December 31, 2024 • 15 mins
Tom Sainsbury talks comedy, dramatic aspirations, obsession with the "New Zealand character"
Tom Sainsbury wears many hats - actor, writer, comedian, director, host, influencer - across film, tv, stage, and social media here in New Zealand and on international projects.
Kiwis might know him for his political impersonations or shows like Wellington Paranormal.
Tom is hosting a winter special of New Zealand’s International Comedy Festival, and having just returned from a very glamorous international sojourn, he joined Jack Tame in studio for a chat.
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast
from news Talks atb.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Tom Sainsbury Wear's many hats, actor, writer, comedian, director, host,
influencer Ah.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
He'll hate me saying that.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Across film, TV, stage and social media. You might know him,
of course, for his political impersonations, all for shows like Wellington,
paranormal shows like Educators. And Tom is hosting a winter
special of New Zealand's International Comedy Festival and having just
returned from a very glamorous international Sojean, he's here with
(00:42):
us in Studio Calda.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Good morning, Hi, It's so good to see you always,
and you've just returned from Monaco. So ain't you don't
look you don't need to just rub it a.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
Show off my gold. No, I couldn't get into the
main casinos.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Just explain to us why you have been in Monaco,
of all places, because we liked it on Saturday mornings,
we liked you know, in the depths of winter we
think about slightly more exotic warmer climbs.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
Yeah, well I was over there. Look, it's all feeling
like I'm flexing, but it's not. We we scraped and
saved and we went over to the Caun Film Festival
to pitch a new film that day, right right, And
while we were there, it was like there's a few
kind of days floating around, so like three days and
we're like I was there randomly with some other friends
that with you, and we're like, let's go to Monico
for the day because I've been obsessed with my I've
(01:30):
been obsessed with micro states from my entire life, like
you know, microstates Luxembourg. Okay, of course, yeah, and I
still haven't been. I had the opportunity to go to
San Marino. I love Samarino. Yes, have you been to
San Marino?
Speaker 3 (01:43):
I haven't been to San Marina. I think I cheered
them more on the Olympics.
Speaker 4 (01:47):
When you are going to San Marino, please reach out
and let me know and if if it can happen,
I'm joining you in San Marino. But anyway, we were
there and we so we spent that kind of a
day there. It's all you really need in Monico. We
were there the day before the Formula one race, so
that all set it up.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
So there was lots of kind of asked this is
sounding a bit like a flex. You can't know you
had a bit of downtime just before you head it
off to Khan.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
And wait until you know that I was invited into
the palace and I'm now friends, but no, I'm not.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Across the right. Yeah, my gosh. Okay, So what were
you impressions of Monaco?
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Then? What is it?
Speaker 3 (02:26):
I because I think it looks awful from the outside.
It looks like too much money and not enough taste
or people who have. Maybe that's not fair, maybe that's
but you know what I mean, though it does seem
a bit it's showy. It's a showy place.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
It is a showy place, but it's also kind of
like there's an element of it where they don't want
to kind of be ghost so that the really wealthy
people don't kind of shell. It's not like Vegas were
everything's kind of fleshy, fleshing lights and stuff like that.
It's almost it's more like implied wealth, right, which you
would relate to.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
I do I very closely, Just like how do you
imply wealth? Uh?
Speaker 4 (03:02):
Well, you know, well, just the clothing is just pristine,
you know, but not showy, like perfectly.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
It's like Taylor's Okay, It's like it's as though you're
perfectly tailored, and it's been professionally laundered. All of your
clothing has been professionally launded. That's a flex.
Speaker 4 (03:20):
That's a flex, and it's the you can you can
kind of.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Someone's iron the sleeves as well as the main part
of the shirt you got.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
It's fancy and if you were to have any kind
of bling, it would be your cuff links. And that's interesting.
We're not a watch Oh no, yes, the watch I
feel like yeah, yeah, and they head watching watching watch
watch watch stores and with the expense, were they crazy?
