00:00:00
Oh, good. You're here. Come on. This is
00:00:03
the center of performance. Whenever
00:00:05
there's a top performance in New
00:00:06
Zealand, it all comes from here. That's
00:00:08
Lisa Carrington. She's been doing that
00:00:10
for days. That's the boys who got the
00:00:12
hole in one in to
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Finn. How's the performance going?
00:00:18
>> Top tier.
00:00:18
>> Nice. This is our generate room. In
00:00:21
here, you'll find our top performers
00:00:22
helping Kiwis maximize their Kiwi Saver
00:00:24
investments. Get in here, Finn.
00:00:26
>> Maximize. Generate. putting performance
00:00:29
first.
00:00:36
>> Barbara,
00:00:36
>> hi.
00:00:37
>> Welcome to my podcast.
00:00:38
>> Thank you for having me.
00:00:39
>> Straight away, I'm excited because this
00:00:41
is going to be chaotic, I think.
00:00:44
So, um, some people might might be
00:00:47
watching this on YouTube, others will
00:00:49
just be listening to it on Spotify,
00:00:52
Apple, wherever. Um, but you're wearing
00:00:54
a a blue wig. So, I greeted you at the
00:00:56
car. Uh you came out, your hair looked
00:00:59
nice and normal to me and then you put
00:01:00
this um blue like two two look sharp wig
00:01:03
on like a $2 shop wig. Yes.
00:01:05
>> And you said because your hair is so
00:01:06
bad.
00:01:07
>> Uh because I cut it on stage. I shaved
00:01:09
it
00:01:10
>> and if my grandma sees me flaunting that
00:01:12
around I will not be in her good books.
00:01:15
>> Why did you So you've been doing a show
00:01:16
for the um the comedy fest called Pure
00:01:19
Mature.
00:01:19
>> Yes.
00:01:20
>> And was was this the the final night
00:01:22
thing you came here? kind of just a
00:01:24
bye-bye because I haven't written for a
00:01:26
long time my own stuff. So,
00:01:28
>> right. Well, was it was it pre It must
00:01:30
have been premeditated, right? Because
00:01:31
you had scissors. You need
00:01:33
>> I didn't just shave my head. I planned
00:01:35
to shave my head. Yeah.
00:01:37
>> Right. So, you saved it for the last
00:01:38
night. Yes.
00:01:38
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What? How did that fit
00:01:40
into the show?
00:01:41
>> Uh, so I wrote a skit about a princess
00:01:45
who's being sold off to central Oakland
00:01:48
um to get rations to Feder Kingdom
00:01:50
because there's a war waging. Um, and
00:01:53
then she falls in love with a servant
00:01:54
boy from Riawa and her father banishes
00:01:58
her from the kingdom for it and she
00:01:59
shaves her head.
00:02:02
>> Do you cuz you you've got um a lot of
00:02:05
people know you as um Tina from Turners.
00:02:07
Yes.
00:02:07
>> Do you need to do you need to speak to
00:02:09
anyone before you make a drastic
00:02:11
appearance change like cutting your
00:02:12
hair?
00:02:14
>> I didn't even think about that.
00:02:21
>> Maybe
00:02:22
Okay. All right. Oh, this is going to be
00:02:24
so much fun. Oh, by the way, yes. So,
00:02:26
the the Tina from Turners thing I heard
00:02:29
I I read I've read and heard just about
00:02:31
every other thing you've been on and
00:02:32
some of the chats you've had. Um, you
00:02:34
said you're not allowed to talk about
00:02:35
that due to contractual obligations.
00:02:37
>> Well, I think now I can talk about it.
00:02:40
Before I couldn't because the illusion
00:02:42
was that Cena worked at Turners. Right.
00:02:44
>> Didn't put that out there, but kind of
00:02:45
the public were like, "Okay,
00:02:48
>> I must admit, I put on my Instagram
00:02:49
yesterday that um that Bubba's coming in
00:02:51
for a chat. And does anyone have any
00:02:53
questions?" There were three different
00:02:54
people that were like in the comments,
00:02:56
"Wait, that's her name's not really."
00:02:59
People are really surprised.
00:03:01
>> I know. And there was a bit of an uproar
00:03:02
when people found out. So that's why we
00:03:04
couldn't talk about it too much. We had
00:03:06
to drip feed it in.
00:03:08
>> It was too much for New Zealand to
00:03:09
handle.
00:03:09
>> Yeah. Which is nice. Thank you guys for
00:03:12
being so supportive.
00:03:13
>> Yeah. How how has that role um impacted
00:03:16
or changed your life?
00:03:19
>> Weird. I just thought my big break would
00:03:21
be some Hollywood movie and it's a car
00:03:24
ad. Um and it just I don't know kind of
00:03:30
I'm sitting at your podcast right now.
00:03:32
It did that for me. Just plummeted me
00:03:34
into
00:03:36
mainstream media.
00:03:38
>> Yeah. And I Yeah. We we'll unpack a lot
00:03:40
of this um a lot later on. Um but I
00:03:43
think part of the amazing thing for me
00:03:44
is like there's so much saturation now
00:03:46
in the media and the advertising market.
00:03:48
So to have an ad that has that sort of
00:03:50
cut through, it's um it's it's rare.
00:03:54
It's pretty special. Like there's you
00:03:56
and the Brisco lady and that's it.
00:03:58
>> Oh. Oh my gosh. I'm coming for it.
00:04:01
>> All right. So who is Bubba?
00:04:04
>> Oh my god. I don't know. Um, I am a kid
00:04:08
from I'm not a kid anymore. I'm 28. E.
00:04:11
Uh, how old are you?
00:04:14
>> I'm old as [ __ ] I'm 52.
00:04:15
>> Oh, yeah. Well, you're still a kid, so
00:04:18
act like a kid.
00:04:19
>> Even let me I'll tell you something.
00:04:21
Even when you get to your 50s, there's
00:04:22
still moments where you feel like a
00:04:23
little kid.
00:04:24
>> Yeah,
00:04:25
>> it's really weird.
00:04:26
>> I think they'll ever lose that.
00:04:27
>> You came out like this, Bubba.
00:04:32
>> Good sign. Uh, I think I was just trying
00:04:34
to matching match the energy that I
00:04:35
thought you'd have because all I know
00:04:37
about you is what of you know, basically
00:04:39
what's on screen.
00:04:40
>> Oh, what what do you think? What do you
00:04:42
think about me?
00:04:42
>> I think you're super high energy.
00:04:44
>> Yeah. But then researching about you, I
00:04:47
think you're quite introspective as
00:04:48
well. Like um
00:04:49
>> Yes.
00:04:49
>> You Oh, you've got an iPhone now, but
00:04:51
like an interview I read from you like a
00:04:53
couple of years ago, you
00:04:54
>> you made a call to get rid of your
00:04:56
iPhone and just get like a a brick phone
00:04:58
or a dumb phone, whatever you want to
00:04:59
call it. One that you could only text
00:05:00
on. Couldn't even do emojis. No.
00:05:02
>> So, you're completely off grid.
00:05:04
>> Yeah.
00:05:05
>> I think
00:05:06
>> Yeah. Which seems um
00:05:08
>> Yeah. And and now you're moving to
00:05:09
Samoa. You're moving back to Samoa to go
00:05:11
get even more off grid. And it seems to
00:05:13
me um especially in the in the industry
00:05:15
that you're in, you know, that comedy
00:05:17
and art sort of industry like there's
00:05:18
that real sort of hustle culture. And
00:05:20
there's nothing wrong with that. Like
00:05:21
there's nothing wrong with people being
00:05:23
driven.
00:05:24
>> Um but you you just don't give a [ __ ]
00:05:27
>> Well, I don't know. I don't It doesn't
00:05:29
really bother me. I I can join the
00:05:31
hustle, but I really want to go to some
00:05:33
more.
00:05:34
>> Yeah. Yeah. And I think that's really
00:05:37
inspiring and interesting.
00:05:39
>> Why?
00:05:41
>> Well, it Well, it just is because like a
00:05:43
lot of people um a lot of your peers are
00:05:44
probably like, "Well, you know, you've
00:05:45
got this momentum. You know, you're
00:05:47
doing your comedy show, you've got you
00:05:48
Tina from Turners. Now's the time. Now's
00:05:51
the time to stay stay in Oakuckland.
00:05:52
Stay in the hub. Stay where the action
00:05:54
is."
00:05:54
>> I've heard that quite a bit. Yeah.
00:05:56
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:05:57
>> But you're doing your own thing. Yeah,
00:06:00
if I think about sour and waking up to
00:06:02
the water, I have no struggle choosing
00:06:05
what to do.
00:06:07
>> And um Yeah. So, what will a day look
00:06:09
like in Samoa?
00:06:11
>> 7 a.m. karaoke, I heard.
00:06:12
>> Yes. Yes. 7 anything goes in Samo. You
00:06:16
wake up karaoke. The goal is kind of
00:06:18
just to get dinner. So, you're either
00:06:20
fishing or on the plantation.
00:06:23
It's just so you have enough to make
00:06:26
dinner. That's it. There's no other kind
00:06:28
of like hustle and bustle that's over
00:06:30
here.
00:06:31
>> It's a real simple and pure way of life,
00:06:33
isn't it?
00:06:33
>> Yeah. And everyone's happy. Everyone's
00:06:35
like, "Hey, how are you since
00:06:36
yesterday?" It's really good.
00:06:38
>> Yeah.
00:06:39
>> Cuz I've been there. Yeah. What would
00:06:41
your stresses be over there? Your
00:06:42
day-to-day stresses like compared to say
00:06:44
here.
00:06:46
>> I don't know that the sun's burning too
00:06:47
hot, so we got to get food quickly.
00:06:49
That's probably the only stress.
00:06:54
I feel no stress like that.
00:06:57
>> And you're staying in your your your
00:06:59
grandparents village?
00:07:00
>> Yes, in my grandpa's village in Ukali
00:07:03
Samo. So it's the village that he it's
00:07:05
the land that he was raised on. So when
00:07:07
I think about my footprints going on
00:07:09
after his footprints,
00:07:11
>> it's kind of special, eh?
00:07:13
>> Yeah.
00:07:13
>> So So you wake up in the morning, do
00:07:15
some karaoke, connect with your family,
00:07:18
work or fish, whatever you happen to do
00:07:20
that day, then come back to the village,
00:07:21
play touch rugby and volleyball. Yes. Oh
00:07:24
my gosh. Have you been
00:07:26
>> twice? Oh, you know, not really though.
00:07:28
Like just aggy grays. But um I love I
00:07:30
love summer and I love the vibe and uh I
00:07:33
I was never tempted to eat the fish
00:07:34
that's hanging out the front of people's
00:07:35
beach with flies on
00:07:38
>> when you heat it. It'll kill all the
00:07:40
bacteria. You're fine.
00:07:41
>> But it always it struck me both times
00:07:44
like why why doesn't someone win like
00:07:46
gold medals for the volleyball and
00:07:47
stuff? Cuz everyone goes back to the
00:07:49
village and plays volleyball. Okay.
00:07:50
>> Yeah. All the time. It's volleyball or
00:07:53
rugby.
00:07:55
>> I don't play. I I get in trouble
00:07:58
>> cuz I'm not good at it.
00:08:00
>> So, what you your agents like Johnson
00:08:02
and Lead, what have they what have they
00:08:04
said? Are they are they bothered by it?
00:08:06
Like you're one of their big clients, I
00:08:07
guess. Did they try and talk you out of
00:08:09
it?
00:08:10
>> No, they just support. They know I love
00:08:12
Sour, so they just
00:08:15
>> they also know I'm not going to do what
00:08:16
I like. If I want to do something, I'm
00:08:19
going to do it. Yeah.
00:08:20
>> So, they just supported me. They still
00:08:22
are. Yeah.
00:08:23
>> Yeah. You do love You've even got like
00:08:24
the Samoa 685 tattoo on your
00:08:27
>> stalk me.
00:08:30
>> Yeah. You're actually quite hard to
00:08:31
stalk because you So, you're on
00:08:33
Instagram, but your Instagram handle is
00:08:34
King.
00:08:35
>> Oh, King Ulavali.
00:08:37
>> Yeah. Why?
00:08:37
>> Uh Uli means naughty,
00:08:39
>> right? Why Why didn't you go with um
00:08:42
Laba? It was like one of the I made it
00:08:44
so long ago when I was young and then it
00:08:46
just stuck as I people just found my
00:08:48
Instagram,
00:08:49
>> right?
00:08:50
It's like you really don't want to be
00:08:52
don't want to be famous or
00:08:56
it's really it's it's refreshing.
00:09:00
It's fascinating. Okay, so what else we
00:09:03
Oh, are you still working at Tony's
00:09:04
steakhouse?
00:09:05
>> Not anymore, but I Yeah, that was my
00:09:09
I love Tony's. Have you been? Yeah, it's
00:09:11
like the um it's just around the corner
00:09:13
from the Civic in Oakland Queen Street.
00:09:15
Well,
00:09:15
>> the oldest um restaurant in Oakland, I
00:09:17
think.
00:09:18
>> And you you were working there while you
00:09:20
were Tina from Turners on TV.
00:09:23
>> Yeah.
00:09:23
>> Yeah.
00:09:24
>> When did you
00:09:24
>> I made great tips off that.
00:09:26
>> I mean, this is this is the life of um
00:09:28
like a a you know, a comedian or you
00:09:30
know, a performer in New Zealand, isn't
00:09:32
it? Like you need these jobs to
00:09:33
supplement your income.
00:09:35
>> I also needed it for my own sanity. Like
00:09:38
I think our industry is so fast-paced.
00:09:40
Working at Tony's and you know seeing
00:09:43
people argue over tomato sauce I was
00:09:45
like this is what I want is I want to
00:09:47
argue with tomato sauce. I don't want to
00:09:49
argue over kind of all the big ideas the
00:09:51
industry's.
00:09:53
I don't know. I feel like industry has
00:09:55
made up some issues.
00:09:57
Oh like the um the performing arts
00:09:58
industry. Is that a hot take?
00:10:03
>> Don't worry. You're going to Samoa. You
00:10:05
won't you won't be here for the
00:10:06
backlash. Um okay. What else have we
00:10:08
got? Oh, you've got another show called
00:10:10
Don't launching on TV and Zed soon.
00:10:12
>> Yes. Uh that's Greenstone. That's uh I
00:10:16
think I did I audition? I just
00:10:18
auditioned and then posted it.
00:10:21
>> Right.
00:10:21
>> They Yeah. What is it about? I should
00:10:23
know this. It's about uh just pregnancy,
00:10:26
marriage, having kids uh at this kind of
00:10:29
age and all the options that there are.
00:10:31
>> Right. Oh, and you got a Taskmaster
00:10:33
tattoo as well. That's another big part
00:10:35
of the Bubba story.
00:10:37
>> So, Taskmaster the TV show.
00:10:39
>> I don't know why people think that's
00:10:40
fake.
00:10:41
>> They're with me all the time.
00:10:43
>> That's Ray Ori. Who's that? Is that
00:10:47
Chris Parker? No.
00:10:48
>> Karen.
00:10:49
>> Oh, is that Karen Ol?
00:10:50
>> It's Karen Ori.
00:10:52
>> That is That is not a slide on Karen or
00:10:54
Chris. That's um That says more about
00:10:56
the tattoo artist. Who's that?
00:10:58
>> Melanie Bracewood.
00:10:59
>> Melanie Brace and Wood. Yeah. Right. Why
00:11:03
did Why did you do that? Do you regret
00:11:04
it?
