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MATT ELLIOTT

One of New Zealand’s stand-up comedy pioneers, Matt was in the first wave of solo stand-up performers to follow the trail blazed by legendary group Funny Business, debuting as a teenager in 1989. Early performances were in front of packed houses at the famous Gluepot in Auckland. He was a regular act/MC at Abby’s and later the popular Kitty O’Briens

In 1993, having made his Australian debut in Sydney the year before, he moved to Melbourne where he was the first Kiwi comedian to work the professional circuit there. He returned to New Zealand 18 months later appearing with Dean Butler and Andrew Clay in The Best of the Fest – the show described by The NZ Herald as ‘NZ stand-up comedy’s coming of age’. The following year his festival show with Australian Mark Pengilly, Two on the Floor, was one of the Listener picks of the event.

As the author of the ground-breaking book Kiwi Jokers, the only history of Kiwi comedy, Matt interviewed over 70 key participants in the evolution of our indigenous humour. Thus, he has a particular interest and insight into local comedy and the history and development of comedy in general. National Radio produced his children’s story, Young Horace and Oscar’s Trick, which is broadcast every April Fool’s Day and he edited West of Windwhistle: Stories from the Lake Coleridge Area.

Looking to further develop his comedy, and not afraid of getting his hands dirty to do so, Matt headed to Ireland around the turn of the century and among other things, worked in Europe’s largest wildlife park which boasts the world’s most successful captive cheetah breeding programme – but that’s another story.

Living and surfing in Christchurch for a couple of years, Matt wrote and directed two award-winning University of Canterbury Law Revues. He produced, wrote and performed as part of the acclaimed Ministry of Chocolate Fisheries sketch-comedy radio shows for PlainsFM.
Matt has also worked in film, television, taught comedy writing, stood in an election against Sir Robert Muldoon, annoyed Bono in the pages of Rolling Stone and regularly writes for The Press

His intellectual comedy is proudly G.E (gratuitous and explicit material) free.
“…a relaxing comic persona that makes the audience think and laugh. Simply put he was very, very funny.” - Melbourne Age

“The only one with anything new to offer.” - NZ Herald.

‘Kiwi Jokers: The Rise and Rise of Kiwi Comedy’ (HarperCollins, 1997)
“…a zinger of a book…this is a history that moves through the 60s, 70s and 80s with the pace of a well-told joke…thoughtful fast and funny. Above all the book is a good read.” - Gordon McLauchlin, NZ Herald.

“I found myself reading with mounting interest and admiration. I greatly admire the professional use of interviews to recreate an important part of our past, one which historians could have overlooked (and probably still will).” - Prof. Neville Bennett, NZ Books.

“Matt Elliott deserves our congratulations and respect just for writing this book…well researched and immensely readable, it is a fine, perceptive piece of writing.” – Presto.