Chris "The Bloke" Franklin is an Australian comedy icon who's been gigging for almost 30 years. Watching him wrangle a tough crowd is a masterclass.

Chris is 61 and been living large his whole life. Big respect to someone who goes this hard and is still going. He's got loads of wild stories and sat down with me during Melbourne Comedy Fest to talk about the ones we can legally discuss; getting scurvy, degenerate gambling, emphysema, rehab, 2 divorces, a suicide attempt in the navy, and trying to drink 1000 beers in a 30 day period that nearly killed him.

Chris doesn't have anything specific to plug but he's constantly touring through Australia and Canada follow him on instagram at www.instagram.com/christheblokfranklin

I'm touring the new hour 'Animal Magnetism' and I would love to see you in: Mt Eliza Victoria June 19, Darwin July 23-25, Singapore Aug 1, Thailand Aug 2 & 4, Hobart Aug 7, with more coming. Tickets at www.jezwatts.com

Pls follow me on socials www.instagram.com/jezwattscomedy www.tiktok.com/@jezwattscomedy www.youtube.com/@jezwattscomedy

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Fight against letting datacentres into your community there's a protest in Melbourne June 13

Guest Recommendations

Favourite Film - Flying High / Airplane

Favourite Musician - ACDC (Bon Scott version)

Favourite Comedian - Billy Connolly

Aves Robins is a lovely girl and talented comedian from Perth, Western Australia who's been sober for her entire life.

Talking about herself doesn't come easy to her so I was really thankful that she opened up about how she lost her father as a teen through his abuse of alcohol and pills; self-harming, her deeply held insecurities, therapy, transitioning, introversion, and of course the most shameful thing of all: becoming a homeowner.

Aves doesn't have shows on sale right now but she will in the future so give her a follow at www.instagram.com/aves.robins

I'm touring the new hour (re-titled 'Animal Magnetism') and I would love to see you there for it currently listed shows are Mt Eliza Victoria, Darwin, Singapore & Thailand, with more coming. Tickets at www.jezwatts.com

Pls follow me on socials www.instagram.com/jezwattscomedy www.tiktok.com/@jezwattscomedy www.youtube.com/@jezwattscomedy

Subscribe to the pod! Rate it 5 stars! Love you. Hugs and kisses.

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Guest Recommendations

Favourite Film - Everything Everywhere All At Once

Favourite Musicians - Sufjan Stevens, CMAT

Favourite Comedian - Taylor Tomlinson

Unlucky For Some!

Freddie Arthur is coming up strong in the Melbourne & Australian comedy scenes! And she's got serious problems. And her comedy is SERIOUSLY funny in part because of them. Let’s call her a young, Australian country town, Maria Bamford.

From severe OCD and wanting to F*** a dog, to adult-onset Tourette’s, to physically abusive and emotionally neglectful parents, a brain bleed, and a pedophile uncle - she’s got it all!

We get into all of that as well as therapy, meds, and a nice sprinkling of misogyny in comedy to round it all off. It's the feelgood episode of the year!

I’m really grateful for how easy and open Freddie was in talking about these – this was probably the easiest flowing interview I’ve yet done, and we got through so many huge topics in the time.

Freddie is coming to Darwin in July (but that’s still a secret), and you can follow her on Instagram at www.instagram.com/freddiearthur

My new hour is running every day til THIS Sunday April 19 in Melbourne and I would love to see you for it. I’ll also be in Darwin for July, and then Singapore and the rest of SE Asia during August. Tickets at www.jezwatts.com

Pls watch the special! www.youtube.com/@jezwattscomedy

Subscribe to the pod! Rate it 5 stars! Love you. Hugs and kisses.

Guest Recommendations

Favourite Film – Shrek, Back to the Future Part 1 & 3

Favourite Musician – Drifting Clouds

Favourite Comedian – Nicky Barry, Denise Scott

Nicky Barry is a much loved (and crusher) comedian from the Melbourne comedy scene and she has LIVED A LIFE. She's also opened for a bunch of big names and headlined all over Australia and if you get a chance to see her live you should absolutely do so.

She very generously talked to me about the end of her 30 year marriage, the experience of her alcoholic father binging so hard he acquired a brain injury (and nearly died), losing him in hospice care nearly 40 years later, the damage to her own heart, and the experience of raising a child with disability-level autism.