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Yeah? Because you know, is it the partique Philip. That's
the one where they say, I only ever see these
ads when I'm like, you know, at an airport and something.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
That's the post. It's the one.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Yeah, yeah, that's that's how they do it. They have
the post. But that the tagline. I think it is
for the partic fleet. They say, no one ever owns
a partic for leet. You merely look after it for
the next generation.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
You see.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
You just don't get that with your Cassie Well you
g shops Yeah exactly. Okay, that sounds like you would
fit right, and you can kind of appreciate that level
of wealth. You mean, like fewer Lamborghinis, Ferraris and stuff
despite the formula one.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
Yeah you got it.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
You didn't say around for the formulae I.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
Was thinking about I was thinking about going for it,
but the que because I was staying in Nice, which
was a lot cheaper, just down the road. And it's
just down the road. But the next day, like the
cues to get onto the train to go the side,
I don't have done for this, so I didn't do it.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
That's a flex. That's a flex there. There's the real flex,
being able to say I'm here, I'm in Monaco at
the Grand Prixs on I'm not.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Going to go yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
How did the pitching go? Are you allowed to tell us?
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Or is it?
Speaker 4 (04:47):
It kind of like these kind of things. It's a beginning.
You kind of meet these people and then you've got
to develop the relationship. And our pitch went quite it
went quite well. But it's all kind of a shifting sands.
No one wants to make the first move. We've got
people that are kind of interested, but no one until
something comes, you know, it all has to lock into place.
How do you pitch it?
Speaker 3 (05:07):
How do you pitch a film is it like shark tank?
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Well our specific thing what like most people don't. But
we were very kindly kind of hosted by the New
Zealand Film Festival. They kind of film last year, that's right.
They were like, do you have a genre piece? And
so there are seven random international film festivals around the
world and they all select filmmakers to pitch the next idea.
(05:30):
This is called the fant Fantastic Seven and you so
it's all from So we were pitching against like an
Egyptian film company at Lithuanian Best. They were Lithuanians. All
the Lithuanians I know, and they would probably be the eight.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
Yep, that's more than most people know.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
Are wonderfully eccentric. And these filmmakers their film was like
bonkers and they were bonkers.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
And you're like, I'll buy this film, y yeah, yeah, okay,
And so you go into this environment and you have
to You've got five minutes, and so you turn into
a show you do okay, And the thing is, I've
just been doing months of comedy forest where you come
on you say joking it laughs.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
I tried jokes on these probably have. People couldn't understand
my egcent someone was falling asleep in the audience. Other
people were kind of chatting like it's that kind of environment.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
So so basically you go in and they're treating you
with disdain from the word.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
Go and a very few laughs that Lithuanians did laugh,
of course, and also like I didn't. I hadn't really
considered how hot it would be, Like it's the south
of France in the middle of summer. I was swearing.
Thankfully my shirt was kind of like but there was
still you could still see the sweat.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
You could see it from the outside. Yeah, oh that's
that's a punisher ade. There's nothing you can do about
that either, because it's the classic. It's like trying to
lower your heart rate.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
When you become aware of it.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
The moment you're sweating, you say, I need to stop sweating,
and it makes you sweat more. I used to have
that problem sometimes on television, and I would put paper
towels under markets.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
I feared sentitry pets also very good.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
It's not dignified though. You look around Monaco. No one
that doesn't give away.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
The organized it so that they don't swear it. They're
never in a situation where it's too hot and it's
not perfect.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
That's again another like subtle indicator of wealth. Yeah, so
so the Lithuanians are probably talking about you like you're
talking about the Lithuanians saying, oh they're quirkies, like eccentric,
really love their films, like really good cool. Yeah, when
do you reckon, you'll find out.
Speaker 4 (07:24):
You just got to know we've got it. Feels like
the breadths are the most impressed by us. And so
it's it's kind of how do you you're kind of
pitching to people who will kind of represent the film
in that country, whatever kind of country you're you're pitching too.
So we have to kind of we have to get
(07:44):
New Zealand on board now and get all the funding
here for them to trying to jump on board. That's
the bible.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
But Ken, I don't tell me anything you're not supposed
to do. But is the film because Luke Trek was
kind of like there were comedic elements, but it wasn't
strictly a comedy, right, so when people said, oh my god,
Tom sains re maining his day, but like it wasn't
designed to be a laugh minute or anything. So, so
is this film what sort of genre, would it, I.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
Would maybe it's similar, Like I think it's really funny.
It's basically the kind of premise of it is like
a foreign exchange student living with it, like a New
Zealand dairy farming family in a micro state in a
micro state exactly. And I just love, like I just
my whole obsession is the New Zealand character and how
(08:28):
New Zealanders behave, Like I've spent years thinking about it.
