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From
Tehelka Magazine, Vol 9, Issue 40, Dated 06 Oct 2012 |
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| CULTURE & SOCIETY |
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PSYCHOLOGIES |
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‘I frame my jokes according to the audience’
WHO Abish Matthews started doing stand-up comedy in 2009. Currently based in Mumbai, he has performed all over the country with comedians such as Rajneesh Kapoor, Sorabh Pant, Kunal Rao and Tanmay Bhat.
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Abish Matthews, 25, Stand-Up Comedian
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What is challenging about stand-up comedy?
When I crack a joke and the audience laughs out loud, that high is extremely gratifying. But, humour depends from audience to audience. A high-profile crowd isn’t likely to laugh at every joke. Teenagers, however, laugh the most. There is no one set of jokes to be taken for granted.
The most unforgettable stage show of your life?
The best experiences have been college shows, particularly in St Stephen’s and LSR. But, there is one show in Pune that I can never forget. I was just three months into comedy and was asked to do a 40-minute show. Most of it, I made up right there on stage.
What makes a stand-up comedian good?
There are two requirements. First, you have to be ready to take a joke on yourself. Second, you have to work hard for your routine. People who knew me considered me silly and irritating earlier. On stage, they applauded the very things they had found annoying. I have extremely funny friends who cannot perform for an audience.
What has been the strangest audience response?
There is a joke I crack about various languages such as Punjabi, Bangla, etc. Once, a man walked up to me and said that he was Bihari. He was offended because I didn’t joke about his language. If people can take offence at what I haven’t said, imagine how often they take offence at what I have.
Do you censor yourself?
Yes. People say that I do not have a backbone but pleasing my audience is important. I frame my jokes according to them. At a corporate show in Gurgaon, the client asked me not to make sexual or political jokes. I started off with a normal routine but tried one political joke in the middle. The audience loved it. By the end, I pulled off several of them successfully. My job is to read the audience and put on a good show.
Adrija Roychowdhury
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