00:11:05
>> No, I love it. The task was uh do
00:11:09
something unbelievable and I just met
00:11:11
them.
00:11:12
So, I got them.
00:11:14
>> That's a hell of a commitment. Did it
00:11:16
shock everyone? Did anyone try and talk
00:11:17
you out of it?
00:11:18
>> Uh, no. Well, I Yeah, I went to
00:11:22
production and I was like, "You guys got
00:11:23
to pay for this cuz I want all my tasks
00:11:25
to be under $10." So, maybe production,
00:11:28
but they ended up paying for it. And
00:11:31
what about your family's reaction?
00:11:33
>> Uh, they they know me.
00:11:36
>> Oh my god. My god.
00:11:39
>> No, they're not surprised at all ever.
00:11:40
>> And how did how did that go? Like did
00:11:42
did you go viral with that? That get
00:11:44
sort of picked up by international media
00:11:45
or
00:11:46
>> Yeah. I I think Taskmaster Taskmaster
00:11:49
has its own fandom. So the UK fandom
00:11:52
went nuts for it,
00:11:53
>> right?
00:11:54
>> Yeah.
00:11:54
>> It's next level.
00:11:56
>> Yeah. Maybe I'll get a tattoo of you
00:11:58
next.
00:11:58
>> Oh, would you? If I pay,
00:12:00
>> if you paid for it, I would.
00:12:03
>> Um, I've got a quote here. Uh, you
00:12:06
talking about moving back to Samoa. Um,
00:12:08
the quote I heard was, uh, to find
00:12:10
personal fulfillment.
00:12:12
Did you say that?
00:12:14
>> Did I say that?
00:12:15
>> Yeah. Or maybe it's a journalist
00:12:16
paraphrasing. Um, but then there was a
00:12:18
quote from you. Uh, no one's arguing
00:12:20
about silly things and debating online.
00:12:22
No one cares and I don't either. So, I
00:12:24
fit right in.
00:12:25
>> Yeah.
00:12:25
>> Yeah. I think that's just cuz I get when
00:12:27
I get interviewed, people ask me about
00:12:28
the big issues and I'm like, I'm a
00:12:30
comedian, dude. I don't know.
00:12:33
>> What do you worry about?
00:12:34
>> Uh, what do I worry about? Uh,
00:12:38
I think that's a worry for me is
00:12:42
sometimes
00:12:44
with social media, there's a lot of
00:12:46
people getting lost in being the savior.
00:12:48
And so, they start to make up issues so
00:12:50
they can save the people from that. And
00:12:52
then they convince the young Jen that
00:12:54
these issues are real. so they can come
00:12:56
in and be the savior. And sometimes I'm
00:12:58
like, just go outside and touch the
00:13:00
grass and look around and
00:13:03
feel in here. I don't know how to
00:13:04
explain that.
00:13:05
>> It's quite it's quite I know what you're
00:13:06
saying. It's quite a wise way of
00:13:07
thinking.
00:13:09
>> I mean, because there are real issues. I
00:13:10
get it. Like there's real issues, but
00:13:12
you can't find them if you're
00:13:16
making up stuff.
00:13:18
>> Yeah. And I can see why this move back
00:13:19
to some would be good for good for your
00:13:21
soul, good for your mental health.
00:13:22
>> Yeah.
00:13:23
>> Yeah. Is that is is that part of the
00:13:25
reason? Is it mental health related or
00:13:26
no? Would you
00:13:27
>> It's fully about sour. Like I just love
00:13:29
sour. It's just a bonus that I get to
00:13:31
leave from all this air fair stuff.
00:13:33
>> But you were born here, eh? You were
00:13:35
born in New Zealand. I
00:13:35
>> was born here.
00:13:36
>> Um but you've you've been to some
00:13:38
numerous occasions. Yeah.
00:13:40
>> And stay for like two months at a time.
00:13:42
>> So you when you go there, you just feel
00:13:43
like your heart belongs there.
00:13:45
>> Yeah. I just feel really grounded and
00:13:47
everyone's
00:13:50
I don't know. I
00:13:51
>> Your family's here though.
00:13:52
>> Yes, I've got family. They would love to
00:13:54
come over. They just obviously can't.
00:13:56
They've been westernized too much. They
00:13:57
can't go back.
00:14:00
>> What does that mean?
00:14:01
>> Like they're going to miss, you know,
00:14:03
coffees and whatever in the
00:14:06
>> coffees. They could go to Aggie Grace
00:14:08
and get
00:14:10
um how's that hair working up here? Is
00:14:12
it or is it okay?
00:14:13
>> I think it's pretty good. I think it's
00:14:14
doing me well.
00:14:15
>> If you're happy, I'm happy. It's And
00:14:17
it's getting strains all over your
00:14:18
>> Oh, that's okay.
00:14:19
>> How How bad is your hair?
00:14:21
You better leave me alone.
00:14:26
>> Okay. If you're happy, I'm happy.
00:14:28
>> I am happy.
00:14:29
>> All right. So, let's go back to the
00:14:30
early years. So, um
00:14:33
uh your family calls you Bubba, but your
00:14:35
real name is, let me see if I can get
00:14:37
this correct. Sienn Tani Leo Oolo.
00:14:41
>> Beautiful.
00:14:42
>> Yeah. And that's your grandmother's
00:14:43
name?
00:14:43
>> My grandmother's name is Tieni and that
00:14:45
means Jane. Tani is from my godmother uh
00:14:48
Mivun from Fatafi. And then Leo Olo is
00:14:52
my grandpa's chief title. My
00:14:54
great-grandpa's chief title. He came
00:14:56
from China to Samour and then settled
00:14:58
down with my great grandma.
00:15:00
>> So everyone in the family just calls you
00:15:02
Bubba because you're you you're actually
00:15:04
the eldest of the family.
00:15:05
>> Yes.
00:15:05
>> But you the first baby along. Yeah.
00:15:07
Yeah. Yeah.
00:15:08
>> So that's just sort of stuck.
00:15:10
>> Yeah.
00:15:10
>> So in like say primary school,
00:15:13
preschool, all that stuff, people just
00:15:15
called you Bubba.
00:15:16
>> Yep.
00:15:16
>> Yeah.
00:15:17
>> So who calls you CNI?
00:15:21
Like it's there's been certain times
00:15:22
where I've walked into a place and been
00:15:24
like I've got to be professional so let
00:15:25
me use my government name.
00:15:27
>> So just like those people. Yeah. Maybe
00:15:30
my theater company still calls me Sienn.
00:15:33
But that's it.
00:15:34
>> What your parents if you're in trouble
00:15:36
or
00:15:37
>> No. No one. No one.
00:15:38
>> No one.
00:15:39
>> Unreal.
00:15:39
>> Yeah.
00:15:40
>> So you're born in Mongade uh in South
00:15:42
Oakland. What What are your earliest
00:15:43
memories?
00:15:45
>> Uh what did I do? Earliest memories? Uh
00:15:50
I was raised with my grandpa's siblings,
00:15:53
grandkids as well. So like just family
00:15:55
all the time.
00:15:57
Very family orientated. Uh
00:16:01
and then just mis mischief. Little bit
00:16:04
of mischief.
00:16:04
>> Like what?
00:16:06
>> Like
00:16:07
>> like what sort of age would the
00:16:08
mischief?
00:16:09
>> Like pretty young. Like even four.
00:16:12
>> Okay. Well, that's not mischief.
00:16:13
Mischief.
00:16:13
>> Yeah.
00:16:15
See, I think when you say mischief, it's
00:16:16
like if you say, "Oh, 13 to 18," I'm I'm
00:16:18
thinking something different to like a
00:16:20
foury old.
00:16:20
>> Oh, well, when I was mischief at four,
00:16:23
>> when I was four, uh, I lit the mattress
00:16:26
on fire um and burnt the garage to the
00:16:28
ground and didn't tell anyone.
00:16:34
>> What What do you mean? So, what did they
00:16:35
think happened?
00:16:36
>> So, they they I don't I just went inside
00:16:38
and started watching TV like nothing
00:16:40
happened, but the garage was on fire. I
00:16:43
was like, but I was like, what happens
00:16:45
if I do this? And then when it started
00:16:48
going really bad, I was like, damn.
00:16:52
>> So you, why didn't you think I don't
00:16:54
know if you can remember back this far,
00:16:55
but why didn't why didn't you think to
00:16:56
go inside and say, hey guys, [ __ ]
00:16:58
>> I knew I was going to get my ass beat. I
00:17:00
was like, oh [ __ ] let me pretend
00:17:03
something else happened.
00:17:04
>> So when when at what point did you come
00:17:05
clean?
00:17:06
>> They already knew. They took one look at
00:17:08
the garage and one look at me watching
00:17:10
TV and knew it was me.
00:17:14
And um yeah, what did discipline look
00:17:16
like in your household?
00:17:17
>> Uh
00:17:19
like discipline like
00:17:22
I also Yeah. So I think I was
00:17:24
disciplined well where I understood why
00:17:27
I was getting in trouble. Mhm.
00:17:28
>> So, I did have um my uncles always
00:17:31
explained to me like and my grandpa
00:17:33
always explained
00:17:35
why I got in trouble.
00:17:37
>> Mhm.
00:17:37
>> And I would see it in that way and I'm
00:17:38
like, damn,
00:17:40
I'll be doing some dumb [ __ ] sometimes.
00:17:43
>> So, um Yeah. So, you you get like um
00:17:47
like a belt a belt or a hand or smack.
00:17:49
>> Oh, I got hands.
00:17:51
>> Yeah,
00:17:51
>> I got it. I'm someone man. I got it.
00:17:54
>> From from who? just like anyone in the
00:17:56
family or
00:17:57
>> I think all the adults,
00:17:58
>> right?
00:17:58
>> But yeah, I know that's going to be
00:18:00
touchy when this comes up, but it's I
00:18:02
got I got good
00:18:03
>> It's Pacific Island, right?
00:18:04
>> Good hiding.
00:18:05
>> Yeah,
00:18:06
>> not abuse. I didn't get cuz I I know
00:18:09
what abuse is and that wasn't what I
00:18:11
>> but like under the 2025 lens, it's all
00:18:13
considered abuse. I I was raised in a
00:18:15
household where Yeah. We were we were
00:18:16
smacked all the time, but it was it was
00:18:17
mainly dad that did it. So I remember
00:18:20
being like four or five years old and
00:18:21
we'd do something and during the day mom
00:18:23
would be like wait until your father
00:18:24
gets home and then hours later we'd be
00:18:26
getting like whacked on the ass. Like at
00:18:29
that age you couldn't even remember what
00:18:30
you did that was wrong.
00:18:32
>> True. But also it did get if you're
00:18:34
unsafe and you know touching a boiling
00:18:36
pot and you get a smack, you'll never
00:18:38
touch it again.
00:18:40
>> Yeah, that's true. That's true. Fair
00:18:42
enough. Um
00:18:44
yes. So you're the oldest of four.
00:18:46
There's four sisters. I have four
00:18:48
sisters.
00:18:48
>> Yeah. Yep.
00:18:50
>> Three sisters plus you.
00:18:51
>> I have four sisters. Four sisters plus
00:18:52
you.
00:18:54
>> They're all girly girls and
00:18:58
they're very reserved actually. Yeah.
00:19:00
Compared to me. Very reserved. Uh and
00:19:03
they're all like if they saw this they
00:19:06
would be spewing
00:19:08
>> cuz they're so well put together. They
00:19:11
don't leave the house in pajamas. Like
00:19:13
>> I jumped in the car one time and one of
00:19:14
my cousins was like you're not going out
00:19:16
like that. It's one or the other. So,
00:19:18
choose which one. And it was between my
00:19:20
hus and my gum boots.
00:19:23
>> How did you end up so different to
00:19:24
everyone else in the family?
00:19:26
>> I don't know. I don't know. I How did
00:19:30
you end up like you? I think it just
00:19:32
>> Some people are just wired.
00:19:33
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, what um what role
00:19:36
did humor play in your household, if
00:19:38
anything at all?
00:19:39
>> I think that's how we talk. I think
00:19:40
that's our language. It's like we never
00:19:42
answer seriously. It's like
00:19:45
uh
00:19:48
it's always sarcasm and like roasting
00:19:50
all the time. You know, you know,
00:19:51
islanders, we like to roast each other.
00:19:54
>> I I I heard you talk about this in
00:19:55
another podcast and I um I honestly feel
00:19:58
like I belong um like this. I do. I do.
00:20:03
Yeah. Roasting is kind of like my love
00:20:05
language and I've realized that there's
00:20:06
friends that I just I can't do it with
00:20:08
because they're too sensitive. Oh,
00:20:10
>> I think roasting's good because you're
00:20:12
laughing at yourself.
00:20:13
>> Yeah. And if it comes from a place of
00:20:16
love and it's from someone that you know
00:20:18
loves you, then Yeah.
00:20:19
>> I can't roast you if I hate you cuz like
00:20:22
I It won't come out like it'll be
00:20:24
serious. I'll be dead serious.
00:20:26
>> So, what did you dream of doing when you
00:20:28
were little?
00:20:29
>> Um, I want to be a cashier.
00:20:31
That was it.
00:20:32
>> At where? Uh, I just remember always
00:20:35
doing the beep beep and and you know
00:20:38
beeping the cashier thing and then
00:20:40
sometimes I would put on performances
00:20:43
for my family. So maybe I did want to be
00:20:45
an actor.
00:20:46
>> So you had that sort of performance
00:20:47
gene. Um, and did it start with church
00:20:51
skits?
00:20:52
>> Definitely. Yep. A thousand% started in
00:20:54
Sunday school, White Sunday.
00:20:57
Um, and then I started my pastor just
00:21:00
let me kind of take the reigns and host
00:21:05
white Sundays and Easter services. So I
00:21:07
would take the whole youth and I'd have
00:21:08
people in there older than me, but I
00:21:10
would direct a big piece just like
00:21:14
>> and you were just naturally good or you
00:21:16
just really enjoyed it?
00:21:16
>> I really enjoy it. Yeah. Still to this
00:21:19
day enjoy it, love it.
00:21:22
And what about your family when you said
00:21:25
this is like a career you wanted to
00:21:26
pursue?
00:21:27
>> Uh
00:21:30
I mean they were supportive but
00:21:34
were they supportive
00:21:36
cuz you know I came I'm going to be an
00:21:38
actor you know there is a thing of like
00:21:40
sure but I kept at it and I'm glad I
00:21:44
did. I'm glad I didn't listen to people
00:21:45
who told me no.
00:21:48
>> Yes. There's reluctance in the
00:21:49
beginning.
00:21:50
>> Yes.
00:21:50
>> Yeah. Of course. Yeah.
00:21:51
>> Yeah. Why is that? They just
00:21:54
You're right. She's pulling blue hairs
00:21:57
from this wig out of her mouth. They
00:21:59
just they they Well, they thought you
00:22:01
should do have something more secure or
00:22:03
>> Yeah. Uh
00:22:05
cuz that thing's not secure. And it
00:22:07
wasn't for for a while. And it was kind
00:22:08
of when I did the backyard shows that it
00:22:11
started popping off and then
00:22:15
>> I started getting paid instead of
00:22:17
working for exposure.
00:22:20
Yeah. The the impression I I get from
00:22:22
the research I've done is you're just
00:22:24
not money driven at all.
00:22:26
>> No,
00:22:27
>> I just don't care.
00:22:28
>> I really don't care.
00:22:29
>> Yeah.
