Comedy with an Accent: Recent Episodes
Kuan-wen Huang
Comedy with an accent - comedy with a different point of view! Join Taiwanese comedian Kuan-wen as he finds out the amusing tales, obstacles and strategies of other non-native speakers who perform English stand up comedy on the UK circuit. We also peek into the comedians' foreign upbringings and cultures, how they approach the English language, how they switch between languages and any random anecdotes that get caught in the chitchats.
Leave your comments on the podcast's Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/comedywithanaccent/ (@comedywithanaccent). You can also email your comments, questions to comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Follow Kuan-wen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kuanwencomedy/ @kuanwencomedy
Language itself should be a neutral issue; but it never is in the real world. Dimitri Bakanov is a London-based Ukrainian comedian. He is also a native Russian speaker, having lost the full fluency of his Ukrainian when he moved away with his family at the age of 11. When languages are tangled with identity, life throws in a big warfare on top of the existing nationalist tensions, things get complicated.
Dimitri talks about his accent (when he speaks English) that can fool other foreigners but remains nonetheless foreign in the ears of the Brits. Having come to the UK as a young child, he is no longer able to ādoā an East European accent naturally. But he would not have even if he could, as explained in this episode.
The fairly anglicised accent of Dimitriās also reflects a more westernised life style/value system, as he remarks on certain cultural differences between him and some other immigrants from Ukraine. The use of language becomes a more evident issue after the second Russian invasion of in 2022, as his native tongue is considered the language of the aggressor, the use of which is deemed unpatriotic by many of his compatriots.
Dimitri explains in this episode his curious and complex relationship with the land he was born in and left as a child and shares his thoughts why as a comedian, he does not mind having an irreverent persona on stage when talking about the war in Ukraine.
Follow Dimitri in Instagram
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram
01:07 Intro
02:39 Anglicised pronunciation of Dimitriās name
03:50 A Russian-speaking Ukrainian
05:28 An accent that non-native English speakers believe to be British but actual British people know itās foreign
08:29 Incapable of doing āan East Europeanā accent; timing of learning English
11:07 When native English speakers not knowing their language (eg your vs youāre) and foreign English learners getting too pedantic
14:57 Wouldnāt do a great East European accent even if he could
17:54 How comfortable Dimitri feels claiming the āUkrainian comedian in the UKā label?
19:04 Cultural differences/clashes with some other Ukrainian immigrants
21:26 Do comedians āhave toā explain their accents? Dimitriās take
26:28 Strong Ukrainian accent when Dimitri speaks Russian
29:16 Impacts of Russian invasion on Dimitriās comedy career and choices he made on stage
31:26 Not wishing to lecture the western audience the war support
36:15 Divided reactions from Ukrainian audience with the irreverent jokes
37:47 How Media fishes for someone to be on TV in the case of an invasion
39:02 Dimitriās complex relationship with Ukraine
44:17 Dimitriās complex relationship with the Ukrainian language
49:55 How the timeline of the Russian invasion is defined in western Media
50:42 Summary and caveats
53:39 Life goes on in Ukraine despite the war
55:52 Dimitriās social media
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Is it possible to perform stand up in yet another language (aka not English, not your mother tongue, also less fluent) but relying solely on translating whatever existing materials in English you have? Technically - yes. Though some jokes are simply not translatable. Some can be translated but it would not make sense or would not work. Some might still work but the effect could be heavily discounted. There are your host Kuan-wen own experiences.
The third instalment of your hostās monologue geeks out on foreign languages and comedy again. He summarised a few thoughts from performing at French It Up Comedy Club by accident (Season 2 Episode 26) and dabbling in a few sentences in Italiano at another night called Italian-ish.
The podcast will have a short summer break as your host is bringing another solo show to Edinburgh Fringe Festival. We will be back in autumn and have a nice summer break!
*The mix-up of languages and feeling unsure about the fluency level became even more evident through editing this episode. Your host said āthe habitants of Londonā when in hindsight, it probably would have been more natural to say āthe inhabitants of Londonā. Then he realised itās because he was jumping back and forth between English and French. In French, they are more used to saying āles habitantsā
Also, he is still not sure if it should be āJāai lāair de lesbienneā, āJāai lāair lesbienneā or āJāai lāair dune lesbienneā?? Any French speaker that can shed some light on this?
Kuan-wenās 2025 Edinburgh Fringe show Andrews Are The Worst
(This will be performed in Scotland, where their Patron Saint is St Andrew š)
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/kuan-wen-andrews-are-the-worst
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram
00:32 Intro - summary of what this monologue episode is about
02:10 Why another monologue episode?
04:19 Discussion on comedy and translation in prior episodes
05:09 English being the comedy language for most guests on this podcast
07:25 Performing in a second foreign language - Your host Kuan-wenās experience of performing at French It Up Comedy Club
09:39 Kuan-wenās estimate of his fluency in either language
13:56 Some joke types are not cut out for translation (eg puns)
17:51 Different social norms for the speakers of another language
19:45 Unsure about whether the exact words are used
24:42 A phonetically sounding word may not sound funny anymore in another language
29:00 Less capable of riffing in French on stage
29:57 Jokes written specifically in French
31:55 What would a French native speaker fluent in English prefer?
33:55 Cross-language puns
37:18 Conclusion
41:28 How multiple languages co-exist in oneās brain? Kuanāwenās own example - the distance between some languages seems to be wider
45:02 Cities where comedy shows in different languages are available
46:45 Latest podcast statistics
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Mike Rice is probably THE guest this podcast has had so far who proved to be the best at impersonations and accent mimicry. During the course of this interview alone, he improvised a South London, a posh West London, a stereotypical Essex woman and a generic American accent. In his comedy routines and comedy special on Youtube, Mike has done a German accent in the context of WWIII jokes and he has also done an Indian accent. Did the last one cross the line? Between Mikeās inclination for dark jokes, thereās a lengthy discussion why it may not have and Mikeās intention with his jokes.
Mike explains the catholic hangover in the Irish parlance and how he went from semi-consciously ditching his Irish accent to pick up an American twang in the USA to embrace his Irishness and appreciate the beauty of how his father talks and what growing on a farm means.
Slightly further from the usual focus on accents, identity of this podcast, Mike accounts for his rebellious teenage years and the depression in his twenties, how he changed his outlook in life and how he balances a creative soul that isnāt afraid of showing vulnerability with an upbringing where he was expected to toughen up.
Mikeās podcast: Mike and Vittorioās Guide to Parenting
Mikeās special on Youtube: An Irish Disgrace & Nasty Character
Follow Mike on Instagram
Mikeās 2025 Edinburgh Fringe show
Mike is going on tour starting from November 2025. See his Instagram for tickets
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram
01:00 Intro
04:37 People making remarks about the Irish accent
05:23 An accent from rural Ireland and the catholic hangover
09:24 Mikeās family dynamics
11:24 Mike trouble-making teenage years and the school trip to Andorra (Part 1)
13:36 A discussion on using āThatās gayā as a punchline to a joke
17:09 When does a joke go too far? The intention and the context of a joke
19:22 Personality developed to deal with the environment
20:45 On doing accents
25:05 The school trip to Andorra (Part 2)
28:00 Rebellious teenager but also a sensitive soul
31:24 Pain and unhappiness in his 20s
34:50 Mikeās podcast output
35:42 Mike not seen as an outsider despite his accent
38:09 From disliking his Irishness to embracing it; an inferiority complex from not being able to wash away the farm smells
43:54 An advantage to be an Irish act in metropolitan England
45:37 Gigging in continental European cities
46:19 Irish descendants
47:38 Mikeās use of the English language and the books he read
51:19 Mikeās online following and his consistent stage/podcast/real-life persona
53:53 Mikeās social media
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Have you ever tried to learn a foreign language so hard, that it influences and moulds your speech pattern in your native tongue? That you moved to a foreign land to learn that foreign language, consequently your English vocabulary becomes restricted to the more common words, just so people around you could understand?
Such is the story of Spring Day (Comedian, not the weather), a fluent Japanese speaker who lived in Japan for over 16 years and who started learning this language at the age of 13. Spring tells the random nature of her life story how she ended up in Japan, how she became a comedy performer in both Japanese and English in Tokyo, and why she decided to leave after she realised her identity would always be an outsider ļ¼å¤äŗŗ, gaijinļ¼ in Japan
Spring now happily calls London and the UK home. She was featured on Live at the Apollo on TV, one of the highest achievements comedians in the UK can have. In this episode, Spring recounts the tales in Midwestern America where she used to call home and left behind, becoming the minority American who has a passport and travel abroad, and her long and complex, entangled history with the land of Nihon (and all the obscure observations of this island nation that are no longer her comedy materials)
Follow Spring on Instagram
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram
01:12 Intro
03:28 Leaving behind her identity as an outsider ļ¼å¤äŗŗ, gaijinļ¼in Japan
05:14 āJust the right level of passive-aggressivenessā in the UK - compared to Japan and the US
07:58 Do American comedians have an āaccentā for British audiences?
09:08 Springās aversion to American centralism
12:22 Immigrants? Expats?
14:02 How fluent is Spring in Japanese now?
16:05 A mid-western American accent influenced by Japanese and British expats
18:56 Why Spring moved to Japan and started performing comedy in Tokyo?
21:18 Springās accent when speaking Japanese
23:39 The foreign loaned words in Japanese making it harder for English speakers
26:56 Performing stand up in Japanese and why some of Springās jokes couldnāt translate
29:50 How Springās time in Japan shaped her stand up and her speech pattern
31:41 Onomatopoeia ļ¼ćŖććććļ¼ in Japanese
34:24 All the dark sadness and tragedy in Japanese Rakugoļ¼č½čŖ, āfallen wordsāļ¼, folk music and literature
35:58 The tales of two Kansas Cities in Kansas and in Missouri
37:49 Springās Mid-western accent
39:36 A stage character of a rural American?
41:57 Living on the same street with serial killers
43:59 Caricatures/characters of rural Americans
47:06 Some of Springād weird experiences in Japan that became her comedy materials
50:47 Transition to the UK and finding out who she is outside Japan
53:10 London is now home
55:04 Springās social media
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Martin Durchov has never done any podcast interview - not until this episode popped his podcast cherry. You can find his Instagram profile, but be warned thereās not a single comedy-related content on it.
The Bulgarian native is one giggly and happy chap, described by your host Kuan-wen as a very āsettledā immigrant in the UK. Even his accent mellowed over the years he stays in the UK - a fun fact your host found out when he checked Martinās stand up clips in preparation of the interview and noticed the accent shift pre- and post- Covid.
Martin talks about the wider āEast Europeanā brand, how Bulgaria often gets lumped together with its neighbour Romania, what national stereotypes he incorporated into his comedy routines and how he gradually edit down the percentage of jokes based on his nationality. He learned early on that it is better as a performer to address the obvious, for him that is the accent and the hairs on his arms.
For listeners who are gigging comedians, Martin also shares why he Is not set on pursuing the comedy career progression even though he had a very promising start pre-pandemic (winning the Comedy Store gong show, getting into the final of So You Think You Are Funny and getting paid work within a year or two)
You can find Martin on Instagram, but there might not be any comedy-related content thereā¦.
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram
01:10 Intro
04:14 Citing his accent and foreignness as the opening joke but unaware of the accent at the start
08:19 āItās good to mention obvious thingsā
11:43 Bulgarian stereotypes as an East European country and why it tends to be bundled with Romania
19:45 Bulgaria Searches For Talent
23:29 Getting requests to do certain jokes
24:42 Between jokes and portraying your own countryās image
27:00 A gentler and silly stage persona
30:58 Martinās accent mellowed over the years
32:22 Not pursuing comedy career progression and not into the social media game
37:14 On being the face of oneās own small country
41:36 Foreignness does not weigh much on Martinās mind
44:04 Without hearing Martin accent, others not able to work out where heās from
45:28 Not having too many connections with Bulgaria in the UK
49:06 Martinās (non-)used social media
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Shalaka is a self-proclaimed nerd with a PHD in trains whilst loading herself with Millennial angst. Those are supposed to be the most interesting and unique things about her. However, just because sheās from India, the audiences in the UK expect her to talk about being Indian or South Asian.
In this episode, Shalaka eloquently explains her own code switching, detailing her accent automatically adjusts based on the people she talks. This is the result of a racist āfriendā at Uni constantly mocking her accent for years. As a first generation immigrant, she is also surprised by the gap between how the British Indiansā idea of India and the India she knows from growing up in Bangalore.
Her ethnicity becomes an easy target for the sometimes lazy opponents during Comedy Roast Battles, which only serves Shalaka as she excels in this specific format of comedy shows (UK Roast Battle Champion and International Roast Battle MVP).
You can catch Shalaka at the following work-in-progress shows:
May 24th - The Boathouse, Cambridge Fringe (tickets)
June 6th - Canal CafƩ, Chichester Fringe (tickets)
*Your host Kuan-wen referenced Ronny Chieng's bit on The Daily Show, the idea being "Indians are not Asians (in America)" It was a topical line when Rishi Sunak became the UK's first Prime Minister of Indian heritage. See the clip here.
Another reference is to Russell Peters. We cannot find the exact clip but there is a similar clip of crowd interaction from Russell Peters mocking a Taiwanese American (or maybe Canadian) for having an Anglicised name. See the clip here.
Follow Shalaka on Instagram
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram
01:00 Intro
03:25 Not insisting on the correct pronunciation for her name
04:30 Hilarious caption typo in Shabakaās Comedy Central clip
05:55 Code switching - Shabakaās accent changes depending on who she talks to
09:48 What do people (in the UK) mean when they say āAsianā?
11:29 Shalakaās different way of speaking at South Asian gigs
12:46 An idea of India frozen in time
17:03 Attitude towards women also frozen in time
21:28 Peopleās view on India from British Indians vs from Indians
25:30 Clownery of your own culture in front of audience that are not South Asian
27:33 Shalakaās light Indian accent is the result of befriending someone racist to her
32:05 More self-reflection on her accent
34:18 Minority comedians mimicking an accent that is not genuinely theirs
39:58 How Schlakaās ethnicity is used as attack lines during Roast Battle matches
42:04 White racism not as hurtful as Indian to Indian racism
45:34 Not focusing on being the Indian comic; not pandering
50:33 Shalakaās own memory of India also has a gap with India today
55:31 Shalakaās social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
āFrench It Up est LE comedy club franƧais Ć Londres. LancĆ© en 2016 par Jeff Vitale, depuis rejoint par Fabrice Edouard Laroche Francoeur, le concept sĆ©duit un public francophone de plus en plus large et fait Ć©merger une nouvelle scĆØne d'humoristes franƧais Ć Londres.ā
After introducing Londonās Comedy show in the Spanish language Comedy Por Favor in episode 19, we turn our attention in this episode to Londonās French comedy club āFrench It Upā, whose shows currently rotate between the trendy Exmouth Market in Clerkenwell and nestled next to the beer garden in Vauxhall. The mastermind behind this, Jeff Vitale, talks about the specific āexpat humourā and makes a careful distinction between French speakers and French expats, as a good percentage of the audience also comes from other francophone countries. He shares how he has grown and plans to continue to grow this comedy club from strength to strength in this English city that boasts enough French citizen to be Franceās fifth or sixth largest city.
