Interviewing Austen Tayshus is like ice skating along razorblades – it’s fast and it’s dangerous and everything will be fine as long as nobody stops moving, and after nine-and-a-half-minutes on the phone, I’m pretty sure that’s just the way he likes it. It leaves me breathless, exhausted, exhilarated and vaguely annoyed – also, I suspect, just the way he likes it.
In 1983 Austen Tayshus released his first single, ’Australiana’, a four-minute-and-20-second spoken word monologue, which was number one on the charts for 13 weeks and ended up being the biggest-selling single of that year, and subsequently the highest-selling Aussie single of all time. Austen Tayshus was the biggest stand-up comedy star of the decade – some folks think he still is.
His brand of comedy is highly provocative, current, smart and mostly improvised on the stage or on the alcohol-infused carpets.
In these times of frightened victims, Austen stands out by being totally unafraid to approach any forbidden subject.
His shows are hilarious and, even after a lengthy career, still packed out.
Byron Bay is his favoured destination as the eccentric and eclectic crowds are always up for it – or ready to take the bait…
I spoke to Austen last week – we were both in a hurry.
Tell me about your doco.
Austen Tayshus Skin in the Game has been out for about a year now and it’s going very well there. It’s going to be there for another four years actually. It’s a retrospective of my career, travelling around and insulting people. It’s going well.
Are you the producer?
Ha, who else would? I’m the producer and I put the whole thing together. Peter Cox is the director and he did a great job. It’s edited by John Scott. He did a beautiful job. It’s a great little doco – better than John Farnham’s.
The tagline reads… ’he travels around the country pushing everyone to the limit’. Do you get exhausted by pushing everyone to the limit?
No, not at all. Particularly now when everybody needs a bit of a shake-up. It’s just an artistic approach, which is what I’ve always had. Some people misinterpret it, but it’s really about trying stuff on and improvising – creating something unpredictable for myself and for the audience.
When you say ’some people misinterpret it’, do you care?
Not really… You know, I’m not selling out stadiums so it’s hard work, but I’ve probably done 100 shows over the last 12 months. I’m going to continue until I’m 100. I’m gonna die on stage.
My favourite thing is doing stand-up. It’s very interesting to just think of something and then go straight out and give it a shot.
You’re in the big 40 year – how’s that going?
Yes, it’s 40 years since ’Australiana’ came out; 43 years, since I started doing this job. So it’s, you know, it’s an interesting proposition.
And you’re still performing ’Australiana’?
I do it in every show. I mean, the audience demand it – really demand it! And if I don’t do it straight through, if I muck around with it, I get heckled. But I really do enjoy it.
What inspires you?
Well, you know, currency inspires me…
You mean money?
Well, that’s a part of it, you know, I’m still getting a hundred grand per show. So that’s enough. Do you need more than that…? I meant current affairs – so I know what’s going on. I read every newspaper, every day, and you know, that is a great inspiration.
I just really enjoy trying to make things up on the stage, so utilising all of that stuff that’s around in the zeitgeist, I just put it all together somehow, and it just happens informally.
… a bit like channelling comedy?
Well, that’s what I do!
Have you ever had a heckler that you didn’t have a comeback for?
Once. After about 20,000 shows. But most people have got nothing to say. You know, they yell at you but they’re not saying anything. It’s very rare that you get anything clever coming from the audience. I’m usually the cleverest person in the room, so that makes it easier.
Are you having enough fun?
Well, enough, you know, well, that’s obviously relative, but compared to Donald Trump, I don’t know…
I am having a lot of fun. I’m travelling constantly, which I enjoy and it’s very therapeutic, like, you know, washing up without a machine, you know what I mean? I like being on the road and I’ve been on the road a lot this year, all around Australia and Europe, and I like travelling. I like the smell of the car. You know? That’s a great thing.
Most of my friends are in retirement villages on oxygen. Most people I grew up with have Zimmer frames. In fact, a lot of my audiences are on Zimmer frames. In fact, half the audience died in my last show in Wollongong.
Don’t miss Austen Tayshus at the Byron Bay Services Club on Monday, 8 January.
Tickets are only available from the club by phone or in person.
If you need a warm-up act, the documentary of this iconic career – Austen Tayshus Skin in the Game – is now streaming on Foxtel and Binge.
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