You were here a few years ago, do you have good memories of Australia? I have great memories of Oz. My personal highlight was watching a man in Darwin push an incredibly realistic crocodile head into a rock pool full of young women. Anything you’re desperate to do while you’re here? Avoid rock pools. What is the difference between your stand-up style and your TV show style of comedy? My TV show Russell Howard’s Good News is a weekly topical comedy show which is basically half an hour of me taking the piss out of the weeks events and because I do that for 20 weeks of the year, when I do stand-up it’s a bit more personal, cos I’m bored of the news and I don’t want to repeat material from the show. Were you affected by the recent rioting in England? I wasn’t affected by the rioting personally, but I was round my friend Karl’s house during the riots. We watched as every car on his road was smashed up. Then when they got to his car they just walked past it and proceeded to smash the next car. You know your ride is a bit shitty when a child shouts “leave it bruv this bloke’s obviously got his own problems.” When did you start stand-up? When I was 18 at university in Bristol. How would you describe your comedy? I don’t know? Funny. I don’t really think about it. I just tell stories with jokes in them. I never decided to create a persona or anything like that. It’s just me with a bit more focus. Has fame changed your life in any way? I get a lot of people asking for photos and my dog has his own Facebook page which was set up by some girl. I don’t think that would have happened if I wasn’t famous. Although my dog is pretty fucking cool. Do you find it weird when celebrities know who you are? Incredibly. I did the London marathon for an Epilepsy foundation last year and Natalie Imbruglia came up and said she was a fan of my work to which I nodded and dribbled a bit. Luckily I was saved by my brother who bounded up to us and offered her some Vaseline to stop, and this is a direct quote, “chaffing to the nips.” Did you have any celebrity crushes growing up? Natalie Imbrulgia. What is your perception of Aussies, do they differ from Poms? I don’t know. I imagine you all to be sun-kissed beauties, constantly eating bbq’s and telling each other to rack off. But then I imagine you all think we sit outside in the rain, trying to eat fish and chips with our one good tooth. What are your plans for the future? I’m doing another series of Good News and another tour in England. If you weren’t a comedian, what would you be? I think I’d be a teacher, but my girlfriend thinks I’d be unemployed as I have no “actual life skills.” Which comedian do you admire and why? Daniel Kitson. He’s a genius and is always pushing himself to do new things. He’s also quite handy at computer football. What is the biggest misconception about comedians? That after the show it’s all drugs and booze and women. It isn’t. It’s mostly sandwiches tea and crying. Just For Laughs will host Russell Howard’s Sydney Opera House debut on Sunday September 4, 7.30pm. Tickets from $59. See http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com.au[www.sydneyoperahouse.com.au]
