Hugh van Kylenburg

I was like wanting to be a full-time professional comedian, but when you're not making a living as a comedian and you say you're a comedian, it's sort of embarrassing, isn't it really?

This guy thinks he's funny, but he's just a dickhead.

And so I would – yeah, it would be awkward for me to be at parties and get asked what I did.

And being on the dole was – I felt some shame.

But I would joke about it on stage and everyone would laugh and then it makes it okay.

And I'd actually have people come up to me after doing, you know, jokes about being on the dole and saying, mate, I'm on the dole as well and you just made me feel okay about it.

And that's what I really liked, that I could –

use my own vulnerability and my own failure to get a laugh, but also make other people feel it's okay to laugh at their own situations as well.

So yeah, I do appreciate that statement that you just read out.

Definitely, 100%.

So I did a gig in Warrnambool actually only a couple of weekends ago and I bloody loved it.

But, yeah, part of the reason I hadn't done a gig down there for so long was I was worried about what people would think or what if I didn't sell this venue out or, you know, it's just absolute bullshit.

Yeah, like I'd be embarrassed if this didn't sell out.

And like, oh, God.

And then people who I grew up with are going to think, oh, he's not as successful as what he thinks he is.

And it's just absolute crap.

So I did the gig and it was bloody great.

And I'm like, why wasn't I here 10 years ago?

Crazy.

I had relatives turn up who I thought were dead.