But comedian Judith Lucy says she has warm memories of discovering Canberra and she's quite proud of it, recently declaring it to be the new New York … well not quite, but unlike some other Australian performers (we're talking to you, Guy Pearce) she doesn't get nasty about the capital.

''Well you know I'm from Perth so I don't really have a leg to stand on,'' she said. ''Canberra is New York compared to where I come from.''

During her days with the Triple J radio program in the 1990s, The Ladies Lounge, it was part of her job to ''unearth'' things.

At one time it was Canberra. ''We met Andrew Peacock and we interviewed Amanda Vanstone and that was in my late 20s and we had a really good time,'' she said.

''And that's what Canberra will always be to me - rock.''

So understandably, she's willing to come back on August 18 to do her new one-woman show titled Nothing Fancy. It promises no singing and no dancing.

''Even though I have no talent for song or dance I have often thrown it in,'' she said. ''It's really straight forward, it's just jokes and I tend to just bang on about what's been going on in my personal life since you saw me last time.''

While reluctant to give up any details, Lucy did rule out pet adoption and recent child birth. ''I can't have a cat because I am a single woman and it's a slippery slope, I'm worried I will get one and then the next thing you know I'll have 15 cats and I'll die and they will eat half my face.''

After all, it wouldn't be the first time a cat tried to eat her. Lucy grew up with what she described as ''small and vicious animals'' - Pekinese dogs and Siamese cats.

''We had a Pekinese called Chan that was just cruel. Chan hated water and the only thing he hated more than water was people. I had a friend over once and we were in the pool and he just kept circling the pool and then jumped in to swim over to her throat … It was just like jaws.''

■ Nothing Fancy will be performed at the Canberra Theatre Centre. Tickets go on sale tomorrow.