Comedy Festival 2012: Wilson Dixon

Wilson Dixon. Photo / Supplied

The New Zealand International Comedy Festival begins this weekend bringing local and international comic heroes to our stages. Here, Wilson Dixon talks about his forthcoming shows.

Your show in 10 words or less:

An evening of songs and sentences that don't quite make ...

Will we have heard any of the jokes before?

Yes. The thing about a greatest hits show is that they're songs that people have already heard, and like, and want to hear again.

So, why should we go to your show instead of saving our money for Flight of the Conchords in July?

I guess it's a toss-up between folk and country. You choose. All music is made to be loved.

What is your pre-show ritual?

I drink a shot of whiskey and then pull out a nasal hair. If you're not ready after that, you never will be.

Is dying on stage a rite of passage for a comedian or something to be avoided at all costs?

I dunno, ask a comedian. I'm a country singer.

Are members of the audience fair game? Or should they be treated with respect at all times?

Yes, respect, unless the audience consists solely of my horse Andrew. In that case, do whatever you can to annoy him.

If you were a superhero who would you be?

Slightly More Superman.

For those of you who don't have a musical aspect to your show ... how do you compete with all those clever dicks offering the double whammy of musical comedy?

I do have a musical aspect to my show, so I don't really feel like I need to compete with the unclever dicks who only offer the single whammy of comedy.

Who will you be heading along to see during the festival?

The Billy Joel Tribute Show performed by "The Uptown Girls", two transgender twin sisters who both uncannily resemble Billy. I played a show with them once in Utah and they brought the largely lapsed-Mormon audience to its feet.

Who: Wilson Dixon
From: New Zealand
In: Wilson Dixon's Greatest Hits.
When and where: SkyCity Theatre, 8pm, May 17-19

-TimeOut