So it's all my kind of comedy. So we'll see.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
So it's interesting because I'm sure people ask you this
when you're or you think about this when you're touring.
And I wondered, how your because so much of your
comedy relates to the New Zealand psyche and New Zealand
personalities and stuff, do you ever stress about how well
that translates to other countries and cultures?
Speaker 4 (08:54):
One hundred percent? In fact, it was only it was
only this year twenty twenty fours for some have performed
in Australia, going, how am I going to be taken
in Australia.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
So the problem with Australia is that there are so
many keys as well, that's not the problem, but you.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
Know, yeah, yeah, but I would do a shout out,
I'm like, who here's New Zealand, who's in heaven? Gig
around that, and it was always about a quarter would
be Kiwis and the rest would be Australians. And I
think I just think Britain, Australia and New Zealand are
so culturally similar, just product difference, but how we kind
of you know, and I'm speaking of the kind of
(09:28):
the white western kind of vibes. I think that that translates.
It's interesting. I did a video of the best video
I've ever done. It's got two and a half million views,
and it's just just a stupid one of someone eating
chips but making like a real kind of performance on
her life, just like brushing their fingers and brushing their
mouth and getting rid of the crumbs and just doing
it like that and then repeating and repeating and just
(09:49):
like just pull yourself together, these people. But it's done
so hugely in America for some reason, and specifically with
like African American culture, and so it's like, get, I've
got all these kind of African Americans kind of following me,
and then they kind of get the keys they know,
and then back in the day, I did this gag
about a woman like cutting your heir and herself and
(10:09):
she couldn't quite get the levels. So just and that
got millions of views in South Africa. I don't know what,
like who knows that there must be here comedy in
South Africa? So I don't know. It's interesting.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
Yeah, I must have been likely concerned when you said
you were talking about white Western vibes. I'm going in
this interview. Yes, so if the Brits are may be
interested when you're pitching, you can kind of they can
kind of appreciate that, Yes, more than more than some
other cultures or would necessarily pick up on that human.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
One hundred percent, and probably Brits more than Australians that
we've kind of pitched the study because it's all about
comedy of manners and like passive aggression and not being
able to really communicate your feelings as New Zealanders want
to do and so and like the Australians haven't really
vibed with that. They don't really understand. They're like, why
are they babing like this? You don't get it, but
the Brits do.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
Can you distill you pick up those quirks in our
national character. But do you you just add a movie
night and someone has a funny thing with chips and
you pick up on it, like are you is it
a conscious thing or is it just they are?
Speaker 4 (11:15):
It's all a variety. I think the chips thing is observation. Yeah,
that's an observation.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
It's an observation, right, But so at some point you've.
Speaker 4 (11:24):
I've seen someone going going to town eating chips.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
And You've thought, I can I can do that, and
that's funny or I'm.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
More like mild irritation. That's sort of like that. Yeah,
and it's just so stupid, Like who am I to judge?
Speaker 3 (11:40):
But you must there must be a kind of like
is there are you you know? Are you conscious? Do
you go about the world thinking like with your eyes
wide open looking at everyone going, oh my gosh, look
how they're reacting?
Speaker 4 (11:52):
Or is it?
Speaker 3 (11:52):
Does it just kind of happen by osmosis.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
Osmosis a lot? But when you're kind of in the
zone of making regular or daily videos, you're kind of
attuned to it. So when something does come into your consciousness,
like you put it away into the diary, it.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
Strikes me that you are just doing so much stuff,
or at the very least you have been evolved with
so much stuff over the last couple of years. And
I mean, no one thinks anyone gets into comedy to
make gazillions of dollars.
Speaker 4 (12:23):
But do you Are.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
You in a position where you're saying no to stuff?
Do you feel like you can say no to stuff?
Speaker 4 (12:29):
Emotionally? I don't think I can. I'm compliance and psychologically
it's really important to me and complying to people. I'm
being compliant, but I can. It would be a lot
beauterif if I did say no to things just for
scheduling and stuff, and I can. Financially I could. Yeah,
so financially I'm fine. And but I mean even creatively, like,
(12:50):
do you do you feel like you can say?
Speaker 1 (12:51):
You know what?
