group. One and a half years into comedy he performed his own comedy festival show, successfully, and continued to perform shows in following MICF, Adelaide and Perth festivals! How? He is self-disciplined and chooses to consciously face his fears a...
Ep12 Krutika Harale (Syd to Melb comedian, impro comedy, working internationally, digital nomad, comedy wisdom!)
December 26, 2021 02:10 - 3 hours - 155 MBKrutika Harale, comedian, recently moved from Sydney to Melbourne – Melbourne wins!! Originally from Mumbai, Krutika has lived in NY City, Brisbane, Sydney and now Melbourne. She is also an architect and graphic design artist. An adventurer at heart, curious, wanting to know how other people in the world live, think and interact, Krutika took jobs in these cities to have new experiences and meet new people. Her path to becoming a comedian started with improvisation classes in Sydney. This h...
Ep11 Grant Cater (Local comedy, getting gigs, his muscle condition, travelling!)
December 20, 2021 00:33 - 2 hours - 104 MBGrant Cater performs regularly on the open mic. comedy scene, and I’m so glad he does. He’s unique, he’s hilarious and his distinctive laugh is second to none! (Except maybe Thomas Banks!) We talk about getting comedy stage time again after lockdown, his experiences on the comedy scene, his muscle condition and how it affects him, our friend Thomas Banks, and Grant’s trip to the USA with his brother. This includes his experiences with a medical marijuana dispensary over there. Crazy shit!! ...
Ep10 Keren Storai (Dark comedy, new motherhood, writing comedy, mental health, transformation!)
December 13, 2021 06:15 - 1 hour - 91.4 MBKeren Storai, the Princess of Dark Comedy here in Melbourne has recently had baby Jemimah!! We talk about the total lifestyle change from becoming pregnant, having a baby, the sacrifices, writing comedy, alcohol, mental health and ayahuasca. It’s a very honest, deep, rich, vulnerable conversation. How does one go from drinking at gigs almost every night of the week, to not drinking or doing gigs, and taking care of a baby? Find out. Keren’s advice on writing and performing comedy is gold! I...
Ep9 Aarti Vincent (Comedian, mother, kicking arse!)
December 06, 2021 00:49 - 1 hour - 76 MBAarti Vincent, local Melbourne comedian. Aarti's catch phrase - "Yo yo bitch tits!" I first met Aarti on the open mic. comedy scene at the Yes All Women’s comedy in early 2020. Aarti is originally from Delhi, India and has lived in Australia for about 15 years now. She tells us about her life back in Delhi, her transition to living here in Australia and how she got into comedy here in Melbourne. It’s very interesting to hear her talk about her observations of Australia and Australians, from ...
Ep8 Andy Goodone (40 years of comedy, show in 1st MICF, recipient of first Moosehead award, Melbourne comedy legend!)
November 29, 2021 02:07 - 1 hour - 90.8 MBAndy Goodone has been a comedian here in Melbourne, and Sydney, since 1981. 40 years!! Amazing hey? It was fascinating hearing about how comedy, as we know it, was just starting come onto the Australian entertainment scene in the early 80s. He tells us how it all started, what it was like here in Melbourne back then, how the first Melbourne Comedy Festival started, who won the first Moosehead award, what the comedians and audiences were like back then and what it’s like being back on the ope...
Ep8 Andy Goodone
November 29, 2021 02:07 - 1 hour - 90.8 MBAndy Goodone has been a comedian here in Melbourne, and Sydney, since 1981. 40 years!! Amazing hey? It was fascinating hearing about how comedy, as we know it, was just starting come onto the Australian entertainment scene in the early 80s. He tells us how it all started, what it was like here in Melbourne back then, how the first Melbourne Comedy Festival started, who won the first Moosehead award, what the comedians and audiences were like back then and what it’s like being back on the ope...
Ep7 Lisa Gatenby
November 21, 2021 22:41 - 2 hours - 129 MBLisa Gatenby, Melbourne comedian and the woman I want to see on Playschool! I’ve been gigging with Lisa on the Melbourne comedy scene for several years now. We got to know each other a lot better when worked on the Slut Song video clip together. She was great fun to work with! She’s got lots of life in her, lots of positive energy, easy to work with and very funny!! I loved getting to know Lisa better in this podcast. She’s traveled and done lots of cool things, as well as having intelligent...
Ep6 Kieran Butler part 2
November 15, 2021 06:40 - 57 minutes - 47.4 MBWelcome to Uncomfortable Truths Episode 6. In this episode Kieran Butler and I talk specifically about Australian Politics. Well, actually, Kieran explains to me how Australian politics works, because I have never had any interest. If you want to learn about the Australian governance system, then stay tuned. If you want to hear about how Kieran got started in comedy, go back to episode 5. Aussie politics – here we go!! I play you out with another song by Kieran. He used to perform this son...
Ep5 Kieran Butler part 1
November 14, 2021 09:41 - 2 hours - 146 MBWelcome to Uncomfortable Truths Episode 5 with Kieran Butler. Kieran and I have been friends since 2013, when I started comedy. He ran an open mic. comedy room back then, under the banner of Free Comedy at Station 59 in Richmond, and I gigged there all the time. It was a safe place to start doing stand up comedy because even if you really died on stage, you knew that he would still give you more gigs. This is because if you signed up online, he would give you a gig, easy as that. He also pu...
Ep4 Trent Mahon part 2
November 08, 2021 02:40 - 2 hours - 114 MBWelcome to Uncomfortable Truths Episode 4, with my friend and fellow comedian, Trent Mahon. This is the second half of a 4 hour conversation we had. If you want to hear the first half of the conversation, please listen to Episode 3. In this Episode Trent tells us about his trip to Peru and his experiences with Ayahuasca in Peru. Super interesting! After the first hour we start talking about the world in general, until we hit the 2 hour mark. To play us out for the 2nd half of my conversati...
Ep3 Trent Mahon Part 1
November 07, 2021 03:17 - 2 hours - 110 MBWelcome to Uncomfortable Truths Episode 3 with Trent Mahon, my friend and fellow comedian. Trent and I became friends while gigging together at the Highlander, Melbourne around 2019, until lockdown in March 2020. We both dabble in “conspiracy theories”, we’re both psuedo hippies, we’re both marijuana enthusiasts and we both believe that there needs to be more empathy and compassion in this world. We talked for 4 hours, so I have split it into 2 parts. This first part we talk about Trent’s ba...
Ep2 Nicky Barry
November 01, 2021 00:20 - 2 hours - 150 MBIn this episode I have the pleasure of interviewing one of my favourite fellow female comedians, Nicky Barry! I’ve known Nicky since I started stand up comedy in 2014, and she’s been a big influence on me. We talk about being a mother and a comedian, starting comedy at a later age, having an autistic child, the Melbourne comedy scene, how to be a good MC and how to navigate the different comedy rooms and their room bookers here in Melbourne. If you are an up and coming comedian, Nicky gives ...
Ep1 Sofie Prints
October 18, 2021 03:12 - 1 hour - 68 MBFor the first episode of Uncomfortable Truths I interviewed Melbourne Comedian, Sofie Prints. The Queen of Dark Comedy here in Melbourne, Sofie takes her audience to some very dark places, and then breaks the tension with a killer punchline and a huge laugh! With Melbourne International Comedy Festival shows like Jesus Was A Rape Baby, and Mary's Abortion, I think you get the picture. I interviewed her inside her shed in the backyard of the house that she was moving out of in Northcote, Melb...