Are You Garbage? Comedy Podcast

Episode: James McCann!

Date: August 25, 2025
Hosts: Kevin Ryan & H. Foley
Guest: James Donald Forbes McCann

Episode Overview

In this laughter-filled episode, Australian comedian, author, and podcast host James Donald Forbes McCann joins Kevin Ryan and H. Foley for his first appearance on the show. The hosts dive into James’ life story, family background, and “garbage” credentials, putting him through the Are You Garbage? test. McCann shares hilarious and sometimes harrowing tales of growing up in Adelaide, working a series of odd jobs, pursuing comedy, and surviving “garbage” conditions—all in his signature witty, self-deprecating style.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. James’ Fancy Yet Frayed Name and Audience

• James discusses the origins of his quadruple-barreled name and its comic value.
• He jokes that having four names filters out the “weak fans”:

  "If you have real star power, you should be able to get four names to fly... you gotta really be committed to typing."
  (03:03, James Donald Forbes McCann)

2. Family Background: Superstition, Civil Service, and Social Mobility

• Father’s Side:
  • Grandfather was a civil servant in telecommunications, rose up but refused to leave his rough neighborhood due to superstition.
  • Limousine would pick him up from a rough part of town:

    "A limousine would pick him up from a very rough part of town every day..."
    (06:49, James Donald Forbes McCann)

• Mother’s Side:
  • Grandfather was a Scottish orphan, became an Australian soldier, and was exposed to nuclear testing fallout.
  • Adelaide's suburbs explained: wealthier closer to city, rougher further out.

3. Parents’ Story: From Communism to Conservatism

• Parents Met: Both English teachers who met in a tough, decaying steel town.
• Father’s Political Shift:
  • Was a staunch Communist, traveled to China after the Cultural Revolution, returned disillusioned.
  • Later became a supporter of America and Israel:

    "Came back from China very much not a communist. And is now... outspoken friend of Israel."
    (14:30, James Donald Forbes McCann)

4. Adelaide Life and Australian Quirks

• Description of Adelaide: post-industrial, artsy, and a "Pittsburgh of Australia."
• The Australian schooling system—year starts in February, terms with short breaks.
• Humorous cultural differences:
  • Christmas in blistering heat.
  • Going to the beach: “everywhere is near the beach,” but all “good” destinations are an eight-hour drive away.
    (29:35, James Donald Forbes McCann)

5. Personal Struggles and Unique Upbringing

• Parents divorced in their 60s (after James had moved), leaving him perplexed as an adult child of divorce.
• Family’s financial status: lived in a “fancy” but weren’t wealthy, often the poorest in a nice area.
• Vacations meant getting cable TV for the holiday break instead of exotic trips.

6. School Days & Youth: Nut-Kicking and Squash

• Not a model student until his dad, a teacher, put the pressure on.
• Open about being small, getting into fights, and developing a reputation for kicking bullies in the nuts:

  "I kicked a boy in the testicles... First time was an accident, but people were afraid of me after that."
  (21:09, James Donald Forbes McCann)

• Joined choir (voice changed at 16!), did debating, chess, and obscure sports like squash.

7. Early Jobs and “Garbage” Work History

• Started work at McDonald’s at 14–15, “fry cook” because he didn’t “have the personality” for front of house.
• Multiple hustles:
  • Call centers
  • Door-to-door cable sales in rough neighborhoods
  • Copywriting and music journalism
• Candid about the grind and poverty:

  "Those are the poor. Those are the difficult garbagey years... you get a children's wage, 60% of minimum wage.”
  (31:40, James Donald Forbes McCann)

8. Vegetarianism, Cooking, & Family Life

• Family was vegetarian for years; his mother focused on moral choices (Paul Newman’s sauce, cage-free eggs).
• Meals were a repetitive cycle of pasta and pizza due to his brother’s picky eating.

