Jimeoin articles

[Kizbo]

This will be published in the next issue of Uturn, due out on the 16th of July. I can pick up copies for anybody outside the Newcastle/Central Coast region who is interested in having a proper copy. Consider this a special preview.

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"All Over The Shop"- A Yarn with Jimeoin
By Kirri Liepins

This little duck was tied up in knots in the Uturn office. In a moment of abject stupidity, the first words that greeted Jimeoin were: "Which end is the talking end?" This goes to show you that some journalists simply cannot function in the morning without their caffeine hit. But Jimeoin and I make up two people whose brain waves don't quite break on the beach. Speaking to me from Byron Bay, Jimeoin was happy to have a chat about his current tour "All Over The Shop", his positive outlook on life and immigrants, amongst many other things.


You're sounding strangely lively for this time of morning
I'm having a coffee as we speak!

You're coming to Newcastle very soon. Have you been to Newcastle before or is it new territory for you?
No, I've been there about four or five times before - I'm just guessing, by the way.

What do you think it is about Australia that attracts so many people?
Immigrants!

You've performed at the prestigious Edinburgh Festival, where it seems only the cream of the crop get to go every year...
No, that's not the truth, anybody could go - you could go if you wanted to, if you pay your money!

That's only if I had any morsel of talent!
Yeah, but if you had any money, you could. Just raise enough to get yourself there. It's the best and also the worst of the world.

Is it everything it's reputed to be?
Oh yeah, it's great. It doesn't really translate to the real world, but it's good fun. Nothing more than that, just a bit of fun!

Do you think you could get away with just about anything because of your so-called "Irish charm"?
(without hesitation) Yes!

What do you think it is about the Irish?
We're charming!

Do you ever crack yourself up with your own jokes?
Yes, that's the gauge that I'm in; otherwise, I wouldn't do my act. It's as simple as that.

There's something very disarming and somewhat boyish about you, I've got to say. And you definitely love to tell a story and say what's on your mind.
(giggles)

Come on, you do!
That's true, I do!

Do you ever tire of your own stories?
Yeah, but then I just drop it out of my routine, you know. Maybe towards the end of the tour, when it's something that I've been doing for a while. They get the big laugh and they've never seen it before. But I'll just let it go. You fill it with good stuff, so it's wise to let it go. Otherwise, you can get very lazy!

Can you recall any towns you've performed in where your show didn't go down very well?
It's been a while. Even if there were, it'd be unfair to the people to say it - it would've been my fault if anything went wrong.

How do you react to hecklers in the audience?
I don't normally get them. It's sort of a dying art. If I do, I just get security to throw 'em out if they're too good!

You've described your own comedy style as 'stupid'. Is there a part of your brain you need to switch off before you go onstage, or is it a case of 'what you see is what you get'?
You've got to switch off the serious part of your brain. I try not to be too lecture-y; you've got to be in good form.

I guess it'd be the same for your audience as it is for you, to just turn that little bit off?
Yeah! Y'know, that's very, very true, what you're saying. It's the same for them too, it's a two-way street. It's like at the pictures - you go, "Alright, relax." The best thing about film - or a game of sport, for that matter - at the end of it you just go, "Oh, I wasn't even worried about my life or thinking about it there for a minute." But it's a good show, at the end of it, if there's a laugh that's actually escaped. They're not thinking about their own lives for a minute, they got away from it.

Are there any subjects that you just won't touch?
Not really, no, but I'm not really one to be a controversial comic. But at the same time, I wouldn't see myself as being squeaky clean! I'd stay away from unfunny things, they're the only subject matters I'll leave!

Is comedy hard to find in everyday life? Is there always something to laugh at?
Sometimes it's a matter of digging a stone up and giving it a bit of a polish!

There are so many people who admire your take on life. What is your method of living life without being so uptight?
It's easy for me to say, "Things are going good". If it's a good day, enjoy it, because there'll be some shit ones! Most of the time, I consider myself an optimist, but I get a bit guilty sometimes when things are going good - I feel that I'm very lucky. But I certainly bring optimistic views to my life. I could read about them and think they sound good. It's easy to be pessimistic too, but I certainly try to be optimistic.

What is the most common misconception that people have of you?
That I'm tall! I'm about 5'9" but people think I'm 6'4" or 6'5". They think I'm huge but they're way off - they say, "God, I pictured you as this huge big mountain of a man!"

What are your most simple pleasures in life?
The toilet. It brings a sense of relief!

What did you get spanked for as a little boy?
About $50!

What did you learn from playing Doctors and Nurses?
Oh, I like the uniforms!

What is the most fun you can have with your clothes on?
I suppose it'd be coming to see my show! (Plug plug plug!)

