Tag: Greg Fleet

Greg Fleet & Sam Petersen – Rusty Fragment Live

By Colin Flaherty

Sam Peterson and Greg Fleet, co-hosts of the Rusty Fragment podcast and other Rusty endeavours, bring us Rusty Fragment Live – the sketch show. Hung upon a framework of the duo discussing and devising the show itself, it is a ramshackle production in both storyline and execution. Even the minimal props and costuming planned for the sketches are lucky to reach the stage most nights.

The looseness of the show does have a certain charm, their enthusiasm is infectious and the goodwill of the audience lets them get away with quite a bit. Bringing attention to the show’s shortcomings is cute at first but tends to get tiresome, regardless of the many witty comments they pile on top.

Peterson’s role is primarily to play straight man to Fleet and to try and rein him in when wandering off script and boy does Sam have his work cut out for him! Fleety easily loses his place in a sketch and improvises to cover but the momentum of the scene grinds to a halt. With a few self-deprecating comments about the progress of the show, they manage to get back on track and limp towards the punchline…And Scene.

There are some genuinely funny sketches but these ideas are constantly in danger of being stomped on by their very sloppy delivery. Most of the scenes have a comically aggressive tone while others are whimsically daft. Long time Fleet fans get to see a classic monologue which tickles the funny bone and he goes off on some flights of fancy just like the old days that range from absurdly hilarious to silly filler.

This is certainly not the most polished show of the festival. You’ll find plenty of laughs if watching two mates dick about on stage is your thing, if not you’ll be frustrated.

Rusty Fragment Live is on at FAD Gallery until April 21
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2018/shows/rusty-fragment-live

Recipients of the 2015 Brian McCarthy Memorial Moosehead Awards

Brian McCarthy Memorial Moosehead Awards are more like a supportive grant and 2 – 4 applicants are chosen each year depending on how exciting and different the ideas are. It is a way of promoting creativity in Comedy and the award includes The Comedy Channel Director’s Grant, which engages a director for each of the Moosehead Award Recipients. If you’ve got some fabulous way out idea for a show that might need some help, you can start thinking about making your application next year.

The winners of the 2015 Moosehead Awards have been announced

They are:

THE GODS

Starring – Bob Franklin, Greg Fleet, Lawrence MooneyBrain child of Steven Gates


JONESTOWN – GUINEA PIGS

Nicholas J Johnson and Sarah Jones

 

THRASHER: A LIFE IN A SKATE SHOP (working title)

David Quirk


Our congratulations to all of the 2015 Recipients, we look forward to seeing all of these intriguing sounding shows next year during the 2015 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

For more information check out The Moosehead Awards website:

http://www.mooseheadawards.com.au/

Greg Fleet The Boy who Cried Sober

By Jayden Edwards

So is Fleety still on drugs? It’s the question Greg Fleet cleverly embeds in his audiences’ head from the get go of ‘The boy who cried sober’.

In this new show, Greg revisits his highly esteemed ‘Ten Years in a long sleeve shirt’ during which he addressed his long held addiction to Heroin and how he overcame it. The only problem with that show, as he explains in this one, is that he was mostly high as a kite while performing it.

This year, we see the real Fleety, he bares his sole, telling amazing tales of the hairy situations his addiction lead him to, the shame of letting down anyone he ever had a decent relationship with and the ridiculous lengths he went to, to score; like borrowing $100 from an audience member and never paying them back!

Mixed in with the life changing stuff are some of the down right stupid/hilarious things he did while using, the best of which involves his stint in breakfast radio. Greg’s lived a colorful life that’s for sure, and as sad as it is, users really do have the best stories.

The stories themselves are incredible to hear, but mix that with Greg’s masterful, relaxed yet passionate storytelling style and you’ll find yourself enthralled, entertained and laughing all at once; 30 years in the biz is truly evident.

Thrown in the mix is some general topical stand up told in true Fleety style plus some theatrical pieces that are maybe a little pretentious, but take nothing away.

Greg noted that he felt his earlier audience went away feeling like they’d been to an anti-drug seminar, but there were no signs of that here. This is just deep, entertaining storytelling told by a national comic treasure who deserves to be held in much higher esteem.

But is he still on drugs?

Greg Fleet’s The Boy who Cried Sober is on at The Melbourne Town Hall
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2013/season/shows/the-boy-that-cried-sober-greg-fleet

St Kilda Comedy at Felix Bar

by Luke Simmons


To mark the first official day of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, a near full-house
witnessed a great night of sample comedy at the Felix Bar in St Kilda. And unlike the measly samples
you get at supermarkets, everyone left this night feeling full to the brim. MC’d skillfully by Matt
Okine, the night provided punters with a taster of the other 7 comics’ shows which are happening
throughout the festival.