00:22:31
And I I find that intriguing cuz Yeah. I
00:22:33
wish I was more like that.
00:22:36
Well, I grew like grew up broke and
00:22:39
like even the last show we did,
00:22:42
I was recommended to sell at 35, but I
00:22:45
knew that people that can pay $35, I
00:22:48
kind of didn't want them there. Like not
00:22:50
didn't want them there, but I wanted
00:22:51
people who couldn't afford it purely off
00:22:54
their vibes because I
00:22:56
broke is like a almost like a breed.
00:22:59
like there's a breed of us and we kind
00:23:00
of relate on this kind of pain of
00:23:03
existence if we've been broke before.
00:23:05
So, I wanted to talk to those people.
00:23:06
So, I brought the tickets down um to $10
00:23:08
for Sons and 15 for brown people.
00:23:12
And I'm so glad I did.
00:23:13
>> What does What does that mean?
00:23:15
>> Um I just little prejoke was I um bought
00:23:18
the
00:23:21
Anyone else has to pay $35 and then um
00:23:24
brown people and sours got to pay $10
00:23:26
and $15.
00:23:28
Well, I'm glad I did. Yeah.
00:23:31
>> So, so you say um yeah, you identify as
00:23:33
broke or you grew up broke. What what
00:23:35
does that sort of mean in real terms?
00:23:37
>> Like Yeah. I wasn't um
00:23:41
just like we didn't have the luxuries
00:23:43
like we used to pick onions for
00:23:46
um money, you know, pay bills. That was
00:23:50
our school holidays. And that's a that
00:23:51
was a reality for a lot of sour is we
00:23:53
all would meet up um at this place that
00:23:56
just had rows and rows of onions and
00:23:58
we'd be picking onions from morning till
00:24:00
night. You'd camp there
00:24:01
>> picking onions and that would get some
00:24:03
money to pay the bills. Uh and I was
00:24:05
talking about that with one of my
00:24:06
friends and she was like oh my god yeah
00:24:09
we had to pick strawberries and I was
00:24:10
like what a [ __ ] luxury picking
00:24:12
strawberries. It's not this. And she was
00:24:14
like yeah say before this car and I was
00:24:16
like but they already had a car. I was
00:24:18
like, "Oh, so you're you're picking
00:24:20
strawberries for luxury." Like, it's not
00:24:22
the same.
00:24:23
>> Like, we're picking it to eat to get
00:24:25
food.
00:24:26
>> Now, how many in your household?
00:24:29
>> Uh, bunch of us grew up together. So, it
00:24:31
was me, my grandparents,
00:24:34
parents,
00:24:36
my mom's brothers, and their kids.
00:24:40
Yes.
00:24:40
>> So, like a dozen
00:24:43
14, 15 in a household? No.
00:24:46
>> Oh my god. I have no idea how many kids
00:24:47
there are. I think there's 13, 14 kids,
00:24:50
eight adults,
00:24:52
>> 18 22.
00:24:54
>> Yeah, but you take away like five of
00:24:55
them cuz the the new five are new.
00:24:57
>> Okay. 17. So 17 houses. So you never you
00:25:00
never had your own room?
00:25:02
>> I ended up having my own room when um
00:25:04
one family moved out. Yeah. So one of
00:25:06
the when we started getting older, then
00:25:08
they moved out, started to move out. One
00:25:10
>> So So Oh, so it was like a family in
00:25:12
each room. Um, no. It was my
00:25:14
grandparents and all the kids in the
00:25:16
front and then the couples in the rooms.
00:25:19
>> Right. How many bathrooms in the house?
00:25:20
Just the one.
00:25:21
>> One.
00:25:21
>> Yeah.
00:25:22
>> Yeah.
00:25:23
>> So, we would shower We would shower at
00:25:26
night for primary school. We would show
00:25:28
at night and then wake up and um just
00:25:30
get flannel
00:25:32
and then go to school like that,
00:25:33
>> right?
00:25:35
>> And and
00:25:37
>> that's so much too much information.
00:25:39
>> No, no, no, no, no, no. It's it's really
00:25:41
intriguing. It's real intriguing. And
00:25:43
it's sorry if I'm I'm a bit curious like
00:25:45
I grew up in I suppose what you'd call
00:25:47
like just um
00:25:48
>> like a very sort of middle middle class
00:25:50
New Zealand background. I was in Palmer
00:25:52
North. I never had my own bedroom. We
00:25:53
always live in a three-bedroom house. So
00:25:54
it was me and my brother in a room, my
00:25:56
two sisters in a room, and mom and dad
00:25:57
in a room. Always one bathroom. Um but
00:26:00
that was um that was very normal. And
00:26:01
I'd go to other kids' house and they'd
00:26:03
have their own room or they'd have like
00:26:04
nice chocolate biscuits or nice meat for
00:26:07
dinner and I'd be like, "Whoa."
00:26:09
So, did did you is this um like a money
00:26:12
thing that you're living with that many
00:26:13
family members or is it just a Samoan
00:26:15
thing where you want the family to be in
00:26:17
the same
00:26:17
>> Yeah, it's such a like my whole street
00:26:20
live like that cuz I always get asked
00:26:21
about this. I'm like everyone lives like
00:26:24
that. I don't know why that's so weird.
00:26:27
>> No, but I suppose like the the life that
00:26:29
you're moving to in Samoa like it's um
00:26:31
>> that the villages are very big though
00:26:34
are and there's open open wall sort of
00:26:36
hall buildings. What are they called?
00:26:37
the
00:26:37
>> the folly o so they're
00:26:39
>> f yeah but there's a difference to to to
00:26:42
I suppose living like that and being in
00:26:44
like a very small yeah three fourbedroom
00:26:46
house in South Oakland
00:26:48
>> yeah but I think because it's
00:26:50
intergenerational we see I haven't
00:26:52
learned that route because people have
00:26:53
asked me about it but oh my gosh so yeah
00:26:57
it was just you live
00:27:01
we look after each other so like we live
00:27:04
with our grandparents because we look
00:27:05
after our grandparents and And I guess
00:27:08
it'll continue. It's like the circle of
00:27:09
life where we just look after each
00:27:11
other.
00:27:12
>> There's something really pure about
00:27:13
that. There's something really beautiful
00:27:15
about it. Whereas the the Palangi way
00:27:17
like we grow up, we leave home as soon
00:27:18
as we can and then we turn our back on
00:27:20
our on the elders.
00:27:22
>> Yeah. I've seen Palangi friends argue
00:27:23
with their parents. I'm like, damn.
00:27:26
>> Oh, really? Like you just wouldn't you
00:27:27
wouldn't have the courage.
00:27:28
>> I'm uncomfortable.
00:27:30
>> Yeah. Even as an adult, you you still
00:27:32
don't feel comfortable having
00:27:33
>> No.
00:27:34
>> No. just argue. Yeah. Respect. I
00:27:38
like they can like snap at their
00:27:40
parents.
00:27:41
I feel like if I can talk to them like
00:27:45
if need be, I can go serious and be
00:27:47
like, "Hey, can I chat to you about
00:27:48
that?" But I can't snap or I will be in
00:27:52
immense trouble.
00:27:55
>> What does immense trouble mean when
00:27:56
you're like a an out like a grown woman?
00:27:59
>> It's like everyone will know like you
00:28:00
know and hit me up about it and I'll be
00:28:02
like, "Yeah, [ __ ] embarrassing.
00:28:05
>> Well, thanks for sharing. Sorry for
00:28:07
being so curious about all this stuff as
00:28:08
well. It's like it's just a different
00:28:10
world.
00:28:11
>> Um, do you remember your very first time
00:28:13
on stage doing comedy?
00:28:17
>> Yes. It was for 50 people in the cellar
00:28:20
and most of that was my family.
00:28:23
Um,
00:28:25
and I just remember being backstage
00:28:27
like, "Oh my god, why did I put myself
00:28:29
up for this?"
00:28:30
And it was literally seconds when I got
00:28:32
out and I was like, "Yeah, yeah." And
00:28:34
then I don't know, feel like a demon
00:28:37
tapped me and then took over.
00:28:40
>> Wow. Just like at pace. And
00:28:42
>> yeah. Were you were you well prepared?
00:28:45
>> Yes, I was. Yeah, I did prepare for that
00:28:47
show. Um,
00:28:51
but still went off script like I f and
00:28:53
that was the those are my favorite parts
00:28:55
was going off script.
00:28:57
>> Did you nail it?
00:28:58
>> I think so. Yeah, I think so.
00:29:01
I think. Yeah.
00:29:04
>> Have Have you ever like bombed on stage
00:29:06
terribly or do you just have like the
00:29:08
natural chops to punch your way out of a
00:29:10
bad situation?
00:29:11
>> Yes. And that's the beauty of that craft
00:29:13
is if you are dropping to be like, how
00:29:16
do I get out of here?
00:29:18
>> So, yep. Have been close.
00:29:20
>> But that's interesting for like a young
00:29:22
comedian like um I'm pretty good friends
00:29:24
with uh Jeremy Corbett and I've seen him
00:29:26
perform a number of occasions. Okay. So,
00:29:28
he he's old. He's like 60 now and he's
00:29:30
been doing it forever. But he's been in
00:29:32
every scenario imaginable. Like, so he
00:29:34
>> whether it's a corporate gig or a thing
00:29:36
on stage, he can always figure a way
00:29:38
out. Figure figure a way to win a crowd
00:29:40
over.
00:29:41
>> Yeah.
00:29:42
>> Um but you've you've you've got that
00:29:43
those tools in your tool kit already.
00:29:45
>> Oh, yeah. I love it. Yeah. I don't know
00:29:47
what the tool is. I think
00:29:50
>> you also have to listen. So, like I've
00:29:52
got to listen to the audience. It can't
00:29:54
just be me performing. I actually have
00:29:55
to. This is so yuck. But just like the
00:29:58
show is alive. So
00:30:00
>> why is that so yuck?
00:30:02
>> Because it's so artsy fartsy, but it's
00:30:03
so true. I'm like, "Oh my god, the show
00:30:05
is alive."
00:30:06
>> And And what do you mean by that?
00:30:08
Listening to the audience.
00:30:10
Like they're either laughing or they're
00:30:11
not, right? Or
00:30:13
>> like And like what vibe is it? Like the
00:30:15
show I just did, people were yelling out
00:30:16
and I was like, "Oh, we're going there.
00:30:18
Okay, we're going to go toe to toe and
00:30:19
roasting each other." They kept yelling
00:30:21
out and it was
00:30:22
>> it was cool.
00:30:23
>> Oh, so like people are heckling you and
00:30:25
you just heckle back. Yeah. And then
00:30:26
because of their heckles, I was able to
00:30:29
heckle
00:30:31
>> and win.
00:30:33
>> What do you have some like set set
00:30:35
heckles?
00:30:37
>> No.
00:30:37
>> No. You just roll with it.
00:30:38
>> Yeah. I think that's the worst thing to
00:30:40
do is plan,
00:30:40
>> right?
00:30:42
I think a lot of people do plan. Eh,
00:30:44
it's become it's become a thing where
00:30:45
like if you just go if you go with
00:30:47
what's of Isn't that called crowd work
00:30:48
now? They've come up with a name for it.
00:30:50
Crowd work.
00:30:51
>> Yeah.
00:30:52
>> Yeah. I don't know if I could do crowd
00:30:54
work.
00:30:56
I feel like if anyone could, you
00:30:57
probably could.
00:30:58
>> It just have to be.
00:31:02
>> Oh, I don't know. Yeah, I should have
00:31:04
trained it.
00:31:04
>> And did you What happened when you were
00:31:06
19? There was like a a panic attack or
00:31:08
something on stage. An anxiety attack.
00:31:13
>> Who? You
00:31:16
I read about this in an interview with
00:31:18
you. Like there's there's some incident
00:31:19
when you when you were like 19 on stage.
00:31:23
No, a good time at 19. No.
00:31:26
>> Okay.
00:31:28
>> I don't know.
00:31:29
>> I read that an interview somewhere. Oh,
00:31:31
no. Maybe not.
00:31:33
>> No, I don't think I've had an anxiety
00:31:35
attack before.
00:31:36
>> No. Okay. Well, that's good.
00:31:37
>> Oh,
00:31:38
>> okay. Misinformation.
00:31:39
>> What?
00:31:40
>> Fake news?
00:31:40
>> Who's doing fake news about me?
00:31:43
>> So, 2020, um, you do the show, uh, Ode
00:31:47
to South Oakland.
00:31:48
>> Yes.
00:31:49
>> Yeah. It was originally called some
00:31:51
something else something like more
00:31:52
negative like um
00:31:54
>> surviving
00:31:55
>> surviving South Oakland or something.
00:31:56
Yeah.
00:31:56
>> Yeah.
00:31:57
>> So why did you change the name?
00:31:59
>> Uh because so for my to South Oakland um
00:32:03
I found this little boy on Instagram. So
00:32:05
his sister was posting up I was
00:32:08
obviously um trying to explore stuff so
00:32:10
I could write it. And I found um the
00:32:12
sister was uploading videos of her
00:32:15
little brother and he was really
00:32:16
naughty. like the class is taking photos
00:32:18
and he he's in the back like fighting
00:32:20
like fully fighting. Um so then I hoo
00:32:23
her up and I was like can I hang out
00:32:24
with your brother for a day? Like and
00:32:27
she actually gave him to me for one day.
00:32:29
So I think
00:32:29
>> How old was the brother? He
00:32:30
>> was four.
00:32:32
>> But because we had a mutual friend, I
00:32:33
was like I'm friends with this guy. Like
00:32:34
I'm not like creepy. I just I just want
00:32:36
to hang out with him for a bit. Um and
00:32:38
then yeah, he came and met me at the
00:32:40
preschool and one of my friends
00:32:42
preschools and he was like she was like,
00:32:45
"You better behave." And he was going,
00:32:46
"Yep, I will." And then as soon as she
00:32:48
left, he was like, "I'm bored." And I
00:32:50
was like, "Oh, wo." And then he was
00:32:51
like, "Yeah, I don't want to be here,
00:32:52
but she forced me to be here." And then
00:32:54
he just like this little honest boy came
00:32:56
out. He was like, "Let's go for a walk."
00:32:57
And he wanted this bike
00:32:59
just like I just had a really cool day
00:33:01
with him. And then um I met these other
00:33:04
dudes doing raps on the streets and then
00:33:07
I asked them if they wanted to be in the
00:33:09
show. So then by the end I just had a
00:33:12
bunch of people and I got that little
00:33:13
boy to come on stage and I just
00:33:15
interviewed him and he was like oh I was
00:33:17
like oh give us a fun fact. He was like
00:33:19
Jesus died at 33. I'm like how'd you
00:33:21
know that? He's like Siri. I was like oh
00:33:24
he's so good. And then and then I
00:33:27
brought on the rappers and I was like
00:33:28
you guys owe the rappers the same
00:33:30
respect that you just gave the little
00:33:32
boy cuz that's who they are or who they
00:33:34
were or whatever or who this boy could
00:33:36
grow up to be as these rappers. And then
00:33:38
the rapper started rapping and the vibes
00:33:40
just went up and everyone was like,
00:33:41
"Yeah." And so, yeah, that's what became
00:33:44
my That's a long story, but that's one
00:33:47
of the reasons.
00:33:47
>> Well, this is a long form podcast, so
00:33:48
there's plenty of time for these long
00:33:49
stories. Yeah. But you'll be able to do
00:33:51
a better job explaining this show. So,
00:33:53
this is a one-off show, owed to South
00:33:55
Oakland.
