James O'Loghlin interview

This interview was conducted by e-mail and received back on the 10th of December 2000. I'm assuming all of the answers mentioning the Rockingham Hotel were just to amuse me.


When did you know you wanted to be a comedian?
I was ignorant of stand up until I was 24 and I went to see a night of it.... and that's when I knew..... I had my first go 2 weeks later

Have you ever been to another country?
Yes, but not for a long time....most recently England

Adam Spencer called you a hopeless alcoholic and drug addict in one of my interviews, what is your response to that?
Adam is incredibly intelligent and insightful person and he is able to see many things that others pass over. If anyone else had said that, I would have been insulted but I respect Adam so much that I'm going to think very seriously about addressing those issues

What was the best place you've ever performed?
You know the answer. The Rockingham Hotel

What was it like hosting a TV show on Saturday night?
It was like hosting a TV show on Friday night, because we recorded it on a Friday night. It was like a normal job - fun sometimes, not so much other times -except that sometimes people looked at me strangely when I went to the shop

How did you feel when you found out it wasn't returning this year?
Unsurprised. There were a couple of big wheels who liked the show, and then when early this year they got sacked I thought the writing was on the wall

Did you enjoy interviewing all the guests on your show?
I prefer the word 'most'. Unfortunately, we had a 'comedian' called Adam Spencer on at one stage, and it was difficult to get anything out of him. He was probably the most shy, inarticulate person I have ever met. He mumbled, he ummmed and aahhhed, it was a disaster.
But I enjoyed it most times. Interviewing is very challenging. It's like playing chess, except that the pieces can move in any direction they like, not necessarily the one you're trying to move them in.

In your opinion, who was the best guest on the show?
Undoubtedly Adam Spencer
Talking to Michael Palin was also exciting

How did you feel when you found out Good News Week, a programme you were a regular guest on, was axed?
I think the people who worked on the show, by and large, felt like they needed a rest, so I'm glad they weren't shafted. I feel tremendous gratitude toward them as they gave me, and many others, our first break, and being on that show seemed to open a lot of doors for me. They are fine people

What is it like working with Peter Berner?
Unpredictable - in a good way

Do you enjoy being on radio or TV more and why?
Radio is simpler, in that people don't have to try and make you look pretty. TV with a live audience feels like more of an event, so can be more exciting. On radio there is often more freedom

What are the main differences between pay TV and free-to-air TV, seeming that you've hosted shows on both?
When you host a show on Pay TV, no one knows. Also, on Pay, they have less money, so there are less people keeping an eye on you, so it's easier to get your own way.

What was the best thing about hosting O'Loghlin on Saturday night?
It's the only time in my life people have spelt my surname correctly

What were your opinions of WA before you ever came here?
Big, Hot, Adam Spencer-free, sophisticated, tangy with a hint of peach.

How about afterwards?
The same except that I found that the tang had more of a hint of mango than peach. And it was great to be somewhere where people come out in their thousands to support local entertainment.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
The Rockingham Hotel

How does it make you feel when something that kills someone becomes a celebrity? (e.g.. a shark)
We're all fascinated by the dark side.

Is there anything else you'd like to say?
Yes, many things, and I will continue to say them

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