![Randy Feltface presents Feltopia. Picture by Oliver Riera Randy Feltface presents Feltopia. Picture by Oliver Riera](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/MxhEgQKUJhZgHxwVaKiqcq/dc614f58-fbaf-4fae-98a1-4d8ee1876af1.jpg/r0_207_5472_3296_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
What do you do when you've conquered your profession and have nothing left to prove?
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That's the question Randy Feltface, at the age of 42, was forced to consider.
"I've spent a good 18 years as a stand-up comedian touring the world and selling out shows and doing all the awards and all that sort of shenanigans and I feel like I might have reached the zenith," Feltface says.
He's been a longtime hit with audiences not only in Australia but in Britain, Europe and the US.
"So I thought I would take a little sidestep into politics."
It's not as odd as it might sound - after all, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is a former comedian.
And Feltface thinks politics and stand-up comedy aren't too dissimilar.
"We're both basically just trying to convince the audience to get on board our point of view, whether in stand- up or politics," he says.
"We're all trying to sell something. With stand up you leave the room and that's where it stays, with politics maybe I'll have a chance to actually change a few things."
Hence the title of his new touring show, Feltopia, which is coming to Canberra as part of its Australian tour.
What's the policy platform of the Feltopia Party?
"The platform is to create a system where everybody is equal but i get a little bit more," Feltface says.
That does have a vaguely familiar ring to it.
There's also a policy of having fewer politicians in Canberra. But not in the way you might think. He's not about reducing the number of politicians, just the concentration.
"It's about time we distribute some of the politicians around the suburban residents," Feltface says.
"There are too many of them in one house - they're always going to be a dysfunctional family."
If you've always dreamed of having a politician of your very own in your house, this will be music to your ears.
But there's more.
"Everything should be on Zoom - the entire country should be run on Zoom," Feltface says.
Having more than one politician in a room is a recipe for trouble, so if everyone's on Zoom, everyone will be more comfortable.
"You can turn the camera off, you can have a cup of tea."
That doesn't sound terribly efficient.
"It'll be a disaster, absolutely, but it's worth trying."
What about, say, tax?
"Obviously we start with tax abolishment," Feltface says.
"Everybody fends for themselves."
And that's not all.
"I'm going right in for the dystopian future - we're on the verge of it anyway, we might as well lean into it," Feltface says.
"We'll abolish government and all the systems that hold it in place and see it works out."
What could possibly go wrong?
Policies aside, Feltface's past is one that could politely be described as chequered - as evidenced by numerous clips on YouTube.
When this is raised he is refreshingly forthright.
"Between you and I, I don't think I'll last 30 seconds in the political arena," he says.
Why does he think his political career might not last any longer than that of Mal Meninga?
"I am a little bit cautious of the muckracking that goes on and the vetting. I would be lying if I said I hadn't left a path of destruction across the globe over the past 18 years.
"Maybe my campaign is to see if i can outlast the biggest cancellation in political history."
It could be the policies that undo him, or his past, but Feltface thinks there might be a more fundamental problem.
"I'm an anarchist at heart which is why i think my campaign will fall over very quickly."
Luckily, he says, he has something to fall back on: an hour of comedy he's toured the world honing in order to bring home a finely tuned comic piece.
On the morning of the interview, Feltface had dropped in to his "comedy husband" Sammy J's radio show, but the latter will not be part of this tour ("We have an open marriage").
The subject of Heath McIvor, the man reputedly behind Feltface's success to date, is studiously avoided.
![Randy Feltface in more casual attire. Picture supplied Randy Feltface in more casual attire. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/MxhEgQKUJhZgHxwVaKiqcq/b43e2be1-832a-48bc-919b-891b2d8d173b.jpg/r0_156_5012_2985_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Feltface's appeal internationally has been huge.
"The whole tour sold out. I spent a month in the UK, a couple of weeks across Europe and did 70-odd shows in America."
Fittingly, given Feltopia's subject matter, the 100th show of the tour was in Washington, DC.
"I'm hoping for similar levels of enthusiasm in the capitals here," Feltface says, but he acknowledges this could be a challenge.
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"Americans tend to chant, there's a lot more chanting and whooping. I'm really going to miss the overly enthusiastic American crowds."
"I think Canberra audiences on this tour are going to be more subdued - perhaps I can outrage them into enthusiasm."
Given his stated policy platform, the first part - the outraging - shouldn't be too hard.
And given his years of success, the laughs should be forthcoming too.
Feltopia is on at the Canberra Theatre on Saturday, August 5 at 7pm. See: canberratheatrecentre.com.au.
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