Billy T’ Billy: Gabby Anderson and James Nokise on bad gigs, Wellington comedy and a double life as a teacher

Gabby Anderson (left) and James Nokise feature on this episode of Billy T' Billy.

Many comedians experience a bad gig or two in their careers - but few have one that haunts them for nearly a decade.

Yet for Wellington-based comic James Nokise, he is reminded constantly of the time he had to open for reggae legends Herbs at a Parihaka concert.

Speaking to Gabby Anderson on the NZ Herald podcast Billy T’ Billy, Nokise said that it all started out as a favour for the organiser.

“He asked me to go on after Fat Freddy’s Drop at 11.30pm on a Friday night just to warm up the crowd for Herbs. Herbs took 45 minutes. I did not have 45 minutes of material,” Nokise said.

“I died several times on that set. I died so badly that nine years later, people still come up to me and go, ‘Bro, I saw you at Parihaka’.”

While he is still regularly reminded of that moment, Nokise’s career has continued to grow, which saw him pick up the Fred Dagg Award for the best show at the International Comedy Festival in 2019.

Anderson now has her focus set on the same heights - after winning the National Raw Comedy Quest in 2018, she is now up for the Billy T Award, which recognises the best rising talent in the comedy industry.

Launched in 1997, the Billy T Award celebrates the best emerging performer at each year’s Comedy Festival. Many of the winners have gone on to become household names – including Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, Rose Matafeo, Dai Henwood and reigning winner Brynley Stent.

It’s an award Nokise was up for twice in the early stages of his career, but doesn’t feel he’s missed out on the prize, noting the number of people who have not nabbed the award and have still gone on to have big careers, such as Rhys Darby.

“I think there were [fewer] pathways when I was doing it, so it was really expected for you to go for the Billy,” he said.

For Anderson, she never expected to find herself in the Billy T process. Having worked full-time as a teacher for several years, Anderson was doing stand-up gigs on the side.

“I went to the meeting [about the award], but I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t think this is for me. I’m not a professional comedian’. Like, I don’t know, when do you count yourself into these sorts of things?

“But then Janaye [Henry, another Billy T nominee] was like, ‘Oh, you should just do it because you’ve done a show anyway, and what’s the loss if you throw your hat in the ring?’”

She still teaches as well as performing, but Anderson said her students don’t always understand what she does, which became evident after they wrote her a card.

“They don’t know that about Billy T, but they did know about Raw. They were my Year 9 class and they wrote me a card that was like, ‘Congratulations on being the funniest person in New Zealand’. And they all signed it and I was like, ‘Oh God, I’m so sorry for being so, like, boring with your essays’.”

Listen to the full podcast for more from Gabby and James on the local comedy industry, the scene in Wellington, and why everyone misinterpreted James’ award.

Billy T’ Billy is an NZ Herald podcast celebrating local comedy ahead of the New Zealand International Comedy Festival. Each episode has a different 2023 nominee talking with a former Billy T or Fred Award winner. New episodes are out every Tuesday.

This year’s Billy T nominees include Abby Howells, Gabby Anderson, Jack Ansett, Janaye Henry and Maria Williams. The New Zealand International Comedy Festival runs from May 6th to May 28th.

You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.