Follow French It Up Comedy Show on Instagram
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram
00:51 Intro
02:39 An episode about a comedy show in a foreign language
04:47 French It Up audienceās specific sense of humour (expat Francophones)
07:36 Work office observations as popular joke materials
09:52 French speaking audience does not equal French people
11:58 Reasons for stopping bilingual French/English shows
15:51 Comedy materials about migration and cross cultural differences
17:00 Doubters and continuing to attract non comedy fans
19:48 Why French It Up was set up
22:57 āIntermittents du spectacleā - French government support for actors
24:38 More efforts into organising and promoting shows post Covid
27:15 Cross over with English stand up scene? French It Upās own eco-system of performers
30:18 Not to be confused as a show in English (but talking about France)
30:53 Where the show name āFrench It Upā comes from
32:00 Jeff speaks too fast for non native French speakers to understand
33:04 How fluent oneās French has to be to go to a French It Up show?
35:18 The French languageās fluidity and rythmn
38:59 French It Up being a relief for nostalgia?
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Celiac, dyspraxia, sporran, ricochet, hypochondriac, cheugy, mausoleum, flabā¦ how many of these English words do you - as a non-native English speaker - know? Similar question for the native English speakers again: any of these words that you are not aware of?
These are just a sample of words in the English language that your host Kuan-wen has acquired through doing comedy, mostly from observing other comediansā routines. More than just getting exposed to new words, your host explains why he believes doing comedy in English has multiple advantages when it comes to learning the language, that you do not need to wait until your English is considered āperfectā before you can starting trying out English comedy.
(*Yeah, this is kind of a filler episode with no guests)
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram
00:32 Intro
01:27 Outline for this episode
02:22 Reasons for another monologue episode
04:01 Learning the English language through performing comedy in English - an analogy
06:21 An advantage for non-native English speakers who perform comedy in English
07:43 Performing in English forces performers to listen to themselves how they speak
09:17 Learning a more natural/wholesome English through doing comedy
11:40 Learning about another culture - a wider group of people one gets in contact with
12:54 Musicians having lighter accents
13:34 Pursuit of specificity in comedy helps grow oneās vocabulary
14:35 List of words Kuan-wen learned from other comediansā comedy sets:
- celiac
- dyspraxia
- sporran
- ricochet (from Ken Cheng)
- hypochondriac
- catharsis
- cheugy (from Shalaka Kurup)
- mausoleum (from Pete White)
- flab (from Adam Riley)
- necrophilia
23:48 Four comedy gigs with vastly different audiences within three days - a mixed crowd with many Mandarin speakers; a crowd of French speakers; a crowd of a provincial English town; a crowd with mixed European punters
28:48 Podcast listener statistics Jan-Mar 2025
30:58 Upcoming episodes
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Veteran London-based Romanian comedian Radu Isac returns after his last interview on this podcast in 2022. Radu catches up with your host Kuan-wen to chat about how his career plans and gigging pattern change along with the moving landscape of the comedy industry. Between this episode and the first interview three years ago, Radu released his comedy special āKeep Coughingā on Youtube and organised his own tour across continental European cities.
Regarded as the comedianās comedian in Romania (some fans even described him as Romaniaās George Carlin), Radu shares his approach performing in front of liberal and less liberal audiences, British and a more internationally mixed audience and why he thinks it is important to be able to make different crowds laugh. He talks about running the popular bi-weekly Immigrant Comedy show in London and why comedy should remain a safe space for the expression of ideas, as he has done so in his comedy special.
Raduās comedy special āKeeping Coughingā (free to watch on Youtube)
Raduās live comedy show āSadly Funny" at Top Secret Comedy Club in London 6 April 2025
Follow Radu on Instagram and his website
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram
00:34 Intro
02:06 Summary of Raduās prior appearance on this podcast
03:49 Gigging less often outside London now
04:36 Raduās vs liberal audience and comedy shows with audience less sympathetic with immigrants
07:53 An example of audience not taking Raduās poking well
09:32 How to and who to mention the act is foreign?
10:51 Change of career goals - non-native English speaking audience and touring outside the UK
16:29 With non British audience in mind, changes in joke writing?
18:23 Casual racism from English hosts of podcasts Radu went on
20:52 Touring (gigging) in continental Europe
22:21 A released comedy special recorded in Vienna (and another unreleased version recorded in London)
24:41 Difference between UK gigs and gigs in continental European cities
29:57 Running Immigrant Comedy Show and Raduās criteria for āimmigrantsā
34:00 Romanian Youtube usersā comment on Raduās accent
36:09 On Raduās comedy special on Youtube āKeep Coughingā
37:22 On the joke āA vaxxed anti-vaxxerā, Raduās intention and his approach
44:16 Raduās social media
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Given Ireland and Britainās complex history, not least over 700 years of colonisation and dominance and the most recent thorny issue of Northern Irelandās border during Brexit negotiation, what does a comedianās Irish accent represent in the eyes of British audience?
There are in fact quite a few Irish comedians in the UK. Peter Flanagan is our very first guest, as in addition to his identify of a professional club comic, he is also a column writer for The Irish Times, documenting his views as a Irish diaspora living in the UK and his witty take on British politics.
Peter talked about the most memorable heckle from an English woman that was akin to a racist mime, what an idealised Irishmanās image would be and how he got used to the British publicās lack understanding in the bilateral history or even just Britainās own history (and geography).
Follow Peter on Instagram and facebook
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram
An example of Peter's column in The Irish Times (note that there's a paywall)
Kuan-wen was singing a jingo for Sheila's Wheel (click for video on Youtube) - a commercial for car insurance aimed at female drivers in the 2000s.
00:47 Intro
03:01 Out of numerous Irish comedians in the UK, why Peter is invited
04:33 An Irish accent too strong for some yet not strong enough for some
05:53 The perception of a āDublinā accent in Ireland
07:23 Not just one accent in Ireland (and stereotypes of a generic Irish accent/Irish comedian)
09:06 A memorable racist meme heckle
11:54 Irish used to be the main group on the receiving end of racist attitudes in the UK
13:24 How Peter feels as an Irish comedian in the UK? Is it fair to compare Anglo-Irish relationship with that between Taiwan and China?
17:42 The sweet Irish accent for BBC and the idealised Irishman - Terry Wogan
20:52 Different expressions of humour: between a column writer for The Irish Times and a club comic
24:51 Making stand up comedy informative or even using it to educate the audience?
27:18 British publicās lack of understanding of their own history and indifference to Ireland
30:11 For all the Nazi jokes British comedians make, whereās the British Empireās South African concentration camp joke?
31:40 How Peter won over Brexit-supporting audience?
34:41 Learning to be himself and not liked by some on social media
40:04 City comedy vs rural comedy
43:18 Difference between Irish audience and British audience
45:09 Peterās social media
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Name a stand up comedian whoās like the ambassador of both the English and French cultures? Many of you probably think of her bright pink hairs straight away. Yes, you have Tatty Macleod in mind, and she really has been given the title of an honourary ambassador for the British Council and was invited to host the alumni day by the French embassy in the UK.
THE Anglo-French (or Franglais/ Frenglish) stand up comedian and social media star is well known for her hilarious online sketches on observations of both cultures in both languages. Her debut comedy hour - FUGUE - sold out its entire 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival run. The subsequent tour has sold over 10,000 tickets and counting, with the continental European leg now extended to 2025. This includes four nights at the Soho Theatre and two nights at Clapham Grand in London as well as three nights at ThĆ©Ć¢tre des ateliers in Paris - with three more nights at ThĆ©Ć¢tres des variĆ©tĆ©s in Paris booked in this May.
Among Tattyās 600k+ followers across Instagram & TikTok, many are nomads themselves who are attracted to what Tatty personifies as a Third Culture Kid - a fluid identity and multilayers of heritage, accompanied by bi- or trilingualism. Born in Zimbabwe to British parents and raised in France by her ethnically Scottish/Welsh but culturally English mum, Tatty talks about code-switching, fine-tuning her accent to fit in and how accent, languages become intertwined with emotions and her identity in this fantastic episode.
Follow Tatty on Instagram
Tatty is on Tour in Europe in 2025. Check Tattyās website (click here) for tickets.
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram
00:55 Intro
02:04 A true bilingual guest and how she thinks accents reflect oneās life journey
04:35 Coming to terms with a tinge of an English accent when she speaks French now
06:36 Moving between countries - a quick summary of Tattyās childhood and adolescence
07:41 Accents, languages, identities - and a sense of belonging
10:39 A very subtle accent but visual clues of a non French person
14:30 How Kuan-wen learned to speak French and dislike Parisians
15:40 Choosing what language to speak in v.s. being rude to foreigners?
21:09 A Third Culture Kid; a bicultural upbringing
23:41 People remain determined to ask Tatty to pick a side (between her dual cultural heritages)
26:48 Tattyās specific fan base
30:18 What did this question/terms of phrasing ālike we say in French (Comment on dit en franƧais)ā imply?
34:07 Are the cultural nomads an ultra niche group?
36:17 All identifies are relative; shall we say British or English?
39:17 Tattyās diction when she speaks English; an accent from a time capsule
43:30 Changing oneās accent to fit in
44:54 Jokes/comedy sketches based on stereotypes grounded in reality
46:32 Tattyās debut solo show (currently on the European leg of the tour)
49:31 Nearly didnāt do the comedy sketches online
52:00 Tattyās social media
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! This is a one-off monologue (without a guest!!) before 2024 comes to an end. But hey. monologo(s) do also mean stand up comedy in Spanish and Italian.
This episode covers the 2024 Spotify for Podcast unwrapped to share with the listeners data of your consumption of this Podcast this year, supplemented by statistics from the podcastās hosting platform. There is in addition a mid-point summary of season 2, with a roadmap of episode recommendations for different types of listeners.
Your host Kuan-wen then shares the original idea of the podcast, his thoughts on guest invitations - maybe a bit of frustration, too - and his recent experience of studying and brushing up his *Taiwanese for a podcast interview.
*For context, the use of Taiwanese is in constant decline in Taiwan owing to past government policies, with ever fewer people from younger generations being able to master it. Its circumstances are comparable to those of Welsh and Irish.
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram
Follow Comedy with an Accent on Instagram
00:33 Reasons for a no-guest episode
03:59 Alternative idea of the host of the podcast turning into the guest for a one-off (nah)
05:45 Outline for this episode
07:44 2024 - Season 2 mid-point review and some stats
08:45 Season 2 episode recommendations (based on the type of listeners)
17:08 Data from 2024 Spotify for Podcasters Unwrapped
18:30 More data on Podcast consumption from the hosting platform
24:50 The idea behind Comedy with an Accent since the launch - a moving Venn diagram
27:51 Criteria for guest invitations/selection
31:34 Kuan-wenās apologies for occasional grammatical and pronunciation errors
34:04 Kuan-wen prepping for an interview conducted entirely in Taiwanese
38:17 Thoughts on producing the monologue episode
40:34 How much discussion about languages should be included in the podcast?
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
North Macedoniaās proudest export to the UK and so far the only North Macedonian comedian performing professionally on the UK comedy circuit, Vlad has appeared on BBC Stand Up for Live comedy in 2021. He took home various awards wins from Comedy Store London King Gong, Up The Creek Comedy Clubās One To Watch and The Stand Up Comedy Clubās āGet Up, Stand Upā competitions.
A sizeable chunk of the interview was given to explain why North Macedonia ended up being called North Macedonia, after years of appearing as FYR Macedonia in Eurovision, why āMacedoniaā can be a tricky name to claim. Vlad explains his reluctance to spend more time on this point due to the general lack of awareness about his native land by the western word. We also explore the wider dynamics of the Balkons region and between the ex-Yugoslav neighbours and how this interacts with comedy.
Vlad also points out the double standards when Little Britain is pulled off the shelf, there is little outcry when it comes to Borat. We talk about employing stereotypes as tools for comedy and why ignorant depiction of foreigners continue to get by.
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00:40 Intro
03:09 Some introduction about Vladās native North Macedonia and why there is a āNorthā before āMacedoniaā
07:03 People know little about other parts of the world why Vlad is tired of having to explain his nationality
10:46 Explain your accent at the start to build a relationship with your UK audience
15:26 The odd gig when the immigrant label irritated the audience
16:10 Could comedic exaggerations be taken as misleading factual statements?
19:22 How true are these jokes? The Serbian aunt boycotting Sex And The City joke and the Taiwanese army joke
24:05 Being the only comedian from your country on the UK comedy circuit
25:37 Is Macedonian just an extension of Bulgarian?
32:17 The Balkan discussion
34:21 Nostalgia towards Yugoslavia
37:35 The āBoratā question
44:27 Growing out of early jokes based on foreign stereotypes
48:25 Vladās social media
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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Āæsabias que todos los meses se hace un show de monĆ³logos de comedia en espaƱol en Londres?
One half of the masterminds behind the popular Comedy Por Favor show, Sergi Polo returns to talk about how the idea of a comedy show in Spanish in London came about and why the brand has been a massive success in the Spanish and the wider Hispanic community - with every single show sold out in advance since the first show two years ago.
With performers from Spain, Latin America and Spanish-speaking Anglophones and the mirroring audience, a Comedy Por Favor show is always a hodgepodge of conviviality and joy (and a bit of a chitchat). As everyone in the room is guaranteed bilingual person, this creates a supportive atmosphere if anyone struggles to speak Spanish at any given point.
Sergi also shares his insight and the uncertainty he still questions himself performing in different languages to crowds in different countries. The same question is extended to his online output in English as well as Spanish, where Sergi has grown his followers substantially since his last episode two years ago.
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Sergi and Sorayaās podcast (in Spanish) Los de Londres
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00:49 Intro
02:22 Why is Comedy Por Favor - a comedy show in Spanish in London - so popular? (compared to other comedy shows in foreign languages )
05:57 How the idea of Comedy Por Favor was born
06:37 The trial runs/practices in Barcelona before the first show in London
08:40 Kuan-wenās Casio watch disrupting the interview
09:32 Warm reception by the Comedy Por Favor audience
10:54 A show that makes the audience feel they are transported back home
12:12 The chitchatty Spanish-speaking audience
14:22 Misunderstandings between Spanish spoken in different countries?
16:17 Hoping to attract more Latin American audiences
19:17 Spanish-speaking native English speakers who go to Comedy Por Favor shows
22:09 A supportive audience for non-native performers
doing comedy in Spanish
25:43 Jokes based on ideas that are funny more easily translated
27:34. Sergi learned English through performing comedy in English
28:51 Puns and comedy in different languages
29:38 How to estimate the market size for a Spanish comedy show in London? How many Spanish speakers are out there?
