Why Australia's top tennis umpire chose Windies over Wimbledon
He also once told Frenchman Elliot Benchetrit to peel his own banana after asking a ballgirl to do so.
Martina Navratilova retweeted a video of the incident, writing: 'What's next – grapes? John did the right thing, that's for sure.'
But Blom's idea of a good time is sitting in the stands at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, drinking rum with fans and watching Australia's cricketers.
Coincidentally, Blom stayed at Australia's team hotel in Islamabad during their 2022 Test tour when he happened to be umpiring a Davis Cup tie between Pakistan and Uzbekistan.
He has since travelled to India and New Zealand to watch Australia play, and plans to be in South Africa next year for the team's first Test tour since Sandpapergate in 2018.
'I'm surrounded by the world's top tennis players but I get a bit nervous around the Australian cricket team,' Blom said. 'When I see them at the team hotel, I'm a bit of a fanboy.
'It's my favourite sport. Much better than tennis. I grew up watching cricket in the '80s and '90s and it was just such a golden era that crystallised my love for cricket.'
The interview is momentarily interrupted by a flight attendant announcing that the descent into Grenada is two minutes away.
'We'll get a fair view of the islands of the Grenadines out the right window,' she says over the PA. 'The temperature is 30 degrees at the airport.'
Blom smiles and continues. 'It seemed like there were almost more Australians than locals in the crowd in Barbados.'
There's time for a few rapid-fire questions before landing.
Favourite player to watch?
'Every official loved watching Roger Federer play. He had such a unique style. He was pretty easy-going and didn't complain too much.'
Best match to umpire?
'Nadal and Medvedev in 2022 (Nadal won 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in a match that lasted five hours and 24 minutes). It was an incredible experience. It finished at 2am but I was still buzzing at 6am.'
Is it the dream job?
'I think it is. It's like any job that has its issues, right? No one loves their job all the time. You do have some wonderful memories and experiences that you wouldn't get doing watching tennis as a spectator. Wimbledon is my favourite but the US Open has grown on me.'
Something people don't know about umpiring?
'A lot of people think that having good eyesight is the most important thing. It's far and away not. You have to have the ability to communicate well and defuse situations before they get out of hand. If you make a big enough mistake, any player is going to go nuts.'
Blom says there's one question he gets asked more than any: whether he's allowed to go to the toilet during a match.
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'The answer is yes,' he says with a laugh. 'But you don't do it at 6-6 in a tiebreak. You go quickly at a set break. I've probably done it once in 20 years.'
Blom has no regrets missing Wimbledon. With Test cricket potentially splitting into two tiers, this might be Australia's last full tour of the Caribbean.
'It really is the dream tour,' he said.
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Winning trio get Aussie Wimbledon show back on the road
Australia's Wimbledon challenge has been reinvigorated after a disastrous opening day with the national No.1s Alex de Minaur and Daria Kasatkina leading a much-improved performance on day two. On another sweltering day in London on Tuesday, the pair raced into the second round by early afternoon and were swiftly joined by Aleksandar Vukic. Seven Australians had lost in Monday's calamitous start with only an injured Jordan Thompson battling through. But Tuesday was a fresh day, albeit another very hot one, and 16th seed Kasatkina became the first and only one of the seven Aussie women to clear the opening hurdle with her 7-5 6-3 victory over Colombian Emiliana Arango. Having lost her three matches on grass this season, it was no surprise Kasatkina made hard work of subduing her lively opponent, and she revealed she had been so nervous in her first Wimbledon appearance since switching her allegiance to Australia that she vomited outside just before entering court 14. "A lot of people saw it five metres from the court. I vomit, so just before entering the court, yes, the little accident happened, like, completely out of nerves," she explained. "There was nothing else wrong with me except this. The nerves came from not having enough confidence, losing couple of matches in a row, playing the first match of the day." She certainly wasn't then helped by dishing up 11 double faults and 38 unforced errors against the world No.76, but the South American certainly contributed to her own defeat, making 39 errors of her own. De Minaur was far more authoritative in his first grand slam appearance since taking a break after his shock second-round exit at the French Open, beating Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena 6-2 6-2 7-6 (7-2) in two hours 25 minutes. Even a delay while an unwell ball boy was replaced, just before he was to serve to stay in the third set at 5-6, didn't faze the 11th seed. De Minaur's form was encouraging given his lack of match practice on grass. He