‘I don’t have impostor syndrome, I am an impostor’: Hannah Gadsby

Hannah Gadsby has been taking stock of late, spending time at home in regional Victoria with their “spouse lady” and manager, Jenney Shamash, and indulging in the simple pleasures.

Gardening is a newfound obsession for Gadsby, providing as much inspiration and joy as their longtime passion, swimming.

It’s not surprising the Tasmanian comedian needs some downtime. They catapulted to international fame with the powerful, searing show Nanette in 2018 and haven’t slowed down since.

In between, there have been two world tours, several more highly acclaimed shows, the bestselling memoir Ten Steps to Nanette, and a controversial exhibition – It’s Pablo-matic: Picasso According to Hannah Gadsby – staged at the Brooklyn Museum.

Gadsby’s observations about life are often simple yet complex, hilarious yet devastating, razor-sharp yet whimsical. While their material often appears to be a stream of consciousness, it is seriously honed and crafted. At the moment, the ideas for their new show Woof! are still percolating.

“It’s the Silicon Valley technique – it doesn’t exist, but I’m going to sell it,” Gadsby quips of Woof!, which tours Sydney and Melbourne in March and April. “The show is going to reflect the moment, which is anxiety and confusion, which I don’t think is specific to me.

“I think everyone feels a little thrown about at the moment – not sure what to think and where to say it and what to do and whom to talk to and how to get offline.”

The past 12 months have been tough for the comedian. “My life last year was a country song – my Dad died and my dog died,” Gadsby says. “It was a bit of a year, I think.”

Reflecting on the success of the life-changing Nanette, Gadsby says it was a lot of hard work and difficult to perform.

“But the success that came off the back of that was about timing and work,” they say. “This streaming moment feels really odd because I’m an old-school comedian who would never have experienced success without this new world. The gatekeepers just weren’t interested in someone like me.

“I feel like I’m an old person who’s been elevated at the wrong time. But I’m happy to announce that I’m out of touch and I don’t know what I’m talking about … Too many people my age are swinging their success around into becoming false prophets, so I’m pretty happy to put my hand up and say, ‘I’m confused’.”

After two massive international tours, going from hotels to vans to airports to venues, Gadsby felt out of touch with reality.

“I’ve made a decision in my career where I don’t want to get bigger,” they say. “I want to get weirder.”

Rather than another global extravaganza, the focus is on intimate shows, including Melbourne International Comedy Festival, which Gadsby says is “bringing me back to my roots”.

Gadsby first had success at Raw Comedy at the festival in 2006 as part of an impressive line-up that included Celia Pacquola and Tom Ballard. So it feels nice to see what they call “a changing of the guard”.

“There’s some really interesting voices coming up through the ranks in the next couple of years – younger, raised on social media in a different way,” Gadsby says.

While proud and grateful for all they’ve achieved, Gadsby says they can’t make sense of their new life. It’s not false modesty – to this day, it all seems slightly unfathomable.

“I’m enjoying a level of success that really does demand that I’m more important than I am,” Gadsby says with disbelief. “I just can’t make myself believe that I’m as important as my opportunities suggest, but I don’t have impostor syndrome. I just am an impostor. It’s not the same.”

Woof! is in Sydney from March 7–17, and Melbourne from March 28–April 20 as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Tickets on sale from February 5. See hannahgadsby.com.au

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