Guy Montgomery: My Brain is Blowing Me Crazy

Guy Montgomery is as shocked as anyone to realise he’s considered a man now. But despite being a 34-year-old stepdad, he hasn’t lost any of the boyishly oddball charm that has powered his ascent from cult favourite to minor TV stardom in this part of the world.

Montgomery’s trade is off-kilter observational gear heightened by strange and sometimes daringly surreal flourishes. It’s a method that leans heavily on his affable weirdo effect, and he generally does a remarkable job of bringing an audience onto his undeniably unique wavelength.

Off the top, he tests the waters with a little deconstruction of the stand-up show ritual before some exceptional riffs on well-worn topics like advertising and not being good at parties; the dexterity with which he juggles (and sometimes blends) the personas of baffled everyman and a buffoon entirely lacking in self-awareness is quite remarkable.

The show continues with straightforward musings and personal experiences alongside more bizarre stoner-ish thought experiments. Given his inimitable perspective and the degree of difficulty he sets for himself, it’s perhaps inevitable that not everyone gets on board for all the rides. Montgomery does have an unfortunate habit of refusing to shut a yarn down before it has overstayed its welcome (even he cheerfully admits a routine about business-fish goes on too long).

But when he does hit, the results are spectacular. A restaurant’s somewhat ambitious mantra to redefine what it means to eat gets what it deserves to magnificent effect. Montgomery’s predilection for an unexpected gear change – most memorably, a passionate rep for the allegedly underrated delights of Cremorne, where he is staying – keeps the audiences on their toes and the mood buoyant throughout.

For all his youthful exuberance, Montgomery is clearly also relishing life as a family man, with the clash of his mature and immature modes informing the show’s closing yarn. But as happily settled as he is, it’s hard to imagine this Guy ever truly growing up. And we’re all the better for it.

After some more knee-slapping comedy? Check out the regular comedy nights in Melbourne.