Interview Highlight: Jeremy Moses is “HARD TO WORK WITH"

Jeremy Moses chats with Peter Greco about his upcoming show at this year's Melbourne Comedy Festival. The show is available with audio description; tactile tour; and there is a relaxed show. October 8-12, Festival Hub: Trades Hall - Evatt Room.

More info: Jeremy Moses is “HARD TO WORK WITH".

Or call: 03 9660 9666

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Episode Transcript

S1 (00:13):
Jeremy Moses is a comedian and he's got a show.
Which title gets you in straight away? Jeremy, good to
meet you. Thanks for your time.

S2 (00:20):
Thank you so much, Peter. Lovely to meet you.

S1 (00:22):
Is that part of the, uh, the the sort of
work that you do, kind of getting a title that's
going to get people in straight away?

S2 (00:28):
Yeah, I last year I did a show called the
157 Years of Bad Slam Poetry, and I was always
told that was a real mouthful, like it was very
hard to, uh, remember. So this year's one is more catchy.

S1 (00:42):
I think that's what it is. For those that might
not be aware.

S2 (00:45):
It's, uh, Jeremy Moses is hard to work with, is
what it's called. Yeah. It's, um, it's based on last year.
I did a show at the fringe, and it didn't
end very well. So this year, I've, um, done a
show that is going to be about that, uh, talking
about the things that went wrong, trying to unpick what happened,
and hopefully figure out whether I am indeed hard to

(01:07):
work with.

S1 (01:08):
Now, maybe this question says more about me than you, Jeremy, but, uh,
there's a bit of bitterness in the show. That sounds
pretty good.

S2 (01:15):
Yeah, I think so. It's good. It's good to get
it off your chest. Yeah, I think, um, a little
bit of spite, uh, never hurt anyone. It's definitely good
in my career. I find them motivated a lot by spite.
But I'm also a lovely person.

S1 (01:31):
I'm sure that's true. Well, I think that's probably. Most
comedians are probably like that. Or. I guess we're all
like that, aren't we? When it, uh. We're all like that,
and most of us think we're comedians anyway, even though
we're not.

S2 (01:41):
Yeah, exactly. I like I'd like to think I'm professional
in that, you know, I'm selling tickets, but otherwise I'm
just like anyone else. Really. Just telling jokes around the table. Yeah.

S1 (01:53):
Can we. First time we've spoken that you are a
person with a visual impairment? I share a bit of
that with us.

S2 (01:56):
I was born legally blind. I have a condition called
optic atrophy. Plus, it's a very rare condition, but it
affects my eyesight. And it also has a mobility component.
It's called ataxia. It, um, like, I'm a bit off
balance sometimes when I walk around. So together, I'm quite
the package. Yeah.

S1 (02:17):
Do you play up on that as far as your
show goes?

S2 (02:20):
I do, yeah. The last couple of years, the last
few shows I've done, I've talked a lot about where
my disability comes from and the origins and the genetic
component to it. This year's show is slightly less about disability,
but because I, you know, have a disability, it's visible
on stage and I think it makes my voice unique.

(02:42):
It has a disability component to it. And also the
way we're opening it up to people with low vision
as well. We're having a tactile tours, um, before every
show on request, and we're also having audio descriptions built
into the show. So there's a disability component to it
for sure.

S1 (03:02):
Yeah, there are good things about it is it's sort
of an accessible venue for people who might use wheelchairs.
And also one thing that's becoming a lot more popular
and a lot more recognizable these days is the relaxed
shows as well.

S2 (03:15):
Yeah, we're at the Trades Hall, which is all wheelchair accessible.
It's got like a lift at the front and it's
got the boom gate to the loading dock. It's a
great venue and a lot of diverse acts are performing there.
People with disabilities and neurodivergence. Yeah, it's a great thing
to be a part of the Melbourne Fringe. And on

(03:35):
our Saturday matinee, we're at 345 with a low sensory
and relaxed matinee, and that'll have like a quiet room
and they'll have extra staff. People can come and go
as they please and they'll be reduced lighting and reduced volume. Yeah.
It's important to cater to, um, different people and I'm

(03:57):
glad to be part of it. Yeah.

S1 (03:59):
How did you discover you were funny? Or more importantly,
who said you're funny? You should go on stage.

S2 (04:04):
Actually, I signed up for the first time. I did
Melbourne Fringe in 2023, and I had written the show,
but I'd never done stand up comedy, and so it
was a bit of hubris on my part, but I,
I learnt like within a few months how to do
it just by practicing five minute spots here and there.

(04:26):
You know the back of a bottle shop. They have
like an open mic night in my area. And yeah,
I just learnt on the job pretty much. It took
a while for people to cotton on to the fact
that I'm funny. Um, like, I think I didn't didn't
get as many laughs as I wanted in the first
few times, but eventually it grew and I got better
at it. But yeah, I've always been kind of funny. Like, uh,

(04:49):
when in my teenage years I used to make short
films with my friends, and they'd always be comedic and, uh, silly.
And so, yeah, I've. I've always had it in me
and my family are very, uh, they are good at talking.
They've they've good, uh, patter. And so I've always been

(05:10):
around funny people and I think I'm getting better at it.

