Tim Lee - Scientist or Comedian?

Sat 24 Sep 2011 ,

Stand Up

The US scientist-turned-comedian comes for Sydney Fringe

First published on 19 Aug 2011. Updated on 25 Sep 2011.

This event has finished

What are your scientific credentials, Tim?

I have my PhD in Ecology and Evolution from UC Davis. My research focused on modeling population dynamics using simulation and analytical models.

Which is funnier: particle physics, pharmacology, or evolutionary biology?

The funniest of all sciences is political science, followed closely by proctology. These sciences really study the same thing.

How accurate is the science in your comedy? Do you worry about ensuring the facts, however comedically presented, are correct?

I try to stick as close to the known facts as possible. All models, whether mathematical or comedic, are simplifications of the natural processes they emulate. What they do is help us to get our head around something that seems mysterious and complex. There's a real joy that comes from that. The joy of discovery.

It seems in these particularly partisan, commercially-fraught times that we already rely heavily on comedians to essentially do the jobs of politicians and the media: are we going to outsource science to them too?

I hope not. Scientists are already underpaid. The last thing they need is to compete with sub-minimum wage comedians for work.

Have you ever found yourself buttonholed after a gig by an irate punter who a) takes umbruge at the suggestion that, say, Jesus doesn't control evolution and/or b) is incensed that you've glossed over some arcane detail about nuclear fission?

People get really upset about strange things. Other comics get confronted by hot women who are upset that the comic made fun of their tattoo. That never happens to me. Most recently I was followed out of a venue to a nearby bar where a Marxist cornered me. He was upset I had made a joke about the labor theory of value: an idea sacred to Marxists that is refuted by experimental evidence. To say he was livid was an understatement: “Hey funnyman, when the revolution comes I'm gonna make you pay for this!” to which I responded “That may be true, but you'll still be wrong”.

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Words by Andrew P Street