FEATURE THE “CLOWN PRINCE OF COMEDY,” JOEL CREASEY HAS FRATANISED WITH JOAN RIVERS, PRINCESS LEIA AND MARCIA BRADY – WITH A BOOK AND NATIONAL TOUR IN THE WORKS, HE TELLS MATT MYERS ABOUT ENTERTAINING THE TROOPS AND SHARING HIS BOYFRIEND’S UNDERPANTS! DNA: I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here made you a household name. Were you prepared for that sudden fame? Joel Creasey: When you come off the show, still in Africa, the first person you see is a psychiatrist who explains what’s happened in terms of your profile. So you get that support but, no, I wasn’t expecting that attention. When I returned to Australia there were paparazzi and people rushing up to me and it was all very exciting. Coincidently, I launched a stand-up tour off the back of it, which did very well! What was the most difficult thing about that experience in Africa? It was sharing space with others. Stand-up comedy is a solo sport and I’m used to calling the shots. I didn’t enjoy having to split responsibility among 14 others. There’s the lack of control and it can be really boring. If you’re not in a tucker [food] trial, there’s nothing to do all day. I never enjoyed school camp and yet there I was in this group environment. I found that first night overwhelming. You made friends with Maureen McCormick [the actress who played Marcia Brady], but apparently her husband banned her from seeing you! Oh my God! One night in LA, I took her to a gay bar in Santa Monica called Roosterfish and sent her home at about 3am. A few weeks later, Julia Morris tried to catch up with her but Maureen’s husband said, “You’re not hanging out with those Aussies anymore!” Do you still have contact with her? I do and I send her the odd email. I really miss her sometimes, but if I go over to the US again I’ll catch up with her for sure. She’s divine! It’s nice to know that Marcia Brady turned out to be a fag hag, eh? A total fag hag! She tweeted the other day how she hosted some big gay LA charity event. Let’s talk about you and some other Hollywood women. Joan Rivers really took a shine to you, and you dedicated your new book to her. She had me open for her in New York, and was so THIRSTY nice to me. I don’t think she realised how huge her involvement in my life was. I came back to Australia as the boy who was Joan River’s support act. She’s totally the reason my career got a huge head start, and she was so down to Earth. I see many artist and WORK! diva demands backstage for platters and puppies and all that crazy shit but, each night, at 81, Joan Rivers only wanted a prawn cocktail and a glass of house red. I think that is so classy. And then there’s Carrie Fisher who you bonded with at the Just For Laughs festival in Montréal. Like Joan, she died just as you were getting to know her. 32 DNA I know, I’m jinxed! Maureen better be careful! My parents were in Star Wars as extras and my dad is clearly visible in the famous scene where Princess Leia is briefing the troops in The Empire Strikes Back. Apparently she was a crazy diva on set and she was a crazy diva when I worked with her but she was also lovely and really down to Earth. When I told her about my parents she said I should make sure they aren’t related like Luke and Leia! After the show we hung out for ages and she gave me a really long hug, for like half an hour. You also got to hang out with Neil Patrick Harris in Montréal. How was that? I met him after I had just broken up with my boyfriend and I thought he was hitting on me because throughout the whole interview he kept staring at my hand. When we finished he said, “Do you know your hand’s been bleeding during the entire interview?” I think I had stigmata! It was so weird. I thought he was going to slip me his room key but, no, I was bleeding! I don’t know how a hand did this come about? just randomly bleeds? It is so Marilyn, isn’t it? It’s actually been delayed and You must be a saint! I’m waiting to get the call up to go over. It’s been a Maybe! dream of mine forever. I got asked by the army to go You came out at 16. Many older people assume it’s a few years ago and I couldn’t, but it came up again much easier to come out these days, but is it? last year. I know plenty of comics who have gone I had a very good experience. I was out in high and I’ve always wanted to add it to my CV. It’d be so school, and it’s interesting that none of the interesting and, hopefully, I’ll get material out of it. students, except for the odd dickhead, seemed to Hosting Eurovision for SBS… what was the have a problem. I didn’t get any more bullied than highlight for you? someone with red hair. I actually think it was some Without a doubt, becoming friends with Myf of the teachers who had more of a problem with Warhurst. She’s one of the most spectacular people it. I imagine coming out would be a lot harder in I’ve ever met. There’s no ego and she’s very intelligent. regional towns but I do think it’s easier now. I hope I adore her and we’ve become best friends. that every time myself, and others, appear on shows The gay A few years back Myf Warhurst was voted the most like The Project it’s helpful for people. spankable female TV personality in Australia. You’re a very confident person, and in this marriage Who do you think would be the most spankable business you need a thick skin. How did you male? become so resilient? debate has Rob Mills. I was working with him the other night Because I knew I was gay from a young age I had to and he’s so charming, dapper and sexy. I’d say him! have a defense plan in place. Although, I didn’t really affected Who’s your music diva? have to use it. It was good practice for stand-up, and Celine Dion. I love her voice and how ridiculous she I think that’s why gay men and women make such me way is. I think she’s embracing that she’s a bit crazy now, good comedians – because we have that mental with all the fashion shoots she’s doing for Vogue. strength. It’s also just blind faith. I think it’s gotten more than I She’s camp and knows how to put on a show. It’s All me into trouble, to be honest. Coming Back To Me Now is so over the top, but my Your nickname, the Acid Tongue Prince, comes thought. It’s favourite is My Heart Will Go On. from you speaking your mind. Is there any subject Speaking of which, did you ever get comparisons that’s too sensitive, even for you? gotten so ugly. to Leonardo DiCaprio when you were younger? No, I don’t think there’s any subject that would All the time! Not so much now, but when I was a be off-limits but, that said, certain people handle teenager and in my early twenties I’d get it a couple certain subjects differently. I just talk about what of times a week, and I was fine with that! I know. I wouldn’t, for example, go into race, but On a serious note, there was that homophobic I think when you start taking topics off the table, experience you had in the Victorian town of comedy loses something. The right people need to Colac. But you returned to the scene of the crime handle the right topics. In fact, I’m so bored seeing with Rhys Nicholson and a film crew. Did that straight comics do material about gay marriage. It’s ultimately become a positive? such a hot button and an easy way to get a round WATCH JOEL’S WORD-OFF Ultimately, it did. Rhys is one of my best friends, and of applause. A lot of it is ultimately homophobic. I AGAINST RHYS NICHOLSON that documentary is one of my proudest pieces of work. know a top Australian comic who does a joke about ON MARRIAGE EQUALITY! I don’t know if it did much for the town, but when we his two gay friends who have a jet ski, and he says, went back the new mayor, Lyn Russell was absolutely “I’ll suck a little bit of dick for that lifestyle.” That’s amazing. She wasn’t there the first time when I actually not right. Enough is enough. was physically chased out but she was there when I You’re headed to Afghanistan to entertain the returned. It was a crazy experience but it was fun going (ABOVE) JOEL WITH MYF WARHURST AT troops. That’s very Marilyn Monroe of you! How EUROVISION.