"TO me comedy is all about surprise," award-winning comic Sammy J explained.
"When I get up on stage, I'm a complete nerd, I can't shake that, but if people are looking for the nice and well-presented and then I drop an F-Bomb it will take the good by surprise and there is comedy to be found in that."
For the past decade the comedian has made a career crafting clever songs, shows and sketches that are simultaneously smart and crude in equal parts.
His unique blend of high and low-brow humour has seen him not only become a prominent TV personality (with regular guest appearances on shows like Good News Week, Spicks and Specks and Talkin' Bout Your Generation) but also gain international critical acclaim.
On April 2, Sammy will perform his hit show "Potentially" at the Royal Hotel, as part of the venue's stand-up series and says he will be interested to see what local audiences think of it.
After its debut at the Edinburgh Festival, it was hailed by the Herald as, "whiplash smart and laugh out loud funny," while the Chortle said it was, "one truly spectacular hour of comedy". It also received a warm reception at Adelaide Fringe Festival.
"It is a very divisive show and I talk about that at the start, some people will really love it, others will really hate it, and I quite enjoy that..." he said.
The show tells the story of how he came to terms with a childhood failure. However, the inspiration came from an unexpected place.
"It started with this box of letters that I found when I was cleaning out my house and I thought it was an interesting idea for a story," Sammy explained.
"When I was ten-years-old I tried to write a children's book and I sent it to publishers all around Australia and I just got my arse kicked, I got like 20 rejection letters sent to me. So this show is my response to them."
It features songs from his ARIA award nominated album, "Skinny Man, Modern World" and is deliberately diverse.
The comedian will also be performing it at the Melbourne Arts Centre in a few weeks as part of the city's annual international comedy festival and says he always intended for the show to cross the cultural divide.
"It is a very nerdy show. It is one for all of the nerds and the lovers of language ... [But] I've tried to create a show that would work in both [a cultural institution and a pub] environment.
"In this show, that hybrid of high-brow/low-brow comedy can be found in the song "Keep It Clean", which is all about the origins of the f-word. I say it probably 37 times in the song but it is actually one of my most intellectual pieces of work.
"I think there is enough smut in there and enough punch lines throughout it but it also has a slightly more reflective edge to it so hopefully I won't be kicked out of the Arts Centre after my opening night," he laughed.
The show starts at 7.30pm and tickets cost between $12 and $15. The evening will also include a special guest performance by Emo Parsonson.
WIN TICKETS
The Queanbeyan Age is giving one lucky reader a chance to win one double pass to see Sammy J perform at the Royal Hotel on Tuesday, April 2.
Simply email your name, address and contact number to kim.pham@fairfaxmedia.com.au by COB Thursday, March 28, with 'Sammy J' in the subject line.
The winner will be notified on Monday, April 1. Only one entry per person will be accepted. Good luck!