NO stone was left unturned at last Friday’s stand up show in Mount Gambier after popular comic Alex Williamson pushed all barriers with his controversial material.
Having heard of the self-proclaimed “loosest Aussie bloke” through my male friends, I had some expectations of Alex’s comedic style.
As I entered the theatre, I was surrounded by Alex’s target demographic – lads aged from their late teens to mid 20s, with a hip flask in their pocket and at least three pints in already.
Safe to say I felt a little out of place and a little too sober.
As the lights went down, the rowdy crowd welcomed an energetic Alex to the stage.
Boasting a confident and strong stage presence, he was quick to win over the crowd with his renowned use of Aussie slang and foul language.
Opening with a joke about masturbation, it was clear I was in for a wild, crude and politically incorrect ride.
As Alex wandered across the front of the stage recounting times he was “off his face”, he was constantly stepping out of direct lighting.
Whether he was aware of it or not, a lot of the time it was difficult to see his facial expressions at the punchline.
As he delivered jokes about racism, partying, fallen diggers, drinking, sexual abuse, Mount Gambier’s ice scourge and other drug use, the crowd was in fits of laughter while I was left wondering what was so funny.
I wasn’t laughing, instead I was questioning whether I was getting “old”.
You see, Alex embodies everything the older generation loves to hate about today’s “twenty-somethings” with his wild partying and “I don’t care” attitude.
It is public figures like Alex who influence the city’s young people, they look up to this 29-year-old potty-mouthed, party animal and the ticket sales prove that.
I was not aware of just how obsessed these people were until Alex made an appearance in the foyer where he brought the same persona and high energy to a personal level.
As I was leaving the theatre, a group of 18-year-old lads were yelling for Alex to meet them at the pub and I would not be surprised if he did.
Long-time fans of Alex would have had an absolute ball at the “Make the World a Banter Place” show, but this comedy style is not my cup of tea.
Young people may think I have missed the point because I haven’t jumped on the banter bandwagon, but frankly jokes about suicide and rape are definitely not cool.
So yes, I will happily go back to knitting my sweater or making a cup of earl grey, wishing he did leave some sacred stones unturned.
