Hard Knock Knocks

Mar 24 2022 100 ep. 31 mins 15

Hard Knock Knocks Podcast artwork

Learning stand-up comedy? Hitting the open mic circuit, but improving your skills way too slowly? Are you looking for that edge to improve your stand-up comedy skills to fast track your comedy career? If so, then this is the comedy podcast for you. The Hard Knock Knocks (HKK) podcast interviews some of Australia’s most experienced stand-up comedians, and finds out why, how, and where they began their careers. We also draw out career advancing advice, so you don’t have to make all the same mistakes they did!

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102: Lisa Gatenby - Never Growing Up

Mar 24 2022 26 mins

Lisa Gatenby is the Peter Pan of stand-up comedy. Having worked in the business of children's toys for many years, Lisa admits she's never grown up, and loves to add a level of silliness to her performance. In this interview, you'll learn how Lisa has developed her stand-up comedy skills since graduating from the Hard Knock Knocks comedy course, her upcoming Melbourne International

101: Tom Siegert - Fighting for Comedy

Jan 03 2022 35 mins

Comedian Tom Siegert got his comedy spark at the Gershwin Room in St Kilda. His muse was the legendary comedian Greg Fleet. Today, Tom’s an established comedian in his own right, having performed on TV and at comedy festivals around Australia, as well as hosting his own podcast, Good Banter, with fellow comedian Evan Hocking. In this School of Hard Knock Knocks

100: Katie Burch – Avoiding the waffle and being cruel

Sep 06 2021 22 mins

Comedian Katie Burch didn't want to work at NASA or work towards world peace. She wanted to be a comedian, and a dark comedian at that. In this 100th episode of the School of Hard Knock Knocks podcast, host Steve Davis chats with former National Raw Comedy Finalist Katie Burch about what it takes to be a successful comedian, her life in a cult, and why appealing to a woke cr

099: Ashley Fils-Aime – Reinventing yourself in comedy

Aug 17 2021 43 mins

Haitian-American comedian Ashley Fils-Aime had it all. International tours, sold out shows, and supporting a mega comedian for 11 years. But he stepped away, for love. In this School of Hard Knock Knocks podcast episode you'll learn how Ashley had to reinvent himself throughout life. First, growing up with grandparents in Haiti, schooling in Florida, being homeless, being the suppo

098: Wayne Deakin – Overcoming the wilful ignorance in comedy

Jul 08 2021 32 mins

When you start out in comedy, you're looking for stuff that is funny. When you get good, you find stuff you want to talk about, and make that funny. So says comedian Wayne Deakin, a 20 plus year veteran of stand-up comedy who has performed in London, New York, Las Vegas, Montreal, all over Australia, AND to Aussie troops in the Middle East. In this School of Hard Knock Knocks podca

097: Lewis Spears – The consummate professional behind the 'Spears' brand

Jun 09 2021 39 mins

By dying, Prince Phillip helped sell out comedian Lewis Spears' last week of his Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) show. Morbid, yes. But also, totally on brand. And totally orchestrated. Yes, mainstream media, like the Daily Mail who called Spears a monster, was played by this true professional. In this School of Hard Knock Knocks podcast interview, host Steve D

096: Charles Firth – Exposing truths and undermining power structures with satire

Dec 07 2020 42 mins

Six and a half million people a month consume The Chaser's content. That's some seriously sought-after satire! In this School of Hard Knock Knocks podcast episode, host and Chaser fanboy, Steve Davis, chats with The Chaser's, Charles Firth, about creating headlines and the editorial process, adopting your enemy's voice, and how AI is developing a 'sense' of humour. If you

095: Ian McFadyen – Creating an Australian sketch comedy national treasure

Nov 11 2020 93 mins

In 1988 The Comedy Company changed the face of Australian sketch comedy. Kylie Mole, Uncle Arthur, Con the Fruiterer, and Colin Carpenter became part of the Australian lexicon. So too their creators - Mary-Anne Faye, Glenn Robbins, Mark Mitchell and Kym Gyngell, as well as Russell Gilbert, Tim Smith and, the group's founder, Ian McFadyen. You know them as comedy royalty. What

094: Simon Kennedy – Crossing the line and the Art of Happiness

Aug 04 2020 42 mins

In comedy timing is everything. But when you're a radio host, you manage time like a fine art. So says Sydney based comedian Simon Kennedy, a former radio host and 20 year veteran of stand-up comedy. In this School of Hard Knock Knocks podcast episode, host Steve Davis talks to comedian Simon Kennedy about MCing comedy, 'cancel culture', the green-room hypocrisy, emp

093: Daniel Muggleton – Comedy during Covid and Three Stripes

Jul 15 2020 36 mins

Comedian Daniel Muggleton is known for the three stripe Adidas tracksuit and big moustache. For the past two years Daniel has been based in the UK and, no-thanks to Covid-19, he's back in Australia. In this School of Hard Knock Knocks podcast episode host Steve Davis and Daniel Muggleton, also known as Muggo to his Aussie mates, talk about stereotypes, the importance of setting the