30:55 To create a community rather than pursuing bigger venues for bigger shows
32:11 Doing comedy solo shows/specials in different languages
37:29 A TV interview in Catalonia
38:10 Doing a show in Catalan in London on Saint Georgeās Day
39:29 Differences between Spanish audience in London and in Spain
41:40 Sergiās Social Media; Los de Londres podcast
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Our third ever guest from England hails from Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire. For listeners interested in the numerous accents that exist in the UK, the Hull accent is considered one of the most distinct accents.
Louise Atkinson has provided the tour support for Live at the Apollo stars Sarah Keyworth and Esther Manito and her solo show āMatesā won the Amused Moose Best Debut Show at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023.
A proud northerner, Louise talks about what makes the Hull accent distinct, which has been named as the sexiest accent by TimothƩe Chalet. As the podcast now boasts more listeners outside the UK, the conversation goes into great length explaining the North v.s. South divide in England and the relevant but not entirely identical class divide in the society.
Louise talks about the local pride - Hull was selected as UK City of Culture in 2017 and has widely been seen as a tremendous success story.
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Louiseās podcast Be Fairy Afraid on Spotify; Be Fair Afraid on Apple Podcast
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If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
01:05 Intro
03:57 Louise hates it when people from south of England question her accent
05:20 Fellow. Comedians mocking Louiseās accent
07:45 Adjusting her accent overseas in a corporate job
08:45 Accents and classism in the UK
11:20 North vs South divide in the UK
13:40 A world famous actor from Yorkshire
15:33 Northern England vs South England is not always working class vs middle class
16:52 Proud of being from Hull
18:44 āI HATE peopleā but perceived as āaffableā because of a northern accent
21:25 The Hull accent is the sexiest accent per TimothƩe Chalamet in the UK; what influence makes the Hull accent distinct?
26:25 Who gets to joke about Hull being the backwater?
26:50 UK City of Culture 2017
28:54 Self-deprecating a British trait, not necessarily just for the Northerners
29:34 Performing across the UK and knowing audience from different parts of the country
32:40 The āWaitroseā audience
36:10 A few more random facts about Yorkshire and Hull
37:52 Louiseās social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Donatas Kveselys is the second Lithuanian comedian featured on this podcast. This episode, however, feels half-dedicated to the Kingdom and the people of Sweden, for Gothenburg, Sweden is where Donatas currently lives and where he started performing stand up comedy (in English).
Donatas is a London Comedy Store Gong Show winner. He also secured the 3rd spot in the Roast Battlesā 2024 International Western Division League table.
Having already left his Eastern European homeland Lithuania to move to Sweden for work, Donatas gave stand up comedy a go in his adopted country where the majority of population do not speak English as their mother tongues (but are known to proficient English speakers). Talking about layers of cultural and linguistic code switching!
Donatas discusses how he got to understand the reserved Swedish folks inside out from a foreignerās perspective. He talks about doing Swedish jokes for Swedish crowds - If you donāt know already, you should definitely google āSNUSā and āSWEDENā - but also explains why he is now travelling and gigging elsewhere in Europe for a broader reach.
Content warning - from 34:47 onwards there's a brief mention of suicidal feelings as part of a discussion on anxieties
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01:02 Intro
04:12 A Lithuanian comedian performing English stand up comedy in Sweden
05:18 An East European accent
07:13 The odd foreign performer who performs in English at Swedish comedy shows
10:18 Lithuania in Swedish peopleās eyes
12:57 Dissecting the āChernobyl Survivorā joke and Lithuanian stereotypes
16:21 Lithuaniansā views of HBOās series Chernobyl being shot in Vilnius
19:20 A white comedian with a foreign accent vs a Swedish comedian from ethnic minority backgrounds
23:45 Lithuanian as an East European language but not a Slavic language - itās a Baltic language
25:11 Swedish people in Donatasā words
28:30 Jokes for Swedish audience only; āSNUSā in Sweden
30:41 Travelling around to perform to difference audiences
32:03 What does Donatas like about performing for the Swedish audience
33:10 Bad at imitating his comedy idols, finding his own voice
34:47 Penchant for dark humour
37:35 Returning to his home country to perform in Lithuanian?
40:09 Donatasā social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Winner of the prestigious So You Think You Are Funny competition in 2023, Samira Banks is a bright new star making waves on the UK comedy circuit. Her trademark jokes include her familyās journey fleeing their homeland as refugees. The crowdās laughters are often raucous but some sensitive souls amongst them also pull their faces wondering. āAre we supposed to joke about refugees?ā
On stage, Samira refers to her heritage as a broad āfrom the Middle East.ā She never specifies which specific country that is. This question thus forms the central discussion of this episode and explains why in the episode title, both her mother tongue and her native country remain unspecified.
Growing up in Germany and moving to the UK for work, Samira is another guest with an international accent that is hard for others to associate it with a specific place. Samira shares her familyās stories and why a reunion of her extended family would turn into a mishmash of accents.
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If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
00:58 Intro
03:58 An international accent that is hard to pin down
06:58 Picking up multiple languages growing up
08:31 Why Samira chooses not to specify her home country when performing
13:09 Family history of fleeing and becoming refugees settling in different western countries
16:51 A closely-knit family and the eldersā funny views on romance and marriage
18:39 Between the English language, the German language and her mother tongue
19:48 German speakers refusing to see Samira as German
20:50 Some other complaints about German speakers
23:50 German v.s. British
25:22 Samiraās past naive assumption of anyone with accents from the north of England
27:04 Middle class refugeesā āprivilegesā
29:29 Difficulties of handling refugee experiences as comedy materials
31:52 What does Samira think about her position telling her parentsā life experiences?
35:59 Samiraās social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
How do you perform and progress on the comedy circuit, when you as a native English speaker already moved to an Asian country where the population does not speak English as their mother tongue (and there really isnāt much stand up comedy going on)?
Such is the story of Sam Yarb, co-founder of the leading comedy club in Taiwan - Two Three Comedy Club äŗäøåå. Sam started by arranging road trips to cities and towns of all sizes on the East Asian island to target the scattered English-speaking expats. Gradually, along came the Taiwanese people.
As stand up comedy becomes more popular and the Mandarin scene outgrows the English scene, Sam becomes the instrumental figure in bringing international acts to the island and connecting the English performers with neighbouring Asian countries.
We hear from Sam how he manages a comedy club in a foreign land and Samās observations on the local Taiwanese v.s. expat audience
The Firelight Chat podcast episode with Sam quoted in this episode:
On Apple Podcast
On Spotify
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Two Three Comedy Club on Facebook
Two Three Comedy Club on Instagram
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If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
00:44 Intro
02:51 Samās accent
05:03 How Sam started performing comedy in Southern Taiwan (a short Northern v.s. Southern Taiwan debate)
06:36 Comedy road trips in Taiwan
08:51 Audience make-ups in small Taiwanese towns and tailoring materials
10:57 A self-deprecating American comic in front of a Taiwanese audience
15:50 Expat v.s. Taiwanese audiences
19:56 Taiwanese approaching stand up comedy shows with curiosity
23:07 Taiwan - China relations as comedy material?
26:12 Expat audience in Taiwan v.s. US audience
26:57 Nationality comparison based comedy materials
28:34 Being a comedy promoter/producer in Asia
30:31 How the small town gigs are organised and promoted
31:31 Writing all funny ideas that come to mind and making selections later
35:03 Samās Social Media and 23 Comedy Club in Taipei
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Polish stand up comedian Kat Nip is a Berlin-based but globe-trotting performer. She runs her own comedy show in Berlin but is also a regular at comedy clubs in London, including the popular Top Secret Comedy Club.
Winner of London Comedy Store gong show, Kat Nip has written for and acted in Comedy Central Polandās āMini-Mockā series in 2022 and 2023. She has also appeared on Arte and Buzzfeed UK.
Having lived half of her live outside her native Poland, Katās native slavic sound is quite hard to detect. Yet her accent morphs where she moves to, so she ends up with a funny scenario of a faint German accent even if she does not speak fluent German.
Kat also shares how changes in her health and lifestyle led her to reflect on her comedy materials and directions as well as her stage persona.
Kat's comedy special "Traitor" can be seen on OUTtv
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If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
00:37 Intro
01:51 Guessing Katās nationality based on her accent
03:45 A Berlin-based polish comedian who lived in the UK and almost everywhere, hence the confusing accent
07:45 Ending the podcast policy
09:41 Unfiltered
10:34 Polish stereotypes
12:45 More of a Berlin girl than a Polish lady on stage?
15:25 Quit drinking but continuing to do a show about jokes on drinking
19:00 Moving on from the easy jokes
21:53 Traumatic experience of performing in Polish to the kind of Polish crowd that made her leave Poland
24:46 Specific type of fellow Polish netizens that are easily offended
28:13 Is the āPolish builderā stereotype still valid?
31:12 Katās journey and why she left her village
32:48 Difference being a Polish comedian between London and Berlin
35:03 Comedy reflecting lifeās changes (moving on from typical Berlin expat lifestyle)
39:14 Just live your life the way you want
41:43 Why choosing āKat Nip (presents)ā as stage name?
43:49 Hastag gross food on Instagram
45:07 Katās social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
As one of the founding members of Becomedy - a comedy show production team in the English as well as Italian languages in both Italy and the UK - Tiziano La Bella is a stand up comedian performing professionaly in both languages. He has appeared on Comedy Central Italia and Amazon Prime and only just recently relocated from London back to his home town Rome. Tiziano came to the UK with a clear objective to hone his craft, at a time when there simply wasnāt much stage time for stand up comics - Italy was not yet familiar with the concept of modern stand up comedy and would confuse it with their traditional cabaret. (He definitely did not come for the British weather and sky!)
As a result of the migration of Italians in the UK, Becomedy has been able organise stand up comedy shows in Italian in London and Tiziano has performed more frequently in Italian in recent years, leading to more gigs booked in his native Italy. Tiziano has made use of what he learned from English stand up to shift more focus on performing in Italian and eventually decided to move back as the stand up comedy scene in Italy is now fast growing.
On the eve of his relocation, this podcast invited Tiziano to talk about his accent which carries a hint of Australian English, his creative process in both languages and how he dissect the audience into four different groups. We also talked about the Italian stereotypes and how the Italian accent is the endless bottom of the joke, even though Tiziano does not find doing accents particularly offensive.
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00:46 Intro
04:14 An evolving accent and now a hint of an Aussie accent
08:03 The W-word between British English and Australian English and how Americans and British audiences perceive the C-word differently
10:56 Foreign/minority comedians doing accents on stage?
12:35 Young Italiansā improved English fluency
15:13 Italian stereotypes mined by influencers on social media
16:43 Choosing the funny-sounding words and the formality level of words
20:06 Weird Duolingo scenarios
21:13 Italian immigrants not necessarily able to improve their English fluency
27:05 Forced to use English regularly during Erasmus and starting to perform stand up comedy
29:54 Start of stand up comedy journey and how Tiziano never intended to settle in the UK
32:06 Returning to Italy; shifting to content and performance in Italian
35:19 The reality of living in Roma (Garbage collection) v.s. garbage collection in Taiwan
36:07 āIs this joke about Chinese offensive?ā
37:50 Italian accent being the only accent everyone is comfortable with doing
42:10 Not having a stereotypical Italian appearance (based South Italians)
44:23 Differences between performing in different languages to difference crowds
47:47 BeComedy with Italian/English shows in the UK and in Italy
49:17 Tizianoās social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Our first returning guest is Singaporean comedian Sam See, previously featured in Episode 25 of the first season.
Since the last recording in January 2023, Sam has uprooted himself and relocated from Singapore to the UK as - in his own words - he has reached the ceiling in Singapore. Sam shares his gentle criticism of the comedy audience in Singapore.
Sam also just finished supporting Ed Byrne on tour in 17 locations, including some well-off towns and some run down places. The bulk of this episode focuses on Samās approach to perform as a newly settled immigrant act in these small English towns in front of audience that are predominantly old and white.
Sam is at Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year (2024) with two shows:
The Asian Comedy Showcase
Sam See: And I Can't Feel at Home in This World Anymore
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If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
00:44 Intro; why Sam is invited back
03:37 Sam moving from Singapore to the UK
05:04 The tour - opening for Ed Byrne
06:53 The reason Sam swapped Singapore for UK
08:54 Has Sam considered US or Australia instead?
09:40 First time Sam living on his own
13:17 How Sam was asked to be Ed Byrneās tour support act
15:48 More on the actual tour
16:46 Winning over an older, predominantly white audience
19:32 Research fun facts before arriving in a new town for performance
28:16 Some British cities/towns with tricky pronunciations
29:35 Audience demographic
31:00 Singaporean audience trained Sam to always write generally
33:00 Example of Sam employing local references in his jokes
34:19 Samās own touring plan
37:45 Samās shows at 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and his social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Marjolein Robertson is a Shetlandic comedian, actor and storyteller. She was Scots Speaker of the Year in 2022, ranked number three in The Listās Hot 100 as one of the top Scottish cultural contributors. Hey 2023 Edinburgh Fringe show āMarjā also received award nominations and was one of the best reviewed show at the Fringe. Technically, Marjolein is this podcastās second guest from Scotland, but same with every other island, Shetlanders see themselves as Shetlanders first and Scottish second.
The interview largely revolves the concept of āknappingā. The verb āto knapā for Shetlanders means to change the way you speak to accommodate the listener, as you do not expect the listener would understand your original way of talking. It is an equivalent to code-switching, but the process is probably more automatic when a Shetlander meets a non-Shetlander. It explains Marjoleinās accent shift as she performs and gets interviewed down south.
We also talk about how Marjolein weaves Shetland folktales into her comedy and takes advantage of general audienceās ignorance when it comes to her native island.
This is probably the episode with the densest discussion on linguistics and cultural identity to date; it is therefore slightly longer.
Marjolein is performing at Edinburgh Fringe this year! Her new show āOā is at Monkey Barrel The Hive at 17:40 daily (except Aug 12th). Reserve your tickets here.
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00:48 Intro
03:10 On Shetland and islandersā identities
06:34 How Shetland is indicated on a map
09:41 Marjoleinās comedy CV & her Wikipedia page
11:34 āKnappingā - a Shetlandic word meaning changing oneās way of speaking to make oneself better understand for the other person
15:51 Marjoleinās āAmerican voiceā v āShetland voiceā
18:48 How Marjoleinās accent shits on stage
21:40 New movement in Shetland - the āNo Knappingā badgeāāā
25:15 Shetlandās extinct old tongue āNornā
26:53 āScotsā as a language tangled with Scottish independence
28:53 How A Faroese man - Jakob Jacobsen - helped preserve evidence of the old Norm language
30:37 Audience in England knows Shetland even less than Scottish audience
33:04 Marjolein plays with peopleās ignorance when it comes to Shetland
38:50 On her Shetlandic not being ābroadā enough for some fellow Shetlandās
46:29 A Storyteller
52:44 Marjoleinās 2024 Edinburgh Fringe show āOā
54:31 A poem in Shetlandic
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
[ An earlier upload of this episode at 7am (GMT) on Tuesday was the unedited recording by error (now deleted). The correct edited version has been re-uploaded. ]
Making headway to big comedy clubsā paid spots within two years of arriving in the UK, Blank got into almost all the major Comedy New Act Competition finals and collected gong show wins like a dedicated Pokemon player collecting the Poke gym badges.
