Tom Ballard tells me he recently painted his fingernails. He was hosting an SBSspecial on the 37th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade, so he was more than excited. “It was amazing fun,” the comedian says. “It was a pretty crazy night. We were trying to cover as much as we could. You can really get distracted by everything that’s happening around you – you kind of forget that you’re making a TV show. Magda [Szubanski]’s amazing and a hero of mine. We were bringing all the crazy glamour and crazy floats and everything, but also trying to tell the stories behind the floats and the messages that we wanted to get out there. I painted my fingernails for it.”
Amazingly, Ballard has already built a reputable comedy career by the age of 25, with extensive work in radio, TV and stand-up. Ballard’s new comedy festival show, Taxis & Rainbows & Hatred, looks set to be his most compelling.
“It’s about this taxi driver I had in Newcastle who was a little bit homophobic and sort of recognised me from somewhere and it got very weird,” says Ballard. “I was thinking about what it’s like to be a young gay man in Australia in 2015 and those little moments of homophobia that I come across every now and again. I’m generally very lucky to be who I am and where I am in this place and time, but there’s still those little moments that get into your skin. And the show’s very embarrassing because I talk about my ugly body and it’s a really personal show.
“I think the universal message of the show is everyone has that moment when you’re stopped and questioned about who you are, and whether or not you stand up and claim that or not is kind of up to you. Whether you’re gay or straight, we all have those moments where the fundamental principles we have or the basic nature of who we are is questioned or challenged, and you’ve got to have the courage to try and stand by yourself.
“When it comes to my sexuality, I’ve been really lucky to have loving and supportive friends and family, and I just know that being gay isn’t a big deal at all. And I will take anyone to task who says there’s something wrong with it, because it’s a load of bullshit, and I like calling out bullshit and arguing against it.”
As jovial as Ballard is, he’s quick to speak up against prejudice and inequality. “I’m a bit of a comedy nerd and obsessive, but I think a lot of my philosophies in life, and I’ve had my mind changed by comedy,” he says. “Seeing people from different backgrounds talk really honestly, funnily and engagingly about their life experiences taught me a lot about the world, and that’s the thing I really love about comedy.
“I think because I’m not particularly camp or feminine, sometimes heterosexual people will be able to relate to the dude onstage, and I just happen to be gay and telling them about that and my life. Hopefully that can help people understand a bit better where queer people are coming from and how we’re not too scary. I’m about being funny first. It’s a comedy festival, not a preachy festival, but if at the same time I can talk about my human experience and people get something out of that then I think that’s awesome.”
Tom Ballard’sTaxis & Rainbows & Hatred,as part of Sydney Comedy Festival 2015, is on atThe Comedy Store onThursday April 30 and Friday May 1.
