Hannah Gadsby talks life after Nanette

Hannah Gadsby became a global phenomenon following the premiere of her Netflix comedy special, Nanette. Photo / Getty

Hannah Gadsby was in Seattle earlier this month, on tour with her new stand-up act, when she decided to unwind at the library. It was the type of excursion the Australian comedian could've anonymously enjoyed during the first four decades of her life. But in the wake of last year's Netflix phenomenon Nanette, her incisive and deeply personal special commenting on her experience as a gay woman? Not so much.

"I forgot that of course, the library is going to be where my people are," says Gadsby, 41. "I probably would've been recognised less had I gone to a nightclub."

After Gadsby pushed boundaries with the gut-wrenching, belly laugh-inducing ride that was Nanette, she has gone from cult-favorite comic to a performer who plays to packed houses. Her latest special - named Douglas, after one of her dogs - will hit Netflix next year.

Q: With Douglas, you've embarked on a nationwide US tour for the first time. How's it going?

A: I am very pleased with how lovely American audiences are. They really are nice people. In Australia and the UK, you walk out onstage and there's an air of resistance there with the audience. They're sort of like, "You think you're funny, do ya? Well let's see - I'll be the judge of that." Whereas here the general mindset is, "We're just delighted you're here."

Q: What should audiences expect from your new material?

A: I do use a lot more traditional stand-up routines in the show, but I also have undone them a bit. So there is a similarity to Nanette, but it is not the triple punch of trauma that Nanette was. I still have that style of combining my logic with quite a large amount of vulnerability. That's still there, but it's a lot more fun.

Q: How do you go about writing a show like Douglas?

A: My shows have always been written as a way of sharing my thoughts with people, so it's very much about where I am in the world and what's preoccupying my thoughts. In a way, Douglas is about Nanette because that has just become my life in so many ways. It's a conversation with my post-Nanette life.

Q: The Grammys drew criticism earlier this year for excluding you, along with comics like Michelle Wolf and Ali Wong, and only nominating men in the comedy album category. What was your reaction to the all-male shortlist?

A: Look, I'm so used to that oversight, I'm so used to the boys' club in comedy, it barely was a blip on my mind. The Grammys aren't renowned for their, you know, forward-thinking, inclusive voting. I also find awards really weird, but I'm not normal. You have to lobby and schmooze and do publicity and speak for the work that should speak for itself. Nanette, for me, was so singular and so personal and painful and all of those things - she's done the work, she's out there, she's kicking off in people's minds. The Grammy Awards would not mean much. I would prefer that the Grammys were just like, "Women should possibly get a look here." That all makes sense. But what kind of a**hole wakes up in the morning and thinks they should win a Grammy?

Q: Following the success of Nanette, I imagine you have lots of options in the entertainment business. What are you hoping to do next?

A: You know, I'm really taking my time on deciding that because, yes, I do have a lot of options, but I'm not so arrogant to believe that I'm capable of doing all the things. I have a very distinct skill set. I'd like to build on that, but I really want to make sure that what I do next is a good marriage between learning and building and doing something constructive. I mean, I won't become a mechanic - I think we've ruled that out. But I still haven't got my head around what the industry over here is. So until I do that, I don't think I'll be biting off too much.