00:33:55
>> Yeah.
00:33:56
>> Um, and it was in the backyard of your
00:33:58
house.
00:33:58
>> Yes.
00:33:59
>> Yeah. So, why?
00:34:02
>> Uh, because if it's my o to South
00:34:04
Oakland, why not do it in South Oakland?
00:34:06
And
00:34:08
I only know theater because I stumbled
00:34:10
into a theater workshop and I love
00:34:11
massive company and they opened me up to
00:34:13
this whole world. But that's the only
00:34:14
reason that I know theater. If I had not
00:34:16
gone to that workshop,
00:34:19
I don't know if I would go into a
00:34:20
theater
00:34:22
willingly.
00:34:24
>> Yeah.
00:34:24
>> What do you do you feel have you done
00:34:27
stuff at the classic?
00:34:29
>> Yes, once.
00:34:30
>> Do you feel you don't feel like you
00:34:31
belong there? Like a lot of people
00:34:32
>> like I can go in there, but like why
00:34:34
would I go in there if the magic's in
00:34:36
South Oakland? M
00:34:39
right. So, I might be paraphrasing here,
00:34:42
but are you like um instead of having
00:34:44
your fans come to you, you may as well
00:34:46
go to your fans?
00:34:48
>> Yeah. Well, I don't think they're like
00:34:49
fans. I think they're like mates.
00:34:51
>> Yeah. Okay.
00:34:51
>> Just like a bunch of
00:34:54
I've constantly gone to the city and not
00:34:57
been met.
00:34:59
>> Oh, people don't get you or
00:35:00
>> like No, no, more like
00:35:03
behind the scenes stuff. It's like
00:35:05
there's obviously like cultural barriers
00:35:07
and stuff, but when I bring it home,
00:35:09
it's so easy. I just show up to the
00:35:10
backyard. People show bring their box
00:35:13
and we just have a little party and
00:35:15
that's it. There's no rules, no like you
00:35:17
got to do this and that and whatever. It
00:35:19
just happens and then it's one night and
00:35:21
it's over.
00:35:23
>> So this this was only done once. This
00:35:25
owed to South Oakland.
00:35:26
>> Was done once in the backyard and then I
00:35:28
went to the basement with it.
00:35:30
>> And how how long how long was the
00:35:31
buildup for that show? Uh, one week
00:35:35
>> one week build up. How how did you
00:35:36
advertise it or market it?
00:35:38
>> Uh, Instagram,
00:35:39
>> right?
00:35:40
>> Yeah.
00:35:40
>> And then um did like were you scared in
00:35:43
the leadup to it like that it was going
00:35:45
to be as popular as what it was?
00:35:48
>> No, I don't. I just thought in my head
00:35:50
it was going to be like 50 people and I
00:35:52
was going to be like this is weird.
00:35:53
Haha. And then the streets shut out and
00:35:56
I was like oh
00:35:58
wow people are walking from the streets
00:36:00
over.
00:36:01
>> Yeah. You end up with like 250 people
00:36:03
there.
00:36:04
>> Yeah.
00:36:05
>> So, so where was it? It was on your
00:36:07
backyard.
00:36:08
>> Yeah.
00:36:08
>> So, you were on a like a deck or was
00:36:10
there a stage there?
00:36:11
>> Cuz this is another thing. You you told
00:36:13
told no one that they allowed their cell
00:36:14
phones and they had to be in the moment.
00:36:16
Um, which is wonderful, but on the flip
00:36:18
side of that, it's also unfortunate
00:36:19
because you got this incredible event
00:36:21
which was was a oneand done and there's
00:36:24
not too much footage of it in existence.
00:36:27
Quite nice if it was.
00:36:28
>> I don't think so. Like I was there. I
00:36:31
know what happened and I'll know what
00:36:33
happened forever
00:36:35
and so will the other people.
00:36:38
>> I love your outlook.
00:36:39
>> I just think Yeah.
00:36:41
>> I've got some more questions about this.
00:36:42
Like where did everyone go to the
00:36:43
bathroom?
00:36:44
>> In the house. So
00:36:47
>> who like who did your family know know
00:36:50
that this was going on?
00:36:52
>> Uh like three days before I was like uh
00:36:54
guys please I'm going to go. No
00:36:56
actually. Yeah. When I posted the video,
00:36:58
they were like, "What are you are you
00:36:59
doing a backup show here?" I was like,
00:37:00
"Yes." And so then they just started
00:37:03
mowing lawns. They just got onto it
00:37:08
>> and and where did everyone park
00:37:10
>> or did the streets and then walked over?
00:37:12
So like it was just cars and cars.
00:37:15
>> Did you get anyone from like the council
00:37:17
or the police trying to shut it down on
00:37:19
>> No.
00:37:20
>> No.
00:37:21
>> Yeah.
00:37:23
>> It just happened.
00:37:24
>> It's crazy. And there was no And there's
00:37:26
no chaos, no trouble, no fights, no
00:37:27
nothing. It's a really good crowd.
00:37:29
>> Yeah.
00:37:31
>> Crazy. And like nothing got taken from
00:37:33
the house or
00:37:34
>> No.
00:37:37
>> Yeah.
00:37:38
>> It's just so many people to have in
00:37:40
someone's backyard on an impromptu
00:37:43
night.
00:37:43
>> Yeah.
00:37:44
>> And and from your perspective, like what
00:37:46
made the show so good?
00:37:48
um
00:37:51
that it was gold coin which mean which
00:37:54
opened it up to kind of everyone
00:37:58
and that everyone came and just
00:38:03
I don't know it's like heaps of me cuz
00:38:06
we all brought up in the same place so
00:38:07
it's like a bunch of us in the same
00:38:08
place laughing.
00:38:10
>> Yeah.
00:38:13
Also just like having no I had no idea
00:38:15
like what it was going to become. That
00:38:17
actually started my career I think.
00:38:22
>> Yeah. How did that not make the news?
00:38:25
>> Cuz it's very private.
00:38:27
>> No, but there was 250 people there.
00:38:30
Yeah. I know. It's it's it's it's crazy.
00:38:32
It's intriguing. It's such a wonderful
00:38:33
concept. But I Yeah. I feel like it had
00:38:36
to be just that moment in time. It had
00:38:37
to be like a one a one-off thing.
00:38:39
>> Yeah.
00:38:40
>> That's what makes it special.
00:38:42
Um, and then during during co when you
00:38:44
know, do you remember the like the
00:38:46
traffic light system and the different
00:38:47
levels?
00:38:48
>> You were doing some really small shows.
00:38:50
Hey, like shows for 10 people.
00:38:53
>> Yeah. I wonder if I'll get in trouble
00:38:54
for that. I don't think so.
00:38:55
>> No, I think you were like respecting the
00:38:57
rules they had at the time about
00:38:58
gathering sizes and things.
00:39:00
>> So, there was um Yeah. What were they?
00:39:02
There was one at a barber shop, one in
00:39:04
one in your mate's sleepout.
00:39:05
>> Yes. I did a South Oakland tour. So I
00:39:07
did one in Mangad Pep
00:39:11
who at a barber shop um rewa in a sleep
00:39:15
uh where was it one in Dawson in a shed.
00:39:20
Yeah just sort of South Oakland tour for
00:39:22
10 people only. It's really fun.
00:39:24
>> How do you It is fun but how do you work
00:39:26
it how do you work a crowd that that
00:39:28
small?
00:39:31
>> I think it's really weird. It's It
00:39:33
already breaks the awkwardness that 10
00:39:35
of you are here and you've come listen
00:39:37
to me tell jokes. So I think it's we've
00:39:39
already
00:39:41
passed a little silly line. So I just
00:39:43
got to pick you up from that line.
00:39:46
Yeah.
00:39:48
>> Yeah. I suppose you just have to treat
00:39:49
it like the intimate crowd that it is.
00:39:51
>> Yeah.
00:39:52
>> So will you do shows like that in Samoa?
00:39:55
>> Uh I would love to do shows in Samoa. I
00:39:58
just I want to go to Samoa just for a
00:39:59
month and just sleep
00:40:01
>> and then figure out what I'm going to do
00:40:02
after that.
00:40:04
>> Yeah, I've heard you say that. What do
00:40:05
you mean? Are you just exhausted?
00:40:06
>> Yeah.
00:40:07
>> Yeah.
00:40:08
>> I'm tired.
00:40:09
[Laughter]
00:40:11
I had a funeral and then I came back to
00:40:14
I was going to cancel the show, but I
00:40:16
thought I'd want to say bye to Ali. So,
00:40:20
I came back to do the show and then went
00:40:23
to Brisbane and then got back a few days
00:40:26
ago. My dog got sick. Had to catch up
00:40:29
with some family. Did some ads this
00:40:31
morning. Got you today. Got a premiere
00:40:33
tonight. Oh,
00:40:34
>> okay. Yeah.
00:40:35
>> Got a media day tomorrow. It's like go
00:40:37
go go.
00:40:38
>> Right. Yeah, it is a lot. Yeah, cuz I I
00:40:40
suppose I didn't think about something
00:40:41
like this as work, but it is it's you.
00:40:43
It's It's a There's a
00:40:44
>> Oh, it's not It's cool, but
00:40:46
>> No, but there's still a performative
00:40:47
aspect to it for a couple of hours.
00:40:48
Like, you got to be on. Yeah. Yeah.
00:40:50
Well, thanks for being here today.
00:40:51
>> No, thank I trust anyone that Cully
00:40:53
trusts.
00:40:54
>> Oh, yeah. We'll get to that. Christian
00:40:56
Cullen. Um, yeah, from Celebrity
00:40:58
Treasure Island. Um, just a few more on
00:41:01
the comedy thing. So, yeah. What's your
00:41:02
writing style, prep style? Like, do you
00:41:04
do you write a fresh show for all these
00:41:06
like the the um the O to South Oakland,
00:41:08
the big one in the backyard, or these
00:41:10
little ones that you're doing for 10 10
00:41:12
people? Is it the same show or do you
00:41:15
>> uh No. So, when I explored, I literally
00:41:18
looked around and found that little boy
00:41:20
and then the older boys and then wrote
00:41:23
around that. um put some lip-s syncing
00:41:26
in there. Was lip-s syncing to a rapper,
00:41:28
Lily Allen, I think it was. Um and then
00:41:32
it kind of all pieced together as just
00:41:33
these beautiful stories woven together.
00:41:37
Um and then
00:41:39
I usually write, but for the last one, I
00:41:41
thought to freestyle my standup. So, I
00:41:44
just went in knowing what to talk about,
00:41:46
like what stories to tell, and then had
00:41:49
a bit of liquor. And then I even I was
00:41:53
surprised at the punch lines. I was
00:41:54
like, "Oh my god, this is good."
00:41:57
>> Do you do you think um Yeah. Does a
00:42:00
little bit of liquor help your
00:42:01
performance?
00:42:02
>> I've never drank like that before. I did
00:42:03
that for the last show. Was I was just
00:42:05
in a like wow mood and so I did that and
00:42:09
it went really well.
00:42:12
>> I might have to do that all the time.
00:42:13
>> Um yeah. What What sort of stuff do you
00:42:15
do in your What's the most vulnerable
00:42:17
thing you've talked about on stage?
00:42:19
Uh
00:42:23
uh just this last one just was talking
00:42:25
about stuff that I do in my room and I
00:42:27
still have a vivid imagination and
00:42:30
actually go into characters in my room
00:42:32
when I'm alone and then I showed it to
00:42:34
them on the stage.
00:42:36
Yeah, cuz I don't think people think
00:42:38
that that's real. Well, I've never told
00:42:39
anyone.
00:42:40
>> Really? What do you mean? Can you
00:42:41
explain that a bit more?
00:42:42
>> Like I'll be in my room and then I'll
00:42:43
play some music and then I'll just like
00:42:45
turn into a cyclist. I don't know. and
00:42:47
then start talking out loud
00:42:50
>> saying
00:42:50
>> no one's in there like
00:42:51
>> Right.
00:42:53
>> So, who who do you live with now? You
00:42:55
are you in your family home or No, you
00:42:57
live on your own with your dog.
00:42:58
>> Uh, no, it's me and my dog and then my
00:43:01
siblings and my grandparents and my
00:43:02
parents.
00:43:03
>> Oh, okay. So, you've got your own room.
00:43:05
>> Yeah, I got a
00:43:05
>> Yeah. Yeah. That's where you do the
00:43:07
>> sleep. Yeah,
00:43:08
>> that's where you you do the performance.
00:43:11
Um,
00:43:13
>> what about your worst bombing on stage?
00:43:15
>> Ooh. Has
00:43:19
there even been one or have you been
00:43:20
able to well I'm trying to think
00:43:22
>> work your way out of it?
00:43:25
>> No,
00:43:29
I did a really I think um when it was
00:43:33
when I was at Snort and I came out I
00:43:36
can't remember I said something really
00:43:37
stupid like really
00:43:39
>> snort's like an improv comedy
00:43:41
>> improv. Yeah.
00:43:42
>> And I was like yeah let's go. And it was
00:43:44
like something like I can't remember
00:43:46
what the line was.
00:43:49
I said it and like the audience was
00:43:50
silent and I was like damn this I don't
00:43:53
know these guys and they don't know me
00:43:55
and I've come out talking about freaking
00:43:56
I don't know ass eating or something. It
00:43:58
was something stupid eating.
00:44:00
>> Yeah. But it was silent and I was like
00:44:01
okay. And Tom Sainsbury saved me. I
00:44:04
think it was Tom who came in and
00:44:07
>> had my back. When when something like
00:44:09
that happens, are you are you just like
00:44:11
in in a panic moment or is part of you
00:44:13
thinking, oh, the fact that this bombed
00:44:16
so badly is going to I'm going to talk
00:44:17
about this another time and it's going
00:44:19
to make it funny.
00:44:20
>> It's also funny cuz it's like of course
00:44:22
they don't know me. Why would I come out
00:44:24
with that?
00:44:25
>> Can you remember what the line was?
00:44:27
>> It was something like a like you know it
00:44:29
was something stupid and I just came and
00:44:31
oneelined it and then I and I was like
00:44:34
and it was silent and I was like oh [ __ ]
00:44:36
that's right. So that's the moment you
00:44:38
leave the room. Like it's not an ass
00:44:40
crowd. Um, how does how does your family
00:44:43
react to content? Like do they ever feel
00:44:45
like exposed or like embarrassed? Do
00:44:48
they like you stop telling stories about
00:44:50
us or are they quite encouraging and
00:44:52
supportive?
00:44:53
>> No, I don't think they even they just
00:44:54
think it's so they're having a laugh as
00:44:56
well. I think it's uh about how you
00:44:59
share certain stories. Like I haven't
00:45:00
got in trouble for sharing any
00:45:03
>> Yeah. stories about my family yet.
00:45:05
>> Yeah. Yeah. So, they're quite supportive
00:45:07
now.
00:45:08
>> Yeah.
00:45:08
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And they're quite
00:45:10
happy with your career path.
00:45:12
>> Yeah. Yeah. I think so.
00:45:13
>> Um, is there one joke that you regret
00:45:15
telling on stage?
00:45:19
>> No.
00:45:21
>> I I heard you in another podcast talking
00:45:23
about um and you didn't say you
00:45:24
regretted it, but um apparently the
00:45:27
crowd turned on you. You told some Kobe
00:45:28
Bryant joke or something.
00:45:30
>> Kobe Bryant helicopter crash.
