Alia Marshall
Former little boy and current 34-year-old step-dad Guy Montgomery is back from his Australian tour to tell us about this crazy world in his hour long special My Brain is Blowing Me Crazy. Having been on Taskmaster, 7 Days, and Have You Been Paying Attention, it’s no surprise that it’s a sold out crowd and Te Auaha’s Tapere Nui space is filling up fast. My friend I’ve brought with me is a huge fan, so naturally their excitement starts to rub off on me as the lights dim.
Montgomery begins the show with some excellent observations on the traditions of stand up, highlighting the ‘dance monkey dance’ nature of the performer/audience relationship as he’s expected to entertain us for an hour. Funnily enough, this was something I was thinking about on my way to the show, the bravery of going up there just making jokes for an hour knowing that some crowds are tougher than others. Montgomery is a master of observational comedy, taking well worn topics such as talking to people at parties or advertising, and adding his own awkward but sharp quips to ensure that we’re never anticipating the punchline.
But this isn’t all observation by any means. Throughout the show we get little tidbits of Montgomery’s life that he expertly weaves between ridiculous etymology jokes or puns that take us a few moments to catch onto. His recent drug induced adventures are a highlight, and I see people around me making the “oh yeah I’ve been there” face. His step-dad status also provides some excellent content, and I genuinely feel touched when he drops the character for a moment and tells us about how much he loves his step-daughter and partner. Some of my favourite jokes from the show are on this subject, as a former step-child I find myself wishing my stepdads were as cool as Montgomery (or that they’d use the things I said in a stand up set).
The oddball character remains consistent and part of what I love so much about this show. His slightly too long pauses or small smirks between jokes have us reeling. There’s not much audience interaction but there doesn’t need to be, we’re all just eagerly waiting for the next slightly mispronounced word or yarn that goes on for a little too long. He holds his audience in the palm of his hand but throws us through a loop when he feels our energy dip.
In stand up, I sometimes find it difficult to appreciate jokes about capitalism or climate change, either because there’s a lack of nuance or I simply want to escape the horrors for an hour. However, Montgomery has a way of making these jokes fresh and relatable, there is never a moment where it feels as though we’re being preached at, which is a tough bar to clear. It’s hard to talk about these jokes without spoiling them, so you’ll just have to go and see why ice is public enemy number one.
My Brain is Blowing Me Crazy is a refreshing piece of stand up that had my cheeks aching and forced me to take a few puffs of my inhaler on my way home - which felt ironic considering there’s a joke he makes about that. My friend and I were giggling so much and so loud that we even got called out for it by the man himself. This show is not one to miss.
My Brain is Blowing Me Crazy is on until Saturday 20th of May in Te Auaha’s Tapere Nui Space.
But this isn’t all observation by any means. Throughout the show we get little tidbits of Montgomery’s life that he expertly weaves between ridiculous etymology jokes or puns that take us a few moments to catch onto. His recent drug induced adventures are a highlight, and I see people around me making the “oh yeah I’ve been there” face. His step-dad status also provides some excellent content, and I genuinely feel touched when he drops the character for a moment and tells us about how much he loves his step-daughter and partner. Some of my favourite jokes from the show are on this subject, as a former step-child I find myself wishing my stepdads were as cool as Montgomery (or that they’d use the things I said in a stand up set).
The oddball character remains consistent and part of what I love so much about this show. His slightly too long pauses or small smirks between jokes have us reeling. There’s not much audience interaction but there doesn’t need to be, we’re all just eagerly waiting for the next slightly mispronounced word or yarn that goes on for a little too long. He holds his audience in the palm of his hand but throws us through a loop when he feels our energy dip.
In stand up, I sometimes find it difficult to appreciate jokes about capitalism or climate change, either because there’s a lack of nuance or I simply want to escape the horrors for an hour. However, Montgomery has a way of making these jokes fresh and relatable, there is never a moment where it feels as though we’re being preached at, which is a tough bar to clear. It’s hard to talk about these jokes without spoiling them, so you’ll just have to go and see why ice is public enemy number one.
My Brain is Blowing Me Crazy is a refreshing piece of stand up that had my cheeks aching and forced me to take a few puffs of my inhaler on my way home - which felt ironic considering there’s a joke he makes about that. My friend and I were giggling so much and so loud that we even got called out for it by the man himself. This show is not one to miss.
My Brain is Blowing Me Crazy is on until Saturday 20th of May in Te Auaha’s Tapere Nui Space.