Speaker 3 (12:52):
That's actually not right for me right now. I really
want to focus my attentions. Here are you doing. You're
making films, You're doing your comedy stuff, like you're doing
stand up, you do stuff on social media, plus you're
writing plays. You're like you're doing everything.
Speaker 4 (13:05):
Yeah, yeah, yes, it's complicated that. I should be a
lot more kind of savvy about that, and I should
restrict myself.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
But not necessarily.
Speaker 4 (13:14):
I do like most of the ideas, I'm like, I'm
really buzzing with and then I get to say it.
I'm like, oh, I'm swamped and I have to say
no to the next project. And then someone pitches something
to me. I'm like, that is good. Yeah, we're speaking.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
Even though we've had the comedy Festival this year, I
love this idea. Three nights right, Basically, we're having a
midwinter celebration. Yes, you've been roped in, just give us
the details. What's the plan?
Speaker 4 (13:40):
So I'm hosting an I'm hosting an eything on the
twenty second of August down at the waterfront are the
ASP Look, I should know these details. But I'm going
to fancy theaters and other flegs. I'm hosting the comedy Garlaite,
So there's a power. I think there's about ten comedians
coming in and I'm kind of hosting it and running
(14:01):
it in some great comedity like David Krios. If you
haven't seen him or know about him, he's a real
yeah bonker, I think I can safely say bonkers.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Yeah, that is a good thing.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
Yeah. And then Courtney Dawson is also great, like she
just so confident. But there's a whole lot that Wilson Dixon,
Jack Can said and things, and I'm going to be
hosting it, so I'm back and forth on the stage.
But the amazing thing about a lineup is all these
amazing comedians and only doing like five or six minutes
each and it's the best.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
Of Oh that's great. Yeah, So it's like, yeah, yeah,
it's kind of snackaball, yeah, but very funny, snackable.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
Very funny and also like you're onto the next thing
before you even realized that.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
Yeah, Dragh fantastic, also excited, and I just think it's
a great idea to have it in the middle of winter,
as like a little beacon of light meting of the darkness.
We're glad that we've stolen you back from Monaco for
the time being, although I'm sure you're fitt in much
better over there. Thank you so much for your time,
Thank you for having me. That is Tom Satinsbury. All
the details for that midwinter New Zealand Comedy Festival one
(15:04):
off are going to be on the News Talk the
website
Speaker 1 (15:07):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to News Talks ed B from nine am Saturday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast
from news Talks atb.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Tom Sainsbury Wear's many hats, actor, writer, comedian, director, host,
influencer Ah.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
He'll hate me saying that.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Across film, TV, stage and social media. You might know him,
of course, for his political impersonations, all for shows like Wellington,
paranormal shows like Educators. And Tom is hosting a winter
special of New Zealand's International Comedy Festival and having just
returned from a very glamorous international Sojean, he's here with
(00:42):
us in Studio Calda.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Good morning, Hi, It's so good to see you always,
and you've just returned from Monaco. So ain't you don't
look you don't need to just rub it a.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
Show off my gold. No, I couldn't get into the
main casinos.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Just explain to us why you have been in Monaco,
of all places, because we liked it on Saturday mornings,
we liked you know, in the depths of winter we
think about slightly more exotic warmer climbs.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
Yeah, well I was over there. Look, it's all feeling
like I'm flexing, but it's not. We we scraped and
saved and we went over to the Caun Film Festival
to pitch a new film that day, right right, And
while we were there, it was like there's a few
kind of days floating around, so like three days and
we're like I was there randomly with some other friends
that with you, and we're like, let's go to Monico
for the day because I've been obsessed with my I've
(01:30):
been obsessed with micro states from my entire life, like
you know, microstates Luxembourg. Okay, of course, yeah, and I
still haven't been. I had the opportunity to go to
San Marino. I love Samarino. Yes, have you been to
San Marino?
Speaker 3 (01:43):
I haven't been to San Marina. I think I cheered
them more on the Olympics.
Speaker 4 (01:47):
When you are going to San Marino, please reach out
and let me know and if if it can happen,
I'm joining you in San Marino. But anyway, we were
there and we so we spent that kind of a
day there. It's all you really need in Monico. We
were there the day before the Formula one race, so
that all set it up.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
So there was lots of kind of asked this is
sounding a bit like a flex. You can't know you
had a bit of downtime just before you head it
off to Khan.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
And wait until you know that I was invited into
the palace and I'm now friends, but no, I'm not.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Across the right. Yeah, my gosh. Okay, So what were
you impressions of Monaco?
