Tom Shaw has wasted time doing many things.
He was a very shy child who expressed himself by drawing pictures, believing he had a flair for art, largely due to the fact that this was what his parents told him and they didn’t really know any better.
His family moved around a lot and the transience forced him to become an observer, able to survey social behaviors and blend in with the crowd – but it was when he held a pencil and began to draw, Tom felt he was truly able to be himself.
This mode of artistic expression led him all the way to a career as a Graphic Designer in Australia and it was there, at the age of 24, that he discovered that not only were his design skills not very good, but also that he found designing things hideously boring.
So Tom decided to get a head start on a series of crises.
He returned to his original homeland of Ireland and started a career as a tour guide, attempting to cure his confusion about his identity and general life’s purpose, with a concentrated dose of sleeping with backpackers.
This led to a core contempt for real work and uncovered his true passion for being the centre of attention. The subsequent 5 years were spent driving a green bus with leprechauns on the side around Ireland – telling stories, giving information, drinking and getting off on the illusion his own self-importance.
However, as Tom drove his green bus with Leprechauns on the side towards the age of 30, he encountered some life-altering circumstances. Cancer, love, death, the development of a conscience, blah blah blah… and it was through these experiences that Tom came to discover what mattered to him most. And what mattered most, was taking the piss.
Currently working on several comedy projects, including an album, a 2011 Fringe show and a DVD, Tom can regularly and most appropriately be found taking the piss onstage in comedy clubs around Adelaide.
