Akmal Saleh

No sooner did I put the phone down from one interview than it rang again.

"Ah, it's all in the timing," boasts Akmal Saleh initially. "You see, good comedians have very good timing..."

Well, what was his excuse for calling nearly two hours past our scheduled time, I fire back. "Um, I guess I'm not a very good comedian then," he relents. It's an awkward position to be placed in, having to suddenly switch from one chat to another with literally a few seconds break in between. So I apologise in advance for any muddle-headedness on my behalf.

"Don't worry," he deadpans. "I'm often confused with (female comedian) Cal Wilson, it's a very easy mistake to make." Last time we spoke, the topic hot in the press was the Cronulla race riots; news that not only closely affected the Egyptian born Saleh due to his Middle-Eastern appearance and the fact that the action took place near his residence, but on the upside the unfortunate event also provided him with some comedy gold for his 2006 Fringe Festival shows. So, what's hot on Saleh's list for season 2007?

"Well, I was really hoping for another riot because I really need some new material," he jokes, "I would really love it to become an annual event because there's nothing like an ethnic war to help comedians write material," he laughs, somewhat unconvincingly. "But, unlike my lost twin Cal, I don't really write my shows as such, I just do stand up and keep trying to add new stuff as I go along. I don't really have a theme for my shows so I just talk about what's going on in my life and things around me. Like, I have now have a full time radio gig (Drive-time, Nova FM) and because that takes up a big slice of my time I'm not touring as much these days and I have to talk about things I normally wouldn't pay attention to. Like, people are just fascinated by Paris Hilton and Britney Spears and little stories like that," he suggests, questionably. And just when he thought he was going to have a dull day at the office news breaks of Anna Nicole Smith's death, and the current media slag between the Corby's and long time family friend, Jodi Power.

"Absolutely," he enthuses. "Some stories you don't even have to add anything to them because they come complete with their own jokes. What's tragic for everyone else is great for the comedy world," he acknowledges. "Look, being on radio is great fun and a whole new challenge for me because it's a discipline that I've never had to face before. It's entirely different because if you're not fresh everyday people are onto you, and you also have to refrain from using bad language and you can't defame certain people," he laments. "Like [name withheld], who works on the floor below me but I occasionally can't help it and I mention him and my general manager will come up to me and sternly tell me not to because we can't afford his lawyers. And that's something I've never had to consider or worry about before, because in the intimacy of a stand up gig you can pretty much get away with anything." And pretty much anything is what one can expect from an evening with Akmal.

Steve Jones

Akmal performs at the Royalty Theatre from Fri 9 March