While stand-up comedians come in a plethora of styles, it's often the ones who feel like they're putting on the least amount of airs who resonate. If you're watching an observational comic and you don't feel like they authentically believe what they're saying, it's hard to laugh along. But authenticity has never been an issue for Australian Jim Jefferies.
When he's on stage with a mic in his hand, Jefferies almost comes across as the slightly surly guy at the end of the bar who has a ton of stories and opinions but you actually want to hear them. He's the cheeky crank who might somehow segue effortlessly from a rant about gun control laws to a story about an old one-night stand without missing a beat. Jefferies' blunt point of view has led him to co-create and star in the FX sitcom Legit and the Comedy Central late-night show The Jim Jefferies Show in addition to putting out 10 stand-up specials (most recently 2023's High and Dry, his sixth special for Netflix).
Jefferies heads back to Spokane for a Jan. 23 show at First Interstate Center for the Arts as part of his "Son of a Carpenter" tour — named thusly because "it's obviously taking the piss out of Jesus" and the comedian literally is the son of a carpenter.
Ahead of Jefferies' return to town, we caught up with him to chat about trying to be an adult, connecting with fans and musical theater.
INLANDER: What sort of topics are you comedically exploring with your new material?
JEFFERIES: Look, with me it's always going to be some social issues, some sex jokes and then some stuff about me life. You're just following a soap opera of a person, aren't ya?
When I was younger, you were watching a guy who was dealing with addiction and having problems there. And now you're dealing with a guy who's doing the same as everyone my age — struggling to be an adult whilst having to be a parent, you know what? So there's stuff about married life. There's no more stories of one-night stands or anything like that. It's tales of being, being an adult, I guess.
But in saying that it's still the same as all my other shows that I've ever done — it's still just grubby jokes. I always write the show that I want to watch. Every comedian who's worth their salt should really think that they're the best comedian in the world, because they're doing a show that is designed just for them. So I hope other people relate to it, and I hope other people can see themselves in me and they take something away from that.
A thing I enjoy about your approach is that your comedy has that cynical bluntness to it, but it's not punching at people in a way that's devoid of empathy.
I think my stage persona can come across as a bit of an asshole, but I think people can relate to that. Because aren't we all just a little bit of an asshole?
For sure. And everyone has an asshole friend or two where they sort of acknowledge, "Ehh... they're kind of an asshole, but they're my asshole."
Yeah, exactly. I always have people come to me afterwards and go, "You say the things I think, but I'm too afraid to say." So that means that people are agreeing with you.
And that's a little fun thing with stand-up comedy — a release that you get. You get to hear opinions that you're not going to hear in your schools or your churches or from your politicians or from co-workers or whatever. You get to hear little tiny opinions that you go, "Yeah, I agree with that" or "I don't agree with that," but I don't think anything that extreme that you're going to be angry. But people still find a way.
Your demeanor as a stand-up always struck me as sort of the talkative guy at the end of the bar whose rantings and stories you actually want to hear.
That's what I'm hoping. Some comedians, you can see them and you may have had a great time and had a big laugh, but when you leave, you know no more about them. But with me, I do think people at the end of it think they know me a little bit better.
I know because when people meet me, people always speak to me with familiarity. People sometimes come up and talk to me in the street, and they ask, "How's your kids? How's this and how's that?" And I think, "Do I know this person?" And then I start asking personal questions about themselves, because I assume I've met them before and I already know them, when I don't know them at all.
I do like to make the show be an experience where it's like we're all just a group of friends having a chat or having a discussion or even having a little tiny argument. You know what I mean? My points, I don't think, are that egregious that you kind of hate me at the end of it. I hope whatever dark points that I make, at least you can sort of see my point of view.
In your most recent special High and Dry, you mention you studied musical theater at university. Do you think a musical theater background has helped with being a stand-up at all?
I did that before stand-up comedy, but I do think it helped me in many ways. I think it helped me hit the ground running when I started doing stand-up comedy, because I didn't have stage fright, because I'd already been through stage fright in another art form.
I do a lot of acting on stage. I think more than people actually really give credit for. There's a lot of more animated comedians who really move around the stage and play things out, but I do faces and impersonations. And I'm not very good at impersonations! But I think the musical theaterness in me helped me know more about how to build character on stage.
When I perform, I hope that I paint a bit of a picture. And musical theater does that a lot more than stand-up comedy does. Musical theater is the most extreme and overdone bit of acting you can do. It's pantomime, almost.
What's your musical theater wheelhouse?
My mother used to take me to see musicals. I like West Side Story, My Fair Lady and all the old ones. I have fond memories from my childhood watching those ones. I would listen to Stephen Sondheim. I like the classic old musicals.
Besides the obvious of it being your job, what keeps you energized and wanting to do stand-up?
Every day that I have a stand-up gig, the stand-up gig is the highlight of my day. So if a show is happening, that's the thing I'm looking forward to the most.
I won't lie to you, I'm not a big fan of traveling. And my job is traveling, you know? I get paid to be on airplanes, not to be on stage. And I still get a kick out of it when I enter a country and I have to write my occupation on a customs form. That still makes me feel like I'm a 17-year-old kid who wants to do an open mic spot. I mean, I get to write "comedian," and I'm not bullshitting. I'm not an aspiring comedian, I'm a f---ing comedian. That's awesome, man. ♦
Jim Jefferies • Thu, Jan. 23 at 7 pm • $50-$216 • All ages • First Interstate Center for the Arts • 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd • firstinterstatecenter.org • 509-279-7000
