Alex Williamson is the Adelaide comedian and musician skewering all sorts of Australian tropes, examining the role of the ‘bogan’ in modern Australian society on his popular YouTube channel, and even giving big-name celebrities like Sascha Baron Cohen some particularly memorable interviews.
He riffs on topics of drug use, relationships and politics with a distinctly ‘Strayan drawl – complete with an entirely-appropriate level of swearing – and his comedy certainly isn’t for those with delicate ears. On the other hand, Alex manages to balance it all out with some genuinely impressive musical ability, and even some brilliant cameos from some well-known Aussie rappers – detailed below.
As he’s heading to Queensland this weekend to continue his ‘Open Up’ national tour (dates below), we took the opportunity to have a chat to him about comedy, music, drugs, and the loosest units in Aussie music.
Why Get Into Comedy?
So, how did the Adelaide boy end up as a rapping, piano-playing, foul-mouthed comedian?
“I’d always liked to watch everything from Larry David, Seinfeld and Frasier to f**kin’ Vicar of Dibley, so there was quite a variety there, and from a young age I thought I’d get into comedy – to my parents’ horror.
“I suppose I first got into it because I was taking media studies at school, and then got into a university course that was filmmaking as well, a Creative Arts degree at Flinders. During that time I started doing standup comedy as well, ’cause my videos were tending to go on the funny side – and here I am continuing to this day.”
While he’s rolling along nicely now, Alex’s brand of comedy isn’t something that he believes he could have built a career upon without the open platform of YouTube.
“Thanks to the Internet, I’ve got a chance. 20 years ago, with a lot of the cruder stuff I do, I wouldn’t have had a chance to get a start. I’m very thankful to have been born at the right time.”
Where’s The Music Fit In?
Whether it’s showing off some impressive chops as a piano-playing drug dealer, or showing off a decent skip hop flow on ‘The Loosest Aussie Rap’, Alex carries on the great Australian tradition of self-deprecating musical comedy.
“I’ve always played a whole lot of piano, just dicking around when I’m bored. Living in the country, playing piano and guitar was something you could do when the power was off.”
Australia in particular has had a stack of musical comedians for Alex to draw on.
“I used to like Scared Weird Little Guys and the Australian comedy acts who were playing music – Tripod were quite big when I was in high school – so I thought it’d be a good idea to incorporate that angle and get involved in music.
“People can hear the same joke over and over again and they no longer appreciate it, but you can play the same song a million times, and no-one gives a f**k!”
Making Vids With Eso, Kerser and 360
Alex has managed to rope in some pretty notable Aussie rappers for videos like ‘You Can’t Say That Word’ parts one and two, so how did that all come about?
“Eso had watched my videos back in the day, and was apparently at the pub, intoxicated, saying them word for word for people – standing on the pool table and acting them out for the patrons, who were very gracious, no doubt.
“Someone knew us both and put us in touch, and we called each other and found that we were both people who sit around all day not doing a whole lot, so we thought it’d be a good idea to link up and not do a whole lot together – and that we did! We did a few videos, which was fun, and I hope to do a bit more with him in the very near future. I know he’s working on his solo album, so I’ll hopefully do some stuff to promote that when he drops it.”
That explains how Eso got involved, but what about Kerser, who appears in part one?
“Kerser was a lot of fun to work with that day. I was telling Eso that I was willing to go down the street in Campbelltown and call anyone a c**t, and he was like, “No, no, nooo… don’t do that in Campbelltown bro.” So he said, “Well, Kerser’s just down the road, why don’t you get him to pretend to fight you?” And I thought. “Well, that’s bloody perfect!”
“So it was a bloody hot day, and I rang him up and said “I’ve got a video idea where I call you a c**t, and you just start on me”, and he’s like, “…I f**kin’ liiike it!” So he rolls on down in his big, red, souped-up car and away we went – made some Hollywood gold in Campbelltown!
Similarly, 360 shows up in part two to describe the difference between… well, it speaks for itself, really.
The Loosest Units In Aussie Music
With videos titled ‘Loosest Aussie Bloke Ever’, who does Alex peg as particularly loose Aussie musos?
