Harley Breen is one cool hipster, maybe a bear or perhaps…otter? Like his show, nothing’s Taboo when it comes to interviewing the charismatic comedian, as I discovered…
Taboo is an unusual show, and also a great success!
Yes, on paper it looks a horrible idea but in reality, and I can say this with complete humility, it’s a brilliant idea! And that’s because it’s not my idea! (Laughing). I’ve always said that stand up comedy is a masterful way to tell a story and that’s exactly what Taboo does. It takes a story and provides comic relief, such as in the terminal illness episode, when things get heavy we cut from that to an onstage joke.
What do you think audiences, the participants and yourself got from it?
I think audiences got an insight into other people’s lives, which they would not otherwise have had. I also think people living those lives, whether it be a terminal illness or physical disability and such, felt they had representation on television. The participants got the chance to tell their story. As a straight, white, able-bodied male, the juxtaposition of me beside these minority groups, forced me to step outside of my privilege and see stories from their perspective.
If Taboo returns, would you include LGBTIQ participants?
We had an LGBTIQ episode as a frontrunner, which had already been done in the Belgium version. It would definitely be great to have a straight male looking at this, and having to understand it. But what you would hope is that other straight people would watch it and think “Oh! Right! It’s not all politicised. It’s actually about people’s individual experiences.”
Harley Breen on Channel Ten’s The Bachelorette
The great Robin Williams said ‘Comedy can be a cathartic way do deal with personal trauma”. Is comedy liberating?
Yeah, totally! I don’t think everything is funny, but I do think there’s funny in everything. There’s a huge difference. There’s a place for tragedy and there’s a place for melancholy, but there’s always a place for comedy. Comedy specifically in standup, can be really cathartic. As I said in the mental illness episode, if you’re in comedy and you don’t have some sort of mental health issue, then get the fuck out. It’s a pretty unified factor with a lot of standup comedians. I don’t think you have to have a mental health issue to be a comedian, but I’d wonder what you’re doing here without one!
“I’ve kissed a lot of men, but nothing’s ever gone further than that.”
You had a guest gig on The Bachelorette teaching stand up to the boys. Can anyone learn comedy?
Yeah anyone can be taught comedy. There are skills that can easily be communicated like how to structure a joke, hold the mic, where to stand and such, but while everyone can be funny, not everyone can be a comedian. There has to be an undeniable inherent desire to do it – almost a dysfunction. It’s a combination of a desire to entertain, a healthy dose of personal darkness and an unwillingness to be a part of the status quo. But to do it absolute justice it needs a bent mind. Some people are just born with funny bones.
Have you ever had feedback either positive or negative on ‘gay’ jokes?
Prior to Taboo, my foremost comedy focus was biographical, so the subject of homosexuality was based on my feeling of possibly being gay. It was only ever my story, and in my show Son Of A Preacher Man, I spoke about when I was younger, and the feeling that maybe I was gay. Someone, actually a straight person, said “Well that’s a convenient narrative, tapping into something that’s popular at the moment”. I was like “Um…no”. In fact, I’ve had the good fortune to be educated within this by one of my best friends in comedy, Geraldine Hickey. I’ve lived through her coming out story, not that it’s my story, but I got to watch it intimately.
Harley Breen – The perfect Otter?
Gay people joke about themselves, even to the point of using words like queen and fag, but that coming from the straight world would be taboo. As a straight person, does that make sense?
Yes totally, but I wouldn’t necessarily shy away from those words. For instance, if we do get a second season of Taboo and do an LGBTIQ episode, then I’ll definitely be dissecting the word, which means I’ll be saying it on stage. I’ve been told it’s origin came from burning witches, where the sticks at the base were lined with gay men. That’s when you think “Fuck, that’s a horrific word!” So then you have to ask is it anyone’s right to ever use that word?
There’s a great image of you kissing your mate outside Margaret Court Arena. What was that about?
That was with my mate David Quirk, who does my podcast That’s The Drink Talking, with me. We were doing a campaign together and I saw Margaret Court’s bust, and it was one of the many times she was in the news over her relentless homophobia. I said to Quirk “Let’s just kiss over the top of it.” Then the person representing the client said we couldn’t wear our shirts with their brand, so we took them off. We weren’t intending it to look as homoerotic as it was, but it certainly turned out that way! We put it online with no comment about her, and then when the YES vote went through – and apologies how that was ever a fucking situation that anyone was voting on – Geraldine Hickey asked us to make it our profile picture.
During the Australian Marriage Survey you interviewed the then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on breakfast radio. That would have been quite memorable.
That was the focus of the interview, because at the time it was obviously a very big issue. But I held the belief and I still do, that the reason that plebiscite existed was as a smokescreen to other issues. What I was really hoping for in that interview was to dig behind it and get to some other stuff. One of the things very concerning to me was the conservative’s idea of drug testing people on welfare, which is a disgraceful bit of discrimination. I really wanted to drill down on that. Our interview did focus on the plebiscite, but that plebiscite was all about distracting everybody from some really heinous shit they were doing, and continue to do. So it was doubly nasty. It was horrible for the LGBTIQ community, horrible for the refugees that are being held in detention and horrible for people on welfare. They come up with these fucking bullshit ideas and everyone gets fixated on them and forgets what else they’re doing. It was pretty dark and evil crap they were pulling.