āBlank is an incognito bilingual stand-up comic,ā so goes her comedy profile on some of Londonās top comedy clubsā websites. It is not by accident sheās named Blank; itās a deliberate choice of a stage name to keep her quite literally incognito - for understandable reasons, given part of Blankās stand up incudes commentary on her native China. Your host to this day does not know her full real name in Mandarin.
Blank shares a more nuanced picture of her home countryās censorship on the burgeoning stand up comedy scene, how comedians work with the script pre-approval compliance requirements and why places like her more obscure provinceās scene allows more leeway.
Having started performing stand up comedy in Mandarin first (and already doing very well), Blank is one of the fewer guests of this podcast who did not start performing in English. Instead, she had to transition into an English stand up comedy performer. She talks about why her Mandarin and English jokes are separate and why she is happy to stick to just English stand up comedy in the UK, despite the growing number of Chinese students and immigrants.
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00:57 Bonus episode in Mandarin
01:25 Intro
02:24 A Chinese national considered having a Taiwanese accent?
04:00 More British than American influences
05:31 Unsolicited feedback on her accent from audience members
06:12 Mandarin stand up comedy performer before English stand up
08:34 Coming from a āthird-rateā Chinese city
10:54 Comedy New Act Competitions and Gong Shows
13:40 Comedy censorship in China
22:12 Turning into a more unique performer in the UK
23:17 Separate comedy materials between Mandarin and English stand up
24:56 Blankās stage persona in Mandarin stand up
26:29 Ethnic minority comedy performers and hack jakes
31:05 Blankās racially self-deprecating jokes and the principle of fairness
32:20 No longer performing Mandarin stand up in the UK
35:51 Why āBlankā?
36:40 Why āBlank404ā for Instagram>
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Describing her accent as āa beautiful messā, comedian Micky Overmanās show āThe Recipeā was amongst the best reviewed shows at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023. The excellent show is now free for viewing on Mickyās Youtube channel and forms the basis of this interview.
Micky has one of those accents of a proficient non-native English speaker that not everyone can work out what her mother tongue is. Despite this, unsolicited advice still found its way to Micky, that she should play up her foreignness and even present herself as a Dutch clichƩ on stage.
Except it is clear to Micky she does comedy for herself and wants to be herself performing comedy rather than a caricature. Micky was fed up with notion that a person could be largely definite merely by their nationality, she even wrote a show to mock this idea in 2018.
But Mickyās latest critically acclaimed show does quite the opposite. āThe Precipiceā has little to do with her being Dutch. It has to do with her thinking about mental health, motherhood amongst other subjects that most other millennials would be wondering. The writing is sharp; the humour is universal.
Watch Mickyās show āThe Precipiceā
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Micky will perform at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2024 with a new show āHold Onā. July 30th to Aug 25th (no Aug 13th) daily at Monkey Barrel The Tron at 5:50. For Tickets, click here.
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00:43 First Impression of Mickyās accent
02:19 Intro
05:35 Everyone interprets Mickyās accent differently
07:40 Mickyās accent shifts based on the people she talks to
08:35 Mickyās opting for British pronunciation in her comedy sets for jokes to land
10:38 Deliberately mispronouncing words to make them funnier
12:55 Why would someone pretend to be Dutch? On national stereotypes
15:55 Foreign comedians SHOULD use their āothernessā?
21:11 Practicing not to over-introduce herself in the 2023 show
25:07 Micky in English not having the same perceptions by others when speaking Dutch
26:38 Mickyās critically acclaimed 2023 show āPrecipiceā: her worldview through how the jokes were structured
28:22 Mickyād turns of phrase
30:48 Show not tell; trust your audience and do not talk them down
33:23 Comedy writing as music
34:02 Enjoying being dumb, not taking herself too seriously
35:36 Micky performed in a deadpan style at the very beginning
37:14 Mickyās 2023 show Precipice on Youtube
37:25 Micky at Edinburgh Fringe in 2024
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Guido Garcia Lueches is a theatre maker, actor from Uruguay. His one man show āPlaying Latinxā - though categorised as Theatre rather than Comedy in last yearās Edinburgh Fringe - packed in so many jokes that it was probably funnier than many shows under āComedyā had to offer.
To be fair, the show was also marketed as āHalf stand upā, but to its creator, genre is not something heād bother. Itās whether the audience gets his intent that counts.
The show weaves in multiple Latino stereotypes and is first and foremast silly. But beneath the silliness and stupidity lies a message that is mostly definitely political in nature. The show was based on all the audition experiences Guido had to endure over the years. All the exaggerated characters were roles Guido were asked to perform as and if he is lucky, typecast in.
When Guido speaks in English without too heavy a Spanish influence, he was instructed to ājust do your accentā even though he was speaking with his accent. Then he realised what the casting directors were after, dialled up his Spanish tongue, got one Mexican drug lord role after another one of a sexy pool cleaner.
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00:41 Intro
02:26 Kuan-wenās poor knowledge about Uruguay
05:04 Guidoās accent in English that he is not sure how to describe
07:13 Wrong prepositions gives Guido away
08:40 The standout characteristic of Guidoās accent
10:50 Facing questions about his accents from British people
13:06 Singer, Actor, Comedian and Dramaturg
14:51 Guidoās show āPlaying LatinXā
16:30 Idea of the show coming from bad audition experiences
19:36 Different accents featured and changed in the show
22:40 āCould you just do your accent?ā
24:09 The industryās attitude towards a needed foreign accent
27:30 In a perfect world, how would people know a small country without stereotypes?
30:16 Why humour is crucial to Guidoās show design
34:15 What if the audience doesnāt get the irony? What if the jokes reinforce the stereotypes instead?
37:41 Silliness and drama; theatre in the UK as observed by Guido
43:36 Why LatināXā ?
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
In Philippās comedy set, he likes to open with āHi, my name is Philipp. I come from Austria, America and Slovenia.ā In real life, sometimes Austrians do not see him as Austrians (He left Austria at the age of four), Slovenians may not seen him as Slovenians, Americans might find something a bit off about him. Those Americans not familiar with an English accent might even think his accent is English.
A breakout star turned a regular at many best known comedy clubs across the UK, including The Comedy Store and Top Secret Comedy Club, Philipp could be mistaken as another American act who moved across the pond, whereas he in fact grew up in Slovenia but went to an international school and studied in English. It is only after he became an adult he is catching up with his Slovenian fluency with the help of a private tutor, motivated by a bit of regret.
Philipp shares how he feels not being tethered to one specific place and your host Kuan-wen describes him as an American born out of Europe. He talks about his belief in an international approach to his comedy, based on his own experience of feeling alienated at a comedy show in Edinburgh Fringe. He also talks about finally feeling at ease with himself, embracing the goofiness and silliness and becoming a better performer as a result.
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You can order Philipp's Comedy Special on line
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If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
00:48 Intro
05:23 Why Philipp was not invited to appear on Season One of the Podcast
08:56 Americans who treat family heritage as ethnicity
09:33 Growing up in Slovenia speaking English and German only (no Slovenian)
15:30 Whereās home? No where is Philipp tethered to
24:14 When did Philipp drop his middle name on stage?
26:18 An international approach to stand up comedy, not making any audience member alienated
29:05 How Philipps has changed as a performer since 2018
34:02 Producing student radio show at Royal Holloway University
37:37 Being comfortable with oneās true self
42:55 How to deal with the sense of not belonging anywhere
44:26 Philippās social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Best known as the mischievous private investigator on Channel; 4's Joe Lycett's Got Your Back, Mark Silcox is an accomplishment stand up comedian in his own right, even though he claims not to be a very ambitious comedian himself. For comedy "is just a way of spending time with friends"
Apologies for the delay in publishing this week's episode
Mark's distinct deadpan and at times anti=comedy style makes him many comedians' comedian.
Mark talks about not being listened to or taken seriously by students in his semi-retired day job as a supply teacher, also the only immigrant in his own family - after thirty years, he still feels fresh off the boat. Both push him to grab the microphone on stage so that he feels listened out.
In the last six minutes of this episode, we dive into Mark's childhood as a middle child with eight siblings. We then learn why this trained scientist and teacher is catching up on the fun he could have had and should have had but missed from the distant childhood.
Mark Silcox's really name is not Mark Silcox. The initials are AA. If you want to find out, you got to listen to this episode.
Follow Mark on Instagram, and Twitter
If you are going to Edinburgh Fringe this year, Mark will bring his show "Women Only" for the first two weeks of the Fringe this year (Aug 3 - 18) at PBH - Voodoo Room at 2pm. See info here.
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
00:47 Intro
04:02 Not just an Indian accent - Markās unique way of speaking
07:10 A supply teacher that students do not listen to
08:20 Mocked by students but refusing to change his accent
12:26 In the world of comedy, Markās accent is his USP
14:24 Markās distinct style performing stand up
16:21 Opening line to address the accent
18:12 Private Investigator on Joe Lycettās Got Your Back
20:15 Not relying on facial expressions
23:27 First gen v second gen immigrants
28:26 Comedy just a hobby to speak time with friends
30:34 Comedy offers freedom of expression (and the chance to wind somebody up)
33:45 Inventing a new identity
37:13 Childhood experience
42:18 Upcoming 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Show
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Alice Frick is a comedian, writer, producer originally from Vienna, Austria, who is also the show runner of "Laughing Labia", an all-female line up comedy show and one of the longest-running LGBTQ+ comedy show in London with a loyal following.
Alice talks about the articulation lessons she has been having and how her English went from American-sounding to more obviously German when she decided to switch to British pronunciation. We also learn why Alice is happy to go with the Alpine Milk Maid stereotype and why certain stereotypes about Austria seem to be based on an element of truth.
This episodes concludes on The Anti Self Help Book written and published by Alice, a body of work that mocks the self help book genre (as pointed out by Alice, there's no regulation in publishing a self-help book) while gathers Alice's otherworldly thoughts, jokes and anecdotes.
Alice's Anti Self Help book can be found on Amazon (Kindle version/Paperback)
Follow Alice on Instagram and Youtube
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If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
00:45 Intro and some German grammar chat
02:27 A comedy show in German in London
04:43 An Austrian having a dig at Germans
07:42 Two immigrants complain about the English greeting āHow are you?ā
11:45 Aliceās Articulation lesson
17:56 Some tongue twisters
18:26 Accents and actor casting
24:17 Laughing Labia - an all Female line up comedy show
29:06 Unsolicited feedback from fellow Male comedian
33:57 A stronger accent on stage
40:34 Alice's more subtle humour outside the "milk maid" character - The Anti Self Help Book
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Comedy powerhouse Arielle Souma is the very first French guest on this podcast after more than thirty episodes (FINALLY!). Unapologetic, unfiltered and oozing āI donāt give a f**kā energy, Arielle is known for her commanding stage presence and her punchy, intense and impactful comedy delivery. Arielle talks about keeping her English simple and accessible, thus easier to understand for non-native English speakers in the audience. Also, some of those long words are just too pompous for her liking.
Arielle also talks about how English works better for her rhythms as a language than her native French. The cheeky French comic claims it makes sense to pronounce various words Ć la franƧaise, since thatās the origin of those English words. Unless itās words like paedophilia that requires a bit of phonetic precision.
As a mixed-race black woman raised by a white French family, Arielle talks about her hilarious over-compensating ātrying to be more black than blackā phase in the past. Surprisingly, the UK black comedy circuit does not particularly welcome her with open arms, just because her blackness does not fit in the several archetypes. She may be too confusing to tick a box for the industry and too saucy for the mainstream media, but if you are a London comedy club regulars, chances are you will get blown away when Arielle rocks up at the show.
Follow Arielle on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter
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If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
01:08 Pre-recording chat (trashing Ivorians and Nigerians)
03:07 Intro
04:43 Unfiltered and blunt
05:54 A French accent and using it
09:49 Arielle prefers her name pronounced in English
10:30 Opening a comedy set by addressing the French accent
11:29 An African identity in addition to the French identity
12:45 A black girl raised by a white family
16:11 How Arielle raised her son to be proud of the colour of his skin
17:03 Pros and cons of a French speaker learning English
18:26 What kind of English pronunciation does a non-native speaker pursue?
20:12 An example where Arielle had to correct her pronunciation to ensure the audience understand her
22:09 Keeping the words used simple
25:04 A boxing-like comedy rhythm
27:13 On swearing
31:21 Racism in France v.s. in the UK
39:06 Being othered on the black comedy circuit in the UK
42:36 Too spicy for mainstream media?
46:14 Running a French comedy show in London
48:58 Arielleās social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Gino Christofaro is the podcastās first guest whose home city is not indicated in the episode title. He simply cannot name one.
Being an embassy kid, Gino never had a childhood home like many of us do.
Gino has been featured on Comedy Central Germanyās Roast Battle and is a now TV writer in both English and German for Comedy Central, ZDF, Paramount+ and Amazon.
Born in SĆ£o Paolo, Brazil, Gino was brought ābackā to Bonn, Germany then moved with his parents to Saudi Arabia, Argentinaā¦. just to name a few. Not in once place has Gino stayed for more than three years. He had one year to make good friends, another year to enjoy the friendships only to lose those friends later. Now Berlin-based, Gino identifies more with New York that dominated his childhood TV and where he started performing (but he is not even an American to call NYC home).
A running gag in this interview is how Gino pays so much attention to his hairs, which your host mocks as a āFirst World Problemā. But the hair issue runs deep and reflects the childhood anxiety of a constant outsider always trying to fit in a new environment. The āembassy kidā journey forged Ginoās unique cadence in his mother tongue and influenced his approach to stand up comedy and to the audience.
Gino is going on tour in April! Check out Ginoās shows here
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If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
00:42 Intro
02:16 What is his name āGinoā short for?
03:11 A German Brazilian (of Italian descent)
05:54 A New York English accent and a āweirdā German accent
08:13 Ginoās hair issues (one key theme throughout the interview)
10:18 On Ginoās Jersey/New York accent again
10:52 A little rant on Little Italy, Italian New Yorkers, Albanians
14:25 Why Gino was constantly during his childhood
16:15 On Ginoās hair issues again
18:57 Where does Gino consider to be home? Berlin or New York?
20:17 An identity-less guy, a German perceived to be faking American
22:31 Identity-less or little traits of all different places?
26:06 How much does Gino have to explain his identity at the start of his comedy set?
28:26 Ginoās German-ness questioned
29:27 A comedianās attire and audienceās expectation
32:03 From anxious comic to not caring about what people think
39:20 Sadness and depression and how itās reflected in his comedy (and social media)
45:23 The German (language) comedy scene
47:21 What Gino represents as an English comedy performer
52:27 Does liberal Berlin give Gino a false sense of comfort?