had skipped his defence of his 's-Hertogenbosch title to recover from feeling burned out after his early exit from Roland Garros, then lost in the first round at Queen's Club. "It felt like a very solid match against a tough competitor, and there was a little bit of everything. There was some really good tennis. There was some tough moments, which I played through," said de Minaur, whose family watched from courtside. "At the end I had to lift my level when I needed it and played some clutch tennis to finish it off. So overall, quite happy." The chances of an all-Sydney second-round meeting were extinguished, though, after Adam Walton, having battled back from two sets down, lost 6-3 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 to Frenchman Arthur Cazaux. Vukic had a useful workout in beating Chinese Taipei's Chun-Hsin Tseng 6-3 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-5) in just over three hours, setting up a daunting meeting with world No.1 Jannik Sinner who beat compatriot Luca Nardi 6-4 6-3 6-0. It will be the second year running Sydneysider Vukic has drawn a big gun in the last-64 after impressing while losing to champion Carlos Alcaraz in 2024. "I've really nothing to lose," said Vukic. "He'll be the one feeling the pressure. If there's a surface to play him on it's probably this one because it is a bit more random, so more upsets can happen. Hopefully, I can be one of those." Sinner agreed that "he has has nothing to lose, things won't be easy for me", while adding: "Australian tennis is in a good spot, they have some good players." Beyond Kasatkina's win, it was a chastening day for the Australian women's challenge, with the biggest disappointment being 19-year-old new Eastbourne champion Maya Joint's fairly routine 6-3 6-2 defeat to a teak tough first-round opponent, Russian 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova. It was deja vu for Joint who had won the Morocco Open in Rabat the weekend before losing in the first round at Roland Garros. "It's something I hope to get used to, but it was a lot different from the last time when I was coming from Morocco," the teenager said. "I obviously expected to do a bit better but Liudmila played really well." Priscilla Hon went down 6-2 7-5 to Russian 18th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova while fellow debutant, Sydney's James McCabe, was well beaten 6-1 6-4 6-3 by Hungary's world No.58, Fabian Marozsan. Australia's Wimbledon challenge has been reinvigorated after a disastrous opening day with the national No.1s Alex de Minaur and Daria Kasatkina leading a much-improved performance on day two. On another sweltering day in London on Tuesday, the pair raced into the second round by early afternoon and were swiftly joined by Aleksandar Vukic. Seven Australians had lost in Monday's calamitous start with only an injured Jordan Thompson battling through. But Tuesday was a fresh day, albeit another very hot one, and 16th seed Kasatkina became the first and only one of the seven Aussie women to clear the opening hurdle with her 7-5 6-3 victory over Colombian Emiliana Arango. Having lost her three matches on grass this season, it was no surprise Kasatkina made hard work of subduing her lively opponent, and she revealed she had been so nervous in her first Wimbledon appearance since switching her allegiance to Australia that she vomited outside just before entering court 14. "A lot of people saw it five metres from the court. I vomit, so just before entering the court, yes, the little accident happened, like, completely out of nerves," she explained. "There was nothing else wrong with me except this. The nerves came from not having enough confidence, losing couple of matches in a row, playing the first match of the day." She certainly wasn't then helped by dishing up 11 double faults and 38 unforced errors against the world No.76, but the South American certainly contributed to her own defeat, making 39 errors of her own. De Minaur was far more authoritative in his first grand slam appearance since taking a break after his shock second-round exit at the French Open, beating Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena 6-2 6-2 7-6 (7-2) in two hours 25 minutes. Even a delay while an unwell ball boy was replaced, just before he was to serve to stay in the third set at 5-6, didn't faze the 11th seed. De Minaur's form was encouraging given his lack of match practice on grass. He had skipped his defence of his 's-Hertogenbosch title to recover from feeling burned out after his early exit from Roland Garros, then lost in the first round at Queen's Club. "It felt like a very solid match against a tough competitor, and there was a little bit of everything. There was some really good tennis. There was some tough moments, which I played through," said de Minaur, whose family watched from courtside. "At the end I had to lift my level when I needed it and played some clutch tennis to finish it off. So overall, quite happy." The chances of an all-Sydney second-round meeting were extinguished, though, after Adam Walton, having battled back from two sets down, lost 6-3 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 to Frenchman Arthur Cazaux. Vukic had a useful workout in beating Chinese