Take 5 with comedian and TV star Aaron Chen

What this episode covers

You’re about to see a side to Aaron Chen you’ve never seen before.  You might know him as George in Fisk, or Guy Montgomery’s sidekick on Spelling Bee.  Maybe you cheered his win on Taskmaster Australia season 3.  He’s also an acclaimed stand-up comic. But when I sat down with Aaron in his new home in New York City, I got a totally different sense of what makes him tick. This podcast is a companion to the TV episode you can see now on ABC iview. But here, you’re getting a whole lot more. More stories, silliness, and backstory to Aaron Chen.  I really loved this conversation, mainly cos I had no idea what to expect. And what I walked away with was a rich portrait of a really beautiful human with his heart in the right place. Aaron Chen's song choices: Arcade Fire – 'Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels)' Matt Berry – 'Take My Hand' Vampire Weekend – 'Jerusalem, New York, Berlin' Faye Wong – 'Dreams (夢中人)' Kacey Musgraves – 'Deeper Well' 00:00 Introduction to Aaron Chen 01:26 Aaron's Move to New York 02:49 Comedy and Music 03:57 SONG 1: Arcade Fire – 'Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels)' 04:38 Growing Up in Suburban Sydney 12:06 Early Comedy Days 15:29 SONG 2: Matt Berry – 'Take My Hand' 16:05 First TV Show Experience 20:43 Friendship with Sam Campbell 25:16 SONG 3: Vampire Weekend – 'Jerusalem, New York, Berlin' 25:38 Journey to America 27:49 Auditioning for Fisk 29:44 Meeting Kitty Flanagan 30:29 Finding My Comedy Voice 34:29 Faith and Grounding 37:09 SONG 4: Faye Wong – 'Dreams (夢中人)' 41:50 Marriage and Moving to New York 44:27 American TV and Movie Roles 48:30 SONG 5: Kacey Musgraves – 'Deeper Well' 48:36 Final Reflections and Future Plans Watch Take 5 on ABC iview: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/take-5-with-zan-rowe