00:45:31
>> They turned on me up. So, the crowd in
00:45:33
there like loved it. It was after it was
00:45:35
the aftermath. I posted a short uh clip
00:45:38
and then they went ham for me in the
00:45:40
comments. Then again I was like why are
00:45:42
you calm down everyone calm down and I
00:45:44
removed it. Another thing like everyone
00:45:46
went ham. They were like I will come
00:45:48
kill your family.
00:45:50
>> Yeah.
00:45:51
>> Oh they take it really serious.
00:45:52
>> Oh yeah.
00:45:53
>> Wow.
00:45:53
>> I was like wow.
00:45:54
>> Did they know Kobe personally?
00:45:56
>> I was like wow. Okay. Kobe's nephews.
00:45:59
>> Um yeah. Well, are you is that something
00:46:01
that plays on your mind like
00:46:02
cancellation or the fear of cancel
00:46:04
culture or
00:46:05
>> you can't cancel a human?
00:46:09
>> Like I will still be alive.
00:46:11
>> Well, have to keep going. Doesn't
00:46:14
>> Yeah. I think you can be so chill about
00:46:16
that cuz you got such a good grasp on it
00:46:17
like um it's not like what you do
00:46:20
doesn't define who you are.
00:46:22
>> No. But also people are always learning.
00:46:24
Like I think counseling stops people
00:46:26
like it doesn't give them the chance to
00:46:28
learn or
00:46:30
>> overcome something.
00:46:32
>> Yeah.
00:46:33
>> Unless they're a real dicky. It's like
00:46:35
>> Yeah. Keep doing the same joke over and
00:46:37
over again. It's like
00:46:39
>> Yeah. Otherwise, it should be a teaching
00:46:40
exercise.
00:46:41
>> Is that part of the reason you largely
00:46:44
sort of avoid social media?
00:46:46
>> Just the [ __ ]
00:46:48
>> Yeah. I don't really care to take photos
00:46:49
of food or I don't know.
00:46:56
But a lot of people um a lot of people
00:46:59
use it as like a like an extension of
00:47:01
your personal brand, like a branding
00:47:02
exercise. Yeah.
00:47:03
>> Um
00:47:05
>> it looks like a necessary tool to have
00:47:07
to get, you know, to get the jobs or to
00:47:09
promote what you've got to promote. But
00:47:10
you just seem sort of indifferent about
00:47:11
it.
00:47:13
>> I feel that if you have shows, it's the
00:47:15
producers's job to promote. It's
00:47:17
production's job to promote. It's not
00:47:19
mine.
00:47:22
I'm gonna get a show. I just, you know,
00:47:24
like when I promote my own shows, I'm
00:47:26
literally I'm the director, the producer
00:47:29
there, so I promote my own shows, but
00:47:31
then other people's shows, I'm like,
00:47:33
>> I shouldn't have to bombard my No, I
00:47:35
look it looks like a work page. I'm
00:47:37
like, "Hey guys."
00:47:38
>> Yeah.
00:47:39
>> Yeah.
00:47:39
>> Yeah. But then people that follow you
00:47:40
are people that love you. So it's like
00:47:42
fish in a barrel. So you can be like,
00:47:43
"Hey guys." And they're like, "Yeah,
00:47:45
we'll travel to
00:47:46
>> wherever she's putting a show on."
00:47:48
But then also like my family's on there
00:47:50
and I want to post normal stuff,
00:47:54
>> but I can't cuz now it's a work page.
00:47:56
>> Yeah.
00:47:58
>> You're like such a reluctant celebrity.
00:48:00
>> I love it. I love it. It's so
00:48:02
refreshing. All right, let's talk about
00:48:04
the Tina from Turner stuff.
00:48:05
>> Yes.
00:48:06
>> So, um, how did this come about? Was
00:48:09
that a character that you did on your
00:48:11
shows or
00:48:12
>> No, I that was all scripted, so I
00:48:14
auditioned for it. So, do do you have
00:48:16
anything to do with the writing or No,
00:48:17
>> no,
00:48:18
>> no.
00:48:18
>> I auditioned for it late as well. So, I
00:48:20
came in I just saw it and was like
00:48:23
there's no way that I'm going to get
00:48:24
that um cuz it seemed
00:48:28
kind of out of grasp, you know, it's and
00:48:30
I just started in the industry and then
00:48:32
went for the audition, got the call
00:48:34
literally the next week.
00:48:36
>> How many people did they audition? Do
00:48:37
you know?
00:48:38
>> I have no idea, but they had they had
00:48:40
someone set for it. So, they had someone
00:48:43
uh already ready to be Tina and then I
00:48:46
sent my tape in late
00:48:49
and then stole it. Send my tape in late.
00:48:56
Oh my god. Oh my god. John Le, like you
00:48:59
must be such a headache.
00:49:02
>> Um, so yeah, what did you do in the
00:49:04
audition? Did you record something on
00:49:06
tape at home? Um, so they it was a No,
00:49:10
it was with the director.
00:49:11
>> Yeah.
00:49:12
>> But they my Johnson and Le pushed me to
00:49:14
do it. I was like, "No, I don't want to
00:49:16
do it." And then Dennis who's at Johnson
00:49:18
and Lead was like, "You have to do you
00:49:20
have to go for this one." So then I went
00:49:22
and met with the director and I think I
00:49:23
was the last and late. Um, and then he
00:49:26
was like, "Can you just make love to a
00:49:28
car?" I was like, "Fucking that's my
00:49:30
dream."
00:49:32
So I just made love to a car for 10
00:49:35
minutes and he was going that's amazing.
00:49:40
>> So that that audition they they gave you
00:49:42
direction of what to do or was it
00:49:44
>> Yeah.
00:49:45
>> And and it was largely what we see on TV
00:49:47
now.
00:49:48
>> Well then he they had sent me a script
00:49:50
and I learned it and then that's what
00:49:53
you see on TV is the I saw the script
00:49:55
and I was like I love this character.
00:49:57
She's cuck.
00:50:01
Is there some story about your hair?
00:50:02
Like you you you you had your hair a
00:50:04
certain way for the audition, then you
00:50:06
got drunk and you
00:50:07
>> Yeah.
00:50:07
>> shaved your hair and you turned up for
00:50:08
What's the story there?
00:50:10
>> That's exactly it. I had long hair down
00:50:12
to my like down here, long curly hair,
00:50:14
auditioned and then got really drunk and
00:50:17
shaved my head. I I I know it looks bad
00:50:20
cuz I'm wearing a wig now, but it's not
00:50:22
a normal thing. I only did that one
00:50:24
time.
00:50:26
Um, so is any of it improvised or is it
00:50:30
all scripted or have they used any bits?
00:50:32
Is it scripted and there's been bits
00:50:33
that you've improvised that end up
00:50:34
making it on screen?
00:50:35
>> Yes. So there's like scripted parts and
00:50:37
then that online everywhere.
00:50:40
>> M.
00:50:40
>> They literally told me to tell everyone
00:50:42
that online that it's online.
00:50:44
>> Yeah.
00:50:44
>> And then we're like go.
00:50:47
>> So So you do the ads and then um you you
00:50:50
get paid whatever money it is. Is it
00:50:51
good good money? Reasonable money.
00:50:53
>> I think they look after me. Yeah. What's
00:50:56
got to be better than doing
00:50:57
>> so mafia? They look after me.
00:50:59
>> Well, it's got to be it's got to be more
00:51:01
lucrative than doing shows for a gold
00:51:03
coin donation and a mate sleep out.
00:51:05
>> Yeah.
00:51:05
>> Um so you do the ad, it pays well then
00:51:08
you just get on with your life.
00:51:10
>> And like when are you aware of the
00:51:12
impact it's having?
00:51:14
uh like
00:51:16
the more people kept coming and then
00:51:20
like the news were hitting me up but I
00:51:23
wasn't allowed to talk about turns at
00:51:24
that time. So radio stations like a
00:51:27
bunch of people were hitting me up and I
00:51:28
was like I actually can't come on. I'm
00:51:29
not allowed to talk about it. And that's
00:51:31
when I realized wow this is kind of out
00:51:34
of hand like getting
00:51:36
when I get stopped. It was really weird
00:51:40
but people love it and I love people so
00:51:42
I was like cool I'll take this photo but
00:51:44
it's really weird.
00:51:46
>> Yeah. Was it was it fun or was it quite
00:51:49
um unnerving? Like how how was it? Like
00:51:52
yeah, you you were so so famous when
00:51:55
those ads came out. It
00:51:56
>> was like Tina from Turners was
00:51:57
everywhere. And it's you. It's Bubba.
00:51:59
>> Yeah.
00:52:03
>> Just I don't know. Like
00:52:05
>> enjoyable or like a little bit Oh,
00:52:07
>> yeah. I was a little like No, no, no.
00:52:09
That's not me. I'm actually
00:52:11
She doesn't have blue hair.
00:52:14
>> Exactly. So I would be like, "No, it's
00:52:15
not me. It's my sister."
00:52:18
And and so what are people saying to
00:52:20
you? Like
00:52:21
>> Oh, they it was so much love, you know.
00:52:23
People were like, "We love those ads. We
00:52:25
like never skip it." And they would
00:52:26
recite it back to me. So I learned to
00:52:29
love it as well.
00:52:31
>> But you know, it's really it's weird for
00:52:34
it to happen like that. Just people come
00:52:36
at you and want photos. And I'm not even
00:52:39
like I'm acting like I'm Halle Berry,
00:52:41
but like I mean like
00:52:44
>> No, no, no. No, as as I said at the
00:52:46
beginning of this, it's like um
00:52:47
everyone's familiar with the Briscos
00:52:48
lady and I feel like like Tina from
00:52:50
Turners over the last few years has been
00:52:52
the like the the like the standout thing
00:52:55
in advertising in New Zealand. Like it's
00:52:57
really had what you'd call cutth through
00:52:59
like it's a marketer's dream.
00:53:00
>> That's weird. E. Yeah.
00:53:01
>> Yeah.
00:53:02
>> It just in a big way. And I feel like
00:53:04
it's because people like the character
00:53:05
which is you
00:53:06
>> I think so. Yeah. I think they love.
00:53:09
We're also talking about it that it came
00:53:10
out after co. So Tina coming out and
00:53:13
being like, "Hi guys, was something for
00:53:16
New Zealand to love because we've just
00:53:19
gone through co."
00:53:20
>> Any negative or is it all positive?
00:53:23
>> I've had a few um older senior men come
00:53:26
in to sit me down and tell me what to do
00:53:28
with my career, but that's it. That's
00:53:30
the only way.
00:53:31
>> They're just like, "We don't like the
00:53:33
ads. Uh horrible ads. Don't like them.
00:53:36
what you should do is go to
00:53:39
um rewrite them and you can come out
00:53:40
like they have a lot of advice. I'm like
00:53:42
okay
00:53:43
>> is it giving you like
00:53:44
>> why don't you go be Tina and then we'll
00:53:46
see
00:53:48
we'll see what you come up with.
00:53:50
>> Yeah. When was the realiz when was there
00:53:52
a moment that you realized that Tina had
00:53:54
gone like full full-blown?
00:53:55
>> I was like she's out of control. It's
00:53:56
gone. It's gone out of control. Um just
00:54:00
literally of people if you'd walk
00:54:02
outside and a bunch of people would be
00:54:03
like Tina but I'm kind of
00:54:06
It's weirdly normal for people and it's
00:54:09
something that I love it for
00:54:12
um Polynesians, you know, they're all
00:54:13
like Tina, especially the elders,
00:54:15
they're all like we love her and so I'm
00:54:18
really proud of that.
00:54:20
>> And then um Tina Turner dies.
00:54:22
>> Yes.
00:54:24
>> What's that like?
00:54:25
>> Um
00:54:27
that made the news.
00:54:30
>> People in New Zealand were worried that
00:54:31
Latina from Turners had died.
00:54:34
That's the first time I realized I was
00:54:35
old. You know, when our parents tell us,
00:54:38
oh, you know, you like when they feel
00:54:40
like they're old because we don't know
00:54:41
their kind of musicians. That's the
00:54:44
first time that happened to me
00:54:45
>> was because kids didn't know who Tina
00:54:47
Turner was. So, they all thought I had
00:54:49
died.
00:54:51
>> Grateful. That was very lovely response.
00:54:54
>> Oh, so so during that period where you
00:54:56
were contract contractually not allowed
00:54:58
to talk about it, why why so why was it
00:55:00
a why was it a secret thing? just to um
00:55:04
keep that illusion going for people.
00:55:05
They loved her so much and were showing
00:55:07
up to turn us to find her. Right.
00:55:09
>> We don't want to break it.
00:55:11
>> Oh, like break the fourth wall that it's
00:55:12
just a comedian/ actor. Yeah. Right.
00:55:15
>> I also don't want to do that to people
00:55:16
either.
00:55:18
>> Break the
00:55:19
>> They loved her. They loved Tina.
00:55:21
>> Yeah.
00:55:23
And has anything um else good come from
00:55:26
it? Any other opportunities or anything?
00:55:30
I think Yeah, I think just more heaps of
00:55:32
love. I I don't know if opportunities
00:55:34
because I don't think you can
00:55:37
recreate Tina anywhere else.
00:55:39
>> Yeah.
00:55:41
>> And um what about the family, your
00:55:43
family, people that care about you the
00:55:44
most? Like was this the moment for them
00:55:45
where they're like, "Oh, okay. Bubba
00:55:48
wants to do this unusual career path and
00:55:50
it's paying off."
00:55:51
>> Yeah. And also they've got all the
00:55:54
Turners merchandise. I know my
00:55:55
grandparents are church celebrities
00:55:57
right now cuz they've got all the
00:55:59
Turners jumpers and it so they wear it.
00:56:01
It's their converter. They just wear it
00:56:03
everywhere. So someone will ask them.
00:56:05
>> Oh, that's so cool. They're so proud.
00:56:09
>> That's so awesome. Do you still go to
00:56:11
church?
00:56:12
>> Um I did miss Yeah. You know what?
00:56:15
That's
00:56:16
[Laughter]
00:56:18
I should be going to church, but I have
00:56:21
missed a lot of church recently. like
00:56:24
like a lot of juice has in years.
00:56:26
>> I think you can still be a good person
00:56:27
without is it different in some c
00:56:29
culture like or can you still just be a
00:56:31
good person and
00:56:33
>> identify as being Christian or whatever
00:56:36
without going to church?
00:56:37
>> Hard up. But I still try to go when I
00:56:40
can cuz
00:56:41
>> I grew up in it and I love my pastor and
00:56:43
my church.
00:56:44
>> Yeah. Do do you like going um like for
00:56:46
the sermon and the message or is it the
00:56:48
sense of community?
00:56:51
>> Oh, sermon and message I like. Yeah.
00:56:53
Yeah,
00:56:53
>> I like picking what I like from there.
00:56:57
>> Unless it gets too real. I'm outside
00:57:00
having a smoke.
00:57:01
>> What do you mean real?
00:57:03
>> This might relate to me. I'm going to
00:57:04
go.
00:57:08
>> Um, okay. So, you're moving to Samoa and
00:57:11
but the the Tina from Turner commercials
00:57:13
are still going to keep going.
00:57:14
>> Yes. So,
00:57:15
>> yeah. So, you they'll flow you back
00:57:17
every
00:57:18
>> I think if that EP
00:57:20
>> Yeah. How many ads have you done? you
00:57:22
you were doing some radio commercials
00:57:23
for uh Turner.
