This mess from Newcastle, who is constantly sweaty for no reason, who rarely washes her hair and rotates between the same four tops, wrote a goddamn book.
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So goes the introduction of Tanya Hennessy’s new book, Am I Doing This Right?
The book – part memoir, part comedy routine – is filled with observations, anecdotes, lists, advice and a lot of swearing. She’s sorry in advance for the swearing.
Tanya is a comedian, social media star and radio presenter.
She once worked at NXFM in Newcastle, but now she hosts Hit Network’s national weekend breakfast show.
She’ll be back in town on Thursday to sign copies and talk about her book at Belmont Library.
Tanya told Topics that she “grew up in Newcastle and lived here until I was 17”.
“I came back for 10 months for radio when I was 26. I love Newcastle – it’s home. I will always miss it when I’m away, it’s my favourite city in the world. I always just want to come home and go to Charlestown Square or Merewether beach,” she said.
“Newcastle is full of creative, driven and motivated people.”
She became a comedian because she “wanted to bring some light into the crazy sometimes sad and crap world”.
“I just love to hear and tell stories and make jokes,” she said.
In her book, she said she’s nothing like her siblings.
“My brother and sister are both gym junkies and bodybuilders. And I like to sit. I applied to be Miss Newcastle Showgirl in 2008 and got rejected when they found out I had lied about having 15 years of Latin dance experience,” she wrote.
She also reveals that she sits down in the shower and almost became a high school teacher.
“Seriously. I have a degree in theatre and half a diploma of education. I’ve thought about finishing it, but I honestly don’t know if I can teach real live children when there are videos of me on the internet talking about my boob hairs.”
While some think the best musicals are Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera, she “truly believes the best musical ever is High School Musical 2”.
It’s true that she was once a stilt walker at Luna Park in Sydney.
“The first day I learned to walk on my stilts at Luna Park, I stumbled. Fearing I was going to fall, I grabbed someone’s head for balance. It was Russell Crowe’s head. He was not pleased.”
The Belmont Library event runs from 6pm to 7.30pm.
Tambourine Boy
Hey tambourine boy, play a song for me. You’re making me laugh and there is no place I'm going to.
Cessnock District Rescue Squad posted this image on social media. The squad had to use a tool to cut through the instrument to free the youngster. That’s a job well done. We hear, too, that the youngster was brave.
