2021 RECAP
What a crazy year 2021 was, even though we were hamstrung by Covid it still feels like so much happened in the blink of an eye. I’m gonna try to do one of these State of The Ramble posts every year and recap what was good, what was bad, and what’s next.
First up, a big thank you to anybody who came out and watched me tell some yuks in 2021, genuinely couldn’t do it without you and I hope you left the shows feeling better than you came in.
FIRST, THE GOOD
The mini tour I did with DIY comedy up in the north island was the most fun I’ve had on the road in a long time. They are just a fantastic and hilarious group of people up there, I can’t wait until the next one!
Getting a nomination in the NZ Comedy Guild awards for “Breakout South Island Comedian” was also incredibly shocking, but appreciated. It’s nice to know that there are some colleagues out there keeping an eye on what I do, despite my hermit-like behaviour.
Running my solo hour “Ruddzilla” at Kensington Fun House was a nice note to leave the venue on, and it was cool to challenge myself doing an hour. The amount of shows that have started up since The Kenso closed has been really inspiring, it’s also left me with more stage time than I know what to do with! If you had told me in 2014 when I started that I’d one day be gigging up to 4 times a week, I would have been over the moon.
Every show that I collaborated with Matt & Tina on under the Can Do Comedy banner has been a delight, two wonderful and hard working individuals who deserve all the success that will one day come their way! If you’re in Rangiora, definitely come and check out the monthly open mic on the first Thursday of the month, it’s always an amazing show with some very funny visiting guests.
Playing The Austin Club on Jude Ivy’s show Comedy Underground has been so much fun, in the beginning I found the room really hard to work due to the noise and distractions, but the last few times I’ve been on there have just been an absolute ball, get yourself out to one of those gigs if you haven’t already!
WHAT COULD HAVE GONE BETTER
I probably could have done more writing and more gigging. I think every comic does think this about themselves, and I’ve been known to hold myself to a high standard. I do think in this past year I have begun to hit my stride and find the sort of jokes that work best for me. I’m really looking forward to putting together another hour and hitting the road in 2022.
The closing of Kensington Fun House was also a really sad day for me, but I will forever be grateful to Julie, Sam & Reg for letting me run so many shows there. I learnt so much from my time at The Kenso, and even though the place has been sold on and redone, I’ll always have fond memories of doing crazy shows there and then standing outside on the street talking nonsense with the comics until far too late on work nights.
The whole Covid thing, I don’t think I need to say much more on this, but we had our fair share of gigs cancelled due to lockdowns or sickness. I missed a couple of weeks worth of big shows being out with a cold in November, that was really disappointing.
I might not have missed out on much, given how many of them got cancelled but I feel like I should have applied for some of the Fringe festivals around NZ, definitely something to look forward to in 2022.
WHAT'S NEXT?
I plan to hit the road a lot more in 2022, already have a map of potential venues to try and hit around NZ. Really looking forward to getting some more road miles under my belt.
I will also obviously continue collaborating with Tina and Matt under Can Do Comedy, we’ve got heaps of exciting shows in Wigram, Selwyn and possibly something in the CBD coming up, as well as the usual Date Night Comedy nights. I am also mulling over producing a 4 person regular gig somewhere in Christchurch with an emphasis on new material. I’ll keep everybody updated once I have figured out what I’m doing.
Once again, big thank you to all the Ruddlemaniacs out there who dig what I do, I can’t wait for you to hear all the new jokes I’m working on. Look forward to seeing you down the road some time!