Yesterday morning Glam met with adopted Aussie comedian Jimeoin for a coffee and to chat about all things Adelaide, and consequently all things not Adelaide too.
When I went to meet Jimeoin at the front of Cocolat Henley Beach, he politely shook my hand, put his fists back in his pockets and shuffled behind me to the quiet back corner of the café.
I was surprised by his initial quiet demeanor, but as we sat down he quickly pulled my pen out of my hand and my notepad out from under me. Ah, here we go, I should’ve known it would be this kind of interview.
He read through my pre-prepared questions at rapid speed, mumbling some of his answers as he scrawled them down, essentially just talking to the paper. I’ll admit I was nervous walking in to this interview, but I clearly didn’t need to be, as once he’d put the pen down it progressed as a chat amongst friends rather than a well scripted back and forth.
We discussed how we had both been born in the UK and our consequent love for Australia’s sunshine and decidedly happier people. I attempted to delve in to some of my well internet-researched questions, only to learn quickly that you shouldn’t believe everything you read (yes, yes, I should’ve known this already.)
Contrary to information provided by the ever credible source of Wikipedia, Jimeoin did not in fact move to Australia to pursue a career in gardening. When quizzed on this topic he said it’s entirely not true, but he quite enjoys this little fallacy, and so keeps it on the page for his own amusement. Admittedly this threw a lot of my questions into the wind. It also meant he had very little in the way of gardening tips for me, highly disappointing as the issue of my lack of green thumbs wasn’t improved in the slightest.
What was true however, is his love for the outdoors, mainly fishing and golfing. When I asked if he sees himself asa Bear Grylls type he said not quite, however he informed us (fun facts!) that Bear Grylls is actually of Northern Irish descent. We came to the conclusion it must be something in the water up there that plants these seeds of outdoor adventuring.
His love for coffee was also evident, as he not only drank Kelly Noble’s first coffee, but he also drank the subsequent coffee she ordered too! Although after telling us he had had a late one the night before (well actually an early one, as he hadn’t arrived home until the wee hours) we deduced that what he might actually love is a good South Australian wine or two.
Jimeoin mentioned that he thought this was either his 11th or 12th Adelaide Fringe, and he loves returning to SA every year. When asked about what his favourite thing about our glorious state was? He quickly responded ‘The girls.’ What a charmer.
He went on to say that what he actually loves about South Australia is the vibrant and enthusiastic young people we have here. Especially at this time of year our city is awash with this buzz of excitement and passion for our state, and he said this is something he finds unique about SA.
When we asked who his comedy idols are he quickly responded with ‘Billy Connolly’ and was astounded when Glam informed him Billy is actually in town at the moment for his Entertainment Centre show. Jimeoin admitted to not being particularly technology savvy (a part he actually covers in his Fringe show- read our full review here) and so we at Glam are making it our mission to set up a man date between Jimeoin and Billy, candlelit if possible. Billy if you’re reading this, give us call, we know the man to show you a good time.
Despite the lack of caffeine consumed by Glam on our coffee meeting, we had a fabulous down to earth morning with a comedy legend, who undoubtedly has played a large part in forming the Australian comedy scene as it is today.
Jimeoin’s Fringe show is running until March 15th, so to grab yourself some tickets (and we highly recommend you do) click here.
Photography by TwentyFourB
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