Comedian Sammy J has revealed his childhood obsession with the Phantom comic book character, his teenage life as a self-described "bad pirate," and his most cringeworthy celebrity encounter, in a wide-ranging interview ahead of his Melbourne Fringe Festival show.
A Lonely Phantom Fan
Sammy J's show Hero Complex is based on his childhood obsession with the Phantom, a comic book character without superpowers. He explained that while other schoolchildren favoured Batman, Superman, and X-Men, he was drawn to the "naff, kitsch little black-and-white comic" of a hero whose main skill was shooting guns out of enemies' hands. At $1.50 in 1990s newsagents, it was also the cheapest comic available.
Being a Phantom fan at school was a lonely experience, until he spotted his school gardener wearing a Phantom T-shirt, which led to a friendship. He was close to disowning the character, but then the 1996 movie starring Billy Zane briefly made the Phantom cool for about two weeks.
Superpowers and Predictions
Asked what superpower he would choose, Sammy J said he would want the ability to time travel back to moments where he said something stupid and regretted it, to "scrub those ones out." He admitted it was a selfish choice, rather than something like "world peace."
His 50 Year Show, a comedy spectacular running every five years until 2058, includes predictions about the future. He noted that in 2018, guest Claire Hooper basically predicted Covid with a rant about stocking up on toilet paper, unaware that two years later her predictions would come true.
Old Possessions and Obsolete Skills
Sammy J's oldest possession is a 1924 Sonora gramophone inherited from his father, who downsized. He found a specialist restorer named Charlie in Melbourne, who polished it and taught him to use it. He has since fallen into a rabbit hole of gramophone records, noting the needles must be replaced after every play, requiring him to buy 500 needles on eBay.
He also boasted of his skill at high-speed dubbing audio cassettes in his youth, which led to a life of piracy. He illegally pirated the Spice Girls movie, Jurassic Park, and the Aladdin sequel The Return of Jafar, though he now condones that behaviour as a working artist.
First Purchase and Cringeworthy Encounter
The first physical media he bought was Tom Lehrer's collected songs, given to him by his year seven music teacher. He loved the satirical political songs, even though he didn't understand the 1960s American jokes at the time.
His most cringeworthy celebrity run-in was with Rove McManus in 2005, when he thrust a flyer at the Gold Logie-winning host, who physically recoiled. He later apologised to McManus on radio, who responded: "Sammy we've all been talking about it ever since."
Sammy J's Hero Complex is on at Civic Hall Ballarat as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival on 24 October.
