Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Comedy and music go hand in hand for Eddo

Interview with Comedian/Writer/Country Music performer Anne Edmonds

By SHIRLEY BROUN

BANJO playing comedian Anne Edmonds was a country music artist before she walked on to centre stage for her first real stand-up comedy gig almost six years ago.

Comedian Anne Edmonds stars in `It's Eddo' at the 2014 Melbourne Comedy Festival.

A self-professed `huge fan’ of Casey Chambers, Anne (or Eddo as her comedy counterparts refer to her) began her career writing and singing country songs. So, when she decided to change direction into the world of comedy at the age of 28 the talented performer added music into the mix of skills she presented to unsuspecting audiences.
“I started learning the banjo about 8 years ago when I was living in Mt Gambier, South Australia and that led to me writing songs and singing. Then when I started in comedy the music just progressed into it as well,“ she said.

Giving comedy a go

Eddo admits comedy is a hard field and she had no idea it was something she would end up doing as a profession. “All I knew was that I always wanted to have a go. After moving to Darwin I made an online sketch comedy show for the ABC and I was hooked from then on.”

The Melbourne Comedy Festival has given Eddo a chance to do what she enjoys most … performing live! “It is my most favourite thing in the world to do,” she said. “The combination of mine and the audiences’ energy aligning is simply magic and very addictive. It can be tough sometimes when the jokes don’t go over but nowhere near as tough as working a 9 to 5 job … let me tell you,” she smiled. “And … you get to hang out with comedians from all around the world. It’s a bit like a funny form of boot camp!”

Eddo grew up watching her Australian peers like Fiona O’Loughlin, Lawrence Mooney and Bob Franklin. Today these same comedians are among her close friends. “They are all so supportive of what I am doing.”

Stories keep flowing

What can you expect at one of Eddo’s shows? Well the vibrant performer says it will be a combination of her talents – keyboard, vocals, character sketches and really good stories.
“I never run out of stories about myself. In fact I am a dreadful self-analyser who spends hours on end thinking about myself, things I have done and why on earth I did it,” she said.

Acting and a genuine love for working with others to create ratings-attracting television shows are her favourite past times. Hard to believe but Eddo says she is a little bit shy in real life but fans rarely see that side of her. “A happier and more outgoing side to me comes out when I am on stage.”

At the Melbourne Comedy Festival audiences can look forward to a few hilarious stories from her adolescence. “For example, there is a lot about my mother is who so funny. There’s the costume party she sent me to and the costume she sent me in plus an incident in a park with an ex-boyfriend which is a little questionable but not sexual. I’ll leave it to your imagination!”

Eddo believes the Comedy Festival is an important date on a performer’s calendar. “It’s important because it is 20 shows in a row in front of a live audience. It gives comedians a chance to put their material out there and then hone it to find what works best. People from the industry come along too. It is amazing to have this festival in our home city of Melbourne.”

When it comes to having time off from performing Eddo puts the time to good use and is currently writing sketches for a local producer. One thing is for sure … there is a lot more to come from this talented artist!

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