Comedian, George Smilovici doesn’t surf but he feels there are some definite similarities between riding waves and performing stand-up. There you are, they even sound like the same thing. [My joke not George’s].

“Like surfing, comedy’s about having a sense of control in an unpredictable environment. That’s where the buzz comes from,” suggests the 30-year-veteran of stand-up comedy. “But as a comedian, I’m more like one of those big wave surfers. I’m into extreme comedy. I want to put myself right out there and take crowds to places they aren’t comfortable.”

The risks associated with being on stage are what bring the rewards, suggests George. “ I’ve done my best shows when I’ve thought of something about two minutes before going on stage – something I’ve never practised – and walked on and led with that idea. Whenever I’ve had an idea just before going on and shit myself, I’ve come off thinking, ‘why didn’t I use that material?’ If you compromise yourself like that you fall victim to your fears. George makes holding back on the high-risk joke seem like the surfer who pulls back on a set wave and later kicks themselves for it.

George isn’t a fan of anything too safe and society’s increasingly dogmatic embrace of political correctness is definitely something, which grinds at him.

“Comedy is a society’s safety valve,” he suggests. When you have too much political correctness, those prejudice feelings and sentiments still exist but they become more insidious and therefore dangerous.”

George, who is about to embark on a live tour of East Coast towns, won’t be holding back on the un- PC content, in his shows. When quizzed about what sort of material fans can expect in the latest tour, George slips quickly into comic mode. “ There will be the stuff about sexuality. You know – homophobia. I don’t know why people are homophobic. I’m quite happy with my home. And as for lesbians; I love lesbians, I’ve seen all their movies.”

When I ask him to name the high point in his live comedy career he quickly reflects upon a gig where a particular girl in the crowd proved to be intolerably annoying. “ She was just heckling at all the wrong moments in the act, so I turned to her and said, ‘I’m so happy that you are here tonight because now when I’m trying not to come I’ll have something to focus on.” PC it certainly ain’t.

I was also curious to know if George will be touring with a new version of his famous, “I’m so tough” routine, an act based around the concept of George being tougher than a whole bunch of different things.

He assures me he’s reinvented that material and then hits me with a sample. “ I’m so tough, I went to India and told a snake charmer whose snake wouldn’t come out of the basket that he couldn’t get his snake up. When he tried to have a go at me I said ‘mate you’ve got a reptile dis-function’.”

That’s right, George Smilovici might not surf but he’s so tough he doesn’t have to. His tour, The Comic Volcano kicks off in Mullumbimby on 25^th August. Check below for tour dates and venues. As far as the risk factor in the act goes, you can be sure, he’ll be going big, late and deep. Just watching to see if he wipes out will be fun enough.

Note: George’s classic “I’m so tough” routine currently features on a new comedy CD, titled Politically Incorrect. The CD features stand-up routines by a range of artists including, Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams and Steady Eddie.

Available now at Big W, JB Hi Fi, Sanity Music Stores and just $19.99!

VIDEO: Below George breaks the world record for most amoiut of jokes in one minute.