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Then? What is it?
Speaker 3 (02:26):
I because I think it looks awful from the outside.
It looks like too much money and not enough taste
or people who have. Maybe that's not fair, maybe that's
but you know what I mean, though it does seem
a bit it's showy. It's a showy place.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
It is a showy place, but it's also kind of
like there's an element of it where they don't want
to kind of be ghost so that the really wealthy
people don't kind of shell. It's not like Vegas were
everything's kind of fleshy, fleshing lights and stuff like that.
It's almost it's more like implied wealth, right, which you
would relate to.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
I do I very closely, Just like how do you
imply wealth? Uh?
Speaker 4 (03:02):
Well, you know, well, just the clothing is just pristine,
you know, but not showy, like perfectly.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
It's like Taylor's Okay, It's like it's as though you're
perfectly tailored, and it's been professionally laundered. All of your
clothing has been professionally launded. That's a flex.
Speaker 4 (03:20):
That's a flex, and it's the you can you can
kind of.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Someone's iron the sleeves as well as the main part
of the shirt you got.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
It's fancy and if you were to have any kind
of bling, it would be your cuff links. And that's interesting.
We're not a watch Oh no, yes, the watch I
feel like yeah, yeah, and they head watching watching watch
watch watch stores and with the expense, were they crazy?
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Yeah? Because you know, is it the partique Philip. That's
the one where they say, I only ever see these
ads when I'm like, you know, at an airport and something.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
That's the post. It's the one.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Yeah, yeah, that's that's how they do it. They have
the post. But that the tagline. I think it is
for the partic fleet. They say, no one ever owns
a partic for leet. You merely look after it for
the next generation.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
You see.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
You just don't get that with your Cassie Well you
g shops Yeah exactly. Okay, that sounds like you would
fit right, and you can kind of appreciate that level
of wealth. You mean, like fewer Lamborghinis, Ferraris and stuff
despite the formula one.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
Yeah you got it.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
You didn't say around for the formulae I.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
Was thinking about I was thinking about going for it,
but the que because I was staying in Nice, which
was a lot cheaper, just down the road. And it's
just down the road. But the next day, like the
cues to get onto the train to go the side,
I don't have done for this, so I didn't do it.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
That's a flex. That's a flex there. There's the real flex,
being able to say I'm here, I'm in Monaco at
the Grand Prixs on I'm not.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Going to go yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
How did the pitching go? Are you allowed to tell us?
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Or is it?
Speaker 4 (04:47):
It kind of like these kind of things. It's a beginning.
You kind of meet these people and then you've got
to develop the relationship. And our pitch went quite it
went quite well. But it's all kind of a shifting sands.
No one wants to make the first move. We've got
people that are kind of interested, but no one until
something comes, you know, it all has to lock into place.
How do you pitch it?
Speaker 3 (05:07):
How do you pitch a film is it like shark tank?
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Well our specific thing what like most people don't. But
we were very kindly kind of hosted by the New
Zealand Film Festival. They kind of film last year, that's right.
They were like, do you have a genre piece? And
so there are seven random international film festivals around the
world and they all select filmmakers to pitch the next idea.
(05:30):
This is called the fant Fantastic Seven and you so
it's all from So we were pitching against like an
Egyptian film company at Lithuanian Best. They were Lithuanians. All
the Lithuanians I know, and they would probably be the eight.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
Yep, that's more than most people know.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
Are wonderfully eccentric. And these filmmakers their film was like
bonkers and they were bonkers.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
And you're like, I'll buy this film, y yeah, yeah, okay,
And so you go into this environment and you have
to You've got five minutes, and so you turn into
a show you do okay, And the thing is, I've
just been doing months of comedy forest where you come
on you say joking it laughs.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
I tried jokes on these probably have. People couldn't understand
my egcent someone was falling asleep in the audience. Other
people were kind of chatting like it's that kind of environment.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
So so basically you go in and they're treating you
with disdain from the word.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
Go and a very few laughs that Lithuanians did laugh,
of course, and also like I didn't. I hadn't really
considered how hot it would be, Like it's the south
of France in the middle of summer. I was swearing.
