If your Dirty, Flirty, 30 set was a cocktail, what would be in it? 

Definitely, a bit of bourbon whiskey. Maybe an orange, they like a little slice in it, some lemon, some honey. Now I'm just saying the cocktail I like. You know how they sometimes put syrup in there, and it just adds that rich texture. All those ingredients, and then it probably needs some soda water, too.

You've been in the comedy game for 15 years now. How do you think 30-year-old Neil would roast 18-year-old Neil?

Oh, wow. What wouldn't I roast about him? Just like cheap punchlines, relying too much on the voices. I mean, you've got to start with a base. Usually, comedians begin by being good performers, and then they get better at joke writing, or vice versa. And I definitely started as a strong performer, but the joke writing wasn't as good, so I would probably roast him on that. Also, I was just a very small, skinny 18-year-old boy. Now I'm still short, but not as skinny anymore.

Without spoiling any punch lines, what's a recurring theme in this set that surprised you while writing the show?

I don't usually talk about my personal life in my comedy shows, but in this one, I do quite a few jokes about my girlfriend, so that would be a recurring theme. It surprised me because I always avoided getting too personal in comedy shows and didn't think my personal life was particularly funny. But she's made it pretty funny, so I'm involving quite a few jokes about her.

Your comedy blends impressions, observational humour and darker material. What's the secret that ties it all together?

Just like a good cocktail, it's just alcohol. No, you need to have fun with it. That's a good way to describe the main ingredient of tying all the comedy themes together. It's just still got to be fun. You're making people laugh. Comedians sometimes get caught up: "What am I trying to say? How deep am I trying to be? And what's the political message? What's my underlying, deep, personal thought about humanity?" But at the end of the day, it needs to be fun. It needs to engage the crowd by being lighthearted and comedic.

Following that, in a world obsessed with cancel culture, have you ever written a joke and thought your career might be over?

All the time, every day. You know how they have different types of anxiety. 

You've got, like, health anxiety, climate anxiety, I'm pretty sure I have cancel anxiety. 

But no, I haven't been cancelled; you have to be on TV or Netflix to get cancelled. So that's the way I've avoided that. I'm not really on anything, so I can't get cancelled.

How do you distinguish between a TikTok or YouTube sketch and comedy that goes into your stand-up sets?

TikTok is more comedic yet based in the real world. Funnily enough, many people say everyone on TikTok is in their own bubble. But my YouTube algorithm is all video essays and formal, long-form podcasts. The tone of YouTube is very serious and deep, attempting to be philosophical. Whereas when I was younger, there were just more fun, light-hearted sketches on YouTube, which have faded and moved to TikTok.

So, I post longer-form content on YouTube more and short, sharp jokes on TikTok. Although I don't use those platforms for stand-up, TikTok is more in touch with the general zeitgeist, which might inform my comedy more. However, I make general observations about the world and social media using my algorithm.

You've toured all around the globe. How does the energy of a home crowd at a place like Chatswood compare? Are they more sensitive, more rowdy, or just louder?

They're louder and rowdier. I know all the local references and the likeness that comes with that. I never really do bad shows in Sydney, touch wood! But I grew up here, so I know Sydney back to front. It's just so much better and so much more fun. I never really played sports, but I imagine that's what playing a home crowd feels like.

What is the funniest heckle you've ever received?

I just did a month in Melbourne, and I had a guy from Alice Springs who kept inviting me to his gym. Still, he kept roasting me while I was talking to him, saying, "What was that? The best you've got is that, maybe you should come to my gym", which felt like a bit of a jab, because he seemed flirty as well. So that comes to mind in terms of a recent heckle.

Often on TikTok now, there are so many crowd work comedians; everyone asks these open-ended questions and then riffs off that. I do a little bit of that, but many people have been trained to believe that's what comedy is. Now, I'll be leading into a joke, and then someone will just start talking about a party they've been to where they got drunk. And I'm like, I don't care about you at all. I'm talking about my jokes here.

The heckles are 5 out of 10 at best, so none stand out as the funniest.

What do you want people walking out of the theatre to say to each other?

I hope they're saying that was funny, as that is the primary goal of a comedy show. I hope they say it was worth the money. If anyone comes from somewhere outside Chatswood, I hope they say Chatswood is pretty cool. It's a nice place to go and perform.