Taipei's Chun-Hsin Tseng 6-3 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-5) in just over three hours, setting up a daunting meeting with world No.1 Jannik Sinner who beat compatriot Luca Nardi 6-4 6-3 6-0. It will be the second year running Sydneysider Vukic has drawn a big gun in the last-64 after impressing while losing to champion Carlos Alcaraz in 2024. "I've really nothing to lose," said Vukic. "He'll be the one feeling the pressure. If there's a surface to play him on it's probably this one because it is a bit more random, so more upsets can happen. Hopefully, I can be one of those." Sinner agreed that "he has has nothing to lose, things won't be easy for me", while adding: "Australian tennis is in a good spot, they have some good players." Beyond Kasatkina's win, it was a chastening day for the Australian women's challenge, with the biggest disappointment being 19-year-old new Eastbourne champion Maya Joint's fairly routine 6-3 6-2 defeat to a teak tough first-round opponent, Russian 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova. It was deja vu for Joint who had won the Morocco Open in Rabat the weekend before losing in the first round at Roland Garros. "It's something I hope to get used to, but it was a lot different from the last time when I was coming from Morocco," the teenager said. "I obviously expected to do a bit better but Liudmila played really well." Priscilla Hon went down 6-2 7-5 to Russian 18th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova while fellow debutant, Sydney's James McCabe, was well beaten 6-1 6-4 6-3 by Hungary's world No.58, Fabian Marozsan. Australia's Wimbledon challenge has been reinvigorated after a disastrous opening day with the national No.1s Alex de Minaur and Daria Kasatkina leading a much-improved performance on day two. On another sweltering day in London on Tuesday, the pair raced into the second round by early afternoon and were swiftly joined by Aleksandar Vukic. Seven Australians had lost in Monday's calamitous start with only an injured Jordan Thompson battling through. But Tuesday was a fresh day, albeit another very hot one, and 16th seed Kasatkina became the first and only one of the seven Aussie women to clear the opening hurdle with her 7-5 6-3 victory over Colombian Emiliana Arango. Having lost her three matches on grass this season, it was no surprise Kasatkina made hard work of subduing her lively opponent, and she revealed she had been so nervous in her first Wimbledon appearance since switching her allegiance to Australia that she vomited outside just before entering court 14. "A lot of people saw it five metres from the court. I vomit, so just before entering the court, yes, the little accident happened, like, completely out of nerves," she explained. "There was nothing else wrong with me except this. The nerves came from not having enough confidence, losing couple of matches in a row, playing the first match of the day." She certainly wasn't then helped by dishing up 11 double faults and 38 unforced errors against the world No.76, but the South American certainly contributed to her own defeat, making 39 errors of her own. De Minaur was far more authoritative in his first grand slam appearance since taking a break after his shock second-round exit at the French Open, beating Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena 6-2 6-2 7-6 (7-2) in two hours 25 minutes. Even a delay while an unwell ball boy was replaced, just before he was to serve to stay in the third set at 5-6, didn't faze the 11th seed. De Minaur's form was encouraging given his lack of match practice on grass. He had skipped his defence of his 's-Hertogenbosch title to recover from feeling burned out after his early exit from Roland Garros, then lost in the first round at Queen's Club. "It felt like a very solid match against a tough competitor, and there was a little bit of everything. There was some really good tennis. There was some tough moments, which I played through," said de Minaur, whose family watched from courtside. "At the end I had to lift my level when I needed it and played some clutch tennis to finish it off. So overall, quite happy." The chances of an all-Sydney second-round meeting were extinguished, though, after Adam Walton, having battled back from two sets down, lost 6-3 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 to Frenchman Arthur Cazaux. Vukic had a useful workout in beating Chinese Taipei's Chun-Hsin Tseng 6-3 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-5) in just over three hours, setting up a daunting meeting with world No.1 Jannik Sinner who beat compatriot Luca Nardi 6-4 6-3 6-0. It will be the second year running Sydneysider Vukic has drawn a big gun in the last-64 after impressing while losing to champion Carlos Alcaraz in 2024. "I've really nothing to lose," said Vukic. "He'll be the one feeling the pressure. If there's a surface to play him on it's probably this one because it is a bit more random, so more upsets can happen. Hopefully, I can be one of those." Sinner agreed that "he has has nothing to lose, things won't be easy for me", while adding: "Australian tennis is in a good spot, they have some good players." Beyond Kasatkina's win, it was a chastening day