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This Friday at 9 p.m. will mark one of the final chances this semester to laugh until it hurts as James Smith, the funniest product of Australia since Foster beer commercials, comes to Memorial Union for a free evening of comedy presented by The Maine Attraction.
Smith’s laid-back brand of observational humor, coupled with his Australian accent, results in a hilarious combination.
“The worst is the backhanded compliment that I have to get,” Smith said of his Aussie dialect in a YouTube video of an act in New York. “Like this guy last night says to me, ‘Dude, with that accent, you’ll get so much [action].’ The implication is that without it, [gestures hand to mean no chance]. Thanks buddy! I was a virgin in Australia! But now, I’m gonna get laid.”
Surprisingly, Smith is a banking and finance attorney by profession. He began public speaking and comedic performing while enrolled in law school. In 1995, he won the Australasian Public Speaking Championship, according to his Web site, http://www.jamessmith.com.au. The site refers to his rise to comedic success as “meteoric,” citing his progression to the national final of the “Comic of the Year” at the Sydney Comedy Festival within two months of his debut.
He was also selected in both ’95 and ’96 to compete in the World Debating Championships at Princeton University and the University College of Cork, Ireland. In 2001, Smith won the $25,000 Star Quest title, the most prestigious event of its kind in Australia. He has performed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and on a large number of Australia’s major television programs, including “The Comedy Channel’s Headliners” and “Rove Live.” Smith has performed all over the globe, including in the UK, Singapore, Malaysia and the United States.
“From what I understand, he is trying to break through to the American scene by playing at a lot of campuses,” said Katie Clegg, a member of CAB and chair of The Maine Attraction. “He is really funny and definitely worth taking the time to come out and see.”
Next Friday, Dec. 8, The Maine Attraction’s final event of the semester will be the Last Comic Standing finale. The Last Comic Standing is a semester-long competition for local and on-campus comedians. The finalists are Mike Johnson, Joe Burnham, Kate Maupin, Adam Hatch, Charley Phipps and Scott Rodenhauser. Two judges from co-sponsors CAB and Theta Chi will choose three winners based on the originality, content and stage presence they display in their seven-minute routines.
“The top three prizes will be gift certificates to a local retailer . perfect for Christmas,” Clegg said. The top prize will be worth $300.
But before the Last Comic Standing finale, see The Maine Attraction’s final headlining act of the semester, the man who Melbourne, Australia’s The Age says “effortlessly makes you laugh” and Revolver magazine refers to as “a methodical, furiously intelligent thinker.”
