Austen Tayshus brings comedy without the rulebook to Casino
By Tim Howard
More than four decades after Australiana first rattled turntables and rewired the Australian ear for puns, Austen Tayshus is still very much in motion — and, by his own admission, still “raging against the dying of the night”.
This year marks the 43rd anniversary of the spoken-word monologue that no one could have predicted would become the biggest-selling single of 1983, holding the number one spot for 13 weeks.
Four minutes and 20 seconds of relentless wordplay turned a young stand-up comic into a national phenomenon, and Austen Tayshus into a name that still sparks instant recognition.
“I had no idea,” he says of the recording’s success. “Who could predict that? A spoken monologue, no music, no chorus — and suddenly everyone wants to know you.”
On February 6, Austen Tayshus brings that same unpredictability to the Casino RSM, armed not just with nostalgia, but with decades of live performance under his belt.
While Australiana remains a shared cultural touchstone — “people still recite it back to me,” he laughs — the show itself is anything but a museum piece.
“This isn’t the same show twice,” he says. “I work off the audience. I pull things out of what they give me. That’s the challenge — and that’s the fun.”
Tall, suited, sunglasses firmly in place, Tayshus’ stage persona is as imposing as ever.
His deep voice and confrontational style have long been part of the act, and he makes no apology for it.
“I push them until something happens,” he says. “Then I know I’ve got them.”
That edge has kept him working consistently, touring relentlessly, and clocking up hundreds of gigs over the years.
It’s also what keeps the shows alive — sometimes a little too alive.
“It can get dangerous,” he said. “But that’s part of it. Chaos for a moment, then order restored.”
While many audience members come for nostalgia — and Austen Tayshus knows that for his audience now, accessibility and comfortable seating matter more than ever — the laughs aren’t just about reliving the past.
His material continues to evolve on stage, shaped in real time, fuelled by observation, argument, and the pleasure of messing with ideas.
Above all, he knows from experience, people leave having had a proper laugh.
“I want them walking out pissing themselves,” he says. “Not precious. Not careful. Just enjoying the vitriol and the anarchy.”
After 43 years, that appetite for risk — intellectual, theatrical and occasionally physical — is what keeps Austen Tayshus coming back.
“I could stay home and go to the bowls club,” he said. “But I love the challenge of this job. I really do.”
And punters can double their laughs with the Austen Tayshus support act, Hollywood Brett Sheargold, a comedian who has built a following in the Northern Rivers over the years.
Austen Tayshus and Sheargold perform at Casino RSM on Friday, February 6. Expect sharp wit, audience interaction, and a show that refuses to sit quietly in its own history.
The fun kicks off at February 7.30pm. You can get tickets at https://www.stickytickets.com.au/34MUX