for the Australian women's challenge, with the biggest disappointment being 19-year-old new Eastbourne champion Maya Joint's fairly routine 6-3 6-2 defeat to a teak tough first-round opponent, Russian 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova. It was deja vu for Joint who had won the Morocco Open in Rabat the weekend before losing in the first round at Roland Garros. "It's something I hope to get used to, but it was a lot different from the last time when I was coming from Morocco," the teenager said. "I obviously expected to do a bit better but Liudmila played really well." Priscilla Hon went down 6-2 7-5 to Russian 18th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova while fellow debutant, Sydney's James McCabe, was well beaten 6-1 6-4 6-3 by Hungary's world No.58, Fabian Marozsan. Australia's Wimbledon challenge has been reinvigorated after a disastrous opening day with the national No.1s Alex de Minaur and Daria Kasatkina leading a much-improved performance on day two. On another sweltering day in London on Tuesday, the pair raced into the second round by early afternoon and were swiftly joined by Aleksandar Vukic. Seven Australians had lost in Monday's calamitous start with only an injured Jordan Thompson battling through. But Tuesday was a fresh day, albeit another very hot one, and 16th seed Kasatkina became the first and only one of the seven Aussie women to clear the opening hurdle with her 7-5 6-3 victory over Colombian Emiliana Arango. Having lost her three matches on grass this season, it was no surprise Kasatkina made hard work of subduing her lively opponent, and she revealed she had been so nervous in her first Wimbledon appearance since switching her allegiance to Australia that she vomited outside just before entering court 14. "A lot of people saw it five metres from the court. I vomit, so just before entering the court, yes, the little accident happened, like, completely out of nerves," she explained. "There was nothing else wrong with me except this. The nerves came from not having enough confidence, losing couple of matches in a row, playing the first match of the day." She certainly wasn't then helped by dishing up 11 double faults and 38 unforced errors against the world No.76, but the South American certainly contributed to her own defeat, making 39 errors of her own. De Minaur was far more authoritative in his first grand slam appearance since taking a break after his shock second-round exit at the French Open, beating Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena 6-2 6-2 7-6 (7-2) in two hours 25 minutes. Even a delay while an unwell ball boy was replaced, just before he was to serve to stay in the third set at 5-6, didn't faze the 11th seed. De Minaur's form was encouraging given his lack of match practice on grass. He had skipped his defence of his 's-Hertogenbosch title to recover from feeling burned out after his early exit from Roland Garros, then lost in the first round at Queen's Club. "It felt like a very solid match against a tough competitor, and there was a little bit of everything. There was some really good tennis. There was some tough moments, which I played through," said de Minaur, whose family watched from courtside. "At the end I had to lift my level when I needed it and played some clutch tennis to finish it off. So overall, quite happy." The chances of an all-Sydney second-round meeting were extinguished, though, after Adam Walton, having battled back from two sets down, lost 6-3 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 to Frenchman Arthur Cazaux. Vukic had a useful workout in beating Chinese Taipei's Chun-Hsin Tseng 6-3 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-5) in just over three hours, setting up a daunting meeting with world No.1 Jannik Sinner who beat compatriot Luca Nardi 6-4 6-3 6-0. It will be the second year running Sydneysider Vukic has drawn a big gun in the last-64 after impressing while losing to champion Carlos Alcaraz in 2024. "I've really nothing to lose," said Vukic. "He'll be the one feeling the pressure. If there's a surface to play him on it's probably this one because it is a bit more random, so more upsets can happen. Hopefully, I can be one of those." Sinner agreed that "he has has nothing to lose, things won't be easy for me", while adding: "Australian tennis is in a good spot, they have some good players." Beyond Kasatkina's win, it was a chastening day for the Australian women's challenge, with the biggest disappointment being 19-year-old new Eastbourne champion Maya Joint's fairly routine 6-3 6-2 defeat to a teak tough first-round opponent, Russian 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova. It was deja vu for Joint who had won the Morocco Open in Rabat the weekend before losing in the first round at Roland Garros. "It's something I hope to get used to, but it was a lot different from the last time when I was coming from Morocco," the teenager said. "I obviously expected to do a bit better but Liudmila played really well." Priscilla Hon went down 6-2 7-5 to Russian 18th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova while fellow debutant, Sydney's James McCabe, was well beaten 6-1 6-4 6-3 by Hungary's world No.58, Fabian Marozsan.
