The Bedroom Philosopher: Wesley Anne winter residency

What can people expect to see at your Wesley Anne residency, Justin?
A life-changingly memorable experience and cause for major concern. I'll be making up crazy raps and playing with a stripped back awkward-stra. Folk-punk; I think I like that genre.

Are you a musician or a comedian?
A musician. I tried to be both, but some of the latest reviews from Melbourne Comedy Festival are anything to go by, maybe I’m just a musician who's funny.

The "musician who's funny" genre isn't that big. Who do you look up to?
Ben Lee – he’s musical comedy isn’t he? He’s taking the piss, but he’s misunderstood by the Australian music industry. I look upto anyone who’s managed to make a career out of it. There’s a guy called Baterz in Adelaide and he’s a genius but he died at 30. He’s my hero but I never got to meet him.

How do you get in the creative zone?
I am just one big zone. My creating is just getting through the day, making sense of the corrupt and beautiful. Trams are like free theatre. A theatre company charges like $40 for a ticket, you just get a Metcard and go on the tram and just watch people. I’ve always been a people watcher, and I don’t work, I don’t have a bar job – which is how a lot of great artists keep in touch with the community.

Given your satirical songs like 'Northcote (So Hungover)', do you like or hate hipsters?
I’m totally fine with hipsters, but I’m over people talking about hipsters. I’m so over it.

Do you consider yourself a hipster?
Sure, but I also consider myself a bogan. I’m a hipster-bogan. You know, music has so many subgenres, I think society should have more. Like, there about four sub-genres of hipsters:

Hipster-bogans
Part bogan, part hipster

Trustafarian
Cool people who have rich parents and live off their trust funds.

Fauxhemians
people from the outer suburbs who try and dress cool based on whats on TV

True hipsters
The early adopters who are way ahead of the crowd.

It’s funny how you’re punished for being fashionable and ahead of the crowd in Australia. It’s some sort of class jealousy, the working class are jealous of the younger, media-savvy generation with time on their hands having fun at parties while the older generation are working office and construction jobs. I mean, they have a right to be jealous, I’d be jealous too.

Tell us about your supports:
I've picked some great spoken word artists, I think the Wesley Anne is a well suited venue for spoken word. They include Geoff Lemon, Sean M Whelan & Isnod, Emily Zoe Baker and Sabrina DiAngelo, who is a body poet. Body poetry is beyond words, it’s like interpretive dance... academic interpretive dance, yeah. Advanced clowning. She’s very good.