• “Clinton”, an ode to the sleepy little New Zealand town whose chief attraction was being the only part of the country not featured in Lord of the Rings.
• “The Brush Went South”, a tragic tale of two lovers forever separated by the misuse of a toothbrush.
• “Reasons to Leave Your Phone On in a Show”, a list of…well, you get the idea.
• “Snow Dome” - a terrifying glimpse of the hidden dangers within seemingly innocuous ornaments.
• “The Best Nose in the World”, a love song for a man with beautiful nose hair.
• “Fight the Faint Smell”, a rousing political anthem espousing the olfactory superiority of communism over capitalism.
• “City of Evil”, a chilling expose of the supernatural horrors which lurk in the seemingly cheery home of beer, Prague.
• “Life is Like a Rolling Pin”, an allegory for all those times when you’re feeling flat.
• “The Band Whose Name Has Been Forgotten”, a spooky story of what happens if you allow creative tension to boil over on stage.
• “Cheri”, a love song for a New Zealand roustabout who once dreamed of being a model
• “Vodka, Absinthe and Pineapple Juice”, a rousing final chorus to get everyone in the mood for visiting the bar at the Butterfly Club!

Remember the preview season continues tonight, with Dan, Emma and Karin returning, this time joined by Andy McClelland as they form an entirely new jazz band. There are also performances on Saturday and Sunday.

Set List, Shaolin Punk’s improvised music show, kicks off with a preview season at the Butterfly Club from August 21st to 24th. See the Set List page for details.

A Brief History of A Brief History of Time is a new Man in the Lab Coat show, premiering during Science Week at the Royal Society of Victoria. There’s a matinee for schools on the afternoon of Friday, August 22, and then two evening performances on the 23rd and 24th. See labcoatman.com.au for more details about this show and Ben’s other Science Week adventures.

It’s time for a quick update on the state of the punk, and things are hotting up for the next couple of weeks. Ben is going to be a busy man creating and writing everything he has on his plate, but SCIENCE WEEK is fast approaching, so here’s where you can find the Man in the Lab Coat!

First up Ben is reprising his role in the show Not the Nobel Prize at the Melbourne Museum.  Check it out if you can, it will be a barrel of nerdy and not so nerdy laughs as comedians pit their wits against actual scientists (who make science happen for a living) trying to get to the bottom of fact versus fiction.

Get ready everyone! In the same week, Ben is going to take on one of the 20th century’s greatest minds, Stephen Hawking, and attempt to make whatever it is he wrote in that book comprehensible to us mere mortals. Anyway, here is the flyer (as I am lazy and cut and paste is your friend).

Any questions or queries, feel free to comment here or you can get in contact with me, Gail, gail@shaolinpunk.net, and I will do my best to help you out.

A Brief History of A Brief History of Time

A comedic guide to a great unread classic of the 20th century

To coincide with National Science Week (August 17-25) Melbourne-based comedian, scientician and Graeme Garden-lookalike Ben McKenzie will present a new comedy lecture in his guise as “the Man in the Lab Coat”. If you’ve always wanted to read Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time, don’t go in unprepared! For three shows, aimed at secondary students and above, McKenzie will unravel and demystify the book that everyone has heard of – and almost no-one has read.

Venue: Historic Theatre, The Royal Society of Victoria, 9 Victoria Street, Melbourne

When: Friday August 22 – 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm (free matinee for schools)
Saturday August 23 – 8 pm to 9 pm (open to general public) $18 full, $10 concession/RSV members
Sunday August 24 – 7 pm to 8 pm (open to general public) $18 full, $10 concession/RSV members

Tickets: Bookings essential; call 03 9878 3181 or email bookings@shaolinpunk.net

This Sunday saw the launch of Melbourne’s newest comedy event, the Anarchist Guild Social Committee, at the Bella Union bar at Trades Hall. The brainchild of host Nick Caddaye, the AGSC is a monthly live sketch comedy show. Shaolin Punk’s Ben McKenzie is assistant producer and also a writer/performer, alongside the main cast of Andrew McClelland, Tegan Higginbotham, Dave Bushell, Celia Pacquola, Richard McKenzie and Courteney Hocking. The first meeting of the AGSC was a huge success, so don’t miss its return on July 20!

Shaolin Punk has two new shows coming up in the next few months. First up, as part of National Science Week, Ben McKenzie premieres his new one-man comedy science lecture, A (Very) Brief History of Time, to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of Stephen Hawking’s influential book. Then, for the 2008 Melbourne Fringe Festival, Shaolin Punk presents Set List, an improvised musical performance devised and performed by Dan Walmsley and Karin Muiznieks and featuring Ben McKenzie. Set List will premiere in three afternoon sessions at the Bella Union bar at Trades Hall as part of the Fringe @ Trades programme. Watch this space for more details soon!

And finally, with the departure of Janelle Koenig for the UK, Ben McKenzie has taken on the role of artistic director of Melbourne improvised comedy troupe The Crew. The group’s final performance of Impro Sundae at Bar Open, before they move to another venue, is this Sunday, June 22. Don’t miss it!