Published 4 November 2009 in BMA Magazine
Wil Anderson is kicking off his latest tour,Wilosophy in Canberra this month. He talked toExhibitionistabout life, the universe and everything...
Friendly Fireis set to hit the shelves next month, and Wil went about writing it the same way he did with his last book,Survival of the Dumbest. "It was a compilation of writing I did for the Sunday Magazine. I give the publishers all this writing I have from my columns and other stuff, and it goes to the editor at Random House who makes it into a really cool book. Everyone goes 'Wow, you wrote an excellent book', but I really did the equivalent of providing the mystery box on Master Chef - I provided the ingredients and someone took it away and turned it into a delicious award winning meal. And then a fat guy with a cravat judges it."
Over the years, Anderson has had the opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in comedy, including the two people who influenced him to start a career in comedy. "My two favourite TV shows were Ted Robinson's The Big Gig and the Andrew Denton's Money Or The Gun. I never imagined that I'd be working with them on The Glass House and The Gruen Transfer. They were the two shows that made me love comedy but it took another 6 or so years to ever have the courage to try it."
Recently, Wil has performed in the U.S.A., an environment where socio-political tensions run high. "I think as an external voice, I have a lot more leeway over there. If people are going to come out, pay money and sit in a room to see what you have to say, then you might as well have something to say."
Anderson has something to say about the state of the media. "There's a new conservatism in the media at the moment. Everyone wants to make everything a scandal; every day there's someone getting in trouble for a joke. It'll get to the point where electrical companies will complain about people making jokes about changing light bulbs, and animal rights activists will ask why we're discriminating against chickens with ridiculous motives to cross roads. Nothing is taboo, my material isn't necessarily offensive, but some people will be offended by it. I don't care that I offend people, but I care that I can back up my points when I'm confronted about them."
In Wilosophy, a recurring theme is politics. "When I first got into comedy, Howard was P.M. and I worked jokes out of that. It was important to me when Rudd came in that I found some jokes to make about him. You always make fun of who's in charge, but it's hard to make fun of someone who just gave everyone $900."
See Wil Anderson's Wilosophy at the Canberra Theatre from Thursday 29 to Saturday 31 October
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