S1 (05:14):
Yeah, well, you've been in it a couple of years.
Are you doing very well? Very well. Given that your
your youthfulness in that area. I like that hubris and hubris.
That's kind of cool, isn't it? That could be a
good name for a show coming up. Jeremy.

S2 (05:26):
It is our trademark that.

S1 (05:27):
You know, I thought of it first. I actually think
you talk about your family in that because I guess
a lot of us who might be blind or have
low vision, we kind of, um, you know, have to
have to use our mouths a fair bit to kind of, uh,
get our points across when it comes to family discussions. And,
you know, if you're backwards, uh, you know, you probably
don't get hurt. So you've got to be forward. Otherwise

(05:49):
you're left out.

S2 (05:50):
Yeah. I think talking, um, around the table and, you know,
sharing stories, it comes from that for sure. And having
a disability like you sort of tend to remember things
more like having low vision. I, I tend to memorize
things and I take in more of my surroundings in a,
in a hearing way. And my shows are very, um,

(06:14):
sound heavy. It's just me talking or, you know, audio gags.
I don't do many, like, sight gags, but if I do,
the descriptions will explain that. Yeah, I love doing it.
And I think I'm I'm good at, you know, conveying
a story and, you know, selling a an angle. Yeah.

S1 (06:34):
We spoke to Rachael Leahcar last week on the program.
Who of course, I'm sure you know, the wonderful singer.
And she talked about, you know, kind of reading the room,
even though she can't see the crowd, she can kind
of read the room and sort of sense their mood and,
and what sort of to perform next. What about for you?
I guess you've got the instant audio feedback, whether they
people laugh or not.

S2 (06:55):
Yeah, I'm good at judging whether crowd is on board
or not. I'm a little bit sensitive to to hearing like,
laughter when I do a show and it's completely silent,
you know? So just smile. Smiling and nodding like, you know,
it makes it throws me a little bit. But, you know,
you just kind of, um, talk and you pause when
the gaps, when you think there should be laughter and

(07:18):
hopefully people are smiling. I don't get nervous in front
of a crowd in that like, because I can't see
their faces. I can't really like tell whether they're, you know,
laughing or crying, but I do, um, I do get
nervous when I jump up on stage, actually, because I've
had a fall a couple of times, like get on

(07:39):
a stage and the MC usually has to shake my
hand extra tight, like to help me up, and usually I,
I flag it in advance. Yeah, a lot of venues
have different heights of stage and it can be tricky.
But even that, like I've gotten over now and I'm
less nervous about stumbling on stage and I'm happy to
kind of make it part of the act.

S1 (08:00):
I was going to say so for people coming along
from October the 1st, if you fall off the stage,
that's not necessarily part of the show.

S2 (08:06):
Yeah, exactly. Yeah. It hasn't happened at like a fringe
or at a comedy festival yet. I did, uh, come
out like to applause and misjudge where the microphone stand was.
And if I set the few steps further, I would
have fallen. But luckily I didn't, and I recalibrated and
won back the audience eventually.

S1 (08:27):
Jeremy, I've been to a few, uh, artists with disabilities
and their comedy shows, and I reckon that depending on
what they say and what they're talking about, etc., you
often can tell who the people in the audience have
also got a disability, because they kind of laugh differently
to the able bodied. Do you go along with that?

S2 (08:43):
I think so, yeah. And also, if people in the
audience don't have that lived experience, it's a good way
for them to get an insight into, you know, what
we go through. And, you know, when I'm doing stand up,
I talk about disability and, you know, the awkwardness of
getting into the wrong car or, you know, getting mistaken
for drunk, like in in public. Yeah. And when when

(09:06):
I do bits like that, it sort of illuminates the
condition a bit. Like, it lets people see what we
deal with. And also for people in the audience who
do have disability. And a lot of us do, a
lot of people, you know, have have disability or neurodivergence.
And for them, you know, it's nice to to see
someone similar on on stage and, and, you know, hear

(09:29):
their lived experience and you know, we're all sort of
growing and we've become less of a punch line, which
is great. Like disability is less of a, of a
laugh line and more of a, you know, lived experience
and pathos and, you know, letting people see what we're
up to.

S1 (09:45):
I don't like the term, but it kind of normalizes
it or it doesn't it?

S2 (09:48):
Yeah. Well, I think we want everything to be standard.
Like if, if I, if I get up on stage
and I'm comfortable talking about disability, then the next guy will.
And you know, the next lady will and and so forth.
It's good. Like like normal is good like because otherwise
we don't feel represented you know. Mhm.

S1 (10:10):
And because you have also been described as an advocate,
which I'm sure you are. And I guess comedy or
art theater can go a long way as being a
sort of a tool to advocacy as well. And people
are kind of being educated, if you like, without necessarily
realize they're being educated because they're enjoying the show.