“I was at the urinal and I heard ‘psst’ from behind me. I thought it was the automatic scent thing!”
You’re good friends with Tom Ballard. What other gay comedians are your mates?
Tom’s great and obviously Geraldine Hickey. I’ve done a lot of touring with the wonderful Joel Creasey. Nath Valvo and Rhys Nicholson are wonderful boys too. Of the older guard I’d also say Adam Richard. In a lot of ways he was the first out and proud gay person on the scene. When I first started he was quite good to me, and somewhat a mentor.
In the gay world you’d be an otter (and you’d be picked up within seconds). Do you understand that terminology?
(Laughing) Yes I do, and I fucking love it! I was quite heavily heading toward the bear territory at one point and also thought I may be a wolf, because there’s grey coming through the beard. But I don’t mind an otter, that’s nice!
Have you ever been hit on in a gay bar?
Quite a lot, and I’ve always been very okay with it. If I’m in a gay club, it should be assumed then, that I’m gay, so I don’t judge anyone for trying to pick me up, and I’m quite flattered that they would think I’m attractive enough to ask out.
When I was young, my brother and I used to go to a club in Brisbane called the Beat Nightclub, or more specifically upstairs to the Cockatoo Club. Sometimes I’d be at a bar and a guy would offer me a drink, which is a wonderful experience. I’d say “Yeah you can buy me a drink, but just so you know, I’m not gay. But I’d love a drink!”
“For years, I’ve had this idea for a Mardi Gras float called Blokes Float.”
Any other memorable moments?
I had a moment in a gay pub in Oxford Street, where I was at the urinal and I heard ‘psst’ from behind me. I thought it was the automatic scent thing going off! I ignored it and I heard it again. I turned around and there was a guy in the cubicle beckoning me in. I still don’t know why I said this, but I looked at him and said, “Oh no thanks mate, I’m full” (Laughing). It doesn’t make any sense!
Well it can kind of make sense…
(Laughing) I think he thought a different thing to what I was trying to say, and I don’t even know what I was trying to say! I was very drunk.
Who would you turn gay for?
There are a few! For laughs, because I think he’d be very humourous, Ryan Reynolds. He’s very attractive, but I like his sense of humour. Purely for the debonair class, it would be Ryan Gosling. But for the whole complete package it has to be Chris Hemsworth. How can you go past him? He’s just ridiculous! But all three of them are straight, so we’d need some help and for a gay man to join I’d say Mark Winmill, Captain Kid from the Briefs male burlesque group. He’s a mate of mine and I find him quite…well, I get a bit flustered around him, because he’s so fucking attractive!
Seeing you hosted Taboo, I’ll ask a taboo question. Have you ever experimented in the gay world?
Not as much as I wish I’d had. I’ve kissed a lot of men, but nothing’s ever gone further than that. Because I’ve got such a very dogma middle-of-the-ground Methodist upbringing and got married quite young, I feel that maybe if I’d allowed myself a little more time to experiment – and I don’t think there’s any closeted stuff in there – but some playful experimentation might have been fun as a younger guy.
Have you ever been to the Mardi Gras?
It’s never worked out in my calendar schedule, but for years I’ve had this idea for a Mardi Gras float called Blokes Float. It would be a flat bed truck, like in the ACDC It’s A Long Way To The Top video, with a whole lot of straight blokes in blue trucker singlets all going “Nah, it’s alright! We want ya!”
That’s brilliant. Do it! Please!
I’ve spoken to a few people about it, but it comes down to logistics. I’m good at having ideas, but I then need someone to make it happen (Laughing).
Harley Breen and Matt Myers during the interview
Who’s your music diva?
My solo tour song back in 2013 was Nicki Minaj’s Starships. Whenever there was intensity in the car between me and the other guys, I’d just press Starships. But if I had to pick someone in general, it would be Beyoncé. I’d be happy for both my boys to have her as a role model.
You had a show called I Heart Bunnings. You do realise gay men love Bunnings, simply for the tradie perv?
(Laughing) The long title was I Heart Bunnings: Stories About My Brothers. They are both builders and I’m an artist, and it was about how I missed them and trying to connect with them by doing a show about hardware. The irony is that neither of them would step foot in Bunnings!
Tell us about your upcoming comedy shows?
I’m doing my Not Quite Right show at the comedy festivals, and it’s a return to what I love most, live stand up. I tick off experiences I’ve had from trips to Russia and Vegas and behind the scenes from Taboo. There’s material that I wrote for Taboo that didn’t make it to air and it bookends the shows.
Which comedian has been your greatest influence?
Tom Waits, who funny enough, was inspired by a comedian. I find his narrative really interesting. He was one of the first secular people I got to experience because my dad liked his music. But my number one is Billy Connolly. He’s the best storyteller. He doesn’t mind the truth and peppers it with jokes.
Have you ever had an on-stage wardrobe malfunction?
I’m actually petrified about one at the moment! My zipper isn’t quite working. There’s a tooth not right at the top and if I zip up too far it pops out! (Laughing).
Are you a briefs, boxers or free-balling man?
I’m boxer briefs. They stop the chafing down the leg and give you a bit of support. It’s boxer briefs or nothing!
Catch Harley Breen at the comedy festivals and on The Bachelorette.
For more: harleybreen.com
Harley and comedian mate David Quirk send a clear message outside the Margaret Court Arena