The Age
4 hours ago
- The Age
How tennis' world No.16 became an Aussie – and will soon call Melbourne home
London: Daria Kasatkina was envious. Born in the Russian city of Tolyatti, she perceived from her glimpses of Australia through touring the world as a tennis professional that the lifestyle was idyllic, and people were accepted regardless of their background or sexuality. But Kasatkina had almost given up on becoming an Australian before arriving at Melbourne Park last summer. Her British agent, John Morris, had informally approached Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley two years earlier. It was the first time the top-20 star – one of the few openly gay players on the tour – had broached the possibility of switching allegiances from Russia to Australia. It was a big year for Kasatkina, who had announced in a life-changing 2022 interview that she was gay. She had also condemned her birth country's invasion of Ukraine, ensuring she became an even more divisive figure in Russia. A ruling in Russia's supreme court a year later classified the international LGBTQ movement as an extremist organisation, a move that effectively outlawed LGBTQ activism. What followed was a challenging, and at times scary, few years for Kasatkina. But that first conversation remained a well-guarded secret and the idea of representing Australia gained no serious traction despite Tiley being open to the possibility. Australia was never mentioned in rumours about Kasatkina. She had instead been linked to Spain – where she spends significant time training – and to the homeland of her fiancée, Natalia Zabiiako, who is from Estonia. Behind the scenes, though, Kasatkina's team was determined to explore every avenue to her playing under the Australian flag.
The Age
6 hours ago
- The Age
‘People think I'm a way better bloke than I am': Why this comedian is trashing his do-good image
It was the night of the US election, and Luke Kidgell was working at a venue in Los Angeles. An Aussie abroad, watching history unfold. The residents of the predominantly blue Californian state were anxiously awaiting the results, though many of those Kidgell had spoken to before had resigned themselves to an incoming Republican president. At the venue, the emcee hopped on the mic every 30 minutes, updating the audience with the latest vote count, slowly but surely confirming their worst fears. Tough gig for the guy on stage trying to make everyone laugh. As we sit down to lunch, Kidgell tells me that some crowds are inevitably better than others, though a bunch of progressives staring down four more years of Donald Trump wasn't his toughest audience. That, he says, was when he opened for Steve-O, a prankster from the dangerously disgusting 2000s-era show Jackass. Steve-O became famous for stunts such as sticking a hook through his cheek and throwing himself into the ocean as 'shark bait'. It was safe to say his audience came to the gig expecting some hardcore content. 'They didn't want the jokes,' Kidgell says with a laugh. 'It was just a bunch of neckbeards in heavy metal T-shirts waiting for Steve-O. Like, 'Why is this little boy on stage?'' Difficult shows are bound to happen when you relentlessly tour the world for four years – the trick is to dwell for no more than 24 hours before getting over it, Kidgell says. He is one of a handful of Australian comedians who can regularly sell out shows from Europe to America, at famed venues such as LA's Laugh Factory and Indigo at London's O2 Arena. If you haven't heard of him, you're probably not on TikTok, where he has amassed millions of followers and posts clips of improvised interactions with crowds. Those international gigs are a long way from Melbourne's north-eastern suburbs, where Kidgell grew up. He still lives nearby, and he chose this, his local pub, for our lunch because in his mind 'it would be funny' but also 'extremely convenient'. We arrive at the Diamond Creek Hotel, affectionately known as the Diamo pub, and take in the atmosphere. 'I've never been here at this hour,' Kidgell says, appraising the grandparents shuffling between the bistro and pokie machines. 'I've never made a better choice in my life. It's awesome.' The meal he orders reveals as much about his simple tastes as the location, despite his globetrotting lifestyle. Kidgell ignores my efforts to elevate our dining experience by pointing out there are oysters on the menu, and states he wants a parma. He says it with such conviction that I hurry to the counter – there's no table service, and drinks are ordered separately at the bar – forgetting we are also supposed to get sides. On the spot, I order my Dorito-crumbed chicken burger, glance over the menu again and pick the popcorn cauliflower for a side. Wrong choice. When it arrives at the table, Kidgell looks at the dish as if it has just told a very bad joke, calls it a bold order and doesn't touch it throughout the meal. (The parma, smothered in stretchy, wet cheese, and a side of chips are meticulously devoured.) My Dorito burger has certainly got its namesake crunch, but I forgot to ask for no jalapenos, so I put it down and return to our conversation. Doing stand-up comedy might be many people's worst nightmare but Kidgell relishes it. He recalls his first-ever gig at the Imperial Hotel near Melbourne's Parliament Station: 'I think I got, like, three laughs, but it was enough to get me to come back.' The 29-year-old has been chasing those laughs since he was a teen in high school, which is where we first met, though we haven't caught up for more than a decade. I remember him as someone who was more interested in joking around than studying, dedicating endless hours of his lunchtime filming skits with his friends. The videos would be posted to the early iterations of Facebook in a group that quickly developed a mass following among his classmates. I ask Kidgell to describe what he was like when he was younger, and whether it was natural that he went on to make people laugh for a living. 