54:20 Ginoās social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
This is a special episode recorded in Mandarin with our Chinese guest Jamie Wang from last week. For the non-Mandarin-speaking guests, our regular episode in English will be updated next Tuesday April 9th at 7am. ļ¼It's the normally bi-weekly schedule so this bonus episode does not come at the expense of regular English episodesļ¼ļ¼
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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
How do you perform stand up comedy when half of the audience sees you as the enemy at worst, or not knowing what to think of you at best, in a language that is neither your or the majority audienceās mother tongue?
Given the complex relationship between China and Taiwan, how does one position herself when they are known as āThe Chinese comedianā in Taiwan?
Jamie Wang is a student from Shanghai, China, who came to Taiwan for her master degree but became the rising star of the relatively small English stand up comedy scene on the predominantly Mandarin- and Taiwanese-speaking island. She opened for Atsuko Okatsuka when the latter paid Taiwan a surprising visit in May 2023.
Jamie talks about audience lowering their expectation on the performerās language fluency in a non English-speaking country. She also shares why she is determined to give voices to two otherwise two-dimensional groups - Chinese people in the eyes of Taiwanese (even though she does not want to be pigeon-holed as the comedian who bangs on about politics between China and Taiwan); Asian women in the eyes of caucasian male expats. If those white expats can be so demeaning to Asian women when they tell English jokes in Asian countries, why can't Asian women return the favour?
*For Mandarin speakers, there will be an additional episode recorded in Mandarin to be released on Tuesday 2 April
Follow Jamie on Instagram
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If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
00:41 Intro
01:59 How Jamie learned English through an (French langugage) exchange programme in Belgium
03:34 How different types of audiences perceive Jamieās English and her accent
06:45 Whether Jamie reveals her Chinese identity at an English stand up comedy show in Taiwan
08:57 Taiwanese audienceās mixed attitude/hostility towards Jamie as a Chinese performer
11:00 Jamieās stage persona and the real-life Jamie
16:24 āYou are the ONLY Chinese person I like!ā
17:21 Jamie joking about the white male expats in Asia
19:44 āIs my * bigger than the Asian *s?ā
22:02 Taiwanese peopleās ability to laugh at themselves
25:39 One trick pony - if a comedian is only known for a āthingā
27:31 Where does Jamie go from performing English stand up comedy in Taiwan?
29:09 The comfort of performing in a second language; free from judgment
30:56 Jamie v.s. her social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Could you ever imagine no longer having a fixed place you call home, not even having a storage space to keep your belongings, that you are just constantly on the road, crossing borders at times, moving from one city to another?
Such is the life style of Victor Patrascan, a truly nomadic comedian who has been on the road since 2020, all for his love for performing stand up comedy. In 2022 alone, he has traveled to 27 countries across 2 continents and performed in 70 cities.
In the first episode of this podcastās long due second season, your host was reunited with this old friend of his when Victor came to the UK for a few shows. Well respected by his peers, Victorās line was quoted by three other guests from foreign backgrounds, all of who were previously featured on this podcast:
āBefore I came to the UK, I was just a guy. Now I am a Romanian.ā
Victor used to be a London-based act, until despairs caused by Covid lockdowns energised him to sell his belongings and start travelling and performing in continental European countries. He now performs to a mixture of local and expat crowds, although the majority of them are not native English speakers.
In this episode, Victor talks about the differences between his old days of gigging in the UK and now on the road. There is a significant amount of disagreement between your host and Victor in this episode, as they have varying views on the boundaries of stand up comedy. But what they have in common was to agree to disagree agreeably.
Follow Victor on Instagram Victor is touring, find him when he comes to your town
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If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
00:43 Prelude - explaining why the episode is released late
01:33 Intro - chitchat
03:19 Victorās home town; Romanian immigrants in Europe
05:51 Whereās the line when you mock and criticise another country?
07:40 Agree to disagree agreeably
09:51 A comedian who is constantly touring
12:25 Is there a trade off being constantly on the road?
14:54 Proud of his own accent, āThis is who I amā
18:55 Having to explain his accent and heās Romanian facing the UK audience in the past
21:31 Fair game to mock someoneās accent at a comedy show?
30:43 Racism faced in continental Europe for being Romanian; some credit to the UK
34:05 Ever feeling lonely on the road?
36:14 Now performing to other foreigners
38:55 Difference of use of English between continental European and UK audiences
42:53 Crowd work (audience interactions) - social media clips
49:01 Ultimately itās about being funny
50:42 Victorās social media
51:04 Both people on the left and right sees Victor as if he had horns
52:31 Being funny and/or being philosophical
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Comedy with an Accent is back! Sorry for the prolonged break but we are back with another fun season, First episode will be out at 7am (GMT) on Tuesday 12 March. See you then!
One of the fastest rising stars selling out venues across European cities, Sri Lankan born Vidura spent his childhood, his teenage years and his young adulthood in small chunks of time in different countries, Vidura is a globe-trotter. To him, Berlin sometime feels more like home than Colombo.
In the final episode of the first season of this podcast, Vidura is our perfect guest to illustrate how conventional definitions of "homeland", "mother tongue" no longer make senses to the globally mobile young population. An accent that cannot be easily located.
Having lived in the United States and reading mostly in English, at times Vidura feels like English is more like his most fluent language, similar to lots of young immigrants who move to big cities for a brighter future, better career and a fun life, Unsurprisingly, these are also the bulk of Vidura's dedicated audience.
A thinker and a prolific reader, Vidura sheds light on his cultural commentary approach to comedy and why he only write jokes that he has emotional attachments to or from ideas he has been mulling over in his head.
Follow Vidura on Instagram and his website
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If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
00:54 Intro
02:45 The infamous Rajapaksa family in Sri Lanka (no relations to Vidura)
04:02 Viduraās weird mixed/ Netflix accent
05:37 Sinhala and other languages in Sri Lanka
06:59 Moving between USA and Sri Lanka and Viduraās first language
10:46 Do British people ask Vidura about his accent?
12:31 Viduraās audienceās profile
13:49 Viduraās unique perspective because of his life journey
15:16 Too foreign to be a Sri Lankan
17:40 Wanting to leave Sri Lanka
19:54 More on Viduraās connection with Sri Lanka and Colombo
22:47 Berlin feels like home
23:57 Not tailoring material too much
26:18 View on South Asian comedians doing the āaccentsā
29:24 Cult leader look and chilled energy
31:02 Only talk about things he actually cares about
34:38 A habit of reading
35:17 British people trying to seem smart
36:30 Viduraās way wit words
39:51 Telling jokes as minority/an immigrant
43:26 Viduraās high-quality video clips on Instagram
46:38 Viduraās website and social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
When you host messaged Dan about the interview at the start of this year, he replied that he was still on the move after leaving Russia. He could not be sure where he will have a legal paper to stay. It's a weirder than ever time to be a Russian comedian, especially one who dared to joke about Putin's height in his comedy special. Dan followed his instinct to be come a 'travelling comedian'. Travelling or exile, depending on how you see it. In deciding to leave Moscow, Dan ditched a successful career as a stand up comedian back home. Even though it was still possible to continue to perform in his mother tongue for the overseas Russians, Dan decided to convert himself to an English stand up comedian. He did have to start over again but in his own words, it can be a chance to re-invent himself from ŠŠµŠ½ŠøŃ Š§ŃŠ¶Š¾Š¹ (Denis Chuzhoy) to Dan The Stranger. ---------------------------------Follow Dan on Instagram His stand up special (in Russian) released in September 2021 that was mentioned in this episode Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter---------------------------------If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com------------------------------------------------------------------Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Schalk Bezuidenhout was tour support for Trevor Noah and won South African Comics' Choice Awards' Newcomer and Break Through Act of the Year. This episode was recorded in May when the South African star brought his show to Soho Theatre in London for a 5-day run, filling the room with South African expats and local Brits alike.
Schalk explains the stereotypes attached to Afrikaans and talks about how Afrikaans speakers are often on the receiving end of jokes in South Africa, how the Afrikaans accent can be made fun of, Nevertheless, comedy serves as the unifying factor for the multi-racial post-Apartheid South Africa by creating a shared experience
When gigging abroad, the white South African label used to lead the audience to automatically assume the comic has got to be racist, so much so that a disclaimer is required. Schalk explains how things are changing and why he would always identify himself as an Afrikaans South African rather than just a South African.
*Apologies from your host in this episode as he mispronounced Afrikaans by omitting the "S" at the end on a few occasions.
Follow Schalk on Instagram and his website
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00:50 Intro
02:28 Afrikaans as a language (vs. Modern Dutch)
05:54 Schalk prefers performing in English
08:05 Languages in South Africa
09:28 South Africansā less privileged passports
12:30 Schalkās accent / comedy being one of the unifying factors in South Africa
16:11 Schalk performing in front of other ethnicities in South Africa
18:07 How Schalk was āforcedā into learning English
19:29 Picking on English South Africans
19:59 Needing to warm up to switch to English
22:04 A party for South Africans (other guests welcome)
23:50 Changing words and slangs in the comedy set
25:39 Different approaches for gigging in different cities
28:36 A Public school is a Private school in the UK
29:34 People tend to ask āwhereās your accent from?ā
32:45 Afrikaans as oppressed (Anglo-Boer war) or oppressor (Apartheid)?
33:24 Comedy audience automatically assumed white South African comedians to be racist
36:30 The Afrikaans South African performer rather than just South African
38:41 South Africans in the UK more homesick than those in Australia
41:21 How many South Africans there are in the UK
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Having only started performing comedy in the UK in 2021, Joshua was crowned winner of So You Think You Are Funny in 2022 and bagged another win at London Comedy Store gong show. He was finalist at BBC New Comedy Award 2022 and nominated as Best Newcomer by Chortle. The Southern India's native came to the UK for a corporate job and he only took up a comedy course to get better at communication doing his corporate job, These achievements and credits were unintended. Equally unintended is his understated, still and measured stage delivery. Joshua claims he is just trying to remember his lines! This episode inevitably covers a few big topics as our chilled and composed guest is incredibly intelligent and eloquent. Joshua explains the opening line about his accent he dislikes and how he has had to go the extra mile to convince others that some Indian boys really are called Joshua. ---------------------------------Follow Joshua on Instagram and YoutubeJoshua's work=in=progress show at Top Secret Comedy Club in London on 17 July 2023 - ticketsFollow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter---------------------------------00:38 Intro02:43 Why is Joshua named Joshua? Anglo Indians or Indians who converted to Christianity?07:49 Joking about his Indian accent he didnāt think he has;========= a school that focuses on English education11:02 To āperfectā oneās accent?12:09 The āBank support accentā joke15:00 āSorry my name is not brown enough for youā18:47 Joshuaās languages20:14 Languages in South India20:52 North v South in India21:59 Colourism; racism without the race24:44 Joshua on colonialism30:11 A subdued, still style of comedy delivery (that is unintended)34:25 Not staging a fake Indian accent35:56 Joshuaās upcoming shows and social media----------------------------------If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com----------------------------------Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Our very first Portuguese guest is comedian Jomi Cruz who radiates tons of youthful energy and resembles a junior Eurovision contestant. Jomi shares how he acquired a quasi American accent that is not good enough to fool Americans but just enough to trick some Brits.
Jomi chats about the few stereotypes associated with Portugal for British audience but the one bad joke about Madeline McCann* that is sure to put punters off but 1 out of every 5 new open mic comics tempts to do.
Sounding not typically Portuguese but more certainly camp, the fashion-forward and even androgynous-dressing Jomi explains how he learned to embrace his accent, his campiness through therapy. The episode was recorded back in January but the overlap of its release date with the renewed reservoir search for Maddie REALLY IS CONINCIDENTAL.
Follow Jomi on Instagram and his London comedy night - Comedy Freaks
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If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
00:50 Intro
02:22 Madonnaās time in Lisbon
03:03 Where is the name āJomiā from
03:57 What does Portuguese sound like?
04:27 Jomiās fake-ish American accent
09:22 Not an obvious Portuguese accent vs hack immigrant comedy
12:08 Junior Eurovision vibe
13:08 Starting his comedy set stating he is Portuguese
14:42 Hating the way he spoke pre-therapy
16:28 Embracing his campness
22:00 Therapy and change of attitude towards his way of speaking
23:26 Rejected by toxic masculine male punters due to his dampness?
26:08 Jokes about Madeleine McCann
30:28 Portuguese typically good at foreign languages?
32:52 Being nice and The changing Portuguese mentality
34:55 Jomiās social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Evaldas could have stayed in his native Lithuania and earned much more from doing comedy. After all, he started performing at a critical time in Lithuania when anyone who decided to perform was almost automatically a professional comedian.
Instead, the hopeless romantic fan of stand up comedy came to the UK and started again from bottom of the barrel - doing open mic gigs all over the place to work his way up. All these because he saw a visiting pro and concluded he had to leave to get good.
Your host Kuan-wen reunited with his victor - they both participated in a new act competition in Manchester in 2019. Your host came second; this episode's guest was the rightful winner.
Evaldas talks about how he worked on his English to soften the accent and how he gets annoyed when the audience make notes of his accent rather than focusing on his jokes. He talks about the "East European" label as seen by audience in the UK, as most Brits know very little about his home country.
You will also hear Evaldas' nuanced view on comedy sketches on social media, including his own ones, and the use of social media for comedians in general. Apart from comedy, the discussion also includes his take on the legacy of Russian/Soviet occupation in Lithuania
Follow Evaldas on Instagram and Youtube
Evaldas also produced a very interesting documentary on his experience of participating in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as a new-ish comedian. See the documentary here.
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter
00:53 Intro
02:11 Evaldasā seemingly American accent
04:58 Lithuania and Taiwanās āSmall Country Syndromeā
06:38 Evaldas would rather people focus on his jokes than on his accent (even if it is a praise)
09:01 Private English lessons in the past and continue to work on his English pronunciation
11:16 Being half Russian but not embracing the Russian side of heritage
13:52 Comedy audiences from Eastern Europe
15:36 Russian or English as foreign language in Lithuania
17:34 Why Evaldas moved to the UK (Manchester first, then London)
19:22 Lithuaniaās fast-growing comedy scene
23:31 The regional āEast Europeanā identity
26:30 Not yet addressing a harsh and poor East European childhood on stage
27:26 A preference over American style comedy
30:43 Evaldasā committed approach to comedy sketches on social media
32:17 Social media as a comedianās necessary evil in this day and age
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Described by some as the "mother hen" of Singapore's burgeoning stand up comedy scene, Sam has just performed his solo show "Government Approved Sex" to critical acclaim at this year's Melbourne Comedy Festival.
This episode was recorded at the start of 2023 when Sam returned to the UK after a mini-tour in continental Europe (preceded by a full Edinburgh fringe run last summer).
Sam shares why his mother tongue Mandarin isn't his most proficient language - something that is not uncommon for Singaporeans. He explains how Singapore's language policy means he no longer speaks the languages of his grandparents, which his parents use to openly hide secrets from him.
