There is no holding back when it comes to Australia’s love for homegrown comedians.

If history shows us anything, it’s that the more outrageous and politically incorrect the jokes are, the more Aussie crowds love them. As proven on festival stages by the likes of Rodney Rude and Jim Jefferies, there is something so appealing about hearing someone make jokes you really shouldn’t be laughing at. At the forefront of the modern era of Australian comedy is Josh Wade – perhaps more commonly known for his character portrayal of Cunny.

Cunny is a foul-mouthed, bong-smoking bogan who maintains a contrarian outlook on the world at large. Having scored a massive burst of popularity in the digital age of YouTube and Facebook, Wade has now established a name for himself on the live comedy circuit and has attracted legions of fans all over the country. His history with Cunny, however, dates way back to when he was doing stand-up at the “innocent” age of 13.

“I was doing open mic stuff around Townsville at ten o’clock at night in pubs. There would only be about three to four 45-year-old men who were obviously at the bar wanting to escape their 13-year-old kids at home, so the last thing they wanted to hear was one on the microphone. I realised no-one was laughing because I was just talking about things that were unrelatable to them.

“At the start, the person who got me into comedy was Ellen DeGeneres. Through watching her stand-up, I tried to emulate that a lot when I started out, and then I realised that being a 13-year-old boy from Townsville who sounds like a 45-year-old lesbian with opinions on America wasn’t really working. So where the vulgarity of the character I now do comes from was realising that if I want people to pay attention to me, I have to speak like them.”

Online comedy is something that’s only really become a craze in the last five or so years, but its popularity has been on the rise exponentially since.

“Back when I was about 15 and posting videos,” says Wade, “I realised if I wanted to get out of Townsville, simply by being funny, I would really have to push myself. I didn’t get a degree. I didn’t finish school. So I thought, ‘What is the best way to do it?’ I gave myself a goal and said, ‘In a year’s time I am going to go down and do the Melbourne Comedy Festival through building enough fans on YouTube and Facebook to get an audience.’”

His plan worked, with Wade selling out two shows in Melbourne this year. However, he’s laid down roots in Sydney, moving here when he was 18 and soon making friends with Neel Kolhatkar, another renowned internet comedian.

“We sort of just linked up and went, ‘OK, we have the same goal.’ We had both been doing stand-up and open mic and then we both started doing these videos. It was sort of a collaborative effort, and then Frenchy came along and it’s been a community that we have sort of built up. Now I go on Facebook and your whole news feed is videos. It’s like YouTube on crystal meth,” Wade laughs.

“Now there is a whole scene – anyone can do it. You’re now seeing traditional comedians who pretty much need to adapt or die. I see a lot of traditional comedians like Hughesy who are going, ‘We have to make online content.’ People have such a short attention span now that if you don’t make something weekly or every couple of weeks, there is always someone new and just as good that is going to come out. There’s something now for everyone on the internet.”

The last two years have seen Wade jet set around the US, making videos all over the country while also taking the time for some very personal self-reflection.

“I have spent a lot of time in America the last two years, and I have had a lot of time to sit around and do nothing but smoke bongs because it was legal. I sort of fell down a rabbit hole in terms of discovering everything I had learnt from school and society was false. I feel like everything was a lie. I feel that I was never told the full truth. I still don’t know the full truth, but I definitely don’t believe anything I was brought up with.”

Taking inspiration from this mentality for his latest Australian tour, Cunny’s Modern Life, Wade tackles issues that he has observed in the world over the course of his life.

“This show is kind of like a really messed-up TED Talk. Cunny’s Modern Life is a play on the show Rocko’s Modern Life. From 9/11 to the wars to the financial crisis and all those different things, it’s kind of my take on it all in an absurd and funny but truthful sort of way. It’s almost like watching a 70-year-old man who is pissed off with the world and just rants for an hour.”

Josh Wade’sCunny’s Modern Lifeis on atThe Comedy StoreWednesday July 20, thenThe Red Rattler onSunday July 24.

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