Sitting Under A Tree with Aidan Jones

I recorded this episode from the Costa Coffee in the departure hall Kuala Lumpur Airport. Air Asia have lost my luggage which has all of my clothes in, including the new suit I bought for the wedding on July 19th. Feels like it's one thing after another at the moment to be honest, but if we've learned anything from the billionaires-crushed-in-a-tube-in-the-ocean saga of the last week, the more pri...

In just under a week I'll be leaving Australia again for just over two months, I'm off to Iceland for the Reykjavik Fringe, then Greece for a friend's wedding, then Edinburgh for my beloved Fringe festival, and finally Sweden for the Gothenberg Fringe in September. It really is pretty incredible that I get to do this, even if there are parts of my life that I would like to change or improve or wha...

I just spent the most wonderful day hiking in the Yarra Ranges. I was feeling a bit sad on Sunday night and took what turned out to be the right action! Getting up early and having a mission for the day set me right, and then moving the body and giving myself some time to think a few things through has me in a great mood now. Had some lovely moments, and I talk about them all on the pod!

Last week I ran into an old friend at a cafe in Brisbane and he said something to me that rocked me to my core. About half an hour later I had a panic attack on the train to the Gold Coast. I overshot my stop because I was on the phone to a friend in the UK who talked me down out of the mania. I'm very grateful for all the good people around me who are constantly looking out for me. Thanks all of...

On Friday night I went to see Shad and Pete Save The World, a show put on by my two good mates Shad and.... yes that's right, Pete. It was about as hard as I've ever laughed I reckon, it was an absolute riot, and as luck would have it they were filming it! Fantastic! I don't know if it's always felt this way, but from where I sit right now, it's been a great week full of positive stuff! Really gla...

On Saturday I went up with a bunch of mates to Saint Arnaud in country Victoria for a bucks party. We stayed in an old church just out of town, cooked lamb, ingested substances, and came back wiser and stronger. My head is a little all over the place at the moment, and I think this trip was exactly what I needed to give me some perspective. I have way too much shit in my life that doesn't make me...

Tough week this week. Plans changing, lots of uncertainty, and I'm trying to not be too public about it, but there have been a few really nice moments that have reminded me to look up and get out of my own head whenever things are hard. Lots to be grateful for too.

We were late to the airport yesterday. The week in Sydney was great, great shows, great audiences, and great friends. Nice weather even - that cold air with clear skies kinda shit. Didn't spend too much money which is also a positive. But then yesterday we were late to the airport, and if there's one thing that'll draw the attention away from a lovely week, it's any kind of stress at the god damn...

In less than two hours I'm going to pick my girlfriend up from the airport and 4.5 months of long-distance relationshipping will be over and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous! Excited, but nervous. I'm in Sydney this week for the Comedy Fest here, and last night I did a set at the Factory Theatre and this fucken sarcastic FUCK shook me hard with a reaction to one of my jokes. That s...

Melbourne Comedy Festival ended on Sunday, and I spent all week writing jokes and having fun, then spent the weekend doing great shows and seeing friends. What a beautiful end to the festival! I'm acutely aware of the fact that this will be my last festival living in Melbourne, and that, coupled with my natural propensity for meandering nostalgia, has really set me off! Enjoy.

Last week I found out from the Family Court of WA that I have officially been adopted by my father! Pretty huge stuff. The lady on the phone said they don't usually have such great news to deliver, so she sounded excited too, and to be honest I wish I could have cried for her to give her something to talk about in the office, but no. Sadly, a lifetime of repressed male conditioning made sure that...

Ticket sales for Melbourne Comedy Festival are okay. They're not great, they're not awful, they're okay. I've seen a bunch of fantastic shows this last week and honestly it's helping me stay positive and stop focussing on negatives! There are so many great people out there putting on amazing work and it's so cool that I get to see it!

Sunday morning I went to Padre to pick up some new ground coffee and then in my rush to leave and get on with the day, I left it there. I didn't realise until Monday morning when I went to make my morning coffee and realised I didn't have the tin. It's Wednesday morning and I'm only just now finding the time to go back there and pick it up. Doesn't that just perfectly exemplify the stupid level of...

This weekend I had the best time in Newcastle doing shows and surfing at the beach. I did one morning at Nobby's, which is more of a beginner's break, then the next morning I got a bit cocky and went to Newcastle Beach where there were a bunch of actual surfers out, and boy did I get beat the fuck up. Humiliating stuff. When the ocean teaches you a lesson, you gotta listen.

Did a gig on Thursday night with the most awful, belligerent, selfish person in the audience. EVERYONE hated her. Kind of nice to be united against someone like that. I saw a nice sunset yesterday, and a nice one on Saturday too - forgot to talk about that! Too busy getting mad at idiots.

I've been waking up at 7am all week, not for any particular reason, but just because I figure it's good to wake up early and get a start on the day. I don't have any real reason to get up early, so I tend to sleep in until 9 or so if I let myself, and then I get grumpy that I don't get started until midday. I thought maybe this could be a way to change that? It's been wonderful, I go on morning wa...

In 2012 when I moved to Melbourne I stayed for two months in a hostel called Melbourne Connection Backpackers' Hostel on the corner of Lt Bourke and King St in the city. The other day I walked past and saw that it has been turned into an Indian restaurant. Yesterday I spoke to an old boy about growing up in Coburg in the 60s, 70s and 80s, and how the area has and hasn't changed. It just keeps goin...

I'm in a van in a rest stop on the middle of nowhere, looking up at the stars after a long day of driving. It's beautiful out here! I've had a great day driving across South Australia and into Victoria, asking people about the Indigenous history of the place and walking around next to the river. Doesn't get much better than this to be honest.

The heat is killing me. Or maybe it's the copious amounts of alc-free beer I drank the other day for video content to promote my show? Does that stuff make your body slow? Who knows man. Either way, please enjoy half an hour of me having a big fat whinge about it! I sure did. 

I've had an idea to promote my show where I review an alc-free drink every day for the month of March in the lead-up to Melbourne Comedy Festival, but the catch is I film all the reviews in one sitting hahahaha. #stillnotdrunk - that's what I'm going to call it. Happy Valentine's Day!

Sunday was my 32nd birthday! I had a wonderful day with friends, had a great show, and then spent Monday on Rottnest Island riding bikes and swimming in the ocean. Fantastic! Of course, given all of that, I spent a large portion of this podcast yelling at Australia Post. Pretty standard stuff, really.

On Saturday night we had a party at the house, with the theme being 'Demons and Angels'. I'd put off deciding on a costume all week until Saturday morning, and after being quoted $55 from a costume store to hire a nun's outfit, I decided to cobble something together myself. Long story short, I spent $2 on a tube of red poster paint, slathered my body in it, then chucked on some ripped slacks and a...

Last week I told ChatGPT the online chatbot a story about my childhood and it told me that what my parents decided to do was "not an appropriate way to deal with..." the situation. Isn't that wild! A computer giving moral judgements out like free sweets at a blood clinic! Feels like when the therapist takes your side in the argument, but better, because this therapist is A COMPUTER!!

I spent a lot of money this week. That's okay, these things happen. I also spent about 10 minutes of this podcast recounting the life of Franz Liszt from the second volume of the 3-part biography on him that I've been reading and once again, this is just one of the things in life that I'd like us all to just accept, and move on from.          

Saturday was just one of those magic days where everything was perfect. I hung out with friends, played football in the sun, got ice cream, watched Black Books with my girlfriend. I feel very grateful for the life that I've built in Melbourne over the last 5-6 years! Also on this week's podcast, did you know that birds can't look up?