Interview with Bonnie Davies, who is a Perth comedian and also has an alter-ego named Famous Sharron. We discuss: Bonnie’s Laugh Or Your Money Back show in 2011’s MICF (and only one person asking for their money back), the next show I’m High On Life, What Are You On?, growing up with parents who were youth workers, memories of people from childhood, the Open Door policy at the Davies home, people experiencing the same things over and over (eg. Not being accepted, being neglected, not allowed to be themselves, sex work and drugs), people finding that drug dealers become friends and family, the table top analogy and Dad’s emotional bank balance analogy, old habits dying hard, the importance of perseverance, a house full of love, Mum being an Environmental Warrior and Dad writing his memoirs, Dad’s observation of a community disconnect over the years, Bonnie’s involvement in community organisations, Shopkeeper Kindness, falling into the Arts, work experience at Awesome Arts, early job offers, Fellowship in the UK and figuring herself out, being back in Perth and organising comedians, the bet that started it all, Raw Comedy, kids and school pressure, looking forward to the wisdom of being 50, Famous Sharron development, wanting to be Australian and change outfits a lot, inspiration from a Brisbane drag queen, a hard Edinburgh experience, being famous for no reason, Sharron’s trip to Melbourne, celebrity after-parties, 2015 being a great year/year of hard work, comedy being bad for mental health, Facebook being a “highlights reel”, always being honest about how hard things can be, the unhelpfulness of beating ourselves up, the role of forgiveness in success, speaking to yourself the same way you would to a friend (ie, kindly), learning from hard times, metaphorically climbing Mount Everest … and then climbing back down so you can climb the next mountain, recent experiences of losing people to suicide, the importance of reaching out and talking if you’re feeling down, finding out what works for you, and a little plug for Perth Fringe in February.
