Wil Anderson Articles/Reviews

[sooty]

thanks for typing that up Unfrufru!
hehehe, Jason Harrington...has he officially changed it by Depol, or just as his stage name?

[mish]

*lol* you beat me to it!

There's also one in the Sydney Morning Herald ....

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/...084205743.html

Biased? Pig's bum, says Triple J comic
By Cosima Marriner
July 26 2003




"The ABC isn't biased: Richard Alston's just saying that 'cause he's a right-wing pig rooter."

That was Triple J breakfast announcer Wil Anderson's take on the latest row between the national broadcaster and the Government yesterday.

While the remark caused jaws to drop around the country, Anderson was unapologetic for making the joke in one of his frequent interjections during the news on Triple J.

He said it was purely at the expense of the ABC, not the Minister for Communications.

"There was a story on the news about ABC bias and I thought that was the most extreme biased thing I could say," he said yesterday.


The comedian said both his Triple J managers thought the joke was funny and in context.

"Whether there has been any fallout around the building I don't know . . . I can't imagine anyone would be too upset."

But the ABC has received at least one complaint and a spokesman said the matter was being looked into.

Anderson said it would have been "petty" of him to attack Senator Alston personally.

"It's not a joke about Richard Alston, it's a joke about the left-wing cardigan wearing complainers at the ABC," he said.

Anderson said he was sure Senator Alston had "better things to do" than worry about the joke. A spokesman for the minister refused to comment.

However, the ABC spokesman conceded the joke was "not helpful", given strained relations between the ABC and the Government after Senator Alston's complaints of bias in its coverage of the Iraq war.

The Government wants to establish an independent panel to hear "serious" complaints about the ABC after the ABC's review arm rejected the allegations.

But it has yet to work out whether it needs to pass a law to establish the panel, how members would be appointed, and who would decide which complaints are serious enough to warrant consideration.

Senator Alston is dissatisfied with this week's finding by the ABC's complaints review executive that 66 of his 68 allegations of bias in the AM program's Iraq war coverage were unjustified.

"You can't have Caesar judging Caesar, you can't essentially be judge and jury, making your own self-assessment of your actions, because there's an inevitable conflict of interest," he told ABC Radio yesterday.

The ABC claims its existing independent complaints review panel performs an independent assessment function.

It is staffed by five independent media and law experts appointed by the ABC board.

The ABC's managing director, Russell Balding, referred Senator Alston's AM complaint to this panel yesterday. "I believe it is in the public interest that this matter be further reviewed by a body that is independent and external to the ABC," Mr Balding said in a statement.

The Government is still considering whether to ask the Australian Broadcasting Authority to review its complaint.



This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/...084205743.html

[unfrufru]

nah its just a joke name he made up (long story) but adam richard called him that last week when he was on the jjj drive

[Munchkin]

Wil the real comic please stand up

Wil the real comic please stand upNovember 23, 2003
The Sun-Herald




Print this article Email to a friend Funny affair: Wil Anderson says stand-up comedy is his first love. Photo: Fiona-Lee Quimby


Not knowing when the audience will laugh is scary, but, Wil Anderson tells Holly Byrnes, that's the real buzz.

Most men will tell you sex and laughter aren't the happiest bedfellows.

Uncontrollable mirth at the peak of the action can do as much for the mood as a cold shower.

But for Triple J breakfast host Wil Anderson, the fits and giggles he arouses when clutching a mike and doing his beloved stand-up routines are the ultimate turn-on.

Still immersed in the writing of his latest self-titled show, Licence to Wil, which opens at the Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre on December 2, Anderson admits he's in the throws of a passionate love affair - with stand-up.

"It's what I do and love the best," he says, settling into the interview after just coming off air with Adam Spencer, the other half of the ABC youth radio station's breakfast team that Anderson has been part of for three years.

He has signed on for what he says was an unlikely fourth year with the Js, buoyed by fresh energy levels at the station and the challenge of taking on new industry leader Nova.
@media print {.nopr {display:none}} http://[img]http://campaigns.f2....x250[/img]


Fans will also welcome his return to TV next year for another 40 episodes of the ABC news satire program The Glass House, which he co-hosts with Melbourne comics Dave Hughes and Corinne Grant.

Despite the demands of this multimedia work schedule, Anderson admits he makes time for his "first love".

"There's an element of live stuff in everything I do, but really stand-up is what I do behind TV and radio's back. Hey, I'm into threesomes," he jokes.

And clearly the relationship is working for Anderson, who sold out his last show, Jagged Little Wil, at the Opera House last January before taking it on the road to similar success in Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane.

Building on the profile his TV and radio work has given him, Anderson says making a physical connection with his audience keeps this comic gigolo honest.

"Audiences don't lie to you when it's live. On radio you can kid yourself you were funny, but live it's not like that. And just because they laughed at your first joke, it doesn't mean they're going to do it every time. That's the scary part, but it's also a real buzz."

Getting under their skin, he says, is better than sex.

"Think about it. When you have sex, even when you orgasm you can be thinking about other things. I mean, most guys could recite the AFL ladder backwards just to make it last longer."

