'Goofs and Gags' - and coffee - with Aunty Donna
Featuring Aunty Donna's head writer and stage director, Sam Lingham.
If you’ve been following The Magic Roast long enough, you’d know I love coffee.
Outside of my family, the only other thing I love as much as coffee, is the absurdist comedy group from Melbourne, Australia - Aunty Donna.
Weirdly enough, I was introduced to Aunty Donna about 9 years ago, through a barista at Lamasons Cafe (RIP), Dan Minson.
Dan pegged me as a bit of a fan of the weird and wonderful, and told me to look up them up. It was crazy. Unhinged. Weird. Wonderful. I was hooked, and since then, I have been an Aunty Donna fan.
Being introduced to Aunty Donna at a cafe might be a tenuous link to coffee and poor excuse for writing about them - but there is a real coffee link, I swear!
In 2023, they released a show on ABC in Australia called “Aunty Donna’s Coffee Cafe”, which featured a collab with Coffee Supreme!
They also have a great song about coffee from their Netflix show, Aunty Donna’s Big Old House Of Fun.
And they love a Trendy Cafe:
Please talk to meeeee
I reckoned Aunty Donna would have some excellent insights on coffee, so I dropped them a line with a pitch they couldn’t refuse:
“Please talk to me! What's in it for you? The Magic Roast is a humble publication - massive ticket sales, a big up tick in podcast listeners or YouTube subscribers you won't get by being featured by TMR. You’d sleep easier knowing that you’ve shared some awesome stuff to other lovers of coffee. I mean, if that sort of thing keeps you up at night.”
To my surprise, the pitch worked and I got to punish head writer and stage director Sam Lingham with some questions about coffee, while trying to hide the fact I was a massive fan boi.
These are his words.
Aunty Donna and the importance of coffee
The Magic Roast: In the day-to-day writing process, how important is the ritual of coffee, and the caffeine itself?
Sam Lingham: It's vital.
My morning writing ritual involves coming in early, clearing the table, cleaning the whiteboard and brewing a fresh pot of black coffee.
As far as I am concerned, caffeine is the only drug that assists in writing absurd, zane brain off the wall goofs and gags.
TMR: What is the usual coffee ritual? Is it home made pre-work coffee, or more of a grab a flat-white on the way to the office sort of vibe?
Sam Lingham: I’ve always had a soft spot for filter coffee but since developing an intolerance to lactose I’ve fallen head over heels with the batch brew.
I'm brewing a cup at home with breakfast before coming into the office for more of that percolated goodness.
TMR: Being based in the second-best coffee city in Australasia (Wellington represent), you are spoiled for choice when it comes to amazing coffee - what's your go to coffee spot you'd recommend for people who might be new to the city?
Sam Lingham: Look at you all sassy!
I'd be mad but honestly Wellington's a vibe. Though last time I was there on stage someone yelled out from the audience 'Fu*k you Sam' and it hurt my feelings.
The best thing about the Melbourne coffee scene is you don't really have to try - walk out of wherever you're staying plug in coffee and you'll have a good time.
I live right by Core Roasters in Brunswick East and I love everything they do. Especially the constantly rotating array of filter blends that come with gorgeous little illustrations detailing the flavour profile.
Yes I buy my coffee based on the pictures.
TMR: How did the collaboration and relationship with Coffee Supreme come about, and was it important to have a coffee roaster as a part of the Coffee Cafe series?
Sam Lingham: For years we had a shitty Tesco percolator in the office that we bought back from the UK resplendent with a chunky power converter. One day Broden [Kelly - one of the performing members of Aunty Donna] got sick of it and harassed Coffee Supreme online. They submitted to his dominance and traded us a Moccamaster for some videos. They've been supplying our office with coffee ever since (in fact I'm drinking it right now).
When it came to making Coffee Cafe it was really important to us that Morning Brown looked like a normal Melbourne Cafe. It's meant to be a grounded place so when heightened and absurd things occur they feel heightened and absurd.
Coffee Supreme were instrumental in delivering our vision supplying us with a coffee machine along with our very own coffee roast, Blend 69.
TMR: If you discovered you couldn't drink coffee anymore, what would you replace it with?
Sam Lingham: Fentanyl
TMR: Where can people over the correct side of the Tasman watch Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe? Any word on a wider international release?
Sam Lingham: Aotearoa keep your eyes peeled! For the rest of the world keep your eyes peeled but less peeled than those in New Zealand.
How flipping cool!
I was so excited that Sam had some time to share his thoughts with you, the reader!
Also, I’m pretty excited to see Sam drop in some te reo into the fold - if an Aussie can do it so easily, WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR MORE OF US TO DO IT?! Rage.
I did apologize on behalf of Wellington for the abuse he received on stage - one can only assume it was a poorly judged heckle that lacked taste and humor. Or maybe he deserved it - I wasn’t there - if you were, I want a full run down.
Aunty Donna’s Coffee Cafe
Through the magic of the internets, I have managed to watch Aunty Donna’s Coffee Cafe on ABC’s iView.
It’s very, very funny.
It’s also very funny to me that they took their crazy and absurdist humor and put it on the telly for all the boomers to get angry about it (and boy were they angry).
The show features a bunch of great Aussie actors and comedians but that doesn’t matter cos it also features Kiwis (or a Kiwi - Mel Bracewell - there might be others, lol).
Looks like it might be available here soon, but just fire up a VPN and watch it like an adult!
Or, fire up:
the Netflix series, Aunty Donna’s Big Old House of Fun (featuring Egg Helms)
their YouTube (1999 is magic, Camp Bush Camp! and um, well this)
their stage show (coming to NZ in September)
their podcast (out every Wednesday)
And everything else.
A massive thanks to Sam Lingham for sharing some of his wisdom with The Magic Roast.
What a legend.
Happy Birthday Mr Winthrop
For years Mr Winthrop had to live through my developing love of Aunty Donna. Every day at work I’d pull him (off) into a meeting room to share my latest Aunty Donna discovery.
For that, thank you Mr Winthrop. And have a great birthday.
I’m all about coffee and magic!!! Great article!
Thank you kind sir, I feel loved (and slightly degraded)