Matt Okine’s new show is called ‘The Other Guy’.
The show’s not a reference to his sidekick status alongside Alex Dyson as the co-host of Breakfast on TripleJ or his TV work with Gretel Killeen, but a tale of what happens in long term relationships.
“It’s about difficulties in a relationship and external influences, but I don’t want to give too much away.” Okine said.
Having recently come out of a long relationship the comedian said he’d been learning how to date again, a process that has had a few mishaps along the way.
“I make a good prospect for a date, I have a decent job and I’m on TV and stuff but still make my fair share of mistakes.” Okine said.
“The first date I went on after coming out of a nine year relationship was with a girl who got in touch with me on Facebook. Somehow we got into this conversation about how her biggest fantasy would be organising with her boyfriend to meet in public, but pretend that they were strangers.”
“We organised to go on a date and I thought she’d meant for us to pretend that we were strangers. So we organised to meet up and when she came to see me she was like “Hey, it’s me.” and I responded “I don’t know who the hell you are.”
“it was really ridiculous and in hindsight I realised she wasn’t talking about me, but I was just so nervous.” Okine said. “I just didn’t know what to do.”
Okine was an established comedian when he took on the role of co-host on TripleJ’s ‘Breakfast’. Okine says while breakfast radio has obvious challenges like early morning rises, there’s a lot of other challenges.
“I so wish I was doing radio back in the ’90s’ Okine declares, “Back when there was no such thing as social media or a text line. Oh my God! What I would do to work in 1990 where if I said something stupid, or accidentally said it was Tuesday instead of Wednesday, if I could just sit back and watch the faxes roll in.”
Okine said today’s social media gives radio presenters a lot of immediate feedback, “Things go into total shutdown on Facebook and Twitter, you cop abuse, people take what you’ve said and put it on Soundcloud – so everyone can listen to over and over again. It’s overwhelming.”
Alongside his radio work Okine has also been co-hosting ‘How Not to Behave’ alongside Gretel Killeeen. Okine said working alongside the respected TV host has had it’s surreal moments.
“Sometimes I wake up on set and realise who I’m sitting next to, and I have flashbacks. I remember vividly trying to make out with a girl and she stopped me and said “no wait we can’t do this now, there’s this new TV show kicking off called ‘Big Brother’. I remember leaving her driveway and going inside to watch, I was in Year 10.”
“Gretel’s now a household name and she’s a legend, and I’m sitting next to her thinking, ‘You stopped me pashing Beth Jones in Year 10!’
Matt Okine’s ‘The Other Guy’ is part of Rottofest on Saturday 19th September.
