“I’ve always been brutally honest,” admits Creasey. “I don’t have the time to be nice to people. It just sounds exhausting. I do feel like, each year, I have to step up my game to retain the title.” The title to which he is referring to is ‘The Acid Tongue Prince’. Nothing is a taboo topic to the young comedian, and he uses it to brilliant effect within his comedy. He is particularly forthright, and unabashedly honest. “To me, fame equals money, equals hot boyfriend,” says Creasey on his wish to become mega-famous. “It’s simple science really.”
With previous shows in America, England and a recent set in South Africa, Joel Creasey is definitely getting closer to having his name immortalised on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. While his comedy has brought him to different corners of the globe, he has found that laughter seems to transcend any perceived cultural barriers.
“Humour doesn’t really differ all that much around the World,” he says. “Funny is funny. I’ve had some of my best audiences in random parts of Asia or Africa – you just never know. As long as you give the audience some content, they’re on board.” However, Creasey admits that there are some jokes that are just a little too specific to Australia. “The odd Cosima De Vito or Shelley Craft joke is lost on an international crowd,” he jokes.
It’s easy to find yourself feeling envious of Joel Creasy. Entering the Raw Comedy stand-up competition at the age of 17, nobody can deny that the still very young talent has achieved so much in the past eight years. Questioning him about his humble beginnings, it becomes apparent that he owes a lot of success to his home city. “Perth’s comedy scene is brilliant,” he praises. “It’s where I started out and it’s a really supportive community. Take a look at how many successful comedians have come out of Perth. I can’t think of another city with such a high hit rate of top shelf comedians.”
He’s not wrong either. Claire Hooper, Rove McManus and Judith Lucy are just some of the many talents that have come out of Perth. It hasn’t been an easy ride to the top for Creasy, however, having gone out on a limb to pursue his love of laughter – dropping out of his Political Science degree to solely concentrate on his comedic endeavors. He advises young creatives that are in the same stressful situation to trust their instinct. “If it feels right to drop out of your accounting degree and go paint murals in Tanzania, then do it,” he says. “You only live once.”
Since he debuted at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival six years ago, Creasy explains that he has found more confidence with his act and as a performer. “I’ve really grown into the comedian I am today,” he reflects. “This has developed with my brilliant audiences.” He has managed to both establish and enhance his raw, unique and innovative style of comedy over the past couple of years. Clearly, it’s resonating with an ever-growing audience, with Creasey performing a total of ten times throughout the festival. You can’t argue with supply and demand. Scoring glowing reviews for his performances so far, audiences can expect “a truckload of sass, some naughty stories and some pretty scandalous gossip”.
BY KATE EARDLEY
