![Comedian Aaron Gocs is a man of suburban tastes and desires. Picture supplied Comedian Aaron Gocs is a man of suburban tastes and desires. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/E9srhG6YCw3ZDt9UDADP4R/3d3b39ef-5b9c-4d9f-807b-8e52002ca825.jpg/r0_0_2500_1667_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
DON'T be surprised if later this month you spot Aaron Gocs tucking into one of Henny Penny's roast dinner packs.
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Brisbane comedian - a self-confessed fast food connoisseur - has long been a fan of Hunter's famed chicken franchise.
Whenever Gocs is on the road he makes a point of checking out the local offerings.
Last week he was in Coffs Harbour, so naturally he popped into the Big Banana, and later, he sampled the Illawarra's answer to Henny Penny, Chicko's, when performing in Wollongong.
On December 22 Gocs is bringing his Christmas Showcase to the recently-revamped Royal Oak Hotel in Tighes Hill.
But firstly, there's a trip to Henny Penny on the cards.
"I enjoyed it because it's the old-fashioned roast chicken," he says.
"Whereas everyone else is trying to do gourmet and international things. I like the old-fashioned Aussie style."
Nobody could begrudge Gocs a festive feast after what's been arguably the busiest year of his career.
Besides his various stand-up shows, "Gocsy" made his acting debut in YouTube comedy series Expanded Minds Only - which parodies the alternative-health industry - and he appeared in the action-comedy The Emu War.
The film is loosely-based on a bizarre piece of history when in 1932 members of the Royal Australian Artillery were called in to eradicate thousands of migrating emus in Western Australia, who were destroying crops, with machine guns.
The emus' surprising manoeuvrability meant attempts to eradicate the flightless birds were largely unsuccessful.
The Emu War also stars Damian Callinan (Backyard Ashes, The Merger) and Luke McGregor (Rosehaven).
"It was good that is finally came out," Gocs says. "We filmed it ages ago in a very limited run.
"Hopefully next year, at some point, it'll have a bigger release."
In between Gocs has continued to produce his popular skit videos, which brought the bogan funnyman to public attention when his "classic stitch-up video" went viral in 2016.
There's been his Uber driver recommendations for which fast food should be paired with which streaming service.
According to Gocs, KFC is best consumed with Netflix as its "American, shiny and it's got all the blockbusters."
Another favourite is the OnlyEnemies skit, parodying the rise of OnlyFans during COVID. On OnlyEnemies people pay "for exclusive videos and photos" to see "bad things happening" to Gocs, such as breaking up with his girlfriend, rolling around nude in a mud puddle and hearing his father explain why he's a disappointment.
Gocs' self-deprecating style of Australian suburban humour is influenced by his love of Carl Barron, 1997 hit film The Castle and the NRL Footy Show.
"You've got to look around at the world as a comedian at things you find humorous," he says.
"I usually try not to be too nasty to anything. In comedy we talk about punching up or down.
"Punching down is obviously making fun of people who are weaker or in a more vulnerable state. I try not to do that.
"Some things like that are ripe for the picking when there are some weird trends going on."
Gocs might be best known for his video content, but in his mind, stand-up remains the true measuring stick for comedy.
"If you see a great band that can perform well live, you know these guys are the real deal and there's no studio trickery," he says.
"It's the same with comedy. You can prove yourself if you can do it on stage with no help from anyone else."
Aaron Gocs plays the Royal Oak Hotel on December 22.