Jackie Loeb is a crack-up. Described as ‘Gobsmackingly Excellent’ and ‘completely in-your-face funny’ by publications across the galaxy, Jackie Loeb has built her reputation as one of today’s most hilarious and gifted standup comedians while simultaneously distinguishing herself as a versatile actor, vocalist, musician and writer. Let’s just be honest; she can sing like the best torch singer you’ve ever heard and she’s piss-your-pants funny.
Tell me, what is your take on ageing and the pressure to have botox and fillers?
I had no idea I was ageing. I thought my second tummy was meant to be there. I feel zero pressure to stick needles and toxins into my face, although I wouldn’t say no to someone offering to vacuum up the fat under my chin. I am always in awe of high-profile women and men who just allow everything to publicly ‘droop and sag’, although my boobs and eyelids pioneered this technique years ago.
What’s your mantra for self-love?
Touch it, smell it, take it home, eat it.
How do you keep in shape?
I visualise myself at the gym while lying in bed with last night’s dinner plate resting on my gut.
What is your greatest fear?
Having a flatmate when I’m forty-six.
Is being a comedian all it’s cracked up to be?
You get to travel, sometimes you get a drink voucher or a complimentary ‘roast of the day’. You have the opportunity to hold a microphone and participate in a one-sided conversation with a room full of strangers, which is an incredible privilege, and you get to work with some fabulous comics. So long as you don’t need to pay bills, support a family or feed a cat, being a comedian will always be my vocation of choice!
What is a normal day for Jackie Loeb over there in LA?
What I like to do first thing is go downstairs to the foyer area and pick up a free bottle of water. Then I complain about the dogs barking in the apartment upstairs, then I will go to the supermarket for no particular reason, then I peruse several acting websites for acting gigs, then I go downstairs and see if there are any free bottles of water left, then I sit and try to adapt the intricacies of my life into jokes.
Do the Yanks get us? Do they really get that wonderful self-deprecating sense of humour?
Overall they do understand us; however, an audience member recently told me I needed to pronounce my name a little clearer. I told her she needed to listen a little harder. Yes, I think they relish the self-deprecating humour. America isn’t really a ‘take-the-piss-out-of-yourself’ culture, so hearing someone else do it is cathartic, and assures them it’s okay to celebrate one’s foibles, shortcomings and dysfunction publicly.
What has surprised you the most being over there?
Without doubt, the lack of glamour, competency and infrastructure. Everything is an arduous task, be it having your car ‘smog tested’ or finding a food item that does not contain high-fructose corn syrup. And when it rains, LA goes into crisis mode, cars fall into sinkholes, and people’s umbrellas break. When I first touched down, it felt that I had been dropped off into a developing nation, where the people just happened to have nice clothes, jobs and the latest iPhone. On the positive, the people are amazing. I did not expect to form such incredible friendships, albeit mostly with other Australians living here, but my American friends are some of the finest supportive people, who so desperately want things to go well for me here so I don’t return to Australia permanently. So that feels kinda nice.
What have you missed most about Australia?
My family, my partner, my friends, my life, nature, the beaches, cheese that isn’t bright orange, good coffee, air that doesn’t give me a chest infection and overhearing conversations that do not pertain to acting, screenplays, agents, managers and juice cleanses.
You do some wonderful musical parodies. What are the songs you covered in your show where you featured the ‘worst’?
The great thing about paying homage to the ‘worst’ songs is that there’s no need to parody them. My opening number for my show Worst Songs Ever Written was Walk the Dinosaur, complete with full choreography and dinosaur costumes, followed by Heal the World. Then the big finale was a medley of We Built this City and Barry Manilow’s I Write the Songs. And for my encore, the Aussie classic Shudapa Ya Face. (Despite deep down thinking this was one of the best songs ever written!)
How did you feel getting the MO award?
I thought it was a mistake. I thought, ‘This is rigged, I want a recount!’ But once I got over that, I felt a sense of acknowledgement and respect among my peers. As for my mother, you couldn’t find a prouder mum.
What is on the agenda for Jackie Loeb in 2017?
I will be launching my debut celebrity fragrance called Stench, a subtle mix of decaying flowers and despair. I will also be recording a new CD, or should I say a collection of MP3 files. I have an animated music video I will be launching very soon and then there’s the comedy pilot I have written, which I hope gets picked up and developed into a series. In 2017 I will also continue to eat excessively, use hand sanitiser and stare into space.
What should we expect for your show at the Byron Services Club?
Funny fun. I love having fun, and seeing others have fun as a result of having fun brings me so much fun. That didn’t really answer the question; I got distracted by the packet of biscuits next to me.
Monday at Byron Services Club. Doors 7pm, show 8pm. $20/25
Tickets online at mandynolan.com.au or at the club.
Enquiries to 6619 0529
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