But with comedy, he explains, "the point at which people are laughing uncontrollably, then you hit them with another joke and you can see it's almost physically hurting them, that's awesome".

The Kama Sutra's got nothing on a good joke, he says.

"I can make people laugh at least 30-40 times a night. Even Sting couldn't make anyone orgasm that many times," he says proudly.

You'd think then with all this physical prowess that the 29-year-old would be quite comfortable laying claim to the hot-date tag (he's famously squired Kate Fischer and Nicole Kidman).

"I've never believed chicks love guys just because they're funny. Piss off, that's what you say to the ugly ones," he laughs.

While not trying to discourage girls who want to have sex with him from coming to his new show, Anderson revealed the James Bond-style title has nothing to do with his performance or its contents.

Advice from a comic hero, who once suggested he put his name in any show he ever did, has seen variations of "Wil" make its way into his comedy show titles.

"There's no link with the title and the show," he says, "because the show's not really about anything. I like that it's flexible and changes, for better or worse, each night. Some nights there could be two people in the audience dressed as pigs and I'd be mad not to throw away the routine and not respond to that."

Wil Anderson - Licence To Wil is at the Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre, from December 2-14. Tickets $33/28.50. Bookings 9250 7777 or at http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com.











Just waiting for the guards to shoot him.

[Beckslee]

But for Triple J breakfast host Wil Anderson, the fits and giggles he arouses when clutching a mike and doing his beloved stand-up routines are the ultimate turn-on.

urgh now I'm going to have a mental image in my head of Wil on stage "excited"

[Ginger_bread_gurl]

Originally Posted by Beckslee

urgh now I'm going to have a mental image in my head of Wil on stage "excited"

It is a tad disturbing. :p

[unfrufru]

as a person who finds a funny guy attractive, i take offence at wil's comments about the whole attraction being bullshit. every guy i have ever dated (and will ever date), even my close male friends, the first thing i liked about them was their sense of humour.if they can't make me laugh, then they can tip the fuck out the door.

it's more than just having a laugh with someone, it's a connection. it means u can relate to someone on that level. and i'm sure its true for most people here as well, that we like funny people (not necessarily comedians) because we can compete with them on a linguistic level. i've scared many men off over the years (and not just with my looks), because they don't like a chick with a sharp tongue and a quick mind. sure i'm no mcdermott when it comes to put downs and one-liners, but those who've met me can tell u i could give him a run for his money.

maybe wil should pull his head out of his arse and go back to being the comedian he once was, not the pathetic excuse for one he is now. when he used to be referred to as the next rod quantock and his gigs were things to ponder afterwards deep in thought. None of this shallow look at me i have my own tv show bullshit. maybe then he would attract a better fanbase then the ones he was talking about. u attract the people most like yourself. i think it said a lot more about him, than it did his fans

let the flaming commence
*climbs off soapbox*

[Alisso]

Originally Posted by unfrufru

maybe wil should pull his head out of his arse and go back to being the comedian he once was, not the pathetic excuse for one he is now. when he used to be referred to as the next rod quantock and his gigs were things to ponder afterwards deep in thought. None of this shallow look at me i have my own tv show bullshit. maybe then he would attract a better fanbase then the ones he was talking about. u attract the people most like yourself. i think it said a lot more about him, than it did his fans

After his trial gigs in Bondi a few years ago, I was incredibly impressed. He hadn't had much material written, he'd rambled like a freak for a few hours, and I'd laughed harder than I had in ages, and still walked out going "hmmm" over some of the things he'd said.

He's since been replaced as my favourite philosophical comedian by Justin Hamilton, closely followed by Adam Hills *g*

http://media.f2.com.au/?rid=13228&site=smh

it's a video with Wil doing an interview with bits and pieces of his past stand up work.

[Munchkin]

Originally Posted by vielle

http://media.f2.com.au/?rid=13228&site=smh

it's a video with Wil doing an interview with bits and pieces of his past stand up work.

And the article it was attached to.

Enough to make you WilDecember 5, 2003


Print this article Email to a friend
Pressing your nose against the glass always gets a laugh. Photo: Sahlan Hayes

Related:
Licence to Wil



Paris Hilton, Prince Charles, breastfeeding ... the hardest-working comic in showbiz is aiming his sights at new targets. Katrina Lobley reports.

LICENCE TO WIL
Where Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre, Circular Quay
When Until December 14
How much $33/$28.50
Bookings 9250 7777

Comedian Wil Anderson admits it: for the past three months he has done nothing but think about his new stand-up show.

"You'll be having some intimate moment with your lover, and they're like, 'Are you thinking about your show?'" he says. "And you go, 'No, no. Yes.'"

Those close to him must now be sighing in relief. Licence to Wil opened this week at the Sydney Opera House, putting an end to the 29-year-old's agonising over his material.

"The process of writing is horrible, horrible, awful," says Anderson. "It's like a boxer, I guess, preparing - all the hours in the gym, getting up in the morning, running your laps and belting up stairs.

"It's all training for when you do this thing you want to do really well. You go through pain so you can do this thing."