Sam also provides his insightful take on the differences between audiences in Singapore, continental Europe and the UK.
Due to your host's friendship with Sam, there have been a lot of banters and swear words so apologies for the numerous beeps this episode!
Follow Sam on Instagram, Twitter and his website
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If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
00:52 Intro (Bickering between the guest Sam and your host Kuan-wen)
05:24 Not fluent in his mother tongue - Mandarin
07:14 Singaporeās official language and de facto lingua franca
09:52 Why doesnāt Sam speak any southern Chinese languages?
13:12 International school v Chinese school students
15:23 Samās not-quite-Singlish English accent
17:50 Choosing to focus on stand up comedy in English instead of Mandarin
19:35 Samās role in Singaporeās stand up comedy scene/ opening for Jim Jeffery
21:40 Scottish comedians slowing down when performing in Singapore
22:43 Singaporeās complex relationship with its neighbour Malaysia
24:38 On Singaporeās founding father Lee Kuan Yew
27:43 Differences between comedy audiences in Singapore, continental Europe and the UK
29:19 Samās "Introductory Set"
31:41 Kuan-wenās example of how comedy savvy the UK audience can be
32:42 Samās āIntroductory Setā when performing abroad
36:20 Does Sam always mention he is gay on stage abroad?
38:29 Samās military service experience
41:04 Samās social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Actor and comedian Anne Klein is the first Oscar nominee (In the short film The Red Suitcase) and the first Luxembourgish guest on this podcast. Fluent in English, French, German and her native Luxembourgish, Anne has this amazing ability to switch between languages and disguises her accent(s) to fool inattentive listeners.
Anne talked about being the oddball that is too weird for her small country and her coming of age after she left Luxembourg. The pandemic ironically forced her to move back home for a year or two, but this time round, she managed to find her arty people in the small country of 646,000 people and changed her pre-existing view on her own hometown.
Anne also talked about how Luxembourgish lacks a richer vocabulary because of the people's fluency in languages of their neighbouring countries.
Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, Anne shared how she started her comedy journey and offered her view on actors and comedians not just "picking one lane."
Follow Anne on Instagram, Twitter and her website.
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
01:01 Intro (sound tech guessing where Anne is from)
03:46 Some facts about Luxembourg
05:07 How to pronounce Anneās name
05:49 Luxembourgish peopleās abilities to switch between languages
08:11 English being Anneās language of choice when she talks about her emotions
09:42 Coming of age after leaving Luxembourg
13:48 In London, no one cares about your appearance
(Kuan-wen mentioned Sam Smith's 2023 Brit Awards outfit. For a reminder, see this)
15:27 Do people notice Anne has an accent? How does Anneās accent(s) affect her acting work?
17:57 Anneās French and German (proficiency and accents)
22:08 The Luxembourgish language and how itās used (Students taught in German and French)
25:58 How to say āFour beers, quick quickā in Luxembourg
26:14 People not knowing (enough) about Luxembourg
27:11 Kuan-wen unimpressed by his day trip to Luxembourg
28:02 Anne rarely mentions Luxembourg in her comedy routines
29:27 The pandemic forced Anne to move back home and the difference this time
31:12 A trained actor performing comedy; pick a lane?
34:40 Luxembourg and Eurovision
36:13 Love having her hands in lots of pies
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
This week, your host Kuan-wen would like to introduce the burgeoning comedy scenes in his native Taiwan - both in English and in Mandarin - as an example of how Asia is catching the stand up comedy fever (and catching up!). Since he has not lived in Taiwan for over a decade, the introduction is recorded through the eyes of an Englishman who has spent the last few years first in Shanghai and then in Taipei.
Outside comedy, Adam is a journalist who moved to Asia for work and perhaps for a bit of change of scenery. Then Covid happened and the lucky Adam enjoyed a relatively free year of 2020 in Taiwan. He was heavily involved in the English-speaking "expat scenes" in Taiwan, witnessing the growth of the parallel local scene and even started performing in Mandarin himself.
There are long queues for people who want to sign up to perform. Someone's first open mic gig may be in front of an audience of 180. But, occasionally, you perform to audience who are actually not that fluent in English and are introduced as, "here comes a white dude who performs stand up comedy."
Follow Adam on Instagram and Twitter
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
01:02 Intro
04:08 Kuan-wen and Adam swapped their homelands
07:05 Adamās (West) Yorkshire accent
09:22 Adamās Taiwanese sounding Mandarin accent
12:21 How Taiwanese and Chinese speak differently
13:54 Taiwanās Mandarin and English Open Mic scenes
17:45 Avoiding references not relevant to audience in Asia
20:36 Why did Adam move to Shanghai first and Taiwan later
24:00 Adam spent 2020 Covid free in Taiwan
27:59 Comedy based on East Asian stereotypes
35:05 English comedy shows in Asia and āExpat scenesā
39:08 Adamās social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Our mini Scandinavia tour comes back to Norway again after two recent episodes feauturing guests from Denmark and Sweden. Viggo Venn, previously half of clowning duo Zack & Viggo, is our second guest from Norway.
Viggo trained as a clown at the renowned Ćcole Philippe Gaulier, where he is now a member of the teaching staff. His clowning instinct - a desire to entertain and a persistence to embrace failures ("flops") - meant this recording has been the most chaotic and disruptive to date. But it was fun!
Viggo explains why he exaggerates the "foreign idiot" persona on stage and consequently exaggerates his accent. We also peek into Viggo's journey as a performer - how he ended up training as a clown after coming across Dr. Brown's show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Viggo was not only interviewed but performed throughout this recording. The whole episode is interwoven with two running gags, namely Viggo insisting he and your host Kuan-wen are related due to the pronunciation of their names and that Viggo is not happy another Norwegian comedian (Thor Stenhaug in episode 2) was invited first.
Follow Viggo on Instagram and check out his website for shows and clown workshops
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Episode timeline
00:59 Intro
03:08 How Viggo wrongly pronounces his own name and Viggo starts the running gag he and Kuan-wen are brothers (and went wild)
06:48 A stronger Norwegian accent on stage in the UK to be the āforeign ldiotā
11:45 Are Norwegians more boring?
12:50 Norwegiansā perception of themselves and attitudes towards Sweden and Denmark
15:35 UK comedy audienceās particular appreciation of high brow and silly lowbrow comedy at the same time
16:40 Kuan-wenās observation how Viggo adjusts his accent
18:50 A clown that does stand up
24:37 Viggo being disruptive (AGAIN!)
26:09 How Viggo decided to train as a clown
28:55 Purist believers of stand up comedy
32:46 Zack & Viggo
33:58 Viggo being disruptive (AGAIN!)
39:26 Viggoās social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Evelyn Mok is well known for being the former co-host of the (now retired) Rice to Meet You Podcast and the creative mind behind multiple popular sketches. The Swedish native is also one of the highest-profile comedian of East Asian heritage in the UK, who now spends her time between both countries.
Evelyn talked about how the feeling of being "other'ed in Sweden in her childhood prompted her to mimic a near perfect American accent as an escape. She also shared the cadence employed earlier in her comedy career - partially a remnant of getting out of a stage character and partially her understanding at that time of how funny should sound like.
This episode also includes Evelyn's reflection on her relationship between stand up (more specifically doing stand up in the UK) and depression and why it can be a complex mix. She has prioritised taking care of her own mental health and is now a in better place again to pursue her love for stand up.
Follow Evelyn on Instagram
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review.
For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Episode timeline
00:48 Intro (& some chitchat)
05:19 Where did Evelynās get her near perfect American accent from and why was young Evelyn determined to mimic the American accent?
08:45 Why ethnic minority immigrants are more likely to try stand up comedy
09:55 Can Evelynās American accent fool native speakers?
11:05 When Evelynās Swedish sound slips
13:00 Different Nordic sounds and stereotypes (inc. some Eurovision chat)
16:54 Evelyn might not have to explain her accent but needs to address her background - because of her ethinicty - if she wants to mention Sweden
21:25 Evelynās old ācadenceā - the way Evelyn used to speak on stage - and the character she used to employ
24:58 How āFunnyā sounded to Evelyn
30:21 Depression; how it affected Evelynās stand up
33:12 From a character to a stage persona to finally be her true self
37:44 Evelyn can only manage this American accent
41:07 Is Evelyn more fluent in English than in her native Cantonese?
41:52 Re-discovering her Swedishness and Asianness -
45:15 Looking back on a therapy likeāepisode
47:27 Evelynās social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
āAre you the WHSmith guy?ā Stephen Buchanan is known by strangers these days for his viral sketch clips, shared so widely that heād be stopped and recognised by random people on the street. He won the BBC New Comedy Award in 2018; he is a third of the popular podcast Some Laughs and part of the new generation of comedy talents coming out of Glasgow, a city that has produced exceptional performers from Frankie Boyle, Kevin Bridges, Larry Dean to Billy Connolly.
With one of the most consistent guestās own chuckle rate throughout the interview, Stephen talks about the working class character of Scotland's biggest city and the "Tall Poppy Syndrome" he was taught growing up as a wee working-class Glaswegian lad. Being neither the tallest nor the most capable of playing football or fight, Stephen morphed into the funniest guy in the playground to survive.
Your hosts also asks Stephen about his daft, beta-male stage persona and why he does not go down the incel-pleasing trope of opinionated comedy style.
Follow Stephen on Instagram. or Twitter
Stephen is a third of Some Laugh Podcast with fellow Scottish comedians Marc Jennings and Stuart McPherson
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review.
For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Episode timeline
00:49 Intro
03:40 A viral clip that makes Stephen āThe WHSmith Guyā
06:40 Only having an accent when gigging in London
08:11 Adjusting the accent level depending on the person you talk to
10:03 Did Stephen have his podcast parters think about their accents when recording?
11:57 BBC World Service producer changing Stephenās references for American listeners - a āBinā (Trash can)
15:32 Changing the way he speaks performing outside Scotland
18:37 Changing a working class accent for London centric Upper class audience
21:49 Why has Glasgow nurtured so many great comedians?
24:52 The Scottish mentality - The Tall Poppy Syndrome
27:38 Stephenās akin to Charlie in Always Sunny In Philadelphia
31:50 Joking about his own height on his terms
34:00 Silly mundane stuffs rather than opinionated comedy
38:21 Jokes made funnier because of the accent or only funny because of the accent?
41:12 Glaswegian accent voted the 3rd sexiest accent in the UK
44:15 Comedians free to swear when performing in Glasgow
46:24 Some (obligatory) bagpipe music
47:19 Stephenās social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
"What's your mother tongue?" A simple question.. Cansu Karabiyik, our guest this week, replied, "That's a complicated question. I don't really have a national identity anymore."
As a Kurdish/Turkish Danish citizen who studied abroad first in America then at Cambridge University in the UK, Cansu is an example that national identity and our relationship with a language may not always be straightforward.
Cansu in this episode talks to your host Kuan-wen about how she had to adjust her comedy performing style since moving across the pond from London to New York. With such a complex background, how she selectively chooses bits about her to include in her introductory lines to provide the context for subsequent jokes. Your host and the guest also had a gentle dig at the Cambridge University and the world famous Cambridge Footlights club (hopefully all justified after you watch the video - see link below!)
Cansu debating "Cambridge Footlights have NOT ruined British Comedy" (cringe...)
Follow Cansu on Instagram.
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review.
For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Episode timeline
00:42 Intro
02:14 A Kurdish comedian from Denmark who parents are from Turkey
05:04 Changes to Cansuās accent since she moved from the UK to New York
06:51 British humour v New York audience
12:42 Kurdish v Turkish v Danish, which one is Cansuās mother tongue?
14:22 Kuan-wen draws parallels between his Taiwanese and Cansuās Kurdish
15:23 Cansuās confusing accent to others
17:12 Unconscious bias to link ethnicity to choice of languages
18:35 How Cansu works with her confusing accent performing comedy
21:33 English is a language reserved for comedy jokes
23:10 Cansuās straight talking from Danish and Middle Eastern cultures
25:50 Being āotherāed in Denmark and the Danish Ghetto Laws
30:05 Differences between Kurdish people in Turkey/Iraq/Syria/Iran
32:46 Cansuās Cambridge and Cambridge Footlight experience---------------------------------
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Ahead of the Chinese New Year, we are rejiggling the podcast's format slightly. Our guest this week is Jesse Appell, a native English speaker from Boston, USA who performs stand up comedy in Mandarin and whose career started in China. This reverses our usual format of interviewing non-native English speakers who perform English stand up.
Known as č¾ę°č„æ in China, Jesse has performed on Chinese TV and apprenticed over 7 years under the late Chinese Xiang Sheng* Master äøå¹æę³ ļ¼Ding Guang-Quanļ¼Having started as a Fullbright scholar researching Chinese humour and performance, Jesse has an astonishing command of the Chinese language and has in your host Kuan-wen's view picked up a lot of mannerisms of a typical Chinese speaker from Northern China.
Jesse shares his experience of performing in front of Chinese audiences. He explains how he has had to adapt to their expectations, when anything he covers risks being interpreted as "What an American has got to say about China"
The pandemic also unexpected forced Jesse to move back to the States, a situation that he described as "being an exile in my own country" and "no one else would believe except for the Chinese Immigrants"
A bonus episode recored in Mandarin will be released on Chinese New Year's Day 21 Jan.
*Xiang Sheng is a traditional performing art in Chinese comedy. See more on Xiang Sheng
Follow Jesse on Instagram or his Youtube Channel. If you use the Chinese Weibo, you can find Jesse as @č¾ę°č„æ
Jesse's tea business has a separate Instagram account
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review.
For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Episode timeline
00:53 Intro
02:14 UK vs āEuropeā? Or Rest of Europe?
03:32 Jesseās impeccable accent (Beijingers like) when he speaks Mandarin
07:27 Back in USA, Jesse having to deal with Americansā lack of knowledge in China (including Chinese Americans)
09:30 Forced to move back to USA by accident - exiled in his own country
11:33 Jesseās assessment of different comedy crowds
14:43 What Jesse can and canāt say as an American performing in China
17:04 When an audienceās expectation of a comedian is not neutral
18:42 Chinese not used to meeting caucasians speaking fluent Chinese in real lives
21:55 Jesseās tea business and coming to the Baltic states and to the UK āen routeā
25:54 On differences between Asians and Asian Americans; on āCrazy Ex-Girlfriendā, Margaret Cho, āFresh off the Boatā and the Vietnamese character Dong in āThe Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidtā
34:03 Audience not bothered by Jesse doing a thick Chinese accent
34:45 Different personalities when different languages are used?
38:52 Advocating doing comedy in a foreign language
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Blwyddyn Newydd Dda! The first episode in 2023 took your host to the Land of Song on the British isles - Wales. Steffan, more often in his Welsh tongue, is a Radio host, TV presenter and household name in his native Wales. Steffan also performs throughout the UK in English, a language he only became fluent in his teens.
The Swansea native's love for his culture and his langue is evident throughout this interview.
