Tom Ballard’s heading back to Perth with his new stand up show which takes its starting point from an unpleasant interaction he had with a taxi driver.
“It’s about something that happened to me in a taxi in Newcastle in New South Wales,” Ballard explained when he chatted to OUTinPerth on the phone, “It was late at night, and raining, so I needed a taxi. I hailed one, it pulled and up and the driver recognised me and was homophobic…. And it was weird.”
“It just got me thinking about all those other little moments of homophobia I’ve experience in taxis and also generally in life and where I’m at as a young man. It’s hilarious, naturally – that’s the most important part.”
Ballard said he’s not surprised to encounter homophobia: “Obviously we’ve come a long way, and I say in the show that I’m extremely lucky that no one’s ever physically harmed me, and I’ve had loving parents and friends since I’ve come out, I’m lucky.
“But the nature of being queer in society is you’re still faced every now and again with some shitty attitudes. I think the majority of the audience who come to a comedy show know that there’s still discrimination out there, but to talk about it on stage I find cathartic and I think it helps to give an example of every day homophobia that’s just wearing you down, it can be like the death of a thousand cuts.” Ballard said.
Ballard first came to national attention as the co-host of Triple J’s Breakfast program, a role he stepped away from nearlytwo years ago.
“I don’t miss getting up at four o’clock in the morning, but I do miss working with my lovely friend Alex Dyson and all the cool people at Triple J.
“I miss the listeners and I miss knowing what’s going on in the world, especially with music. I turn on Triple J now and say ‘who are all these bands?’, and I certainly miss the regular money.
“But I’ve gotten to do lots of amazing things, I got to do my own TV show, and I’ve been able to tour more, and I’ve had the energy to sit down and write and have a crack at some other projects, and I’m heading off to the Edinburgh Fringe. I couldn’t have done any of those thing while I worked at Triple J.” Ballard said.
Last year Ballard fronted the ABC TV show ‘Reality Check’ a weekly look into the world of reality TV. Sadly the show is not returning this year. “Surely that’s Tony Abbott’s greatest crime”, Ballard lamented, “Not giving the ABC a big enough budget.”
Catch Tom Ballard’s show ‘Taxis, Rainbows and Hatred’ at the Perth Comedy Festival 13-16 May. Tickets are available through Ticketek.
Graeme Watson
