Manchester comic Simon Brodkin is a former Accident and Emergency doctor who suffers from ADHD.
Whenever he’s not on stage, to manage his ADHD he spends his spare time in the gym or at home in North London with his wife of twenty years and their two children.
His ‘bits’ cover off his Jewish heritage, politics, family, cultural differences and sport. He is highly intelligent and a master ‘piss taker’, no doubt a teacher’s nightmare at school.
Brodkin is a notorious prankster. He famously gate crashed a FIFA press conference headed at the time by the President, Sepp Blatter and threw a wad of US dollars over him claiming it was for a bid to bring the 2026 World Cup to North Korea, a nod to the well publicised, alleged corruption within FIFA.
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-33591332
The first time I saw him was on Live At The Apollo where he appeared as a character called Lee Nelson, described as a London ‘chev’ or ‘bogan’ in Australian terms.
He has a few alter egos but he was just Simon last Saturday night at the beautiful National Theatre in St Kilda.
My last time here was 1988 I think, for Billy Bragg’s first show in Australia. Built in 1921, it has had a tempestuous past with different owners and sits amongst the eclectic architecture of Grey St and Barkly St, two streets with notorious reputations in the past for drugs, homelessness and prostitution.
The theatre is now in a great place and it’s exciting to see it return to its former glory. Also a big congrats to Lynda on retirement after forty years of teaching excellence!
St Kilda is no longer the shabby sheik borough I remember in the 80’s. It’s too expensive now for starters, but I still remember it (just) as home to some of the best live shows ever witnessed at The Prince of Wales, The Seaview Ballroom, The Palais, The Espy and my favourite The Venue.
Built entirely from timber, the double storey gem was shut down when they finally realised there was only one exit out of the joint in the case of a fire. It’s now The Novatel.
I saw two unforgettable shows there. Hunters & Collectors supporting New Order and my favourite, Weddings, Parties, Anything supporting The Pogues.
The loosely sprung floorboards upstairs in the band room were strained to the max that night as ‘pogoing’ overwhelmed the packed crowd, engulfing the most staid of punters tucked away in the corner.
Paul Kelly most famously sang about St Kilda in the early 80’s but it’s a vastly different place now. The following morning (Saturday) there were lots of young residents walking towards the foreshore with matching active wear and coffees as opposed to the once bleary eyed punters lining up for a tram home.
One place that hasn’t changed is where we stayed, The Tolarno Hotel in the centre of Fitzroy St.
Once the home to the late artist Mirka Mora, the hotel is adorned with beautiful art from participants that competed over the years in the hotel’s annual art contest.
It was like a little Chelsea Hotel, full of character much like Mora’s effervescent, larger than life personality. It was also very affordable if you are visiting St Kilda. Also a nice surprise to be joined by daughter #1, Corrie for dinner.
Since moving to Ballarat we have taken many trains to Melbourne but haven’t taken advantage of the Footscray stop to visit the greatest Banh Mi shop in the history of mankind, Nhu Lan in Hopkins St opposite the Footscray Markets.
Not this time. We grabbed a couple on the Friday, and stopped again on the way home where I grabbed two this time for my gutsy self. We once saw Tom Liberatore coming out of Nhu Lan with one Banh Mi in each fist and a massive smile on his face.
I lived 100m from The Whitten Oval for a couple of years in 1999 and Nhu Lan was mine and anyone in the west’s favourite healthy place to snack.
We loved living there but the heroin trade was too much at the time so we took our young daughters to Phillip Island where we had some family.
In those days the drugs from South-East Asia drove family businesses. The grandad had the contacts, the son imported it and the grandson sold it. It was so open on the streets it became the norm until the cops busted almost fifty dealers in one hit.
Today, Footscray is still one of the best things about Melbourne. This is not somewhere where One Nation is welcome. It has always been a multi-cultural hub, forever busy and colourful. And the food! Wow.
Simply follow the queues of Asians filling the restaurants and you will be on a winner.
The Vietnamese know how to trade better than anyone I know. This is a race that staved off the Chinese, French and USA with nothing more than pea shooters, fighting spirit and guile. Resilience is their middle name..
The large Vietnamese population of restaurateurs and traders in the Footscray Market are now third generation and the kids have inherited the same work ethic and fastidiousness to their food presentation. Everything is done at speed and with gratitude.
It was great to be back in Footscray and St Kilda. Despite all the bad news regarding the current Labor Government, the new Suburban Rail Loop is excellent and the stations are of an international standard.
If you’re coming from the west you can now avoid Southern Cross and start the loop at Sunshine if you choose.
Sure we’re broke as a state, but access to these two fascinating suburbs of Melbourne is now easier and cleaner. Oh, and if you love Banh Mi, ignore Nhu Lan at your peril!