S2 (10:26):
Yeah, I think it's very important actually. Like, it's it's
silly and it's fun, but it's also very, very important.
And diversity is important. And, um, having acts with various,
you know, disabilities or lived experiences, it's very important. And
we're breaking down barriers gradually. And I think it's a

(10:46):
superpower in that, you know, we're we're doing material that,
you know, will, you know, like, uh, what am I
trying to say here? Yeah, it's very important.

S1 (10:59):
I noticed that you kind of don't want to talk
too much about, uh, or particularly individuals that might have
done you wrong last year, but it kind of gives
us a bit of an idea. Was that your ego?
Was it your vision impairment? Was your disability? Was your, um,
hard headedness that kind of, uh, you know, meant you
had to fall out?

S2 (11:17):
Yeah. I don't think it was. It was the disability,
per se. Like we did a show. Um, the show
was called Hear No Evil, and it was me and
a deaf comedian, uh, hard of hearing comedian and it
was a great show and it was really fun and
and we talked a lot about disabilities and, you know,
all the comedy sketches were very much disability focused. And

(11:39):
it was us making fun of each other. And it
was it was great. Like, I, I really enjoyed the show,
but after the last night of the show, I never
heard from my co-star again. Um, a lot of the
collaborators didn't talk to me again, and I'm not really
sure why. Um, like, there were a few little tension points,
but I'm not certain what happened. But as a result,

(12:02):
now I've got this show and.

S1 (12:04):
You're the winner.

S2 (12:05):
Yeah, I think so. Yeah, it took a lot of, like,
you know, thinking about it and sleepless nights. What? What
did I do? What? How did I go wrong? What
could I have done differently? You know, could I have,
you know, shut my mouth instead of complaining or, you know,
approached it differently? I think creative tension is very typical

(12:26):
in performing arts. Like a lot of comedy duos throughout
history have split up over time. Like. And then they
get back together when they run out of money. It's
very common. It it's very common. And I think, you know,
it's great to make it into a show and talk
about it and hopefully work through it a little bit. And, uh,

(12:50):
I don't I don't know if I'm if I'm shooting
myself in the foot by telling the world that I
am hard to work with. Maybe I should have posed
it as a question like, is Jeremy Moses hard to
work with?

S1 (12:59):
I think it's a statement, isn't it? Yeah, across the statement.
But mind you, you've solved the problem this year because
you're doing it on your own.

S2 (13:05):
Yeah, exactly. And there'll be less arguments backstage. Yeah.

S1 (13:09):
Perhaps. Maybe not. Uh, terrific. So, Jeremy, you're on from
October the 8th. Give us a bit of an idea
of how people can book.

S2 (13:17):
Yeah. So if you go to Melbourne Fringe. Com and
you type in Jeremy Moses, it'll come up. And also,
if you want to book on the phone, it's 9666.
And if you say Jeremy Moses, they'll give you some tickets. Yeah.

S1 (13:35):
I see you've also performed in Sydney. So, um, are
you a Melbourne lad?

S2 (13:38):
Yeah, I'm, I live in Melbourne now. I grew up
in Sydney. I moved to Melbourne in 2018. I probably
wouldn't have gotten into comedy if I didn't leave Sydney. Like,
Sydney doesn't have much of a scene. It does a
little bit. But you know, in Sydney people will do
two shows in a festival in Melbourne they'll do three weeks.

(13:59):
So I feel like there's more opportunity here and there
are more open mics. So Melbourne's great. I'm having a
lot of fun being here and I yeah, I got
to go back to Sydney last year. Uh, I was
on my own flying to Sydney, and I performed at
the Sydney Fringe Festival, uh, in front of my family
because I still got a lot of family there. And

(14:21):
the show last year, the slam poetry show, um, it had, like,
a lot of references to my family. And I talked
about my mum a lot who passed away when I
was young, and so.

S1 (14:32):
I'm sorry to hear.

S2 (14:33):
That. Yeah. So it was lovely to be in the
room with my family. And that was a really positive experience.
And they loved it. And I managed to get the
flight on my own without any issues, apart from like
running through the airport, trying to find my terminal, my
gate that I got there in the end. Yeah, it
was it was really great. And and I came back
to Melbourne after like, you know, running to Sydney doing

(14:56):
a couple of shows, coming back here. And then I
had the fallout with, with my friend doing that show, uh,
in Melbourne Fringe. So it was a whirlwind of a
few months. Anyway, we've.

S1 (15:07):
Put that behind you and you're onwards and upwards and
looking forward to October the 8th. As I said, we'll
put details up on our show. Jeremy, it'd be good
to catch up with you again in the future. And
thanks for speaking to us. It's been fun, but also, uh,
serious and interesting. So well done and good luck to
break a leg.

S2 (15:21):
Oh. Bless you. Thank you so much, Peter. Lovely meeting you.

S1 (15:23):
Jeremy Moses there, comedian. And certainly a nice guy. That
should be a great show. Jeremy Moses is hard to
work with at the Melbourne Fringe Festival coming up from
October the 8th.