00:57:24
>> They got some stuff in the pipeline that
00:57:26
they should be
00:57:27
>> Yeah.
00:57:29
>> And and the song you did, that's the
00:57:30
most recent.
00:57:32
>> Yeah. So, yeah. How was that? So,
00:57:36
someone else wrote that. You didn't have
00:57:37
a hand in writing it?
00:57:38
>> No, someone else wrote that. Yeah, that
00:57:40
was really fun to film. I think that was
00:57:41
Yeah, that was a really long shoot.
00:57:44
>> Which I did before leaving to Sour for
00:57:47
that funeral. And so, that's al I have
00:57:49
not had a break. Yeah.
00:57:53
>> You do you think the move move to some
00:57:55
you just need like a maybe a break for a
00:57:56
few months and then you'll get itchy
00:57:57
feet and want to come back or do you
00:57:59
think
00:57:59
>> No.
00:58:00
>> No.
00:58:00
>> Yeah.
00:58:00
>> How can you be so certain?
00:58:02
>> Cuz when I'm there I'm there when I'm
00:58:03
not tired.
00:58:04
>> Yeah.
00:58:04
>> Yeah.
00:58:06
>> I don't know what it is. I just feel
00:58:07
really grounded as soon as I hit the
00:58:10
pavement of getting getting off the
00:58:12
plane
00:58:14
>> and then I hear the sounds of sour and
00:58:16
I'm like, "Oh,
00:58:18
>> that's me."
00:58:20
Oh, that's cool.
00:58:21
>> Yeah.
00:58:21
>> So, you you got some um some Turner's
00:58:23
cash and what's your cost of living over
00:58:26
there? What do you need?
00:58:28
>> Um not a lot cuz we have plantation. Um
00:58:32
and animals.
00:58:35
So, not really a lot.
00:58:37
>> Yeah.
00:58:38
>> It's just not a financially driven
00:58:40
>> no
00:58:41
>> a way of life, is it?
00:58:42
>> No.
00:58:43
>> That's so cool.
00:58:45
>> Yeah. Don't you worry about like ending
00:58:47
up with nothing. Like that's I've I'm
00:58:50
I'm projecting here, but I've got um
00:58:52
I've got a strange relationship with
00:58:53
money. Like I'm I don't know. I think
00:58:55
because we we grew up in a as I said a
00:58:57
middle-ass household, but it was still
00:58:59
sort of a scarcity household. Like felt
00:59:01
like we were
00:59:02
>> never
00:59:03
>> felt like we were always poor compared
00:59:04
to the other kids. Like other kids would
00:59:06
have a microwave or a video or nice
00:59:08
bikes or nice clothes and we wouldn't.
00:59:10
So because of that, I feel like I've got
00:59:12
a strange relationship with money where
00:59:13
I'm always scared of of running out or
00:59:15
not having enough.
00:59:17
>> You don't you just don't have that at
00:59:18
all.
00:59:18
>> No, I should though. Like I'm I should
00:59:21
be an adult. But
00:59:23
>> um
00:59:23
>> Yeah. Cuz you're in a position where you
00:59:24
like you could do like a lot of good for
00:59:26
a lot of people in your in your family
00:59:27
or your community. Eh,
00:59:30
>> and I do. Yeah. Like I help
00:59:32
>> where I can and
00:59:37
>> Yeah. I think I just
00:59:38
>> they'll have someone to run to anytime
00:59:41
that they need over there, you know. And
00:59:43
>> I also want to learn how to plant stuff
00:59:46
>> like what?
00:59:47
>> Like coconut trees and
00:59:48
>> I want to do a plantation.
00:59:50
>> Yeah.
00:59:50
>> Yeah. I think it's just a new journey.
00:59:53
>> Everyone's so amazed by it. I'm just
00:59:55
going flight. I went down the road.
00:59:59
>> No, but the fact that you're like, "No,
01:00:00
no, no. It's not a it's not a it's not a
01:00:02
break. It's not a whim. It's not a
01:00:04
sabbatical. This is it. and it's
01:00:06
unlikely I'm coming back. Um because it
01:00:08
just feels like you're on the the the
01:00:09
cusp of um you know like I suppose it's
01:00:11
called a tipping point in your career
01:00:13
and you're just like sort of turning
01:00:14
your back on it. And I think it takes a
01:00:15
lot of courage to do that. But uh I mean
01:00:18
you're doing what's going to make you
01:00:19
happy and I think that's really
01:00:20
empowering.
01:00:21
>> Well, I'll be able to give my best to my
01:00:24
if I get, you know, jobs here and they
01:00:25
call for me, I'll be able to give my
01:00:27
best because I'll be at my happiest.
01:00:30
>> Yeah. Have you not been at your
01:00:32
happiest?
01:00:34
>> No. My happiest is in Sour,
01:00:36
>> right?
01:00:36
>> Like still happy here, but
01:00:38
>> in I don't know what it is in Sour.
01:00:40
>> Yeah. Have you Have you got a partner or
01:00:41
anything or you just on your sle? Yeah.
01:00:43
Just you and your dog.
01:00:44
>> Yeah.
01:00:45
>> Yeah. So, you're at an age and a stage
01:00:47
of life where I suppose you you can just
01:00:49
do this.
01:00:49
>> Yeah.
01:00:50
>> Yeah.
01:00:50
>> I've got no kids or anything, so I can
01:00:52
actually dip out.
01:00:53
>> You want to have kids at some point?
01:00:55
>> I don't know.
01:00:56
>> Yeah.
01:00:57
>> Yeah. I've got no idea.
01:01:01
All right, let's talk um Celebrity
01:01:03
Treasure Island.
01:01:04
>> Yes.
01:01:05
>> So, you've been on the most recent
01:01:07
series which um was on TV last year,
01:01:09
2024.
01:01:10
>> Um yeah. What did you know of it? I feel
01:01:12
like you're probably not much of a TV
01:01:13
watcher.
01:01:14
>> No.
01:01:15
>> So, you knew nothing about the show?
01:01:16
>> No.
01:01:17
>> So, Johnston and Le, your agents, they
01:01:19
they call you and they say, "Oh, you
01:01:21
want to do this?"
01:01:21
>> Do Treasure Island, but didn't really
01:01:22
say what it was.
01:01:24
>> And do you say no immediately or yes
01:01:26
immediately? Yeah.
01:01:27
>> What did I I was on another job and so
01:01:31
there was going to be a clash and then
01:01:35
they were like, "You got to do it. It's
01:01:36
a really good show." I had said no to
01:01:38
Treasure Island, I think, left years
01:01:40
before that cuz I just heard you you had
01:01:42
to be fit. So I said no. But then this
01:01:45
time on a whim said yes. And then I'm
01:01:49
glad that I went on this season.
01:01:51
>> Why? Why did you say yes? It pays pretty
01:01:52
good money now. I I did a series with
01:01:54
them about 15 years ago and we just got
01:01:55
>> Oh, we on it.
01:01:56
>> Yeah. Yeah, we just got a flat rate. But
01:01:57
I think now you get a like a couple of
01:01:59
grand a day or something.
01:02:01
>> I don't know.
01:02:02
>> You can't.
01:02:04
>> You're going to get me in trouble.
01:02:05
>> You don't have to talk about it. Um
01:02:08
so yeah, you're on the 2024 season. You
01:02:10
you did really well, too. You were there
01:02:12
17 days.
01:02:13
>> Yes. I got right down to the end and
01:02:14
then Cully knocked me out.
01:02:16
>> Yeah. So Christian Kullan um you and him
01:02:19
sort of became like almost like best
01:02:21
friends on the show. Who Duncan Garner
01:02:24
was on the show as well. He wasn't on
01:02:25
for very long No.
01:02:26
>> Did you get on well?
01:02:29
>> Yeah, I got I think I got on with
01:02:30
everyone. Yeah, I don't think I left
01:02:32
there with any bad bad blood.
01:02:35
>> Yeah. So, what did you what did you know
01:02:37
of the other people on the show?
01:02:39
>> Uh, I just did not know anyone except
01:02:42
for JP and Gabby. Um,
01:02:44
>> or JP who ended up winning.
01:02:46
>> Yes. So, I only knew JP.
01:02:48
>> That was it. That's all. And Jane. M.
01:02:52
>> So, who who did you meet that you became
01:02:54
like really good friends with that you'd
01:02:55
keep in touch with?
01:02:56
>> Uh, Kali and Milan,
01:02:58
>> right? Yeah. Right.
01:03:00
>> What are the three of you,
01:03:01
>> eh?
01:03:01
>> Yeah. I love Milan. He's so weird. He's
01:03:04
like
01:03:05
>> the ultimate dad.
01:03:08
>> Like nerd dad.
01:03:09
>> And what about Kelly? What did you know
01:03:11
about him?
01:03:12
>> Not a thing.
01:03:14
But Michelle was like, that's Christian.
01:03:17
>> Michelle.
01:03:18
>> Uh, I don't know her last name. Who's
01:03:20
Michelle? Is she one of the one of the
01:03:22
other contestants?
01:03:23
>> Yes.
01:03:24
>> Yeah. Right. Right. Right.
01:03:24
>> Um she's an actress.
01:03:26
>> Okay. But and you you don't know you you
01:03:28
never watched rugby. You don't know who
01:03:29
he is.
01:03:30
>> No.
01:03:30
>> Right. You've heard of um Jon Lom, the
01:03:32
Tongen.
01:03:33
>> Yes.
01:03:33
>> Yeah. So they were playing at the same
01:03:35
time.
01:03:36
>> Oh my god. No one's ever told me that
01:03:37
before.
01:03:38
>> Right. What do you mean? Did you think
01:03:40
he was playing years before that or
01:03:42
>> I thought it was ancient.
01:03:45
>> Why? Yes. So, so you meet and do you do
01:03:48
you um connect straight away?
01:03:51
>> He was talking about sour cuz I was
01:03:53
talking about sour and I was me and oh
01:03:55
me and Mo is another one. I think I got
01:03:57
really close with her too.
01:03:59
I'm talking to her about sour and then
01:04:01
he starts talking about sour. I'm like
01:04:02
here we go this tourist
01:04:05
and and then I heard him say that that's
01:04:06
his like talking about his village and
01:04:08
then I was like are you sour and that
01:04:10
was it and then I just annoyed him. I
01:04:13
was like teaching him words. He like did
01:04:16
not ask for that.
01:04:18
>> Yeah. Because watching it on I mean all
01:04:20
we saw was the the little bits and
01:04:21
pieces on screen but you seem to have
01:04:22
have like a really nice connection
01:04:24
almost like um Yeah. Almost like he's
01:04:27
like a father figure in a way.
01:04:28
>> Yeah.
01:04:28
>> Yeah.
01:04:29
>> Like what they didn't show was that he
01:04:31
cuz I it was like athletics with
01:04:33
athletes. So like
01:04:35
>> I was vulnerable. I was like, "Damn, I
01:04:38
am not an athlete." But he would be
01:04:40
like, "Come on, Bubba." And like
01:04:42
encourage me like yell out for me. It
01:04:44
just was really good. And then after
01:04:47
that, even he would be like, "See, you
01:04:48
did really well." And he would check in
01:04:50
with me. And I'm like, "The hell?"
01:04:52
You're like, "My dad."
01:04:55
>> So, he's just really nice and supportive
01:04:56
and encouraging. Yeah.
01:04:58
>> And then I just started annoying the
01:05:00
[ __ ] out of him.
01:05:01
>> In what way?
01:05:02
>> Just by waking him up too early,
01:05:04
throwing pillows at him.
01:05:07
Yeah, just annoy him. And every time I
01:05:10
don't know, say go left, I'd go right.
01:05:11
It's like,
01:05:14
>> and have have you kept in touch since?
01:05:15
He's he's a very He's a hard guy to keep
01:05:17
in touch with though. You don't get a
01:05:18
lot out of him.
01:05:20
>> Or is that just me?
01:05:20
>> Sorry.
01:05:22
>> Is that right? Sometimes sometimes I'll
01:05:24
message him, I'll get a text back like
01:05:26
two days later. Is that not He's not
01:05:27
like that with everyone. Oh
01:05:31
m
01:05:33
he gave me your number to come on the
01:05:35
podcast. Yeah.
01:05:36
>> Oh yeah.
01:05:37
>> But I I didn't um I didn't hit him up
01:05:39
for any um like goss or ice breakers
01:05:41
about you cuz I just didn't think
01:05:42
>> Oh,
01:05:42
>> it's not just not sort of the style.
01:05:44
>> Yeah.
01:05:46
>> So what how often do you guys keep in
01:05:47
touch now?
01:05:49
>> Uh we message now and then.
01:05:51
>> Yeah.
01:05:51
>> Yeah. When we first came out it was like
01:05:54
>> Yeah.
01:05:54
>> with Milan. Me, Kelly, and Milan.
01:05:58
How good you you go through this
01:05:59
experience together. I suppose it seems
01:06:01
like a big thing and then after a while,
01:06:03
you know, you get back into your normal
01:06:04
day-to-day life and you sort of forget
01:06:06
about the trauma of CTI.
01:06:07
>> It is a bit crazy.
01:06:09
>> Is it? Yeah. 17 days there. Did Did it
01:06:12
sort of [ __ ] with your head a bit?
01:06:13
>> Well, it was just weird cuz everyone was
01:06:15
serious about the game and so I was
01:06:17
like, damn,
01:06:20
it doesn't turn off like when the
01:06:21
cameras go off. Like it's like being in
01:06:23
jail,
01:06:24
>> you know? like your
01:06:25
>> well it becomes your whole your whole
01:06:27
world your whole ecosystem. I remember
01:06:29
yeah when I got voted off like for the
01:06:30
first couple of days afterwards you're
01:06:32
like you're in back in the hotel but
01:06:33
you're just imagining what's going on.
01:06:34
>> Yeah.
01:06:35
>> Like oh right now they'll be sitting
01:06:36
around doing this. What was your biggest
01:06:38
like surprise about the show?
01:06:40
>> Um that they actually starve you.
01:06:44
You don't they don't
01:06:46
>> give you food when the cameras go nope.
01:06:49
You're on beans and rice. And if you
01:06:51
don't soak the beans for 10 hours, you
01:06:53
can't cook them because they're not good
01:06:54
for you. So if you forgot the beans, you
01:06:56
just had rice that day.
01:06:59
>> Yeah. So it's Did you lose weight over
01:07:01
there?
01:07:02
>> Yes. I got to go again.
01:07:04
Oh my god. I came out and went straight
01:07:07
back into my bad eating habits.
01:07:10
>> Yeah. And what about um your biggest
01:07:12
things you learned about yourself on
01:07:13
Treasure Island?
01:07:17
>> Ooh.
01:07:19
um
01:07:21
that I'm kind of sporty like I was
01:07:25
actually like damn I really did that.
01:07:27
That's cool. I thought that I would I
01:07:29
was really scared of being the guy that
01:07:30
like lets the team down. You know, you
01:07:32
don't want to be that guy that's like
01:07:34
but we actually didn't end up having
01:07:35
that and I wasn't it,
01:07:38
>> you know?
01:07:39
>> That's cool. Yeah. Yeah. Were you were
01:07:40
you super proud of yourself at how far
01:07:42
you got?
01:07:42
>> I've only got to top four. Hell yeah. It
01:07:44
made it to last second to last day
01:07:47
>> and I was really proud of that because
01:07:49
then my family didn't have to stop
01:07:50
watching the show early.
