Smutty Sirens of Stand-Up : Diane Spencer

Adelaide is a hive of activity at the moment. I've been spending my time at the Adelaide Film Festival, but the Fringe theatre festival is running simultaneously, so there are literally hundreds of shows on all over the city, ranging from burlesque to folksingers to acrobats and jugglers and carnival freakshows. I went to one circus-style show which involved wire-walkers, a ukelele player, female contortionists and a nude guy pretending to pull a handkerchief out of his butt. At least I hope he was pretending. I'd like to go to more, but it will have to wait until the movies end as I'm going to between 3 and 5 movies a day with little time for anything else.

But today a very pretty English redhead stopped us as we were walking through the parkland venue known as the Garden of Earthly Delights and handed us a leaflet for her stand up show. I could have sworn she said : "I'm nude and I do stand up." "Cool," I thought, "nude stand-up sounds interesting, even if the jokes are weak the visuals will be pleasant." It was only later than I realised she'd said : "I'm new and I do stand up." But I could be forgiven for mishearing. It seems like everyone else at the Fringe performs nude. There is a pair of American women singers who wear nothing but their guitars and there is a singer who wears nothing but an accordion (which could lead to pinched nipples), etc., etc.

A typically nude Fringe act - The Wau Wau sisters

Her name is Diane Spencer and, when she found out we were busy with the film festival for the next few days, she said : "I love movies, I've got a joke in my routine about Saw VI."

On her YouTube channel you can watch the whole of one of her shows from when she was in New Zealand.