Dave O’Neil performs with Geelong comedian Jonathon Schuster during a gig in the city next week.
By Cherie Donnellan
DAVE O’Neil’s boss suggested he become a comedian – right after sacking him.
“I was working in public relations and I got sacked, so I wrote a song about my boss and the board,” O’Neil recounted to the Independent.
“He actually laughed and said ‘You should do stand-up’, so I did.”
Twenty-three years later O’Neil is a staple of Australia’s comedy circuit, with appearances at 13 Melbourne International Comedy Festivals and appearances on television’s Spicks and Specks, Gordon Street Tonight and Good News Week as well as working as a radio host.
But O’Neil said being a dad to three children keeps him busy.
“They’re a handful,” he admitted over the phone while minding three-year-old son Barney amid a cacophony of crashing and smashing.
“We’re just playing with some cans – it’s bin day,” O’Neil laughed.
He attributed everyday life for inspiring his stand-up material, delivered with typical Australian attitude.
“I talk about anything and everything that happens to me. It could be just about going to the park with my kids or about being married.
“I talk about my experiences on TV a lot, too. Like, I actually got offered to do a reality show called Celebrity Fat Camp.
“Guess how that made me feel – fat!”
O’Neil laughed off jokes about his weight.
“But you’ve got to make the jokes yourself before someone else does. People think it’s funny that I acknowledge it.”
O’Neil said he knew “a thing or two about Geelong”, with his wife from the area.
“I’ve seen the bollards on the foreshore many a time.
“I went to Smorgy’s –- you could eat, then go and vomit in the ocean if you ate too much.”
O’Neil praised budding comedians Jonathon Schuster and Daniel Connell, who will join him at a Beav’s Bar gig next Thursday.
“Jonathon’s from Geelong and he’s great. Dan is from Melbourne but he’s very country-esque. They’re both funny guys.”
O’Neil said persistence was the key to comedy for wannabe performers.
“There’s no point thinking you’re a legend in your lounge room. You’ve got to keep getting up on stage and trying it out.”
