MAA #096: With Greg Fideler

Mental As Anyone

Interview with Melbourne-based Comedian and Comedy Writer Greg Fideler, who is originally from the United States and moved to Australia in 2017. Greg has some great credits including writing for the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, being a Contributing Writer for the Late Show with David Letterman, and writing jokes for the Weekend Updates segment of Saturday Night Live, Nickelodeon and Spike TV. Greg also worked on US show The Soup for 11 years – which is a clip show hosted by Joel McHale. Greg now lives in Melbourne and was due to perform at MICF in 2020 (until Corona).

We discuss: the challenge of successfully writing and performing comedy in 2 different countries, exposure to culture to help understand it, the importance of having a plan for your mental health to assist with managing it, everything changing in Greg’s life after he moved to Australia in 2017, the challenge of trying to do so many big things at once, the seemingly small but challenging factors of daily life for anyone from outside of Australia, the difficulty of finding work, the importance of routine and creating/maintaining social connections, the benefits of therapy, the importance of managing expectations, Angel cards revealing patience, integrity and purification, the catch-22 that it’s easier to be grateful and positive when things are going well, views on anti-depressant medication, issues with alcohol, having a pancreatitis attack, the importance of maintaining perspective, Greg’s super power and the Dodge Charger story, and Greg’s message to take care of yourself and have a plan.