Nicky has shows on sale in at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival right now - you can find ticket links at www.instagram.com/barrymeplease

I have shows on sale in Melbourne (Apr 9-19), and WILL SOON have tickets available to Darwin (July) Singapore (August) Thailand (August), Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, East Timor and other places. Tickets at www.jezwatts.com

Watch the special! www.youtube.com/@jezwattscomedy

Subscribe to the pod! Rate it 5 stars! Love you. Hugs and kisses.

Ivan Aristeguieta is not only a hilarious comedian originally from Venezuela and now a big dog of the Australian comedy industry - he's also an incredibly open and lovely man who has been through WAY more than you night think. Whether the trauma has made him a deep thinker, or being a deep thinker has enabled him to better process it, he's very thoughtful and articulate in this interview.

We talk about his growing up in a lawless Venezuela, immigrating to Australia, his divorce & finding new love, suffering from depression & anxiety, medication & therapy, the effects of experiencing a borderline personality disorder matriarch, and loads more. He's a wonderful man worth listening to, and I'm grateful he sat down with me.

Ivan has shows on sale in Canberra, Wolongong, Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney, NZ, Brisbane, Perth & Newcastle. Tickets at www.ivancomedy.com.au

I have shows on sale in Melbourne (Apr 9-19), and WILL SOON have tickets available to Darwin (July) Singapore (August) Thailand (August) Edinburgh (August) and other places. Tickets at www.jezwatts.com

Watch the special! www.youtube.com/@jezwattscomedy

Subscribe to the pod! Rate it 5 stars! Love you. Hugs and kisses.

Hoani Hotene is a lovely, lovely boy from NZ. Sat down to interview him at The Classic Comedy Club in Auckland a few weeks ago and he was incredibly insecure about not having 'enough' trauma or proper 'struggles' but we finally managed to find some damage to talk about coz he did once get a very severe concussion. Fun chat!

We talked about his growing up Maori while presenting 'white', his comedy journey in NZ and now Australia, bombing a corporate, his failure to be diagnosed with anything, his fears for the future and FINALLY some actual damage in that story of the concussion. It's a good chat.

Hoani has shows on sale in Dunedin, Christchurch & Melbourne. Tickets at www.linktr.ee/hoanithecomedian

I have shows on sale in Dunedin (Mar 12-14), Melbourne (Apr 9-19), and WILL SOON have tickets available to Darwin (July) Singapore (July) Edinburgh (August) and other places. Tickets at www.jezwatts.com

Watch the special! www.youtube.com/@jezwattscomedy

Subscribe to the pod! Rate it 5 stars! Love you. Hugs and kisses.

I first met Ari over a decade ago when he was visiting Perth, Western Australia and to my naive Australian eyes he seemed like a long-professional pro. He's since earned those stripes, however - doing much of what one can do in a comedy career.

He's now less beholden to an imagined "making it" of comedy, and now trying to work out what a meaningful & happy life might look like (while flying all over the world for free, performing standup whenever he likes, and living off the earnings of his business).

Despite his life being undeniably good, he remains unhappy, and perhaps its his vanity that drives the story he tells near the end of the episode - when he choked out an audience member during a show. You simply cannot picture that happening in a less appearances-focused person. It's a fun, light episode!

Listen to Ari's podcast Unlicensed Therapy

Find his upcoming shows at www.arimannis.com

Watch my special White-Rice Supreme

I have shows on sale in Dunedin NZ, Melbourne, and tickets coming online soon for Darwin, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam & the UK. Tickets at www.jezwatts.com

The somehow optimistic and joyful Tilahun Hailu, having been performing as Joe White for just over a decade, is finally ready to embrace his birth name onstage. Born in a Sudanese refugee camp, and with an alcoholic abusive father who was driven off when Tilahun was 6 years old, who after that lived on the streets of Khartoum with his 5 siblings and single mother, who needed to be tied together at night so as not to be abducted, is one of the friendliest and most positive people in the Australian comedy scene. His stuff has put a lot of mine into perspective.

Joe / Tilahun has shows on sale at the Adelaide Fringe and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival right now you can get tickets at www.joewhitecomedian.com

I have shows on sale in Wellington (this weekend) Dunedin Mar 12-14, Melbourne Apr 9-19 and upcoming shows in Darwin Singapore Thailand UK etc. coming online soon. Tickets at www.jezwatts.com

Please watch my special White-Rice Supreme on YouTube. Listen to our sister podcast The Tiny Vet Podcast at www/linktr.ee/jezwatts

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