Veteran stand up comic Kieran Butler has made a career out of saying the unsayable.
But with his new show, which focuses on his experience as a self-described “stupid husband and idiot dad”, he’s easing up on that. Well, a little bit.
A true journeyman of the comedy world, Butler has sold out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and sung footy parodies on national radio back here in Australia.
He is also a true believer in the important function comedians play in society.
“Comics are meant to entertain you, they’re meant to make you forget about your troubles at the end of a long week,” he said.
“But there’s another role, and that is to push the boundaries a little bit. Comedians get permission to say the unsayable, and that means taking risks. You risk the possibility that 150 people will decide to hate you all at once.
“(American comedian) Patrice O’Neal once said the best jokes are when half the audience are pissing themselves laughing and the other half are horrified, and that’s one of the best feelings in comedy, when you split the room down the middle.”
Obviously having thought long and hard about the nuances of comedy, throughout his career Butler has avoided the tired tropes of joking about the foibles of his wife and children – “ it’s just too much of an easy get”.
Instead, his new show turns the spotlight back on himself; the things that go wrong as a parent and things parents might think but can’t talk about.
“When you lose your kid, it’s frightening how quickly your brain starts thinking that you could explain this to your wife on the grounds that we could just make another one – that’s the beauty of the system” he said.
“And then you think, my god, that’s a bit pathetic. But then you eventually find your kid and it’s all good.
“I’m hoping people will be able to recognise a bit of themselves in my experiences. And I’m also hoping there might be a few moments where they go, oh, I reckon you’re on your own there bro.”
Kieran Butler performs at Manhattan Bar on November 2 and 3 as part of the Geelong Comedy Festival.