“I know the AC/DC guys were reasonably loose, and I think I have respect for anyone who’s been going that long and is still going. The Jimmy Barneses and the old-school motherf**kers who are still getting out and putting away one or two cougars after the shows – and probably the daughters as well!
“Might be someone very surprising, like Peter Combe. He might be down at the sinister places at night, real late out at Revs in Melbourne at 5am, eyes wide and charging the dancefloor.”
Drugs At Festivals
Alex covers the topic of drug use pretty extensively in his comedy, with videos ranging from ‘Jack The Tripper’ to ‘Drugs On Antiques Roadshow’, so we asked his thoughts on the more serious topic of drug testing at music festivals.
“As with everything we think about doing here in Australia, it’s important to look at how effective it is overseas. I know this has been implemented overseas and trialled at various festivals, and if it’s stopping deaths, perhaps it’s a good idea. And if we look at the reports, I’m sure we’ll find that it’s stopping deaths.
“It’s always going to be a sensitive issue, and there’s always going to be the Police Commissioner saying, “Look, this is not good, we don’t want drugs around,” but there’ll also be other people trying to push for change. You won’t be able to stop people from wanting to have a good time at a festival, so maybe just make sure that they’re safe.”
Comedians And Musos To Watch
Bringing it back to comedy for a moment, we asked Alex to suggest some fellow comedians we should be checking out, and he gave us a list of names that also push the boundaries of supposed good taste.
“Obviously, I’m sure you’re well aware of Jim Jeffries – keep an eye on him. I like young Neel Kolhatkar and Frenchy, they have a good energy and produce a lot of good stuff, and are doing some great live stuff over at Edinburgh Fringe.
“The RackaRacka boys from Adelaide are from an even more feral place than I am, so it’s impressive to see how far they’ve gone, because they’re over directing horror movies in Hollywood and doing all sorts of crazy shit. They’re funny guys too. They’ve got this ‘RackaRacka Ronald’ character who’s like a drug-addled Ronald McDonald, it’s worth a look.”
He similarly displays some pretty good taste in music.
“There’s an Adelaide band called The Grenadiers who I really like, and I’m friends with the drummer Jimmy. I’ve seen them live, and it’s very impressive – anyone you can watch live and be very impressed by is worth recommending. I’m probably just going to say the obvious ones again like Violent Soho and Flume obviously, they continue to impress me with their progression.”
What Can We Expect Onstage?
Alex obviously makes some crack-up videos, but how does it all translate to a full-length live stage?
“Well, there’s a bit of everything. Some of it relates to what young people do; the kids these days are on Tinder, and that was something that wasn’t there for me when I was a horny little 18-year-old, so there’s a bit of a sad monologue about how I missed out on that.
“It’s also a learning experience for people. There’s a lot of history, I guess an Aussie bogan version of events that shaped the 20th century, including the World Wars – just a unique Aussie bogan version of history that you might not have seen when you’ve turned on to BBC to watch a documentary.
“There’s a music component as well, a song at the end about how sad it is when you run out of drugs at a rave. So it covers all bases – you’ll cry, you’ll laugh.”
ALEX WILLIAMSON ‘Open Up’ Tour Dates
Presented by Frontier Comedy
For full tour information visit frontiertouring.com/alexwilliamson
Fri 21 Oct
The Ville Resort & Casino | Townsville, QLD | (18+)
moshtix.com.au | Ph: 1300 438 849
Sat 22 Oct
Moncrieff Entertainment Centre | Bundaberg, QLD | (All Ages)
moncrieff-bundaberg.com.au | Ph: 07 4130 4100
Sat 12 Nov
Glasshouse | Port Macquarie, NSW | (All Ages)
glasshouse.org.au | Ph: 02 6581 8888
Fri 9 Dec
Street Theatre | Canberra, ACT | (All Ages)
thestreet.org.au | Ph: 02 6247 1223
Fri 16 Dec
The Capital | Bendigo, VIC | (All Ages)
thecapital.com.au | Ph: 03 5434 6100
Sat 17 Dec
Mildura Arts Centre | Mildura, VIC | (All Ages)
milduraartscentre.com.au | Ph: 03 5018 8330
This event is recommended for patrons aged 16+
* U18s must be accompanied by parent/legal guardian