01:07:52
>> Oh, they
01:07:53
>> you know, like they get to watch it
01:07:54
right to the end. I was like, "Oh [ __ ]
01:07:55
you guys are lucky I didn't get
01:07:57
>> Yeah. Cuz a lot of people a lot of
01:07:58
people if their friend gets voted off,
01:07:59
they'll be like, "Oh, no. The show's
01:08:00
gone to [ __ ] It's gone to [ __ ] now."
01:08:03
>> Um Yeah. And what was the uh Yeah. What
01:08:07
was the hardest thing about it? the food
01:08:10
aspect
01:08:11
or was it just the the [ __ ] mind
01:08:13
games?
01:08:14
>> Yeah, food and the the mind games.
01:08:20
>> Yeah, food and the mind games maybe.
01:08:22
>> Mhm. Yeah. People end up taking these
01:08:24
things really seriously.
01:08:25
>> Yeah.
01:08:26
>> Yeah.
01:08:26
>> Like we'll live and die for it.
01:08:28
>> Yeah. Um were you surprised at how
01:08:31
emotional you got when people were
01:08:32
getting voted off and sent home and
01:08:36
>> or were you emotional? I think I was an
01:08:38
emotional woman. I'm an emotional I'm I
01:08:41
I'm very empathetic. I So I was like,
01:08:44
"Oh, that's like, you know," and
01:08:46
everyone's crying, but I just was I was
01:08:48
like, "Guys, it's
01:08:50
like we'll literally see each other
01:08:52
soon. I don't get it."
01:08:56
Yeah, you've just got like a good a good
01:08:58
grasp on things, eh? On what's important
01:09:00
and what's not.
01:09:01
>> I don't know. And I suppose I suppose
01:09:04
for a lot of people like this would
01:09:05
definitely be an issue for me is um I I
01:09:07
do have like quite a se severe addiction
01:09:10
to technology like I'm always on my
01:09:12
phone. I'm always on social media.
01:09:14
>> Um whereas you're not and you can quite
01:09:16
easily turn your back from it. So that
01:09:18
wouldn't be like an issue for you that I
01:09:21
suppose the first couple of days on
01:09:22
Treasure Island people would be like,
01:09:23
"Oh, it's so weird not having your
01:09:24
phone." But for you, no big deal.
01:09:26
>> I was still on my brick phone when when
01:09:27
I went in. So
01:09:30
>> yeah. What what was that all about going
01:09:31
to the brick phone?
01:09:35
>> Why did I have get a brick phone? Oh,
01:09:36
>> what was it? Like a no like a Nokia or
01:09:39
uh
01:09:39
>> Yeah, the really old brick phones that
01:09:42
>> just everyone looking at their phones
01:09:44
and I was like, "Oh, I don't want to do
01:09:47
that." I don't know if I was one of
01:09:49
those people, but I didn't I wanted to
01:09:51
make sure I wasn't. So, I went back to
01:09:53
the brick phone.
01:09:54
>> When was the moment of realization?
01:09:57
heaps of places like everywhere you walk
01:09:59
in the elevator and the in the markets
01:10:01
like everyone's face down
01:10:04
and I was like am I crazy or was
01:10:07
everyone looking down and then when I
01:10:09
got a big phone
01:10:13
>> it's interesting so it's not like you
01:10:14
you had a problem but you just didn't
01:10:16
want to be part of the problem
01:10:18
>> yeah and I don't think that they have a
01:10:19
problem being on the phone like the
01:10:20
phone's like part of today's culture so
01:10:23
>> Oh
01:10:26
can be a problem I if it's an addiction.
01:10:28
>> Yeah. Well, I don't care if you're
01:10:29
looking at your phone. I just
01:10:32
>> I don't know. I want to be out here.
01:10:35
>> So So um when you go back to summer,
01:10:37
what will you have like in terms of a
01:10:38
phone?
01:10:39
>> I'll go back to my brick phone.
01:10:40
>> Will you?
01:10:40
>> Yeah.
01:10:41
>> Yeah.
01:10:42
>> Cuz I only need it for calls.
01:10:47
>> Yeah. Calls from like Johnson and
01:10:50
Johnson,
01:10:50
>> right? Just work opportunities.
01:10:52
>> Yeah. But beyond beyond that, um beyond
01:10:54
that and your family members that are
01:10:56
here and I suppose a few close friends,
01:10:59
um everything you need is right there in
01:11:00
your village.
01:11:01
>> Yeah.
01:11:02
>> [ __ ] It's such a cool way to live your
01:11:04
life.
01:11:05
>> Come visit.
01:11:06
>> Can I?
01:11:07
>> Yeah. Come.
01:11:08
>> I will.
01:11:10
I'd love to. I'd love to come over. I
01:11:12
love some. Um that's a really Yeah. I
01:11:17
mean, I was online last night. I read
01:11:19
some some comments that someone wrote
01:11:20
about me and it put me in a bad mood and
01:11:22
it was someone that I don't even don't
01:11:23
even know. And I think the life that you
01:11:26
were going away to lead, but that's not
01:11:28
an issue. You're surrounded by
01:11:30
surrounded by love. You're surrounded by
01:11:31
family. You know, everyone in your
01:11:32
village.
01:11:33
>> Um
01:11:35
>> why did that get you down?
01:11:37
>> I we just did for five minutes cuz I was
01:11:38
[ __ ] off that someone would write some
01:11:40
[ __ ] about me. And then um and then I'm
01:11:41
like, I don't even know this person.
01:11:43
It's a fake name. Like why do I care?
01:11:45
And I I I got out of my own head for a
01:11:47
second, but um it's amazing. I I think
01:11:50
that's feel you're looking at me like
01:11:52
I'm abnormal, but I think most people
01:11:53
are probably like that and they have a
01:11:54
visceral reaction to someone, you know,
01:11:56
writing something mean about you, even
01:11:58
if their opinion doesn't matter.
01:12:00
>> Like I don't know who it is.
01:12:02
>> Yeah.
01:12:02
>> Yeah.
01:12:03
>> But you're okay that it upset you for a
01:12:05
bit.
01:12:06
>> Um one last Treasure Island one. Can you
01:12:08
remember the most meaningful
01:12:10
conversation you had with any of the
01:12:11
contestants? Is is there something that
01:12:12
stands out that would stick with you?
01:12:15
Um Milan I Milan was um it wasn't on
01:12:20
camera but Milan was thinking about
01:12:22
going home and it was just him. Um and
01:12:26
he was you know a bit emotional and I
01:12:28
went over to him. He was he said to me,
01:12:32
"Oh, I'm thinking about going home." And
01:12:33
I said, "Ben, what would your daughter
01:12:35
say?" And then he was like,
01:12:39
"You're right." And then yeah, we had a
01:12:42
little chat about it because it was the
01:12:44
it was kind of part because of the mind
01:12:46
games and I was like, who cares? Like do
01:12:49
your best. You don't want to go home.
01:12:50
Because he had been talking about his
01:12:52
daughters and stuff and he wanted to
01:12:53
make them proud. I mean, if his answers
01:12:55
was like they would want me to come
01:12:57
home, then that's okay. I just wanted
01:12:59
him to
01:13:01
>> think about that before he decided to
01:13:03
go.
01:13:04
>> You sort of talked him around.
01:13:05
>> It was pretty Yeah. And we had a little
01:13:07
DMC, a little deep, meaningful
01:13:08
conversation. M
01:13:10
>> and he ended up staying.
01:13:12
>> It's crazy these unlikely like
01:13:14
relationships or friendships like people
01:13:16
that you probably never never crossed
01:13:18
paths with had it not been for something
01:13:19
like that.
01:13:20
>> And it's amazing who you who you end up
01:13:21
connecting with and who who you just
01:13:23
don't.
01:13:23
>> When I was like 27
01:13:27
>> Yeah. He's How old is he? He's probably
01:13:29
the same age as me. Like 50s or
01:13:30
something. Yeah.
01:13:31
>> I'm like you can also smack me in the
01:13:33
face and tell me to get lost.
01:13:35
>> I don't know [ __ ] I know you you're
01:13:37
very likable and I can see like um from
01:13:40
Christian Cullen's perspective like you
01:13:42
know he's he's got four kids of his own
01:13:44
not in their 20s yet but um
01:13:46
>> he probably felt like a a a sense of
01:13:48
nurturing towards you in a way I guess
01:13:50
>> I think so. Yeah. And I think he could
01:13:52
see that I was a bit scared.
01:13:53
>> Were you Why were you scared?
01:13:55
>> Just like literally because of the
01:13:56
athletic stuff. I was like damn.
01:13:59
>> Yeah.
01:13:59
>> I got bent back. Um
01:14:02
>> this is not things that I I wouldn't be
01:14:04
ab sailing at.
01:14:05
>> Yeah.
01:14:06
Yeah. Well, that he's scared of heights,
01:14:10
is he?
01:14:10
>> He would never do a bungee jump. Never
01:14:12
do a sky. He's a little Get him Get him
01:14:15
high. He's a little
01:14:17
>> I'm going to get him. Hi.
01:14:21
>> Um, hey, this has been a fun chat today.
01:14:24
It's been really cool. Yeah. Have you
01:14:26
enjoyed yourself?
01:14:27
>> Yeah, I have. I've like
01:14:30
>> really enjoyed myself.
01:14:32
>> Yeah. We just end with a couple of deep
01:14:33
ones. What's um so you're in your late
01:14:35
20s now. What's the biggest adversity uh
01:14:38
you think you've gone through in life so
01:14:39
far?
01:14:45
Let me think. Oh my god. I need some I
01:14:47
need some character. Hang on.
01:14:50
Adversity maybe.
01:14:56
I think behind the scenes I've been put
01:14:59
in some places
01:15:01
where I've had to speak up.
01:15:05
And I actually have like um what's it?
01:15:08
What is it?
01:15:11
What can I say without saying?
01:15:13
>> Oh no. Can you say can you give spill
01:15:15
some
01:15:15
>> t
01:15:17
So you did you were in situations and
01:15:19
you you're like shall I say something?
01:15:21
Shall I not say something? And you did
01:15:22
say something.
01:15:23
>> Yeah. Cuz I had to be like hey that's
01:15:25
Polynesian. That's South Oakland.
01:15:28
>> What was it about?
01:15:28
>> So we can't Oh my I'm on I'm on contract
01:15:32
for it. Oh, okay. Okay. Can't talk about
01:15:34
it. But you you're
01:15:37
>> But I have stood up and
01:15:38
>> why was it why was it a big adversity?
01:15:41
>> It's just an important thing.
01:15:42
>> It was Yeah. It was an important thing
01:15:43
and something from our culture that
01:15:45
someone was [ __ ] on and Yeah.
01:15:49
>> Right.
01:15:49
>> So, I had to speak up and be like,
01:15:52
>> and I hate when I have to speak up
01:15:53
because I'm like, you're adult, man. Why
01:15:56
why why do I have to say this? It was
01:15:59
like, why are you putting me in this
01:16:00
position where I have to speak up?
01:16:02
>> Yeah. But I was like, okay, there's no
01:16:04
other Polynesian South Oaklanders in the
01:16:05
room. And you were speaking about
01:16:07
something Polynesian South Oakland.
01:16:09
>> And then Yep. that got cut.
01:16:11
>> How how uh were you in that moment? Like
01:16:14
were were you like shaking with
01:16:15
adrenaline? Were you nervous or you you
01:16:18
feel like good about yourself after
01:16:20
that? I I was just a thousand% certain
01:16:23
that they were [ __ ] on something
01:16:26
that didn't belong to them, but belonged
01:16:27
to us. So, I felt pretty confident. I
01:16:30
just felt like, I can't believe I got to
01:16:32
do this.
01:16:34
>> Did they Did they backpedal? Did they
01:16:36
apologize?
01:16:37
>> They uh did say to me, um, it's okay if
01:16:41
you're not like educated on this thing.
01:16:44
And I was like, I just think you're the
01:16:47
one that's uneducated.
01:16:50
Yeah.
01:16:50
>> Was anyone else around or was it just
01:16:52
one?
01:16:52
>> Caused a stir. There were people around
01:16:54
so a stir but that I said it and
01:17:01
>> says what sort of person you are like a
01:17:03
sort of person that stands up and I
01:17:04
don't know if I'd always be
01:17:05
>> not even I was like damn why do I have
01:17:08
this?
01:17:09
>> Yeah.
01:17:10
>> Oh no. That's a strong character. Um
01:17:12
what's your inner voice like? Like when
01:17:14
you're when you're alone like in your
01:17:16
car or in your room and you're talking
01:17:17
to yourself are you are you quite nice
01:17:18
to yourself?
01:17:20
Yeah.
01:17:20
>> Yeah.
01:17:23
>> What do you mean like nice to myself?
01:17:24
Like
01:17:25
>> Well, I don't I don't know. Like I
01:17:27
suppose like my my inner voice at times
01:17:29
and it's like um
01:17:32
I I will say things to myself internally
01:17:34
that I'd never dream of saying to
01:17:36
another person. And a lot of it's like
01:17:39
what
01:17:40
>> are you saying it to yourself? Like are
01:17:41
you talking to yourself or are you
01:17:43
>> Yeah. Like come on, you could do better.
01:17:44
You should be doing more. Oh,
01:17:46
>> like really really like like flogging
01:17:49
myself. And I so I ask other people and
01:17:51
it's it's interesting. A lot of Yeah. A
01:17:53
lot of like high performance people um
01:17:56
are like have a very very negative inner
01:17:58
voice which is terrible. It's
01:17:59
counterproductive.
01:18:00
But you've got quite a quite a good
01:18:02
inner voice and self-esteem.
01:18:04
>> I think we can go anywhere. Like I can
01:18:07
be like what was that? What are we up
01:18:10
to? But also at the same time be like
01:18:13
yeah cool. Um, what about uh
01:18:16
vulnerability? Like have you got a good
01:18:17
inner circle of um like friends that you
01:18:20
can talk to and be really open to
01:18:21
>> like really v I can be really vulnerable
01:18:24
with them? Yep.
01:18:26
>> You always been that way or has that
01:18:28
been a learned thing?
01:18:29
>> Um I think I honestly credit that to my
01:18:31
uncles because my uncles have always
01:18:33
they're like staunch sour men but have
01:18:35
always
01:18:36
talked spoken to me openly about things
01:18:40
that I'm feeling or like deep issues.
01:18:42
they've allowed me to express it and
01:18:44
then they come back with how they feel
01:18:47
like because you know they're the
01:18:48
they're the out they're the when I was
01:18:50
like in high school and I'd like I don't
01:18:52
get this this is weird and then they
01:18:53
would be like maybe it's like this and
01:18:56
then I would think through it and be
01:18:57
like wow you're right or you're wrong
01:19:01
that's not how I feel.
01:19:03
>> So I was able to like work through my
01:19:04
feelings.
01:19:05
>> Yeah.
01:19:05
>> Yeah.
01:19:06
>> That's powerful.
01:19:07
>> Yeah.
01:19:08
>> Um and your mental health's been good.
01:19:10
>> I think so. Yeah.
01:19:12
>> I mean, I'm cuckoo, but
01:19:15
>> Yeah.
01:19:15
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, but we love that.
01:19:16
We don't want that to change. Um, yeah.
01:19:20
Yes. You never had any anxiety issues or
01:19:22
mental health issues or
01:19:24
>> No.