Thankfully my shirt was kind of like but there was
still you could still see the sweat.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
You could see it from the outside. Yeah, oh that's
that's a punisher ade. There's nothing you can do about
that either, because it's the classic. It's like trying to
lower your heart rate.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
When you become aware of it.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
The moment you're sweating, you say, I need to stop sweating,
and it makes you sweat more. I used to have
that problem sometimes on television, and I would put paper
towels under markets.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
I feared sentitry pets also very good.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
It's not dignified though. You look around Monaco. No one
that doesn't give away.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
The organized it so that they don't swear it. They're
never in a situation where it's too hot and it's
not perfect.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
That's again another like subtle indicator of wealth. Yeah, so
so the Lithuanians are probably talking about you like you're
talking about the Lithuanians saying, oh they're quirkies, like eccentric,
really love their films, like really good cool. Yeah, when
do you reckon, you'll find out.
Speaker 4 (07:24):
You just got to know we've got it. Feels like
the breadths are the most impressed by us. And so
it's it's kind of how do you you're kind of
pitching to people who will kind of represent the film
in that country, whatever kind of country you're you're pitching too.
So we have to kind of we have to get
(07:44):
New Zealand on board now and get all the funding
here for them to trying to jump on board. That's
the bible.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
But Ken, I don't tell me anything you're not supposed
to do. But is the film because Luke Trek was
kind of like there were comedic elements, but it wasn't
strictly a comedy, right, so when people said, oh my god,
Tom sains re maining his day, but like it wasn't
designed to be a laugh minute or anything. So, so
is this film what sort of genre, would it, I.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
Would maybe it's similar, Like I think it's really funny.
It's basically the kind of premise of it is like
a foreign exchange student living with it, like a New
Zealand dairy farming family in a micro state in a
micro state exactly. And I just love, like I just
my whole obsession is the New Zealand character and how
(08:28):
New Zealanders behave, Like I've spent years thinking about it.
So it's all my kind of comedy. So we'll see.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
So it's interesting because I'm sure people ask you this
when you're or you think about this when you're touring.
And I wondered, how your because so much of your
comedy relates to the New Zealand psyche and New Zealand
personalities and stuff, do you ever stress about how well
that translates to other countries and cultures?
Speaker 4 (08:54):
One hundred percent? In fact, it was only it was
only this year twenty twenty fours for some have performed
in Australia, going, how am I going to be taken
in Australia.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
So the problem with Australia is that there are so
many keys as well, that's not the problem, but you.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
Know, yeah, yeah, but I would do a shout out,
I'm like, who here's New Zealand, who's in heaven? Gig
around that, and it was always about a quarter would
be Kiwis and the rest would be Australians. And I
think I just think Britain, Australia and New Zealand are
so culturally similar, just product difference, but how we kind
of you know, and I'm speaking of the kind of
(09:28):
the white western kind of vibes. I think that that translates.
It's interesting. I did a video of the best video
I've ever done. It's got two and a half million views,
and it's just just a stupid one of someone eating
chips but making like a real kind of performance on
her life, just like brushing their fingers and brushing their
mouth and getting rid of the crumbs and just doing
it like that and then repeating and repeating and just
(09:49):
like just pull yourself together, these people. But it's done
so hugely in America for some reason, and specifically with
like African American culture, and so it's like, get, I've
got all these kind of African Americans kind of following me,
and then they kind of get the keys they know,
and then back in the day, I did this gag
about a woman like cutting your heir and herself and
(10:09):
she couldn't quite get the levels. So just and that
got millions of views in South Africa. I don't know what,
like who knows that there must be here comedy in
South Africa? So I don't know. It's interesting.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
Yeah, I must have been likely concerned when you said
you were talking about white Western vibes. I'm going in
this interview. Yes, so if the Brits are may be
interested when you're pitching, you can kind of they can
kind of appreciate that, Yes, more than more than some
other cultures or would necessarily pick up on that human.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
One hundred percent, and probably Brits more than Australians that
we've kind of pitched the study because it's all about
comedy of manners and like passive aggression and not being
able to really communicate your feelings as New Zealanders want
to do and so and like the Australians haven't really
vibed with that. They don't really understand. They're like, why
are they babing like this? You don't get it, but
the Brits do.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
Can you distill you pick up those quirks in our
national character. But do you you just add a movie
night and someone has a funny thing with chips and
you pick up on it, like are you is it
a conscious thing or is it just they are?
