Back in my uni days I would head off to a comedy night called Cheeseshop Live every week, run by the iconic Dave Toranto, who introduced Melbourne to both international comedy albums and live recordings from the live show on his own community radio show The Cheeseshop on Triple R.
The first night I went was my fourth day in Melbourne. I’d just moved from Tassie to start studying, it was my 18th birthday, and it was also the night I met Janet A. McLeod: Dave’s offsider, the lovely woman on the door taking people’s money (commonly and affectionately known as a doorbitch).
After a while I started bringing my camera, taking photos of the acts on stage. The next day I’d go to uni, process the film, make some prints, then bring them back the following week to show off, hand to the acts, or sell for a couple of bucks. Somewhere along the line I stopped paying to get in. I’m pretty sure that was Janet’s doing. I’d always sit with her at the door and chat when I wasn’t snapping.
No digital back then. I was shooting on 1600 ISO black and white film: very grainy, which comes with the territory at that speed. I couldn’t shoot colour because I couldn’t afford to process it, but I had all the chemistry I needed at uni to handle black and white myself.
Which brings me to last night. The Local Taphouse in St Kilda, a weekly comedy night called Local Laughs. Janet’s very own room, which she produces. And it happened to be the 23rd birthday of that room: almost certainly the longest-running comedy room in Melbourne, probably in all of Australia.
I took some snaps (the ones in this post). Decided to go old school: black and white, a touch of grain from the high ISO needed to shoot in a dark room. It took me right back. Trying to catch the comedian in a good moment, good light on their face, working the angles when there aren’t many to choose from.
Janet still puts my name on the door. Last night I went along to reconnect a little with where it all started, hang out with comedians I call friends, and capture a milestone for Local Laughs and for Janet.
Now I just need to print some of these out and get them to the acts. And remind myself how much I love to print.
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