Stephen K Amos

Naturally, as a comedian, laughter is always going to be a big part of the job. While this is still true for Stephen K Amos, any reaction is gold in his eyes.
“The jokes I make are for a laugh, a reaction or just generally to get something out of the audience,” he says.
Gaining a laugh is a skill that many comedians possess, but a bigger talent is the ability to work the crowd. To predict their next move well before they even know what it’s going to be.
“You’ve got to be in the moment so if anything happens in the room you’ve got to embrace that and run with it,” he says.
“That’s why for me my show changes on a daily basis; with the views of the audience and what they laugh at and I’m willing to challenge the audience. If we can meet halfway that’s excellent.”
That may seem like a simple task, but when topics like religion are brought up (something that divides many) it’s not always an easy feat. Stephen welcomes the chances to discuss these issues, in particular he loves the opportunities where he can deliver a message through one of his jokes.
“For me, if I have a captive audience I think it’s really important to to get some sort of message across or your point of view and then open it up to debate,” Stephen says.
“People that go to my shows know that it’s all about laughter and laughing, but if we can take something away from that by learning from each other or things that happen in the room, then that’s a bonus.”
It’s well known that comedians base a lot of their shows around current affairs or daily happenings in their life, what you mightn’t realise is how much time goes in to sourcing content and ensuring what you’re saying is right.
While there’s an element of bending the truth for a joke, Stephen makes sure he watches the news to see what’s going on, and as we talk on current affairs his knowledge on the Australian political scene is unquestionable.
“I do try and watch the global news on a regular basis as knowledge is power,” he says.
“I often think as well, ‘Now, am I conforming to someone’s agenda?’ so I want to be well informed when I speak out about anything. Because we live in a world where knowledge is acceptable I think it’s almost our job to go against the status quo, to upset the system and make a point about something.”
There’s no guesses given our current political state in Australia just what Stephen will come up with, most notably something he believes to be quite important is giving climate change and global warming the attention it deserves.
“To mention that in an arena where people may have voted for that Government and to give them another point of view is quite important,” Stephen says.
“The same sex marriage bill around the world is seen as something that is very important and your prime minister is publicly very against that. For me that’s very weird because his sister is a lesbian and so you’d think he’d have a vested interest in that. The fact he isn’t is very mind boggling.”
While there will be some politics thrown in here and there, it’s by no means a serious discussion. As there was a time he involved Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd in a below the pants joke (Google it). First and foremost, Stephen is here to make you laugh and he seeks great joy in that and there truly isn’t an experience like seeing him in the flesh and experiencing the uproar of laughter all around you.
Written by Amanda Sherring
Image by James Penlides
When & Where: Lithuania Club, Melbourne – September 24-October 3, Arts Centre, Frankston – October 4 & GPAC, Geelong – October 6