Speaker 4 (11:15):
It's all a variety. I think the chips thing is observation. Yeah,
that's an observation.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
It's an observation, right, But so at some point you've.
Speaker 4 (11:24):
I've seen someone going going to town eating chips.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
And You've thought, I can I can do that, and
that's funny or I'm.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
More like mild irritation. That's sort of like that. Yeah,
and it's just so stupid, Like who am I to judge?
Speaker 3 (11:40):
But you must there must be a kind of like
is there are you you know? Are you conscious? Do
you go about the world thinking like with your eyes
wide open looking at everyone going, oh my gosh, look
how they're reacting?
Speaker 4 (11:52):
Or is it?
Speaker 3 (11:52):
Does it just kind of happen by osmosis.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
Osmosis a lot? But when you're kind of in the
zone of making regular or daily videos, you're kind of
attuned to it. So when something does come into your consciousness,
like you put it away into the diary, it.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
Strikes me that you are just doing so much stuff,
or at the very least you have been evolved with
so much stuff over the last couple of years. And
I mean, no one thinks anyone gets into comedy to
make gazillions of dollars.
Speaker 4 (12:23):
But do you Are.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
You in a position where you're saying no to stuff?
Do you feel like you can say no to stuff?
Speaker 4 (12:29):
Emotionally? I don't think I can. I'm compliance and psychologically
it's really important to me and complying to people. I'm
being compliant, but I can. It would be a lot
beauterif if I did say no to things just for
scheduling and stuff, and I can. Financially I could. Yeah,
so financially I'm fine. And but I mean even creatively, like,
(12:50):
do you do you feel like you can say?
Speaker 1 (12:51):
You know what?
Speaker 3 (12:52):
That's actually not right for me right now. I really
want to focus my attentions. Here are you doing. You're
making films, You're doing your comedy stuff, like you're doing
stand up, you do stuff on social media, plus you're
writing plays. You're like you're doing everything.
Speaker 4 (13:05):
Yeah, yeah, yes, it's complicated that. I should be a
lot more kind of savvy about that, and I should
restrict myself.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
But not necessarily.
Speaker 4 (13:14):
I do like most of the ideas, I'm like, I'm
really buzzing with and then I get to say it.
I'm like, oh, I'm swamped and I have to say
no to the next project. And then someone pitches something
to me. I'm like, that is good. Yeah, we're speaking.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
Even though we've had the comedy Festival this year, I
love this idea. Three nights right, Basically, we're having a
midwinter celebration. Yes, you've been roped in, just give us
the details. What's the plan?
Speaker 4 (13:40):
So I'm hosting an I'm hosting an eything on the
twenty second of August down at the waterfront are the
ASP Look, I should know these details. But I'm going
to fancy theaters and other flegs. I'm hosting the comedy Garlaite,
So there's a power. I think there's about ten comedians
coming in and I'm kind of hosting it and running
(14:01):
it in some great comedity like David Krios. If you
haven't seen him or know about him, he's a real
yeah bonker, I think I can safely say bonkers.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Yeah, that is a good thing.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
Yeah. And then Courtney Dawson is also great, like she
just so confident. But there's a whole lot that Wilson Dixon,
Jack Can said and things, and I'm going to be
hosting it, so I'm back and forth on the stage.
But the amazing thing about a lineup is all these
amazing comedians and only doing like five or six minutes
each and it's the best.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
Of Oh that's great. Yeah, So it's like, yeah, yeah,
it's kind of snackaball, yeah, but very funny, snackable.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
Very funny and also like you're onto the next thing
before you even realized that.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
Yeah, Dragh fantastic, also excited, and I just think it's
a great idea to have it in the middle of winter,
as like a little beacon of light meting of the darkness.
We're glad that we've stolen you back from Monaco for
the time being, although I'm sure you're fitt in much
better over there. Thank you so much for your time,
Thank you for having me. That is Tom Satinsbury. All
the details for that midwinter New Zealand Comedy Festival one
(15:04):
off are going to be on the News Talk the
website
Speaker 1 (15:07):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to News Talks ed B from nine am Saturday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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