Sam Wade – Inner World

Stand-up comedy can be an incredibly intimidating career path, but for those that conquer their fears it can also be an incredibly rewarding and character building artistic medium.

For aspiring comedian Sam Wade his debut solo show, Inner World, has been decades in the making but one which he has found to be a monumental process of self-discovery.

“I’ve wanted to do stand-up since I was 12,” Sam told City Hub. “It was the first job that wasn’t the typical kids dream of policeman or firefighter.”

Now aged 30 it has taken Sam quite a long time to finally dive into the comedy world, but without this extended period the show would not be what it is today.

During this extensive growth period Sam fell in love with the comedy styles of Billy Connolly, Ross Noble, Dylan Moran and Russell Howard because their shows are built on a foundation of story-telling, a skill Sam honed during his theatrical University studies.

“I’ve come to realise that the stories we tell ourselves and the beliefs we hold shape our understanding and narrative of the external world but we’re only ever one thought or sentence away from changing completely what that narrative is.”

For Inner World the key element to Sam’s story is his diagnosis of high-functioning Aspergers and the interplay that has within his everyday life.

“The diagnosis made so much sense when I looked back on all of the things that have happened in my life and the way that I see the world,” explained Sam. “Growing up in a small country town I was on the outside of everything because with the Aspergers there were a lot of social cues that people would take for granted and do that my brain simply couldn’t comprehend.”

One of the funniest examples of the unique way in which Sam’s brain works and shapes his perspective on the world relates to his views on babies and a recent revelation he had.

“For the longest time I’ve hated babies, which I know is a really popular opinion, but I realised recently that I don’t hate babies and they don’t hate me,” Sam said with a hearty laugh before continuing, “I fucking hate the parents! They want approval for making something but I don’t give a shit, it’s a baby! Well done you can make a baby by mistake! You can’t make a cake by mistake.”

Sep 19-21. The Newsagency, 74-76 Pyrmont Bridge Rd, Camperdown. $20-$25+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.sydneyfringe.com