The Laughter and the Tears ─ Damian Callinan on delivering eulogies

Melbourne comedian Damian Callinan talks about the two eulogies he wrote, in very different circumstances, for his parents' funerals. How did he balance his natural inclination towards comedy, with the need to pay proper tribute? What’s the right balance between laughter and tears? Should you read a eulogy or try to memorise? What are some tips for connecting with both your loved one's story, and the congregation? Speech of the week is Damian's loquat jam speech at The Wheeler Centre at Tony Wilson's 'Show and Tell for Grown Ups. Damian's hilarious podcast about life in isolation in the already isolated Bodgy Creek is The Bodgy Creek Community Podcast .  He has plays, merch, and comedy downloads on his website. Visit Speakola to browse our huge collection of speeches. Read Damian's eulogy to his mother Kathleen, and watch & read his eulogy to his father Adrian. For a regular feed of great speeches you can follow Speakola on facebook and Twitter. The story of how Speakola started is on this week's 'Conversations' podcast with Richard Fidler. If you'd like to donate to support Speakola in both its website and podcast form, Tony would appreciate any help in these covid times!  Tony's new book is '1989 The Great Grand Final'. Send him an email or a DM on Twitter and he'll sell you a signed copy. The show sponsor for episode one is 'Mr Yum', the pick up and home delivery service for Melbourne restaurants Hotel Jesus and Mamasita. If you'd like to sponsor the podcast, get in touch with Tony.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.