Some might consider the painful part to be standing onstage in front of hundreds of strangers with nothing but a microphone, a fast mouth and an even faster wit to get you through the next hour. Anderson, however, thrives on it.

"What a great job," he says. "You get to stand onstage for 70 minutes and talk to people about what you find interesting or what you think will be interesting to them."

The topics he has found interesting lately include refugees, teenage sex, Paris Hilton, Prince Charles, supermarket rules, the language of war, breastfeeding and censorship.

"They're all very different places to find comedy from," says Anderson.

"I toss around in my head and speak out loud what I think is funny about an idea.

I could do a joke 100 times and never tell it exactly the same way. I know where the funny bit of it is, but I don't necessarily word it or write a script of how it's going to work.

"Last year, I'd worked out this whole show. I walked out on the first night and in the front row is this little Indian woman asking me not to start the show yet because her son is still trying to park the car.

"Front row of my show, and she's hilarious. You can't ignore that. Or you could ignore it and then start your show - but what a great opportunity for comedy! I spent the first 40 minutes of my first night last year talking to this woman, her son, and doing stuff with the audience off this.

"I ended up hardly not talking about anything that I was going to talk about. But I like those moments to happen that are only of that show. I like everyone at my shows to have at least one thing that, if you came the next night, you wouldn't see."

It hasn't been that long since Anderson's last stand-up routine at the Sydney Opera House. His Jagged Little Wil show opened there in January.

"I'm probably the only comedian in Australia who, for the last eight years, has written a brand-new, hour-long show every year," says Anderson.

"Most people do it every year-and-a-half, two years, because it's hard to come up with new [material], especially if you're doing other stuff.

"This year, I've done two within a year. That's just insane! It's stupid. It's, like, sending me mental. Someone like Billy Connolly will do three hours of new material every night, but for what I do, an hour a year is quite a lot."

What Anderson means is that his life is already quite full. The Triple J breakfast host has signed up for another year of rising at 3.45am to spar with co-host Adam Spencer. He will also front ABC TV's satirical news show The Glass House next year.

"You can get really despondent about radio," says Anderson. "You're in this tiny little studio with the other person, you don't know if people are enjoying it or not, and it's so hard every day.

"Then somebody comes up and says, 'I was having a shit day. I really don't like my job. But I had a few laughs in the car, got to work and I was in such a better mood - thank you.' It's cool. That feels fun."

With stand-up, there's no wondering how the jokes are going down.

"When you're onstage, audiences don't lie to you," says Anderson. "In the studio, you can fool yourself. You think, 'Jeez, we were funny this morning. There must have been more road accidents. Check the paper.'

"That's the fun about stand-up - you get that immediate response. You might fake-laugh in a conversation to be polite, but when there are 600 in a room you don't laugh to be polite. You laugh because you think it's funny."

Originally Posted by unfrufru

maybe wil should pull his head out of his *bleep* and go back to being the comedian he once was, not the pathetic excuse for one he is now. when he used to be referred to as the next rod quantock and his gigs were things to ponder afterwards deep in thought. None of this shallow look at me i have my own tv show *bleep*. maybe then he would attract a better fanbase then the ones he was talking about. u attract the people most like yourself. i think it said a lot more about him, than it did his fans

I went to one of his trial shows a month or so ago and I remember being surprised at how shallow his material was, compared to how I remember him. The rest of the room loved it, though.

[Fiona Rohana]

I saw him at the Comedy Store a few weeks ago trialling some stuff. It all seemed be the 'Hey, what's going on there?" sort of thing.

[kebab_oner]

I've been seeing Wil live for years, and I disagree with you guys. If anything, he's got sharper and more frenetic as time's gone on. kinda like The Simpsons.

You reckon you're just "too cool" to dig him now he's popular?

Interesting people would accuse him of being a "pretty boy", especially now he's got a permanent week's-growth on his face and a no.1 buzzcut. looks straight out of long-bay.

Respect Wil - he's got infinitely more credibility and love for comedy than pretty much any other Aussie comedian you can name.

[Cherryish]

Originally Posted by kebab_oner

IRespect Wil - he's got infinitely more credibility and love for comedy than pretty much any other Aussie comedian you can name.

I can't speak for anyone, but I don't think they're saying that they don't respect Wil, just that his material has changed alot.
*shrug*

[cam]

[Edit by Mythor - Removed personal attack.]

I've been seeing Wil live for years, and I disagree with you guys. If anything, he's got sharper and more frenetic as time's gone on. kinda like The Simpsons.

You reckon you're just "too cool" to dig him now he's popular?

Interesting people would accuse him of being a "pretty boy", especially now he's got a permanent week's-growth on his face and a no.1 buzzcut. looks straight out of long-bay.

Respect Wil - he's got infinitely more credibility and love for comedy than pretty much any other Aussie comedian you can name.

Yeah - right on. I am sick of people jumping up and down about how Wil isn't as funny as he used to be. He is as funny, if not funnier, than he used to be. He has more stage and joke craft than he did in the "hay day" that a lot of you refer to and is still as thoughful and political in his material as he ever was - he just does it with more subtlety now. Maybe that passes over some of your heads.