[unfrufru]

good work m'dear!

[hellokitty]

nice one! he doesn't seem veyr chatty though

but he can be forgiven considering the hour :0)

[aussiechica]

Nice work Kizbo!!

lol- i like the 'what did you get spanked for as a little boy' question

Yay! you asked him about Hecklers


A great article- well done!

[sooty]

nice article Kizbo! i liked it a lot, very entertaining, and you got some good answers out of him, well done!

[Kizbo]

*curtsies* Danke...It was hard to decipher his babbling, especially with the accent (i'm terrible at on-the-line translations), but you get the gist of it!

[hellokitty]

argh don't even talk to me about accents!

[unfrufru]

http://www.theage.com.au/news/arts/j...958042404.html

Jimeoin Fringe inspired

August 16, 2005 - 11:33AM





Jimeoin is back in Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival.
Photo: Jenny Evans



He was born in Ireland and now lives in Australia, but come every August there's only one place for comedian Jimeoin - Scotland.

The funny man, who was born in Derry in Northern Ireland, but has lived in Australia for the past 17 years, has once again made the annual pilgrimage to the world famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

"This is the best place in the world to be in the month of August," said the Irish comedian, who is starring in a sell-out show at the 2005 event titled Jimeoin.

"I went to Cannes for the film festival. This place shits all over it.

"It's pure joy. What is at the heart of this is great. It's really good thing."

This year the comic, who lives in Melbourne with his family, is performing at the Fringe's historic Spiegel Garden tent, and he said he could not find a more "inspiring place".

"I actually like hanging out in a tent, to be honest," said Jimeoin, who performed shows in Brisbane, Sydney and Kilkenny in Ireland before arriving in Edinburgh two weeks ago.

Jimeoin has admitted to being known for bringing the house down with his "daft nonsense" and he said this year at Edinburgh was no different.

But the comic, who made a name for himself touring Australia with his stand-up shows, said he made a vow to never talk much about his on-stage material or where it came from.
"I'm not dodging the question, but I never talk about what I talk about," said the 39-year-old star, whose real name is Jimeoin McKeown.

"There's no subject matters. Probably the closest thing to it would be the story of human beings, the story of myself really, my own flaws."

He said the most important thing was "that his audience laughed".

He admitted, however, that those who came to see his show would be "none the wiser when they left".

"You probably will have forgotten shit, important stuff, after seeing my show," said Jimeoin, who has also made the films The Craic and The Extra, but was adamant that his first love was stand-up comedy.

Unlike other comics, Jimeoin, who said his audience at Edinburgh was a mixture of Scottish and Aussies, refuses to perform impersonations on stage.

"I will not talk about politicians," said Jimeoin, who added that about 90 per cent of his material was new every time he went on stage.

"I will not talk about celebrities. I will not talk about any wars. "They mean nothing to me, those things."

He said audiences were searching for "something different".

Unlike many other Aussie comics appearing at this year's Fringe, Jimeoin is already established in the world's comedy circles.

But he said he realised the pressure placed on upcoming talent at Edinburgh.

"It can make or break the dream this one," Jimeoin said.

He said going to Edinburgh every year for Fringe also gave him a chance to visit his family in Ireland, and to holiday in the summer. "I"m like a migratory bird," Jimeoin described.

"Whatever part of the earth is titled away from the sun, I try and avoid that part." Once back in Australia, the funny man will tour with more shows.

[unfrufru]

http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au...E31624,00.html

Trust Jimeoin to skate into comedy skit

13mar06

HOW typical that a comedian would find an ironic way to get injured.

Jimeoin almost stacked it on his skateboard last week in Adelaide - narrowly avoiding being hit by . . . an ambulance (he swears it's true).

In town to perform two shows at the Fringe, one of Australia's most famous Irishmen says the skateboard is not part of a mid-life crisis, although he has just turned the big 4-0.

"As soon as I was 38/39, I was already 40 in my head, so when I hit 40, it wasn't that big a deal," he says.

Apparently a skateboard is just the easiest way to get a good tracking shot - he's currently filming a doco.

And don't expect to see the comedian hanging around skate parks, wearing his jeans around his knees.

He reckons he's got to be more careful now he's middle-age, he doesn't fall quite like he used

to. He turned 40

on January 24, but opted against a massive showbiz party. "I don't like having parties. You have to make sure everyone is having a good time, make

a speech, then clean up after everyone

has gone. I'd rather just go to one,"

he laughs.

Even now the comedian still gets strangers coming up to him, showing off their best escalator impression - it was a trademark move on his TV show.

"There's a very simple thing to it," he says, "which unless you do it, it doesn't

look right." So what is it? "Don't be ridiculous, there's no way I'm giving

away my tricks," he laughs.