Steffan shared how he thinks in Welsh, how his skills at translating between the English and the Welsh languages help him deal with occasional glitches on stage and why he is fed up with lazy jokes about the Welsh language. So fed up is he that he wrote a whole show mocking the English language - those lazy "jokes" are not about Welsh but simply about a language you don't know.
Follow Steffan on twitter, Instagram or join his Facebook group
Steffan's Rats in Boilersuits: The Torchwood Podcast
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter
Kuan-wen mentioned a set from the Welsh comedian Rhod Gilbert and the Welsh singer Browen Lewis.
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review.
For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Episode timeline
00:50 Intro
02:09 Rhod Gilbertās comedy portrayal of Cardiff
02:51 Growing up copying the Received Pronunciation accent; English fluency only in his teens
07:48 Thinking in Welsh; mastery over English as second language
11:09 Occasional glitches
12:55 Autism and accents
15:04 When the comic forgets a specific English word
16:33 Translating skills (The Welsh Language Act 1993)
18:59 An example of a glitch
20:57 Just admit you forget the word
22:53 Tougher gigs to perform to Welsh audience
30:28 Less stereotypes and more nuances for home crowds?
32:28 Audience shouted Sheepshagger
34:04 Accessibility to home culture and mother tongue
39:23 First show at Edinburgh Fringe Festival was secretly about languages
45:00 Battles to save the Welsh language
46:16 What is a microwave in Welsh?
46:53 Steffanās social media and podcast
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Bon Nadal! Feliz Navidad! Our last guest in 2022 is our third Spanish-speaking guest - also the podcast's first Catalan speaker - the self-titled "Lovely Boy From Barcelona" Sergi Polo.
Fresh from being nominated for the prestigious Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year, Sergi is a regular at the popular Angel comedy in London who is known for his snappy, sharp and witty gags. Just check his Instagram page for the reels and you'll get an idea.
Your host Kuan-wen had an interesting discussion with Sergi on their differing views when it comes to mockery of accents. Sergi does not mind it; in fact, he further welcomes jokes and comedy based on stereotypes. He does reveal some of Spain's curious attitudes on racism, legacy of colonialism.
Asian listeners, buckle up; listen in to find out how "Takeshi's Castle (é¢Øé²!ćććå)" is translated in Spain.
Follow Sergi on Instagram
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Episode timeline
00:41 Intro
01:06 Sergio is Spanish (Castilian); Sergi from Barcelona is Catalan
03:24 āMy Spanish accent is beautifulā
07:07 Spanish words written the way they are pronounced and the āAcentoā
10:46 The accent helps Sergi stand out and be different from other comedians in the UK
13:56 No problem having his accent mocked
16:00 Sergiās relaxed view on Manuel from Fawlty Towers
17:00 Catalans like to make fun of themselves
19:45 Spanish fine with the F word or the N word between friends if they know thereās no malicious intent
21:56 Racism in Spain, the Spanish version of Takeshiās Castle
24:12 Franco in Spain; Taiwanese attitude towards a past dictator
27:02 Do younger Spaniards have much less strong accents in English?
29:18 Sergi in fact having a Catalan accent in English
30:02 How the Catalan language is being kept alive
32:38 An example of a joke that is either offensive or based on truth
34:51 Sergiās social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Baby comic Jin Hao Li is still studying at the University of St Andrews, but he already amassed a remarkable win at the legendary Comedy Store Gong Show in London and got through to the final of Chortle Student Comedy Award this year; A fellow veteran comedian described him as "You are a baby who is walking - but you are not supposed to!"
The Singaporean comedy prodigy explains in this episode why he does not carry the usual sound of Southern Chinese dialects like many fellow Singaporeans do. Jin Hao talks about code switching and how his Singlish is only revealed with boys back home.
Even though he adores Singlish and Singlish humour, he is just unable to perform his surreal style of comedy in the Singlish accent and retains instead this "privileged international student" accent.
Follow Jin Hao on Instagram
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Episode timeline
00:53 Intro
05:03 An Atypical Chinese Singaporean who does not have a dialect
08:12 Singlish accent v privileged international student accent
10:55 White British putting on a āBlack-entā
13:17 Learning English through Coca-Cola-lisation
18:22 Chinese Singaporeans preferring a separate label from Mainland Chineses
19:49 Chinese Singaporeans with Southern Chinese heritage (Hokkien v Cantonese v Hakka v Mandarin)
20:46 The Manchurian people and the language (Northeast China)
22:03 Jin Hao confused between āElderlyā é·č¼© and āSeniorsā åč¼© in Mandarin
25:29 Jin Haoās inability to write jokes in Singlish
28:23 The āSpeak Good Englishā Campaign in Singapore
29:39 Why do some people refuse to think of Malaysia and Singapore as English-speaking countries?
35:35 Jin Hao performs in a non-Singlish accent in Singapore
37:33 Moving from China to Singapore
39:58 Jin Haoās social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Your host Kuan-wen describes Freddi as one of the best kept secrets to comedy audience in the UK and the US.
Freddi has been a veteran on the Berlin stand up comedy scene, one of the largest in a non-English-speaking country in Europe thanks to the large number of expats in the city. In fact, it should be two scene"s", since Freddi used to perform both in German and in fluent English and the two only have a limited amount of crossovers. Most expat comedians perform only in English; more German comics perform in German.
When Comedy Central sought localised content across the globe, Freddi got on national TV in astonishing speed, as she and her generation of Berlin comics just got enough experiences at the right place and the right time. Then the pandemic happened and Freddi decided to give up performing comedy in German.
Your host Kuan-wen reunited with the "old friendly acquaintance" of his to discuss her journey and how she made up her mind. Freddi shared her insight into stand up comedy remaining a underground-ish sub culture in Germany for now. Freddi also explains how she finds it difficult to joke about her faith to Germans or to joke about sex club culture outside Berlin.
Follow Freddi on Instagram
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Episode timeline
00:37 Intro
02:36 Freddiās very American accent and its origin
05:51 German colonialism
08:08 Credential to joke about the Nazi grandfather
10:46 The make up of comedy audience in Berlin
14:19 Political Cabaret (Politisches Kabarett) in Germany
17:27 German audience not getting modern stand up comedy
18:59 Why Freddi gave up performing stand up in German
21:49 German audience not receptive of discussing someoneās faith in public
28:13 Changes in Berlinās comedy scene
34:09 Not necessarily easier for the comedian to tell and write jokes in their mother tongue
39:23 Sex club culture referenced in Freddiās Berlin jokes lost in translation in Edinburgh Fringe Festival
43:00 Freddiās relationship with her (ex-) Christian faith
46:53 Is German an ugly-sounding language?
48:14 Freddiās social media and her full German name
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
India's stand up comedy star Sahil Shah has been in this business for over a decade.
He has been at the forefront of India's modern stand up comedy scene and has pretty much grown with the scene. It started with comedy sketches uploaded to Youtube, later packed out live shows. This year, he performed for the first time at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in the UK - including a week at the Comedy with an Accent showcase - and was scouted by Soho Theatre to bring his own show to London.
On the eve of his second night performing at London's Soho Theatre in October, your host Kuan-wen reunited with the energetic performer from Mumbai to record this episode.
Sahil explains how the rich languages and the sheer scale of India give rise up to a variety of stand up comedy scene"s" in different language zones. As an act who performs only in English, he shares why he prefers to have jokes' set ups in English but reveals his punchline in Hindi. He nevertheless adjusts his performance style when facing non home crowds and discusses the difference between the comedy audiences in India and in the UK.
Follow Sahil on Instagram , Twitter and Youtube
Sahil's first comedy special on Amazon Prime Childish Behavior
East India Comedy on Youtube
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Episode timeline
00:44 Intro
06:47 Languages Sahil speaks
10:05 Languages in India and languages switching in Mumbai
11:43 Set up in English, punchline in Hindi
17:55 Different performance strategies for non home crowds
20:53 Mindful of oneās own accent to adjust the speed and to enunciate
24:38 When someone āput onā an Apu accent
28:57 Indian audience clapping at comedy shows
33:31 The stand up comedy scene in India
36:27 Caste and comedy
41:51 Any plan for Sahil to perform comedy in Hindi and/or Gujarati?
42:42 Comedy at its funniest with localism; the bit about the chappal
46:41 Sahilās social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Live at the Apollo star Esther Manito started performing stand up comedy only as recently as 2017 - not to forget we should probably count two years out because of the pandemic. The ex teacher has since brought two critically claimed solo shows (Crusade, #NotAllMen) to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and become the first female comedian to perform at Dubai Opera House.
Describing herself as an "Essex Arab Girl Comedian", Esther is in her own words a chameleon of accents having grown up between mixed and sometimes clashing cultures and social classes. Between an Arabic-speaking Lebanese father and a Geordie mother who switched to a southern English accent at home, Esther nevertheless wears the badge of her distinct Essex accent with pride.
This is the first episode to feature a distinct British regional accent. The Essex accent has an endearing nature but carries the social connotations of being thick and unsophiscated, best embodied by the all-time guilty pleasure reality TV show The Only Way is Essex.
Follow Esther on Instagram or Twitter
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram or Twitter
Esther's hilarious podcast with comedian Lily Phillips: Ghastly Women
Esther started performing stand up comedy as a young mother after she just gave birth to her second child. If you are interested in how Esther balances her family life whilst switching career as a comedian, there is a great episode on the Parenting Hell Podcast by Josh Widdecombe and Rob Beckett. Also recommended is the interview by comedian Cally Beaton on her podcast Namaste Motherfxxker.
Episode timeline
00:57 Intro
01:48 First British regional accent featured on this podcast
03:12 A variety of Essex accents
05:17 A chameleon of accents - Estherās mixed heritage
10:45 What the Essex accent makes Esther feel as opposed to a Posh British accent
12:43 The evolution of the modern Essex accent
13:42 Quirky examples of an Essex accent
19:03 Definition of a āchavā
20:37 Comedy and social classes in the UK - made more complicated by misperceptions of regional accents
23:10 Double standards applied to comedians with different accents on swearing
25:28 Fetishisation of āworking classā
28:39 An outsider in her own home town
31:01 Ranting on stage and a comedic voice of ātirednessā of being a mum/wife/woman
34:49 Two funny arguments between Esther and her husband
38:00 A hardworking comedian that balances the life as a mother with young children
40:21 Discriminatory treatment of women in Kuan-wen's extended family
41:54 The name āManitoā and Estherās maiden name
42:50 When English polite manner only confuses Estherās Lebanese relatives
46:22 Estherās social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
For the avoidance of doubt, President Obonjo is a comedy character created by Anglo-Nigerian comedian Benjamin Bankello Bello.
In clear contrast to the brash, uber-confident and larger-than-life self-appointed African dictator in exile who speaks with a thick African accent, the comedian Benjamin Bankello Bello is a soft-spoken, suburban Englishman who often wears a cardigan on top of his shirt.
Benjamin has stormed his way on to the British comedy circuit as President Obonjo for more than a decade. So convincing is this character that some gullible punters actually believe The Lafta Republic does exist. That is until someone who never got the joke "ousted" him on TikTok.
Benjamin recently started to perform stand up comedy as himself - a process which he describes as his "therapy" as a "recovering character comedian" - and explained to your host Kuan-wen why the character President Obonjo was created in the first place. The character was based on Benjamin's real life experiences rather than just a whim. When Kuan-wen and Benjamin discuss how and why what accent is used, it traces back to Benjamin's personal history, with the untangling of British Empire as the backdrop. You also can't help but wonder that as President Obonjo comes so alive, it seems sometimes he is in charge?
Follow President Obonjo on Instagram
Follow Benjamin as a stand up comedian himself on Instagram
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram or Twitter
If you like the podcast, please like this episode and either follow or subscribe on the platform you use. You can also leave any comments on the podcast's instagram page or. email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Episode timeline
01:11 Intro
06:18 Moving between Nigeria and the UK
08:51 Brought up speaking English as first language in Nigeria
11:17 Benjamin's accent shift after arriving in the UK
14:58 A conscious efforts by other friends to keep their African accent(s)
17:41 Does Benjamin sound British or African?
19:44 Unable to switch off the character or switch between accents
21:30 Differences between stand up and character comedy
25:46 THERE IS NO LAFTA REPUBLIC
28:01 Creation of a dictator character based on real life experiences and extensive research
35:33 Performing to Nigerian audiences and at Black circuit gigs
40:19 Mocking Chinese accent and stereotypes at black circuit gigs
44:14 Benjamin and President Obonjo's social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Fresh from winning the LGBTQ+ New Comedian of the Year in the UK, Victoria was featured in the Guardian (See link to the article) a month after this podcast episode was recorded. Her unique brand of humour is best illustrated by the joke quoted in the Guardian interview, in a love poem to the former Home Secretary in the UK Priti Patel, "I wish I was the Falkland Islands, so you can occupy me indefinitely against International Law."
Outside comedy, Victoria remains a successful business entrepreneur and a SEO specialist.
Victoria talks about how she has to make do with the very limited understanding of her home country when performing in the UK and how she set foot on the comedy path from a corporate career in the financial sector. Kuan-wen also discusses with Victoria how her deadpan and precise style of comedy delivery may be a by-product of her not being as proficient in English as opposed to her mother tongue Spanish.
See Victoria on stage
Follow Victoria on Instagram or Twitter
Follow host Kuan-wen on Instagram or Twitter
If you like the podcast, please like this episode and either follow or subscribe on the platform you use. You can also leave any comments on the podcast's instagram page or. email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Episode timeline
00:52 Intro
02:51 Greetings in Argentinian Spanish
03:16 "Latin America" v. "South America"/"North America" v. "Americans"
05:29 Falkland Islands - Islas Malvinas
07:11 "I sound like a scam!"
11:11 Former life as a miserable corporate robot (see the corporate robot video Kuan-wen refers to)
13:49 Speaking at a corporate event led to suggestion of a go at comedy
20:06 Argentina in Wong Kar Wai's "Happy Together"
20:54 British people's limited understanding of Argentina and the stereotypes
23:30 Tango
27:45 Victoria's stage presence v. her accent
31:28 Different personas in Spanish and in English
34:50 The importance of addressing her foreignness at the start of a gig
37:04 Is Victoria white?
41:13 Buzz Lightyear's Spanish-speaking mode in Toy Story III
42:47 Between Katherine Ryan & Tig Notaro
45:16 Victoria's social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
The very first German speaker invited to this podcast is not from Germany, but from Austria - a relatively small country that produced a range of household names from Mozart, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Joseph Fritzl, Hitler to Conchita Wurst. This small country is also the remnants of the once mighty Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Hubert explains why the loss of the empire creates a visibly darker sense of humour - as opposed to Germans - that is shared amongst Austrians, and how this in his cultural DNA shapes his edgier and dark choice of subjects in his comedy.
See Hubert's performance at Comedy Store
Hubert and Kuan-wen also discussed whether Hubert's incredibly deep voice, coupled with his mild but noticeable German accent, is rather soothing, creepy or manipulative in his comedy delivery.