The balmy night got off to a great start when it became clear that the crowd didn’t need any extra
gee’ing up. Okine then slammed into his routine and had everyone in his hands throughout the
night as he brought us into his world of money (see: envy), food and… his square-looking nuts.
Great job Matt and do check out Broken Diamond House!

Greg Fleet hit the stage and killed it as per usual. As a taster for his upcoming show, Greg mostly
spoke of drugs in both the sporting and “relaxational” sense. If you ever have a beer with him, ask
him whether he’s ever been recognised for his role as the killer in Neighbours… For more of Fleet,
see: The Boy Who Cried Sober.

Dayne Rathbone (It’s Me Dayne) then came on and kind of took everyone by surprise with his
unique brand of humour. Part of his appeal and funniness comes from his (deliberate) awkward
style of storytelling. However, he closed with a rape joke which seemed to divide the room
somewhat.

Dilruk Jayasinha then hit the stage at a million miles an hour and took everyone through the trials
and tribulations of his love life. Not surprising, he has a show coming up with Adam Francis called
RomCom. No one likes to get dumped and Jayasinha took the crowd through some of the worst
case scenarios of being on the receiving end. He rocked the mic.

The super stylish Rhys Nicholson waltzed onto the stage and gave the audience a lesson in hard
partying, Sydney culture and to use social media to lift yourself out of the dumps. Nicholson thrives
on pushing the sexual envelope and has the slickness to pull it off – then some. Check out: Dawn of
a New Error.

Imagine that Shane Hunter is that Aussie mate of yours who loves telling stories of everything that’s
wrong with humans and/or Australians. Multiple his wit/delivery/timing by 100 and then you have
Shane. I think he’s worked out how the pyramids were made. Hunter is a piss-funny man you’d love
to have at your BBQ. His Festival show is called Help Me Hunter.

Juliet Myers then slammed onto the stage and made use of every second she had. Her high energy
set covered highbrow Brit culture and proves that some people do become ĂĽber jerks as soon as
they leave their shores. She’s got a massive reputation and proved it’s warranted based on her set.
See: Middle Lane Swimmer.

Damian Power skilfully closed off the night with a power set including an intellectually challenged
sportsman who finds clarity. This guy is a clever man. He then outlines why racist people have
mental deficiencies while pointing out how drugs can have positive effects on motivation levels. If you
like Bill Hicks, you’ll love this guy’s way of thinking. See: Monkeys In Space

Based on audience reaction alone, this night made everyone laugh, was very reasonably priced and
gave an ideal insight into what to expect at the comic’s full length shows. Felix Bar Comedy regularly
attracts funny men and women of the highest order for their Wednesday nights – and they did it
once again.

http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2013/season/shows/st-kilda-comedy-at-felix-bar

Greg Fleet – Heroes

By Andrew Holmes


Heroes – performed by Greg Fleet started off in the strangest way. Fleety starts siting on chair in a low light and in a very pained and reflective voice, begins to tell a story about the demise of SuperHeroes, Fleety’s failed attempts at being one and the unfortunate suicide of Superman. No-one really knew how to take this dark and serious monologue but thankfully it passed and the real Greg Fleet stood up!

I’ve seen Fleety do stand-up more times than I can remember and he’s never let me down. This stalwart of the Australian Comedy scene has been telling stories in his special Fleety way for almost 25 years and I’ve only once heard the same heckling story – that is a brilliant comic library!

The show is essentially about the people that Fleety puts up on a pedestal – his Heroes. The air hostie telling it like it is and the drunken taxi driver. There some cracking stories of his personal, bravery attempting antics; like taking on the Thai mafia and a strange tale of a Peter Parker Spiderman like effort on St Kilda Road. After a while though, the stories tend to lose their flimsy ties with the heroic back drop and just become amusing stories. All that aside, they’re told by Greg Fleet – so it could be about paint drying and it would still be gold.

The creepy monologues could be axed from the show. They didn’t really fit and left a really strange post-show mood in the room. They were the start, middle and end – perhaps there was a deeper morale story there somewhere. No idea what he is trying here but it didn’t quite work.

It must be said – once a Fleety fan, always a Fleety fan. He’s managed to change it up and keep it entertaining for this long, even through a self-proclaimed “drug hobby”. If you haven’t seen him before – get involved; and if you have, you know you won’t be let down.

Greg Fleet is performing Heroes in the Council Chambers at the Melbourne Town Hall.

http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2012/season/shows/heroes-greg-fleet/