No Accounting for Comedy

Fred MacAulay

1988

Much has been made of the fact that I used to be an accountant and perhaps I'll simply extend the stereotype of the accountant's preoccupation with facts - and more importantly figures - when I tell you that the 'day like this' for me was 19th May 1988.

But there's good reason for remembering because my day really began the evening before when I had to absent myself from my young wife, even younger daughter, and baby son on our 4th wedding anniversary... ..and that's a date no-one should ever forget. I honestly can't remember what the excuse was but I probably just said that there was some kind of comedy event on in the Mitchell Theatre which I wanted to see, which would only take an hour or so. My wife knew I was a fan of stand-up comedy and the statement was factually correct, but the event I wanted to see was Heat 1 of the 1988 Mayfest 'So You Think You're Funny' Competition, and my eagerness to see it was because I was scheduled to appear in Heat 2 the following evening and I wanted to find out what the standard of comedy was from the other entrants. I say 'entrant', because it was far too early in any of our careers to use the word 'comedian'. For a large number of those who hit the stage over the next three nights the word comedian would never be used, except perhaps in later years in an accusatory fashion... ."... .of course, that was the night when you thought you were some kind of... comedian!" ... (continues)