Zach Is BACK From His Holiday

The Mish and Zach Podcast

Host Zach returns to the studio following his UK comedy tour, reuniting with Mish to discuss his experiences with various audiences in Edinb

Key takeaways

• Zach discusses the challenge of performing for unengaged, older audiences during his Edinburgh festival run.
• Mish describes the mental fog and physical exhaustion experienced during a ten-day bout with the flu.

Main topics

• UK Comedy Tour Reflections
• Recovering from Influenza

Notable quotes

The perfect balance to horror is comedy, right?

Conclusion

A nostalgic and conversational episode that blends personal health str

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:00) This is a Grouse House podcast. An awesome episode, if I do say so myself, of the Mish and Zach podcast this week. Zach's back. Zach's back. Zach's back in the studio. So we're talking a bit about that. We also talk about what it's like to get the flu, which is what I was doing while he was on tour. And we discuss some really cool stuff we've watched this week. So join us for the episode. Mish and Zach and Mish. Mish and Zach. Mish and Zach. Speaker 2 (0:31) Hello and welcome to the Mish and Zach podcast. Zach's back, baby. Speaker 1 (0:37) Zach's back. Speaker 1 (0:42) What a joy to have you back. And we have little set pieces here now. Speaker 2 (0:45) Now this, this, for those that are listening, head on over to the YouTube. For those that are on the YouTube, hit that subscribe button. Hit that like. You still got it. Speaker 1 (0:59) Even after that tour, you still got it. Well, Speaker 2 (1:01) I've got it more now. Now I'm like. Yeah, Speaker 1 (1:03) you're all business. I'm Edinburgh. You're all Speaker 2 (1:05) business. I'm all about it. Like, hey, spread the word. If you love the podcast, if you love the podcast, this is a word of mouth podcast. So please let people know about it. It's the after show thing. But Tom, Tom, did Tom do this? Tom did all of this. Lucy's being out. Lucy's here today. Hi, Lucy. Hello. But Tom. Has got a really cool looking TV thing going on. A really nice little piece of set for the visual. He's been talking about this for months. To give you an idea, it's like an old 70s TV set and then it's the Mission Zach podcast visual on the screen moving. We've Speaker 1 (1:45) just really built this set beautifully. And who would have thought when six months ago we were sitting... in and amongst some bullshit and now look now look at us thriving i Speaker 2 (1:54) will still say this now we've got Speaker 1 (1:56) that sweet movies with dad money i Speaker 2 (1:58) will i do have to say these seats are still this seat is still way too small for me i Speaker 1 (2:04) feel Speaker 2 (2:04) like a little um i feel like a little um i can't even think like a little little gremlin like a gremlin yeah Like a gremlin. Which is funny because the seat is too small, but for some reason, because you sink into it, I'm like, I'm Speaker 1 (2:17) a Speaker 2 (2:17) little gremlin. I quite Speaker 1 (2:18) like it because for me, it's the perfect size for my ass. Because they're meant to be quite big chairs, right? They're not small chairs. Speaker 2 (2:27) But Speaker 1 (2:27) they're this weird medium-sized chair. So for me, it feels like, oh, this is what a normal person feels like when they sit in a chair. Speaker 2 (2:33) Right. You know what Speaker 1 (2:34) I mean? Because of my fat ass. But then when I sit in it, I'm like, oh. I'm just like everyone else. Just for an hour. Speaker 2 (2:42) Okay. Speaker 1 (2:43) Yeah. Hey, how did you feel about watching Tom and I do movies with Dad? Speaker 2 (2:48) I told myself I would watch an episode before I came here, but I've been a bit busy. Probably Speaker 1 (2:53) don't. We spend at least... 70 % to 80 % of it saying how we are doing a better job than when you're there. Speaker 2 (3:00) Well, I read the comments and you're all dead to me, to the listeners. No, Speaker 1 (3:04) that's not true. We said how much we miss you. Oh, Speaker 2 (3:05) beautiful. No, but it seemed like you were doing great. I did watch a little bit of the first one and it seemed like you were doing great. And I was very happy to see that, you know. I'm a busy boy and, you know, Mish, you sometimes forget your worth. And I was so happy to see all of the fans loving it and for you. just to yeah it was nice to see oh Speaker 1 (3:27) it was nice fuck okay it's nice to have you back man yeah Speaker 2 (3:31) no that's right it's nice to know I can piss off and you'll be okay yeah true Speaker 1 (3:34) no don't think like that please don't think like that um how was your tour good Speaker 2 (3:41) great Lovely. It was so nice. I had a great time. When was the last time I talked to you? It was in Edinburgh. So for those just joining us, I just did an Edinburgh and UK tour. Edinburgh is a really interesting festival. There were some amazing people that came and watched it, but there's also middle-class, 70-year-old Englishmen that give you nothing. And it's hard not to focus on them. Like you've got these beautiful fans in the crowd and then just like one dude that's like, and it's hard not to focus on that one guy. And then just, could I add Speaker 1 (4:17) onto that? It's funny you say that. I, so I did a bunch of gigs this week. I was a real gig pig this week Speaker 2 (4:24) and I Speaker 1 (4:25) did a Sunday afternoon comedy lineup show. Now for people who don't go to like comedy lineup shows or whatever, There are very specific times where it pops off. So like a Friday after work pops off. Speaker 2 (4:39) Saturday Speaker 1 (4:39) is there's a real buzz in the air. And Wednesdays there's this really nice kind of chill vibes. Sunday afternoon is arguably the hardest time to do comedy. I know Speaker 2 (4:52) a harder time now because of