Ekert's out a living
She's a white trash lesbian who aspires to world domination through her army of funny dykes. Queer comic Jody Ekert chews the fat with Time Out Sydney
By Andrew Georgiou
Ekert considers slaughtering a sacred cow before dinner
How niche is the lesbian comedienne community in Sydney? Very. There are a handful of us floating around in Sydney and we try to all support each other. Some of us only stick to gay or gay-friendly events, some of us attempt to crack the mainstream comedy world.
Were you a funny kid, or someone nobody actually understood? I think I was someone that nobody really got. I’d do all sorts of things at school to try and change that – drama, public speaking, debating. I was the biggest science nerd too and even used to dress as Spock.
At what point did you think, I’m taking this to the stage? I think it was when my friends were sick of hearing my crazy family stories. They told me that I should make it into a comedy show. So my first gigs, and my first solo show, White Trash Lesbian, totally focused on my childhood – complete with photos.
What makes lesbian idiosyncrasies such a great subject matter to base comedy around? Well because of the differences between how lesbians are perceived, and how we actually are. Like, people tend to think we’re either totally butch, bulky, wide-shouldered dykes or we’re all porn star blondes with long fingernails just waiting to have a pillow fight for the titillation of men. The reality is very different of course, and straight audiences love that insight into my world.
Do gay men respond differently from lesbians to your comedy? Gay men tend to laugh at almost anything I say. They are one of my favourite audiences. I think they just think that lesbians are a strange lot anyhow and we’re good for entertaining them.
Have you offended certain sectors of the lesbian community before? Sure. Some young lesbians out on the scene in their first few years don’t think I’m funny – and for them I’m not, because I’m pointing out things about their culture they probably haven’t outgrown yet, so I’m probably insulting them. I also offend the ‘straightlaced’ lesbians, if there is such a thing, ‘cause I talk about my past experiences with men.
You held a gay comedy workshop during Mardi Gras. How did that go? It’s the highlight of my year. I’ve run the Giggling Gertie workshops now for two years and it’s amazing to see a bunch of nervous girls meet for the first time. Over the course of two days they change into these rock star comics with bunches of new friends and confidence in their stories.
Should we expect to see an influx of lesbian comediennes as a result? That’s the plan. World Domination! It’s going well so far. The ‘Gerties’ as I call them, have performed in festivals everywhere now, made good headway in comedy contests, and even auditioned for NBC’s Last Comic Standing. That’s the first step. Eventually of course we will phase out the men, and the non-funny lesbians, and then the Earth is ours. We might keep straight women as our entertainment!
Who do you think is Australia’s unfunniest comedian? No comment. Anyone who really knows me knows the answer to that one. Cause I got drunk at his show, heckled him and ended up storming the stage to take over – at his suggestion to prove I was funny. All rather embarrassing now. Let’s just say I don’t think that the producers of Rove are ever going to be having me on their show soon.
What’s your best lesbian joke? To see that you need to come along to a gig. I’m next on at a Laugh Out Ladies event at The Gladstone Hotel on Saturday 10th of May.