Uncomfortable Truths is hosted by Melbourne comedian Pradeepa Timmermans. She interviews interesting local comedians and regular people here in Australia. Each podcast briefly discusses or delves right into at least one uncomfortable truth. These include topics like being a comedian, writing comedy, sex, addiction, corruption, experiences of failure as well as success, mental health - you know, the stuff we don’t talk about. The only thing we find more uncomfortable than these subjects is trying to hold them in! Let's release the shame and fear by talking and laughing about it, together.
Blaise White has been doing comedy since high school, and started performing on the comedy circuit here in Melbourne when he was just 17 years old! He has recently returned from a 3 month journey around Europe, where he started the trip by proposing to his girlfriend! And thank goodness, she said yes. He’s performed shows in multiple Comedy Festivals, has performed at Edinburgh Festival, was a regular at Station 59 and became Kieran Butler’s apprentice/partner in running and MCing The Highlander comedy room up until March 2022. He now runs his own entertainment company “Anything Goes” in Geelong, which runs a weekly comedy night at The Brewery and several trivia nights around Geelong. He, like myself, is also a big weed enthusiast. We talk a lot about weed laws and regulations in Europe. I’ve know Blaise for years, and it was great to get to know him on a deeper level. Give it up! For Blaise White.
Blaise White
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/anythinggoesentertainment/) | Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AnythingGoesEntertainmentAU/) | Linktree ( https://linktr.ee/anythinggoesentertainment)
Pradeepa Timmermans
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/pradeepatimmermans/) | Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pradeepa.timmermans.9) | pradeepa.com.au (http://www.pradeepa.com.au/) | pradeepa.deep@gmail.com (mailto:pradeepa.deep@gmail.com)
27 Nov 2022
Ep33 Joel Temperly (Comedy in China, travelling, lockdowns, running a room, economics!)
Joel Temperly started doing stand-up comedy when he was teaching English in China. He’s also lived in Moscow and has recently been to London to ‘hang out with some mates’. Joel loves to travel, and fortunately he ended up back in Melbourne just before the lockdowns hit back in 2020. He first hit the Melbourne Comedy scene back in 2019, and started his first comedy room in 2020. He’s also an economist, believe it or not! We talk about how he started in comedy, his travels, his role as an economist, running a comedy room, learning not to take things personally and his new comedy room that has just opened up in Collingwood – The Gem. Joel himself is a gem to chat with, with heaps of interesting experiences and views on life and the world. Have a listen – it’s a good one!
Joel Temperly
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/joeltemperly/) | YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@jstem09)
Pradeepa Timmermans
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/pradeepatimmermans/) | Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pradeepa.timmermans.9) | pradeepa.com.au (http://www.pradeepa.com.au/) | pradeepa.deep@gmail.com (mailto:pradeepa.deep@gmail.com)
10 Nov 2022
Ep32 Rain Ferndale (Visual artist, ex-Hare Krishna, child abuse within religions, cult behaviour, dangers of guru worship)
Rain Ferndale was brought up as a Hare Krishna from the age of 5, in Murwillumbah, Northern NSW. I have known Rain since the time she was a baby. I recently watched “Keep Sweet, Pray and Obey” on Netflix, the documentary on the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamentalist_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-Day_Saints). I noticed some striking similarities between what I saw in the documentary and what I had observed of Rain’s family, all Hare Krishnas.
These were similarities such as idolisation of women becoming mothers at a very young age and limiting their education. I also noticed that both religions ask you to believe what you are told by the guru, no matter what, even if it doesn’t make sense. This also often happens in a dictatorship.
Rain tells us in what ways they are similar, and gives us a unique insight into what it’s like growing up as a Hare Krishna, here in Australia. I watched most of the documentary “Faith and Fear – The Children of Krishna”, which outlines the horrific child abuse that went on in the USA and India at Hare Krishna boarding schools, aka Gurukalas. I ask Rain if she witnessed any of this kind of abuse, or if she was subject to anything similar. Her story is captivating and horrifying.
She was kicked out of home when she was 13 and has been estranged from her mother ever since. She is now 26. None of her family are Hare Krishnas anymore. Despite this, her 19 year old younger sister, who was born into being a Hare Krishna, has recently become pregnant to a 35 year old man. She has a Year 10 education. This has all transpired with her mother’s encouragement and support. You’ll hear that this is exactly what she was brought up to do, and despite the fact that they are no longer Hare Krishnas, the conditioning runs deep, it would seem. This conversation will blow your mind. You won’t believe that this is happening with no investigation or transparency, right here in Australia. Hang in there. It’s worth it.
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