9. Comedy & Creative Pursuits

• Comedy start in Adelaide at 17, in 2008; describes the grind of Australia’s tiny scene.
• Admits to a decade of “bad years” in comedy—musicals, props, even a piano accordion.
• Explains the major difference in US and Australian comedy: no opening acts, fewer club opportunities.
• Also makes hip hop beats on his phone—no buyers yet.

10. Family Life, Poverty, and Making It Work

• Married, three children (ages 6, 4, and 2); wife can’t work in US due to visa.
• Lived with parents while starting a family and barely scraping by.
• Moved frequently, at times living by a meth lab, dodging gunshots, and fleeing neighborhoods on a whim.
• His scramble to support the family through gig economy jobs is both bleak and darkly funny.

11. Breakthrough: Meeting Shane Gillis

• Met Shane Gillis in Australia via a mutual friend.
• Boldly asked if he could open for him, then leveraged the invite to travel to America—paying $600 he couldn’t afford for a flight to Melbourne to open for Shane.
• This American trip was his first ever, and galvanized his belief in the possibility of “making it” outside Australia.

12. Podcasting, Poetry, Current Success

• Host of The James Donald Forbes McCann Catamaran Plan.
• Four books of poetry, including the provocatively titled Disquieting Levels of Egg.
• New standup special called Black Israelite set to debut September 1st.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You should be so good you can get four names to fly. … If you have real star power, you should be able to get four names to fly.”
  (03:03, James Donald Forbes McCann)

• “My father was a Communist. He went to China as all the sort of mass death was starting to wind down. But... came back very much NOT a communist.”
  (09:02, James Donald Forbes McCann)

• “December is hot. Let me tell you, cutting down a Christmas tree in Australia is a slog. It’s a hundred degrees... but my mom would get the plastic tree.”
  (25:59, James Donald Forbes McCann)

• “If you want to be a club comic, that means you’re going to get to do a lot of cruise ships.”
  (35:31, James Donald Forbes McCann)

• “I kicked a boy in the testicles...three times.”
  (21:13, James Donald Forbes McCann)

• “I got married...we had a very cheap wedding. Made like 10 grand off the wedding.”
  (49:44, James Donald Forbes McCann)

• “We’d get cable television just for the holidays and I’d get to watch Smackdown and Raw. ... Then they cancel it.”
  (24:31, James Donald Forbes McCann)

• “You’ve only ever held jobs that are exclusively in India, but you’re doing them in your home.”
  (53:58, Kevin James Ryan)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:03] Names and comic branding
• [06:49] Grandfather’s rough neighborhood superstition, civil service job
• [09:02] Father’s communist youth and transformation
• [14:30] Family’s trajectory and parents’ dynamic
• [21:09] Nut-kicking and schoolyard survival
• [24:31] Holiday cable TV as a vacation
• [31:40] Child labor and first jobs
• [35:31] Comedy scene differences (AUS vs. US)
• [49:44] Wedding economics and surviving on copywriting
• [53:58] “Indian” jobs done from home
• [56:07] Getting into Shane Gillis’ inner circle, the doors to America open

Tone and Style

The hosts keep the conversation raucous, sarcastic, and quick-witted, riffing off James’ stories and life lessons with their trademark irreverence. James is candid, self-effacing, and detail-rich; his stories veer from hilarious to tragic and back to absurd, but always land with a comic twist.

Conclusion

James Donald Forbes McCann proves to be a compelling “garbage” guest, baring all about his family’s strange journey, financial struggles, and relentless pursuit of comedy and creative work. From communist roots to a modern hustle blended with poetic pretensions, he embodies the “upwardly mobile working class” the hosts love. The episode ends by teasing a Part 2, promising even more stories from the “Thunder from Down Under.”

For More:

• Check James’ new YouTube special Black Israelite (Sept 1st)
• Read his poetry collection Disquieting Levels of Egg
• Listen to his podcast, James Donald Forbes McCann Catamaran Plan