'Can you [describe me]?' he asks instead. 'I would classify you as a class clown-type,' I say. 'You can use the term attention-seeker,' he says. 'That's probably more accurate.' He reveals to me over lunch that it was in our high school history class he was told for the first time he should be a stand-up comic – by a likely disgruntled teacher tired of his interruptions, but still. '[She said] you should do stand-up comedy, laughed, and then walked away,' he recalls. 'I have a distinct memory of her saying that ... It was the first time anyone's ever suggested it, even if it was a joke. She was probably like, 'That would be the worst'. And I was like, 'She's onto something'.' Kidgell admits he was never particularly studious, and he has certainly maintained his laid-back demeanour, lounging in his chair on the Diamo pub's balcony in his plain white tee and jeans. 'I was capable, but didn't apply myself – the correct terminology is underachiever,' he says. I try to tease out what goes into building such an impressive brand, having seen the shift from that kid goofing off in class, but he's reluctant to talk about his success. Kidgell brushes off the size of his social media following, cringes when I use the word 'fans', and claims comedians leech more off society than they contribute. ('Oh, such a service that we do,' he quips. 'Getting up there and having people pay to hear our thoughts!') But a serious drive lurks beneath that unassuming surface. Kidgell co-owns a business with his brother and manager, Jack, and they have 10 employees working on a plethora of projects: they have a new, self-produced comedy special; they've built an almost 3 million-strong social media following; Kidgell is in the midst of a three-year-long tour schedule; he's just written a new show; he performs up to four times a week when he's in Melbourne; and he has a podcast. And his attention to detail extends beyond being able to mop up every inch of a pub parma. Kidgell colour codes his writing so he can tell how funny his script is at a glance, and he keeps track of how many gigs he's done – 1304 at the time of interview. Oh, and he's training for a marathon. 'I only really do the [social media] videos as a means to make it a career,' he eventually elaborates. 'I just knew it would sell me tickets, and it worked. I think it worked better than I thought it would. I kind of was just like, 'Oh, man, if I could just do this full-time, that'd be great'. And now we've started a whole business, and it's a whole thing.' Kidgell rode the wave of social media as Instagram and then TikTok exploded, and says being online is increasingly becoming a requirement for entertainers to get exposure. 'I think every comedian now has realised that you need to be on social media. And it works,' he says. 'It's where most people under 30 consume media. I don't know why you wouldn't be on it at this point. It would be a disservice to your career if you weren't where everyone's eyes are.' He says his willingness to take a punt and improvise with crowds plays well online, but it was an interaction with a woman with Tourette's in regional New South Wales that first propelled his content into virality. 'She started ticking,' he says. 'She said eff off, which is not uncommon in Tamworth, so I just thought it was a regular heckle.' She explained and they had a laugh, and the interaction went viral. She came up after the gig and thanked him; she didn't normally feel comfortable going to shows. 'Then a bunch of other people with Tourette's started coming to my shows, and I ended up doing a fundraiser for them last year,' Kidgell says. 'That's the thing, people get so uncomfortable joking about it. [But people with Tourette's are] Like, as long as you're not being mean, and you're including us in it, it's great. So I think that has been maybe a bit of a point that has differentiated me in the sense that I don't go in on people – unless they deserve it.' But he wants people to know he's no angel. In fact, it's the theme of his show Good Intentions, which he's touring Australia on the back of another stint in the US. 'People think I'm a way better bloke than I am,' he says. 'That's what my new show is about. It's about me telling people, like, I'm not actually that nice.' Kidgell looks around and says he doesn't go to the Diamo pub that frequently any more. His friends refuse to come with him at weekends because he gets recognised too often, though he glances towards the pokies-playing pensioners this Tuesday lunchtime and reckons we're safe for now. 'We have the pub at home now,' he says. '[My partner] Meg got me a kegerator for Christmas. It's like a beer tap in a fridge, so now we just do it up the road. 'But the parmas aren't as good.'
