Austen Tayshus is best known for the 1983 comedy single "Australiana", a spoken word piece which is filled with Australian puns.
24 Facts About Austen Tayshus
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Austen Tayshus is often moody, and renowned for taunting his audience and venue staff.
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Austen Tayshus is the son of a Hasidic Holocaust survivor.
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Austen Tayshus returned to Israel as a volunteer during the Yom Kippur War.
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Austen Tayshus received a Commonwealth Scholarship to Sydney University in 1972, where he began a dentistry degree.
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Austen Tayshus wrote and directed three short comedies while at film school, Eric and Alice in 1975, Waves in 1976 and The End in 1977.
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The stage name "Austen Tayshus" is an aptronym based on the word "ostentatious".
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Austen Tayshus first gained public recognition in 1983 when he signed to Regular Records who released his comedy single, "Australiana".
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In 1984, Tayshus released the single "Phantom Shuffle", which rose to number 16 nationally on the Aria Chart, followed by his debut album When the Ticklers Stopped Quivering, which peaked within The Australian top 100.
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In February 1988, Austen Tayshus released the single "Highway Corroboree", which peaked at number 46 on the Australian charts.
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Austen Tayshus performed the single live on the Sunday Program in 1988, on Channel Nine, especially for the Australian bicentennial anniversary.
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Austen Tayshus often introduced young and gifted new comics to his audiences.
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In 1990 Austen Tayshus relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a movie career.
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Austen Tayshus had a small cameo in the Sharon Stone movie Sliver, directed by mate and fellow film school alumnus Phillip Noyce.
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At night, Austen Tayshus worked in comedy clubs in LA and in New York.
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Austen Tayshus was represented for stand-up by Irvin Arthur and Associates in LA in 1993 and for film work by Metropolitain.
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Austen Tayshus auditioned for movies including Ace Ventura Pet Detective and Clear and Present Danger.
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Austen Tayshus's stay in Los Angeles culminated in a collaboration on a low-budget feature film titled Dream Factory, which he co-wrote with the Director Paschal Franchot, and was lead actor.
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At Tropfest in 1998, the film won the award for Best Film, and Austen Tayshus won Best Actor.
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In 1999, Austen Tayshus participated in the television series Aussie Jokers, produced and directed by Paul Fenech for SBS TV.
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In July 2000, Austen Tayshus released "Footyana", a comedy piece in the style of "Australiana", referring to Australian rules football and the National Rugby League.
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Austen Tayshus performed it live on the television show Live and Kicking to great acclaim.
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Austen Tayshus continued to tour Australia, performing one hundred shows a year.
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Austen Tayshus subsequently ran in the 2011 New South Wales state election as a member of the Outdoor Recreation Party, contesting Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell's seat of Ku-ring-gai.