Steele Saunders - Comedian

Melbourne, Australia, 3/26/2008 by Doosie Morris
Steele Saunders is a well known man in the Australian skateboard scene. Apart from having skated for a few decades now, Saunders also runs the successful Spire Distribution Company in Melbourne. Other than being a business man and a hard nut to crack with his double varial flips during games of SKATE, he is also a stand-up comedian and right now he has a show on at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Tacky made the trek to check it out and we were mighty impressed.

On Thursday evening, after a very cordial invitation from the man himself, Tacky headed down to The FAD Gallery in Melbourne to observe the comedic stylings of Steele Saunders. A long time friend of the Aussie skate scene Steele has taken his notoriously lippy and smart arse remarks outta the skate park and on to the stage this year with his debut appearance at The Melbourne Comedy Festival.

The Melbourne Comedy festival is an institution in our city so thank fuck there's finally a comedian on the bill who can make a joke including skaters, not just at their expense. This bloke reps the skate world but was easy on the baggy jean puns, a wise omission from any routine in my books.

I was a little hesitant to attend at first, mostly because stand-up comedy routines terrify me. It's possible to clap convincingly for shitty bands, but an iota of awkwardness can be detected in even the most well rehearsed chuckle. I avoid seeing comedians for this reason, the cringe factor that is so often present at these smaller shows makes me literally feel nauseous. Luckily for me and for Steele there was not a moment of seat shuffling or coughing all night. From the moment we entered the haphazardly decorated venue things were relaxed and Steele's strong stage presence had the crowd on lock from the get go.

Arriving on 'stage', he immediately kicked over the entire front row of seats and declared those in the second row "a bunch of pussies". After this gutsy and unexpected opening the stage was set, both figuratively and literally.

Ridicule was the order of the day and Steele was taking no prisoners, he even put himself in the firing line of his own relentless piss taking. His girlfriend copped it, Chapel Street copped it, McDonald's copped it, Wild boar Monthly copped it. I could barely contain myself when Steele turned upon himself to regale us with a tale involving; an infamous Melbourne Hardcore party, a bottle of scotch, Tony Hawk, and some serious teen bravado. The tragic outcome of this combination was perverse, bizarre and nothing short of side splitting. This was of course just one of many hilarities he served up with his booming voice and natural style, but of course I don't want to give away too much. You will have to see for yourself.

Big ups to Steele for a stellar performance on his opening night, Tacky really had a good laugh. If you happen to be in Melbourne town over the next 3 weeks be sure to head down and take a peep. $15 for 40 minutes of gags, bargain!

Details can be found on his site:
www.steelesaunders.com

Share on facebook
Comments:
Simon
3/26/2008 11:14 AM
Layout image

Rad. Great with skateboards who are doing other things. Good luck Steele!

dope dude
3/26/2008 11:26 AM
Layout image

he was pretty funny. worth checking out

Annie
3/26/2008 3:13 PM
Layout image

A legend in the Australian scene. Support this guy!

Poppa
3/27/2008 4:43 AM
Layout image

Much better than my show... 5 stars!!

ryan scheckler
3/27/2008 5:23 AM
Layout image

I heard he had a chill girl?

kenny
4/3/2008 11:45 AM
Layout image

he's gay.


Add new comment
 
 

News

30. Jul
A rare Megan Baltimore interview.

29. Jul
Syndrome Distribution, Rob Gonzalez and Danny Montoya have just formed BLVD Skateboards.

28. Jul
Spanky is wearing some new eyewear these days.

27. Jul
A well deserved Pro status goes to Tyler Bledsoe. Congrats

26. Jul
One of the biggest bs 50-50s we've ever seen

25. Jul
The new Street League training facility looks smooth

23. Jul
Contest ripper CJ Dixon is now on SPOT team

22. Jul
News Reporter Crushes kid on halfpipe in Tampa

21. Jul
Bryan Herman is opening a new Pharmacy shop.

20. Jul
This Jamie Thomas interview is well worth a read.

Poll

What do you want more of on Tacky?





Article
Read more

X Games - Vert Footage

Who took out last night´s vert contest and best trick? Here are the results and best trick. Read more

Photo collection
See the photo collection

X Games - Vert Pics

Our man in LA managed to capture PLG, Shaun White, Sandro Dias and the others, during both the vert contest and vert best trick. Here are the photos. See the photo collection

Photo collection
See the photo collection

X Games 16 - Big Air Pics

You have already seen the footage and read the results from last night´s event, here are the photos. See the photo collection

Article
Read more

X Games Big Air Footage

The first day of the X Games is finished. Click in to see the results and video from the Big Air. Read more

Article
Read more

Time for X Games 16

The summer X Games is about to take place in Los Angeles this weekend and Tacky will be there. Click in to find out the whos and whens. Read more

Photo collection
See the photo collection

Nike SB August 2010

Everything from Oxford shirts to cable knit beanies to Premium Blazers in SB's newest product releases. See the photo collection