We recently sat down with funny guy and all-round good bloke, Matt Okine, to talk about his incredible success over the last 12 months, as well as an upcoming tour. How will the king of breakfast radio stay wake for the later show at Zierholz?

It’s been almost a year since you were here for Floriade Nightfest. What were some of your observations of Canberra. (It’s okay, we can take a joke)?

I fully love Canberra and I’m not just saying that! We had choices as to where to take the new show, and there’s something about Canberra audiences that means people get me. I don’t know if it’s because it’s a bit of a uni town, but there’s always a great response!

It’s not just politicians, Canberra has some great places to go out as well. I really like the vibe of the bars and the restaurants around the city. I love eating and drinking, so Canberra seems to have that in spades.

Was it good to be back at the Comedy Store for this year’s Sydney Comedy Festival?

I’ve just finished up two showcase shows at the Comedy Store – that’s my home ground (it’s kind of like Warnie returning to the MCG). Moving down from Brisbane to Sydney meant I spent a couple of years just fumbling around, but The Comedy Store team really took me under their wing. Plus, it’s the raddest place just to hang out and chat with other comedians.

Money, or the lack of it, appears to be a recurring theme in your work. What keeps drawing you back to this subject?

Poverty seems to be a bit of a common theme for all comedians, but really, it’s a comedy-rich mine that I’ve dug into, and the harder years presented so many experiences that were just simply funny. People now ask me what I’m going to talk about now that I actually have a full-time paying job.

This new show is a lot about the mistake you make growing up. It’s all about where things can and will go wrong – fighting, getting arrested, breaking up. It’s all those disappointments and frustrations of your 20s that everyone has to go through.

Seriously, you’ve had a massive year. Where do we start? You’ve really settled into your role at Triple J breakfast. Splendour must have been a highlight

I love music. It’s something I’ve done and enjoyed since my sister taught me guitar at the age of 15, and I’ve been playing badly ever since. I even started a boy-band when I was in high school. I still make music and put crappy rap beats up online, and occasionally do gigs that no one turns up to, but I don’t care.

I’ve been coming down since Splendour a couple of weeks ago. It was just amazing that I got to enjoy the festival as a part of Triple J.

I can’t imagine touring with Dave Chapelle? He’s a genius – and Clayton Bigsby, the black white supremacist, is one of the best comic inventions of the last 20 years.

Dave Chapelle is my hero – literally my comedy hero. I never imagined that I could share a stage with him, and when it was being discussed that I might get the opportunity to do the show, I almost said, “No,” simply so I could leave him in the perfect light that I see him.

What people don’t see is just how hard he works. No one that achieved that level of success has it come to them easily. He is constantly honing his craft, and never tries to be something that he’s not. And there’s this incredible energy around him – and you just know he’s someone who is just so good at what he does.

Legally Brown is back soon. It’s one of the smarter comedies on Australian television. What’s the dynamic of the writer’s meetings?

Yeah, Legally Brown is an incredible thing to be a part of. I mean, the lineup alone – Nazeem Hussain, Ronny Chieng Luke McGregor. It’s amazing to watch these guys – they’re the ‘new wave’ of Aussie comedy.

We sit in writers meetings and just piss ourselves laughing. Some of the ideas we come up with – there’s no way they could ever use some of the jokes on television, but what we can is often some of the sharpest pieces of social commentary I’ve seen.

With a lot of time on the road, where is one place you’d love to visit without the obligation of performing?

Tokyo. I think about sushi 24 hours a day, so I simply have to go there.

Matt Okine appears for one night only at Zierholz @ UC on Friday 22 August. For tickets, click here.