Interview

interview: Carolyn Swindell

Carolyn Swindell woke up one day, after having enjoyed a successful career in politics, and decided she’d give stand-up comedy a go. As you do. Or perhaps, you don’t. Turns out this local lady’s courage paid off.

 You live in Gladesville. Have you always been a local?

I’m about to clock up 15 years in Gladeville. I was born in New Zealand and grew up in Queensland and if I’m honest, State of Origin time is still challenging for me (especially this year), but I’m well and truly converted to the joy of Sydney and especially our little pocket of it. 

Why the lower north shore?

I moved here from Canberra and did what everyone does when they move to Sydney and tried to live at the beach. Turns out I like the beach, but not nearly as much as I thought. I was spending more hours each week cursing at traffic on Military Road than I was with sand between my toes, so I moved to Balmain. Turns out I like the inner west, but not as much as I like having the space and greenery that hidden gem Gladesville can offer.

 What flicked that switch inside your head that said 'try stand-up'?

I’d been writing a blog about cocktails and bad 80s music for a couple of years and enjoyed writing humour, and was looking for things to stretch me. I auditioned for Hard Quiz and then Think Tank and had a great time on both, but thought stand-up was way too scary. Then I had a friend who was a decade younger than me die suddenly and I decided that maybe not giving it a go was a scarier prospect, so I signed up for RAW Comedy which is the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Open Mic competition. No audition, just sign up and show up and the stage is yours. Gulp. 

How did you cope with the prospect of late night shows in tiny comedy clubs every weekend?

That’s the part I’m not so good at. I’ve got school-aged children and when I did my first stand-up spot in 2018, my daughter was only four-years-old. I can’t get out and hang out at the clubs all night (to say nothing of the fact that I find myself drawn as though in a tractor beam to bed at 9:30pm every night). I love to get out and watch comedy and do as much as I can, but it’s a different beast starting standup when you’re a middle-aged parent than doing it when you’re in your 20s. 

How did the Hunters Hill event Comedy & Cocktails come about?

I’ve been writing about cocktails since 2016, and that’s led to surprising opportunities like doing some Royal Wedding commentary on ABC Radio when Harry and Meghan tied the knot - ok, no one asked this Republican to talk about what was happening in the Windsor Castle, but I did dish out some useful advice on what cocktail to best match with your Royal wedding party. It also means I get to meet interesting people doing cool things with gin and whisky and vodka. One of those meetings was with the lads from Buffalo Vale Distillery in Ryde and we put our heads together to bring this beautiful combination of comedy and cocktails together. 

What do your family and friends think about your new career path?

My poor husband gets very nervous for me - much more than I do now - but he’s always in the audience. He’s missed only two of my shows and that’s because he and the kids were hit with a terrible case of chicken pox. My children are perplexed that anyone would come to see me do comedy when I clearly don’t appreciate their toilet humour. My friends are wonderful supporters and I’ve always been grateful to have a friendly contingent in the audience.

 What’s next? Are you tempted to start writing scripts?

I’m writing a show for the Sydney Fringe Festival in September. It’s a comedy, but also a pretty depressing indictment about the state of politics in Australia. It’s called Nice Lady MP and draws on my experience in Canberra as a political advisor back when I used to wear pantyhose and high heels to work instead of the slippers I find myself in now (although I don’t wear slippers on stage, there are standards that must be maintained!). I’m also working on a TV comedy series called The Bubble about a married couple who are also high-end Real Estate Agents. It probably needs a new title now that we’ve come to associate the term ‘bubble’ with travel rather than real estate. And I’ve just finished a novel and need to send that out into the world and hope it finds a good home. 

What keeps you local?

I love my neighbourhood. I hardly use my car now; everything is so close. I think we’re so fortunate in this area to have so much accessible natural bushland on our doorstep but still be close to the city. After my failed stint as a beach girl, I am now certain that I’m an inner harbour girl - to be able to see that water and that bushland so easily is such a gift. 15 years in the ‘hood means a trip to the supermarket is a social occasion. There’s always someone to say hello to and everyone is looking out for everyone else’s kids. It’s more than a neighbourhood, it’s a community and I really value being part of that.