http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/dan-ilic/ Dan Ilic is a writer/performer/filmmaker, he’s best know for presenting and reporting on ABC TV’s Hungry Beast and as a reporter on Can of Worms (Ten). Follow Dan on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/danilic en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/operation-your-mum-on-the-ground-in-tarin-kowt/ Writer, comedian and Can of Worms reporter Dan Ilic visited Aussie diggers in Afghanistan last month to perform a series of comedy shows. He writes about his time in Tarin Kowt in this second part of a two-part report. Read the first part here. The next stop on the trip was the Australian stronghold of Tarin Kowt. We flew there on an Australian Chinook, a large transport helicopter that can fit about 40 soldiers and gear. This was an amazing journey. Flying tactically, we buzzed across the Afghan terrain only about a hundred metres off the ground, hugging the valleys and mountains for cover. In the back of my head I knew that only a few weeks before an American Chinook got shot down carrying 30 Special Forces troops. But somehow this was suppressed by the sheer excitement of being in a big loud flying machine. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Dan Ilic) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/operation-your-mum-on-the-ground-in-tarin-kowt/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/operation-your-mum-on-the-ground-in-tarin-kowt/#item7060 Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:50:24 +0000 Dan Ilic | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/My-kandahar-comedy-show-that-literally-bombed/ Writer, comedian and Can of Worms reporter Dan Ilic visited Aussie diggers in Afghanistan last month to perform a series of comedy shows. Today, he writes about what he saw and experienced, in the first of a two-part report. Here are some tips for comedians. Never try out new jokes to a hostile crowd. If you do, keep it short. Whatever you do, don’t go out to an unfamiliar audience and give them 15 minutes of new material you wrote just for them until you’ve actually learnt all the jokes. I did this recently on stage in front of a crowd of about 50. I could tell the gig was going to be dull. It’s called Funny Shui: the audience all self-consciously sit as far away as possible from the stage. I couldn’t even make eye contact with this group. Showtime. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Dan Ilic) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/My-kandahar-comedy-show-that-literally-bombed/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/My-kandahar-comedy-show-that-literally-bombed/#item7058 Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:00:25 +0000 Dan Ilic | Author bios | The Punch