01:19:25
>> No. Just
01:19:26
>> I'm not like perfect, but obviously I
01:19:28
get sad and stuff. Everyone like every
01:19:31
time I go on like a interview or
01:19:32
something, they're like, "When do you
01:19:34
get sad?" I mean, I get sad, but not
01:19:37
>> No, I'm I'm I'm intrigued with with
01:19:39
anyone that's not. It's like um yeah,
01:19:41
you want to work out, you try and
01:19:43
reverse engineer it and work out like
01:19:45
you why they're so happy or how do they
01:19:47
get that cuz I love it. I think it's a
01:19:49
great way to live your life.
01:19:50
>> Yeah. I don't even think you think about
01:19:52
it. It's just [ __ ] happens, man. [ __ ]
01:19:57
happens. That's it.
01:20:00
>> That's all I got for you.
01:20:02
>> No, it's it's you're 100% true. Like you
01:20:04
got have to expect um like adversity in
01:20:06
life because um if you think it's if you
01:20:08
think shit's not going to happen. Yeah.
01:20:10
>> Then you're not going to be ready for it
01:20:11
when it does.
01:20:12
>> Yeah.
01:20:14
>> Um, what are your best worst habits?
01:20:18
>> Um, uh, I always, what do I do? I
01:20:24
I've forgotten who I am. Uh, what do I
01:20:27
do?
01:20:32
Worst habit, I think, is I apologize.
01:20:35
Like, like I like [ __ ] sorry. Sorry.
01:20:36
Sorry. Um, I think
01:20:39
yeah, when I Yeah, I think that's a bad
01:20:42
habit is apologizing too much.
01:20:44
>> I think I do the same. I don't know
01:20:46
where that comes from
01:20:46
>> cuz I feel in the way. I'm like, [ __ ]
01:20:48
Sorry. So, I know. Okay, it's me. It's
01:20:50
all but I've made it worse. Like, get
01:20:52
out of the room.
01:20:53
>> Is that Is that a Kiwi? I think that's a
01:20:55
Kiwi thing.
01:20:56
>> Yeah. Yeah,
01:20:58
actually. Yeah.
01:21:00
>> And then best habit.
01:21:05
God, what are my habits? Getting
01:21:08
tattoos.
01:21:11
>> Yeah. What have you got? So, you got the
01:21:12
Taskmasters one.
01:21:13
>> Yeah.
01:21:13
>> You got the um the big Sam one over.
01:21:16
When did you get that?
01:21:17
>> Uh uh
01:21:20
also got it for a show cuz I was mocking
01:21:22
San boys cuz they always put sour on
01:21:25
their stomach. And then I got it and I
01:21:26
love it so much.
01:21:28
>> Oh my god. Oh my god. How was your What
01:21:31
was your family's reaction like when
01:21:32
they saw that?
01:21:33
>> Uh oh my god. They wanted to kill me.
01:21:35
>> Oh, do they? Do you want to show us or
01:21:38
not? Not really.
01:21:38
>> It looks like I'm a little gangster.
01:21:41
>> Yeah.
01:21:43
>> 685 something. Oh, wait. So, how did
01:21:45
they know about it?
01:21:47
>> They came to the show
01:21:48
>> and it was Glad Wrapped. I like got it
01:21:50
done the night before.
01:21:53
So, they saw the Glad Wrap and knew it
01:21:54
was real.
01:21:58
>> And then, so they they want to kill you.
01:22:00
They're mad at you. But for how long?
01:22:02
Uh, not that like they just didn't want
01:22:04
to see it ever again. But I think
01:22:08
time's passed. Maybe they don't care
01:22:10
about it now.
01:22:10
>> Yeah. Yeah. I think that's the thing
01:22:12
with um with anyone that gets tattoos.
01:22:14
For a lot of their parents, it's just
01:22:15
like an initial shock
01:22:16
>> and then it's fine.
01:22:18
>> Um, do you have any regrets?
01:22:20
>> Uh, what regrets? Uh, maybe this hair
01:22:22
that's under
01:22:25
>> maybe the hair under here.
01:22:27
>> Yeah, I I'm I'm intrigued to see how bad
01:22:29
it was. Like I I met you at the car just
01:22:31
before you put the wig on. I didn't even
01:22:32
notice it, but you've been going on
01:22:34
about how bad it is. Can't be that bad.
01:22:36
Surely.
01:22:36
>> I'll show you after.
01:22:37
>> Okay. Um regrets.
01:22:41
>> Uh I regret
01:22:46
it's all the past. I don't care.
01:22:50
>> I don't think any Yeah.
01:22:51
>> Like such a cool attitude. We could
01:22:53
bottle up what you've got. I think um
01:22:55
society would be a lot better. You're so
01:22:58
like it feels like everything's water
01:22:59
off a duck.
01:23:00
>> But I do care. Like I just want people
01:23:02
to know I care about stuff.
01:23:04
>> Yeah. No, but I think you've got a good
01:23:05
grasp on like what's important and
01:23:06
what's not. And you you're able to you
01:23:09
separate the you know what matters from
01:23:10
the [ __ ]
01:23:12
>> Yeah.
01:23:13
>> Which which I and I feel like this is
01:23:14
looping back to what you were saying
01:23:15
before about social media and stuff and
01:23:17
a lot of it is just noise.
01:23:19
>> It's [ __ ] and it doesn't matter.
01:23:20
>> But also that's just me and like however
01:23:22
you think is also right. And like I'm
01:23:25
not a
01:23:26
I just however your thinking is right
01:23:29
for you and
01:23:31
>> like people think admire it but I'm like
01:23:33
I literally I'm wired that way and
01:23:35
you're wired your way.
01:23:36
>> Even I want to be wired more more your
01:23:38
way than my way.
01:23:39
>> Yeah, but it probably won't happen. We
01:23:41
won't be able to swap.
01:23:43
>> So
01:23:43
>> unless it's like a Zack Efron movie way.
01:23:47
>> Me and you should do a freaky Friday we
01:23:48
make
01:23:50
>> um future goals. Are are you a goal
01:23:53
setter at all or do you just sort of
01:23:55
like roll with whatever happens?
01:23:58
>> I did have a goal like
01:24:03
I mean like the last show that I did I
01:24:04
wanted to make it a good one. Um
01:24:09
and the like going to sour was a goal
01:24:11
and so yeah.
01:24:13
>> Yeah. Got goals.
01:24:15
>> Yeah. So like where do you see yourself
01:24:16
at say like 35 40?
01:24:20
I just see myself in some more of 10
01:24:22
dogs.
01:24:23
>> Yeah.
01:24:24
>> Yeah. But also I I think I might want to
01:24:26
still try with my career here.
01:24:31
>> So living and working
01:24:33
maybe by 35 I'll have that sorted as to
01:24:36
what that looks like.
01:24:38
>> So career goals you just want to keep
01:24:40
going but you don't necessarily know how
01:24:42
that looks or
01:24:43
>> No.
01:24:43
>> Because a Yeah. you a lot of people in
01:24:46
your position, I could have them here
01:24:47
and they could be like, "Oh, my goal is
01:24:48
to like play Madison Square Garden one
01:24:51
day or do a sellout show at the Sky City
01:24:53
Arena, whatever it happens to be or
01:24:54
Spark Arena." You don't you just like
01:24:57
just do with what what you feel like
01:24:59
doing at any particular time.
01:25:00
>> Yeah, cuz I might be standup, but also I
01:25:02
would love to be in a Marvel movie. So,
01:25:05
I don't know. Yeah, it depends what path
01:25:08
I take, which I have no idea.
01:25:10
>> But so, so you're not going to pursue
01:25:11
any of these things. It's just if it
01:25:12
happen if it
01:25:14
>> if it comes your way. You're not
01:25:16
aggressively trying to push doors down.
01:25:17
You're happy to walk down the corridor
01:25:19
and if a door opens, it opens.
01:25:21
>> Yeah. But also, I do want to write and I
01:25:24
think I will work towards writing some
01:25:27
shows, but I don't know if that's TV or
01:25:30
standup.
01:25:31
>> Yes.
01:25:32
>> Like a drama show.
01:25:33
>> Yeah.
01:25:34
>> Well, the fact that you say you don't
01:25:35
know tells me that you kind of do know.
01:25:37
>> Well, I really love psych. Like I love
01:25:39
Black Mirror. I love like that kind of
01:25:43
>> and the end of the [ __ ] world. Have
01:25:45
you watched that?
01:25:46
>> No.
01:25:46
>> Oh, the end of I think it's called the
01:25:47
end of the [ __ ] world.
01:25:48
>> Right.
01:25:50
>> Well, whatever you do, I've got no doubt
01:25:51
you'll be like talented at and you'll do
01:25:53
well.
01:25:53
>> Oh, thank you.
01:25:54
>> Yeah.
01:25:55
>> Um, what what are the three words that
01:25:58
your family and people that know you
01:26:00
best would use to describe you?
01:26:03
>> Idiot.
01:26:05
>> Nah.
01:26:06
>> Yeah. No, seriously. Don't be an idiot.
01:26:09
I won't
01:26:11
[Laughter]
01:26:14
>> um idiot but also
01:26:18
maybe because of my nieces and nephews
01:26:20
they say I care cuz
01:26:23
surprisingly caring.
01:26:25
>> Are you you have that nurturing side? I
01:26:27
can see.
01:26:27
>> Yeah, with my nieces and nephews. Yeah.
01:26:29
And my dog.
01:26:30
>> Anyone else? I'm like sort of yourself.
01:26:34
>> Uh and then
01:26:36
silly.
01:26:38
Yeah,
01:26:39
>> I feel like silly and idiot are kind of
01:26:40
the same word. They're definitely in the
01:26:42
same ecosystem. Um, yeah. What makes you
01:26:45
mad or sad?
01:26:50
>> Oh, wow. What makes me mad? Uh,
01:26:57
it makes me mad when people don't
01:27:03
consider the outside like the I don't
01:27:06
know how to explain that like when
01:27:07
people get so what wrapped up in their
01:27:09
own I think guess that's probably one of
01:27:12
the I don't know if I was mad about it
01:27:14
though but
01:27:16
>> sometimes it can get frustrating
01:27:20
speaking up you you know, cuz it's like,
01:27:22
why do I have to say this? You're an
01:27:24
adult.
01:27:25
>> Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah. Just
01:27:28
annoying.
01:27:28
>> Yeah.
01:27:29
>> Like it's annoying that it comes to
01:27:30
this.
01:27:30
>> Yeah.
01:27:31
>> Yeah. Um, and are you proud of yourself?
01:27:35
>> Oh, hell yeah. Yeah.
01:27:37
>> I just look at it through my dog. Like,
01:27:39
if my dog's eating, I've done well.
01:27:42
>> And sometimes he has like salmon.
01:27:45
>> Does it?
01:27:46
>> And I'm like, damn, I did well for us,
01:27:47
buddy.
01:27:48
>> My dog here. Yeah. Boiled boiled
01:27:50
chicken. That's what I think. He's doing
01:27:52
well. We're doing all right. Um, yeah,
01:27:56
that's cool. Yeah. Are you allowed to be
01:27:59
proud of yourself being s
01:28:01
>> Oh, hell yeah.
01:28:02
>> So, I have Son friends and some Son
01:28:04
friends and they're always like, um,
01:28:05
yeah, humble yourself. Be humble.
01:28:08
>> Oh,
01:28:08
>> is that a That's different to being
01:28:10
proud of yourself.
01:28:11
>> Yeah.
01:28:12
>> Yeah. You just can't be like braggy or
01:28:14
showy or
01:28:15
>> Yeah.
01:28:16
>> But you can. Yeah. It's a weird
01:28:20
>> balance of being humble and proud and
01:28:23
respectful.
01:28:25
Like don't be a sore winner.
01:28:27
>> Don't be a what?
01:28:28
>> A sore winner.
01:28:29
>> What does that mean?
01:28:30
>> You know, there's like a sore loser that
01:28:31
ss and then a sore winner is like an
01:28:33
absolute [ __ ]
01:28:35
>> Like
01:28:36
>> breaks into all I do is win.
01:28:41
>> But you have to consider the loser.
01:28:43
You've won. You have to consider
01:28:45
consider the loser.
01:28:48
That's awesome. I think I think it's
01:28:50
good being proud of yourself.
01:28:53
>> It demonstrates a good self-esteem.
01:28:54
>> I have a lot of people on the podcast
01:28:56
that I've I've asked that too and you
01:28:58
know a lot of people really struggle
01:28:59
with that answer. I think it's maybe
01:29:01
like a Kiwi thing. Mainly males.
01:29:03
>> Yeah.
01:29:03
>> True.
01:29:04
>> Yeah.
01:29:06
>> Oh, I'm proud of I'm sitting at your
01:29:08
podcast.
01:29:09
>> Yeah.
01:29:09
>> I started in a backyard. I'm a thousand%
01:29:12
proud of myself.
01:29:13
>> Why? Um Well, yeah. I'm I'm proud of
01:29:14
myself today. I started this on my
01:29:16
dining room table like 3 years ago.
01:29:18
>> Now I've got the studio. Why Why are you
01:29:20
proud to be here? This is just a shitty
01:29:21
podcast.
01:29:22
>> Cuz I've heard your name so many times.
01:29:24
>> And also when I was doing the like doing
01:29:26
those ads, I was just like, "Oh, I've
01:29:27
got to be out of here for um Dom
01:29:28
Harvey's podcast." And they were like,
01:29:30
"Oh, cool."
01:29:32
>> Like everyone knows you.
01:29:33
>> Oh, that's awesome.
01:29:34
>> Yeah,
01:29:35
>> that's awesome. How do How do you know
01:29:36
about me? You didn't even know who
01:29:37
Christian Callum was.
01:29:38
>> But people say nice things about you all
01:29:39
the time.
01:29:41
>> Tilla was on here.
01:29:42
>> Ta. And I saw
01:29:44
>> Yeah. Yeah,
01:29:45
>> it's one of my favorite episodes of all
01:29:46
time. Twila Blakeley.
01:29:48
>> Yeah,
01:29:48
>> she's wonderful.
01:29:50
>> All right, Bubba. Hey, well, this has
01:29:52
been amazing.
01:29:53
>> Um Oh, do you want to give us a Tina
01:29:56
from Turners before you go? I don't
01:29:59
think we did that when we talked about
01:30:00
>> what?
01:30:01
>> Cars. Cars. Cars.
01:30:04
>> Hi, I'm Tina from Turners. Cars. Cars.
01:30:07
Cars.
01:30:10
>> Oh, you're wonderful. Hey, this has been
01:30:12
really nice connecting.
01:30:13
>> Come to more. Um, actually in more.
01:30:16
Yeah, come on. Kelly,
01:30:17
>> how far is your village from Maggie
01:30:19
Grace?
01:30:20
>> I am in between the airport and the
01:30:21
city.
01:30:22
>> Oh, real close.
01:30:23
>> Yeah,
01:30:24
>> real close.
01:30:24
>> But once you're in my I'm going to lock
01:30:26
you up.
01:30:26
>> Okay, then um we'll go for a drive to to
01:30:29
sew a trench.
01:30:31
>> I'm not being e
01:30:32
>> I'm not um athletic at all. So, I'm not
01:30:34
diving. I'm I'm going down the mossy
01:30:36
ladder.
01:30:38
>> I hate that.
01:30:39
>> It's terrifying. Gives me the shits. It
01:30:41
looks amazing on Instagram, though. Not
01:30:42
that you'd know. Yeah,
01:30:44
>> social media.
01:30:46
>> Hey Bubba, thank you so much for coming
01:30:47
on my podcast.
01:30:48
>> Thank you for having me.
01:30:49
>> Good luck for the future.
01:30:50
>> Okay. Love you.
01:30:52
>> Love you too.