Hubert's Instagram and Twitter
Follow host Kuan-wen on Instagram or Twitter
If you like the podcast, please like this episode and either follow or subscribe on the platform you use. You can also leave any comments on the podcast's instagram page or. email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Episode timeline
00:46 Intro
01:44 How to pronounce Hubert Mayr in German
02:59 Being a German speaker but coming from (the lesser known) Austria
05:51 "Not a bad accent"
07:25 Austrians having a milder accent speaking English compared to Germans
08:60 Austria v. Bavaria v, the whole of Germany
10:36 Placing Hubert's accent
11:46 Why Hubert describe his accent as CREEPY?
14:06 Hubert's deep, low voice and its potential manipulative quality
21:05 Hubert's darker jokes - comedy coming from a place of pain
22:14 Austrians having a darker sense of humour
24:35 An off-track chat on Schlagers
26:03 The empire hangover and WWII shaping Austrians' sense of humour
29:45 The Sound of Music and Kuan-wen singing "The Lonely Goater" in Mandarin from his boys choir days
33:39 The shaping of modern Austrian identify as an insignificant country after the break up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
36:47 Hubert's autobiographical comedy and why he refrains from criticising the British people
38:42 Laughing at his own (dark) jokes
39:57 Jokes about being Austria or famous people from Austria; jokes based on a nationality
45:57 The catholic upbringing
49:36 Hubert's social media
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
Isa celebrates being "weird" in her comedy approach. She got into the comedy world by accident when she tried to impress a girl - well she did not get the girl, but she did get comedy! The wicked Spanish comedian - 2018 finalist of BBC New Comedy Awards - enjoys sharing the wacky thoughts in her head rather than joking about and conforming to all the worst Spanish stereotypes, against her comedy course tutor's advice.
This episode also includes a heartfelt section of Isa explaining how Spanish women had to endure an unfair and sexiest society well into the 20th century and why she feels compelled to tell the stories of Spanish women who show strong emotions..
Isa's Instagram
Follow Kuan-wen on Instagram or Twitter
Episode timeline
00:38 Intro
02:23 Isa making an effort - sometimes - to mitigate her Spanish accent
05:01 Simple phrases and greetings in Spanish
06:15 How Isa uses an opening joke to adjust audience's perception of her accent and why Isa does not want to THE Spanish comedian who only talks about being Spanish
07:48 A comedy course tutor advised Isa to rely heavily on Spanish stereotypes
09:40 Isa does not wish to make Spanish people the butt of the joke; Manuel from Fawlty Tower
11:34 Isa started to touch upon topics from the Spanish culture more recently
13:23 Isa anglicised her long Spanish name; also, ISA means Individual Saving Accounts in the UK
15:14 How Isa's Spanish accents works in her favour & against her
17:10 UK's social classes in the eyes of foreign immigrants
20:12 Isa rarely performs comedy in Spanish
21:01 How Isa get into English stand up comedy
The character in Fawlty Tower mentioned by Isa is Manuel. If you have a look at the clip, it is quite surprising how far comedy and the society have evolved!
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
https://www.instagram.com/taigenkawabe/
In the second part of interview with Radu, the chat wandered off at times to include the funny geopolitical situation of Romania and how that gets reflected in Radu's comedy. Kuan-wen also delved deeper into the mechanics of Radu's voice and tone and how those embody Radu's comedy style and his worldview.
Radu's Instagram (@radu70mld)
Radu's 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival show "Pandemic"
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram
Follow Kuan-wen on Instagram or Twitter
Radu is the type of performer that is regarded by many fellow comics as a comedian's comedian.
He not only wins over audiences at comedy clubs, his contrarian approach often involves him throwing out ideas and notions that challenge the audiences' worldview. As he lays out his arguments, the unthinkable suddenly becomes so convincing for the audience and then chuckles come along. Radu's comedy is not just funny - it also makes you think. All these are achieved without Radu having to resort to stereotyping his home country.
In the first part of the interview, Radu talks about how he has always been aware that he has an accent either in USA or in the UK, or even back in Romania.
Radu'sInstagram (@radu70mld)
Radu's 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival show "Pandemic"
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram
Follow Kuan-wen on Instagram or Twitter
Episode timeline
00:40 Intro
01:20 Radu in the final of "English Comedian of the Year" competition
04:11 Radu now being aware of his accent when he speaks English - most Romanian people not being aware of their accents
The hilarious interview with Yuriko continues in this episode.
In the last episode, your host Kuan-wen and Yuriko started the discussion of the partial and poor understanding of Japanese culture by western societies. An extension of this is the fetishisation of Japanese culture. Because of some of the terms mentioned in the chat eg Bukkake (ć¶ć£ęć) - and possibly because your host Kuan-wen's mischief - this episode has been marked containing explicit content.
Yuriko's Instagram (@yurikocomedy), Facebook and Twitter (@YurikoComedy)
Yuriko's 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival show Kajiu About
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram
Follow Kuan-wen on Instagram or Twitter
Episode timeline
00:40 Western audience's fetishisation of Japanese culture eg. Hen Tai (å¤ę ). Anime (ć¢ćć”),
(01:18 - 02:19 Yuriko proposes both she and Kuan-wen go to a cosplay event)
02:38 How Bukkake (ć¶ć£ęć) went from a cooking technique to a genre in ... errr .;.. porn. See detailed explanation on Wikipedia
05:07 Kuan-wen explains why the sex noises in Japanese porns are different from those in western porns
06:24 How Mandarin speakers understand the term Hen Tai (å¤ę ) when they read the Japanese writing and why it is not just a porn genre
07:58 Yuriko chose currently not to cover these fetishised Japanese terms as comedy material
11:01 Yuriko's different persona when she performs in English and how Kuan-wen feels Yuriko has become even more anglicised on stage
14:02 Kuan-wen explains why he videotapes every single performance
16:55 On voice actors
17:59 Yuriko performing in Japanese
21:53 How the very different Japanese sentence structure affects how comedy can be constructed
24:04 Why Kuan-wen gave up learning Japanese in high school.
26:44 Yuriko's social media and 2022 Edinburgh Fringe show.
After two episodes centring on European languages, we are back to Asia this week to discuss comedy and foreign accents with the brilliant Japanese comedian Yuriko Kotani, 2015 winner of the prestigious BBC New Comedy Award.
Your host Kuan-wen asked Yuriko her view on the piecemeal understanding/perception/interpretation of Japanese culture by western societies. They also shared their constant struggles choosing whether they should base their jokes on concepts from their respective cultures but are foreign to British audience. Kuan-wen also sang an old Taiwanese Pharma jingo based on traditional Japanese folk music.
The long chat with Yuriko is divided into two episodes*. Part 2 will be released next Tuesday (Aug 2nd) instead of the usual bi-weekly schedule as it is an extended episode.
Yuriko's Instagram (@yurikocomedy), Facebook and Twitter (@YurikoComedy)
Yuriko's 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival show Kajiu About
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram
Follow Kuan-wen on Instagram or Twitter
The traditional Japanese singing style Kuan-wen and Yuriko mentioned is called Enka ļ¼ę¼ę/ćććļ¼ with distinct use of nasal sounds.
For Tokyo Olympics in 2021, they also had similar folk dance music called Tokyo Gorin Ondo ļ¼ę±äŗ¬äŗč¼Ŗé³é ļ¼. See video here.
The one Kuan-wen was singing
Episode timeline
00:40 Intro
01:14 Different titles addressing someone in Japanese -Sanļ¼ććļ¼-Kunļ¼åććļ¼- Chanļ¼ć”ććļ¼
02:04 Japan being Taiwan's former coloniser + Tokyo Ondo ļ¼ę±äŗ¬é³é ļ¼- Japanese Folksong/dance music
05:06 All about the magical Japanese pharmacies
06:49 Yuriko's Japanese accent when she speaks English
09:35 British comedy audience's expectation when they see comedians of ethnic minority background
11:35 Yuriko's addressing her accent and her appearance at the start of her comedy sets
12:38 Kuan-wen addressing the difference between Taiwanese and Chinese first
13:31 Western societies likely to believe they know Japan better than they actually do (example: Oyakodon, č¦Ŗåäø¼; Pachinko ććć³ć³)
18:02 Basing comedy sets on concepts foreign to the audience
21:56 Swearing in English comedy
23:37 Different personalities in different languages
*Part 2 is separated so that the entire interview does not need to be marked as explicit as one episode. (The discussion centres on western fetishisation of Japanese culture)
The effortlessly charming and cultured Italian comic Luca Cupani, who at some point in his life was more fluent in Latin and in ancient Greek than in English, brought the podcast to a new intellectual level that really challenged your host Kuan-wen to keep up. Renaissance paintings and modern art were casually referenced to and our guest thus episode blurbed out proper Latin phrases rather than made-up Harry Potter words "Expelliarmus!". There was even talks of "cassettes"
Meanwhile, Kuan-wen tried to instill the idea of doing exorcism as a side business in Luca's head and banged on and on about pasta.
Luca shared how he was told he looked more Polish or English than Italian, that the marketing people think real Italians are TOO Italian, how he ultimately achieved English fluency - despite the accent - in his adult life after receiving poorly designed English lessons in middle school. There was also an interesting discussion on Italian comedy punters.
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram and email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Follow Kuan=wen on Instagram (@kuanwencomedy) or Twitter (@kuanwen_huang)
Episode timeline
00:40 Intro
03:03 Luca's Italian accent as a result of poor teaching
04:31 Luca being more fluent in Latin and ancient Greek
05:30 UK punters asking Luca to "drop" his accent
07:18 Where do Luca's blue eyes come from
08:41. Notion of how an Italian should look like (11:00 East Asians looking like characters in Mulan more likely to be cast)
13:01. Luca apologised for his accent early on in his comedy career
16:42 Pre-conditioned perspectives; what (some) comedy reviewers expect from foreign comics
19:41 The Italian test: Italians giving so much fuss about pasta (and good food!)
22:21 Differences between Luca performing in English and in Italian
24:39 Differences between UK and Italian comedy audiences
28:03 How Luca re-learned English himself properly in his 20s & 30s and his frustration
31:14 Why Kuan-wen is no longer arsed about perfecting his English pronunciation; how do you pronounce a "HOT DOG"?
32:52 Younger Italians having much lighter accents in English thanks to TV streaming
34:10 Why is Silence of the Lamb translated as Silence of the Innocent People in Italy?
34:57 The non-stop hand gestures
36:14 Luca's multi-layered stage persona and self-deprecating jokes
37:50 Italian Fascism - topics about being Italian that Luca insists on doing
38:56 The pros and cons of the "beautiful" Italian accent
41:40 Luca's 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival show
41:54 Luca's social media
Luca's Instagram and Twitter
Luca's 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival show Happy Orphan
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
https://www.instagram.com/taigenkawabe/
It is not uncommon to name boys after the Norse hammer-wielding god in Norway, but it is a bit weird to use Thor as the first name but also "Odin" (Thor's father in mythology) as the middle name. It does not help that the image of Thor is hijacked by Aussie beefcake Chris Hemsworth, when our second guest of the podcast looks more like a member of a tattoo-free 90s boyband.
[The distorted sound has been fixed]
Thor and Kuan-wen talk about how some other comics feel they have the free pass to mimic and mock his accent and why he thinks he should be OK with it (Should he?); how he was heckled with "Ja Ja Ding Dong" and a new layer of Norwegian identity is added to him after he left Norway for the UK.
Notes for international / non-UK listeners:
A Scouse accent is used to describe how people in Liverpool (Northwest England) speak. Thor did not have much of a Scouse accent, but the way he pronounces "Liverpool" shows the influence of Scouse accent. Thor studied in Liverpool. Drag Race UK season 1 winner, The Vivienne, currently on Drag Race All Stars 7, speaks with a Scouse accent on the programme. As for British comedians, John Bishop and Paul Smith are typical examples of Scouser comedians who are household names..
If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram and email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Episode timeline:
00:40 Intro
01:00 All about the name - Thor Odin Stenhaug
04:37 Thor's Norwegian accent ("Big Summer Blowout!" from Frozen)
05:47 Other comics mimic and mock Thor's accent
09:11 Where "Scousers" got their name from
09:37 Viking rebranding and Hygge
10:24 A layer of identity as "Norwegian" living in the UK
11:40 Scandinavian vs Nordic countries
12:38 Eurovision movie and Ja Ja Ding Dong
13:36 Movie/TV castings that are not accurate (Crazy Rich Asians, Marvel movies)
16:08 For Norwegian people, Thor sounds British
17:43 Tag questions and the use of "innit!?"
18:37 Thor pretended to be English for American tourists
19:30 Is Thor's accent strong?
20:55 Should a foreign comedian ensure every single word they say is understood?
23:23 Thor not putting on a thicker accent impersonating his dad
26:30 "Your English is a lot better than my Norwegian"
28:16 Authenticity on stage
29:23 Being Norwegian - kind of foreign but not too foreign
32:35 Thor's social media
Thor's Instagram (@Thortellsjokes)
Thor and Freya's 2022 Edinburgh Fringe show
Follow Kuan=wen on Instagram (@kuanwencomedy) or Twitter (@kuanwen_huang)
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
https://www.instagram.com/taigenkawabe/
Hailing from Xi-Anļ¼č„æå®ļ¼ , Northwestern China, Chin Wang won the legendary London Comedy Store gong show in March 2021 and has since been on a meteoric rise. Chin and Kuan-wen talked about their occasional 'glitches' switching between English and Mandarin, a veiled constructed criticism on her accent, her move south of Hadrian's Wall from Edinburgh to London and how messing up tones when speaking Mandarin creates confusions.
Leave your comments on the podcast's Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/comedywithanaccent/
(@comedywithanaccent). You can also email your comments, questions to comedywithanaccent@gmail.com
Follow Kuan-wen on
Instagram (@kuanwencomedy)
Episode timeline
0:17 Intro
1:46 Different English spellings of Chin/Qin's name
4:03 Kuan-wen's old English name
4:41 The importance of Mandarin's tones
6:21 Foreigners and Xiang Sheng ēøč²
6:44 Taiwanese people's accent when they speak Mandarin
8:00 Chin: "I have an accent"
8:49 Standard Mandarin v standard English accent(s)
10:02 Chin noticed her accent when listening to her own recordings
12:04 A feedback implying Chin's accent was too strong
13:29 Understanding the Scottish accent
15:26. Chin's comedy journey and her Comedy Store Gong Show win
19:12. Chin's observational comedy and not relying on Chinese stereotypes
21:43. Kuan-wen's attempts at neutralising his accent
22:43 Difficulties in switching between Mandarin and English
24:08. Kuan-wen's accent in his Comedy Central clip
25:12 Chinese Comedy
26:54 Difference in Asian comedy audience
28:29 Swearing is not the same
28:56 Chin's social media
Follow Chin Wang on
Instagram @chinwangqin
Facebook @chin.wang.comedy