Aussie comedian Greg Fleet visits Singapore this month as part of the Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow. Vanessa Mulquiney chats to him before he heads our way

This is your second Roadshow, how do you find Singaporean audiences?

Great, very interesting. Very well-behaved.

Isn’t that a little boring? Do you really want a well-behaved audience?

Yeah, of course. I like well-behaved.

How do you handle a not-so-well-behaved audience?

Usually I just think about the money. It’s 20 minutes out of my life; it’s not going to kill me.

But you’re willing to kill the hecklers?

Well, yeah [laughs], usually I want to kill myself by the end of it. But [being heckled] doesn’t happen that often.

You studied at the prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). Most graduates have big dreams of stardom and living in Hollywood. Was that the case with you or did you stuff up?

No, I didn’t really have Hollywood in my sights. I was at NIDA with [Australian director] Baz Luhrmann and he’s the only one that’s gone to Hollywood.

Everyone else is kind of hanging around here.

Do you think comedians are born funny or is it something that can be learned?

I know some people that approach it like a science and other people who approach it with instinct. But not for me – I kind of fell into it. I met some comedians and they said, ‘You should try this’. I tried it and it was pretty fun. If I had to learn it I probably wouldn’t have done it; I only did it because it was easy.

What’s your advice for up-and-coming comedians?

I just went out and did it, that’s the best way. Have a few gos at it and keep doing it as much as you can – just keep trying, that’s what I always say.

But how do you tell an inspiring comedian they suck?

Well, in a gentle way probably! It’s one of those things that kind of self-regulates; after a while you work out for yourself if you’re really bad. It’s pretty obvious.

Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow, 25-28 Jul at DBS Arts Centre. Tickets $45-$65 from www.gatecrash.com.sg.