
Red Symons struts and frets: The perils of performing before imaginary crowds
The stand-up comedian emerges from the venue after a night’s work. He leaves by the backdoor into the early morning gloom of...

With a little imagination, Red Symons puts the ‘pub test’ to the test
You are led from your cell by a guard who takes you up the stairs to a place where there are barred...

Red Symons: Your life could be a bowl of cherries – if I think that’s fare
“Pick up the cash and put out the rubbish.” This was the instruction I was given, many years ago, on how to...

What’s in a name? Turns out not much, writes Red Symons
In the Orthodox christening ceremony, the child is given a name. The convention is that the name will be one that has...

‘We’re all on holiday’: Red Symons on how to feel like a tourist at home
Can I be honest with you? Firstly, if ever anyone asks me that, my first thought is, ‘what have you been doing...

Red Symons calls on sporting gents and ladies to explain themselves
There I was, talking to the sports commentator, broadcasting the news of the day. “There’s a man”, he tells me, “who got...

Red Symons: From Julius Caesar to Greg Mortimer, Watt’s in a name?
The watt is a unit of power, celebrating James Watt, the eighteenth century inventor interested in steam engines, and can be put...

Red Symons: Maybe you’re looking but seeing something very blurry
If you walk around constantly wearing a pair of glasses that turn everything upside down, it takes less than a week for...

Like sand through the hourglass, the days and days of our lives
Here’s a new problem to torment you in this time of upheaval. What day of the week is it? It’s interesting that,...

Red Symons imparts wisdom to his son … from a distance
Dear J-man, I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages. It was almost a year ago when I came to Canberra...