Anthony Locascio On His Top 5 Comedic Influences
Comedian ANTHONY LOCASCIO breaks free from the tropes of ‘wog comedy’, exploring his relationship with his Greek & Italian heritage through stories, sounds & songs.
Growing up in Australia, Anthony Locascio found himself confined to a prison of ethinic & cultural stereotypes. Don’t Call Me A Wog! (An Ethnic Comedy Story) is his story of escape, his convoluted encounters with the Greek & Italian heritage that so greatly affected him, and his conflicting relationship with traditional ‘wog comedy’. “Relatably, unrelatable” is Anthony’s motto – spotlighting the unique experiences that affect anyone, from the multitude of cultural backgrounds within Australia.
An emotional rollercoaster, Anthony showcases the broad range of passion & sentiment experienced by Mediterranean-Australians; from deep shame to immense pride. Be warned; Don’t Call Me A Wog! is not just an “ethinic” comedy!
Anthony’s goes his top 5 comedic influences and how they’ve influenced him for Hi Fi Way.
Gary Gulman
A criminally under the radar comedian, this Boston born New York based veteran is a master at crafting long bits, uses his lexicon like nobody else, and has a level of affability and vulnerability that is simply unmatched. The master.
I cycle through his albums on Spotify at least four times a year, and that started before his most recent special dropped – The Great Depresh, which delves into Gary’s battle with depression, which is something I can very deeply relate to.
Mike Birbiglia
I have tried to mould my solo shows in a similar fashion to Mike. He is an expert at weaving together narrative threads and having succinct themes and motifs running through his shows that truly reward his audiences for paying attention.
He, like me, seems unsure of how proud he should be of his Italian origins; I get teased relentlessly for my (correct) pronunciation of his surname. He will be at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2022, and I will do sick sick things in order to meet him.
George Carlin
When deliberating whether it was ever worth even trying to do stand-up even once, I was in the midst of binging through Carlin’s astonishingly large body of work. By the 90s the man had become so rabidly popular among his fans that he elicited more applause than even laughter in his shows. And you can see why; equal parts philosopher and socio-political commentator as comedian, Carlin showed the world and indeed, me, that comedy wasn’t just about laughs, but you could use the craft to really speak to people.
Joe Avati
The first man I ever saw perform stand-up comedy live, I watched Joe as part of multiple showcases as a teenager. Of all the proponents of “ethnic humour”, Joe is easily the most prolific and gifted all round stand-up comedian.
His impressions, his timing, and his rhythm set him apart from the rest, and he is the voice of Italo-Australians. I have opened for/performed with Joe many times now, which is still totally crazy to me.
Eddie Murphy
Not so much stylistically (his work hasn’t aged the best) but for the sheer force of inspiration, there is a whole generation of young comics who got their hands on Delirious or Raw as a child (far too young to watch them) and thought it was the coolest thing they’d ever seen. I was no different. The act outs, the charisma, the outfits.
ANTHONY LOCASCIO ‘DON’T CALL ME A WOG’! (AN ETHNIC COMEDY STORY) TOUR DATES
Monday, March 14 – Star Theatre Two at Star Theatres – Adelaide
Tuesday, March 15 – Star Theatre Two at Star Theatres – Adelaide
Wednesday, March 16 – Star Theatre Two at Star Theatres – Adelaide
Thursday, March 17 – Star Theatre Two at Star Theatres – Adelaide
Friday, March 18 – Star Theatre Two at Star Theatres – Adelaide
Saturday, March 19 – Star Theatre Two at Star Theatres – Adelaide
Sunday, April 10 – Club Voltaire – Melbourne
Tuesday, April 12 – Club Voltaire – Melbourne
Wednesday, April 13 – Club Voltaire – Melbourne
Thursday, April 14 – Club Voltaire – Melbourne
Saturday, April 16 – Club Voltaire – Melbourne
Sunday, April 17 – Club Voltaire – Melbourne
Tuesday, April 19 – Club Voltaire – Melbourne
Wednesday, April 20 – Club Voltaire – Melbourne
Thursday, April 21 – Club Voltaire – Melbourne
Sunday, April 24 – Club Voltaire – Melbourne
Friday, May 6 – Regal Theatre Chorus Room – Perth
Saturday, May 7 – Regal Theatre Chorus Room – Perth
Friday, May 13 – Factory Theatre Main Room – Sydney