Adelaide. The hardest time to do comedy is 5.15 on a Friday. Speaker 2 (5:01) Which I can elaborate on. That would be awful. But tell me about your Sunday. So I Speaker 1 (5:05) did a four o'clock on a Sunday. And at an excellent, like it's at Comedy Republic, by the way. Excellent. It was really good. And it sold out because it was grand final weekend. So a lot of like people left over from WA and Brizzy who were down here for the weekend. So it Speaker 2 (5:19) was Speaker 1 (5:19) great. But it was the front row. The entire front row was probably 90%. Speaker 1 (5:31) People in their 70s and 80s. Speaker 2 (5:33) Nice. Speaker 1 (5:34) Wealthy, real Turok vibe, right? Yeah. Who came to this comedy show, I don't know why, because they just did not want to be there. Speaker 2 (5:44) Yeah. They Speaker 1 (5:44) looked so grumpy. And my entire 10-minute set, and I probably should have adjusted it for a Sunday afternoon, was about work when I used to work at a sex shop. Speaker 2 (5:54) Okay. Right? Speaker 1 (5:54) And then a take I have on... what you'd need to do if you want to know everything there is to know about sex and the two things you have to do. The clip's out there somewhere online. And they hated me. Speaker 2 (6:05) Oh, wow. Speaker 1 (6:07) And not every, like, it's a good ten minutes. Usually it goes off. But there is something about performing comedy at four o'clock on a Sunday to 12 angry old rich people. But Speaker 2 (6:19) this is the other thing, right? Speaker 2 (6:22) sometimes it's like you could win them over I've seen that crowd like that crowd will go to a Ruben Kaye show and have the best time of their life right yeah so it's one of those things where it's like do better mish no no no because I have the same thing where it's like Speaker 2 (6:41) Everyone can get on board with everything if you win them over. But there are times where it's just like, oh, I don't have it in me to win you over. No. I don't have it in me. And honestly, Speaker 1 (6:51) sometimes it is really tricky. I don't know if I've told this story on the pod, but the last comedy festival that happened, the one that happened this year, I had a really great show, really great run. I was really happy with it and the audiences liked it and it was a good show. But there was one show out of the 20-odd that I did, that festival run, There was one show where my audience was probably about 60 % full, maybe 70 % full. And every, I could not crack a giggle from anyone in the audience. I didn't know anyone in the audience except for Ben Searle. Shout out to Ben Searle, phenomenal comedian, such a great dude. He was in this audience. And it was just like, no, everyone hated it. It was just like. No one was on board. And I saw Ben afterwards and I was like, Ben, you saw one of the worst shows of my life. And he was just like, it happens. Sometimes it's chill. Like, don't stress. But I felt so like, oh my God, they hate me. Sometimes it just happens. Speaker 2 (7:46) Sometimes you just get a shitty audience. So I had when I was in... Speaker 2 (7:51) So for the first two weeks of Edinburgh... Sorry, just Speaker 1 (7:54) quickly, not a shitty audience. They're not shit. I just realised what I just said then. The audience is not shit. We just did not vibe. Go on, sorry. Yeah, Speaker 2 (8:02) and there were probably individuals in there. You were the one good one in there. If you were like, oh, it was that audience. Speaker 1 (8:07) Yeah. Speaker 2 (8:09) But I always try to come back to it's a two-way thing. Like, I always try to come back to... well why didn't I win them over? Why didn't I? Because that's the one thing I can change, right? But you do have to sometimes... So the first two weeks of Edinburgh I recorded every show on my phone and I rarely listened back because the show was pretty set at that point. But I remember I did one show where I was like... Because what happened often for me was I would do a show through Melbourne where I'd go, oh wow, that audience wasn't very good. And then I would listen back and I'd go, actually... They weren't that bad. It was clearly I was in a headspace. I was in a bad way. Maybe I lost them, but that was probably me. And I did a show in Edinburgh and it was a really rough crowd, really, really dead. And then I was like, all right, I'm going to listen back and just, you know, and then I listened back. I'm like, oh, no, no, they're very quiet. Speaker 2 (9:09) This is the other thing. This is the other thing about Edinburgh crowds is even when they're warm, even when they're on board, I have beautiful crowds in Edinburgh. They've often seen two, three, four shows before your show. And I don't know if you've ever done that, like at a film festival or at a festival where you've watched three shows, but when you've watched multiple in a row, by the third or fourth, I remember whenever I go up to Sydney Film Festival for a weekend for the last few years. And I'll say three, maybe four, but usually three is my limit. And it's so funny because in the morning I'll watch a film and Speaker 1 (9:44) it Speaker 2 (9:44) can be the weirdest, slowest thing. And I'll be like, hmm, Speaker 1 (9:48) yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Speaker 2 (9:52) That'll be my reaction. Speaker 1 (9:53) And Speaker 2 (9:54) then by the third film that day, because I've seen so many movies, I'm just at the point where I'm just like, that fucking sucks. Speaker 2 (10:04) And it's like because you just lose the capacity and the patience and I think there's something, that's why I love doing Edinburgh because you're suddenly in front of a crowd where even if they're warm, even if they're on board, they're not going to, you're not going to get them rolling. You're not going to get them moving, right? So you have to like sharpen every joke. So what happened was the