THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

When comedians talk shop

When comedians talk shop

We're eavesdropping on funny guy's being serious. Over to you, Chris and Nathan

TWO COMICS walk into a bar. It’s not a bar, says one of them, Chris Wegoda, who happens to be the co-owner – it’s the Comedy Club Bangkok. That’s not especially funny, says the other, Nathan Jaiyeola, who’s big in Cambodia, where they could definitely do with more laughs. 
Jaiyeola was here doing a guest gig. We can’t wait for the punch line.
 
WEGODA: HOW DID YOU LIKE THE BANGKOK SHOW?
JAIYEOLA: It was great! It’s a really great room! It was nice to see there are so many different types of personas and acts and a great audience. Thanks for having me.
 
WEGODA:WERE THE COMEDIANS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT YOU HAVE IN CAMBODIA?
JAIYEOLA:I found they talked a lot more about Bangkok than we talk about Cambodia. Bangkok is such a huge, diverse city, so there’s more to talk about, just like, in New York, you would have a lot more people talking about New York.
 
WEGODA: HOW DID YOU GET INTO COMEDY?
JAIYEOLA: I always wanted to do stand-up. When I was around 12 or 13 I really got into it, and I really liked the old-school comics like Bob Newhart and Rodney Dangerfield, and when I got a bit older I started listening to more edgy stuff like Richard Pryor. I'm not sure who I like best now. I like a lot of different styles but couldn't bame a favourite comedian.
 
WEGODA: NEITHER COULD I! I MIGHT LIKE A SPECIFIC SET, BUT I DON'T TEND TO HAVE FAVOURITES EITHER. IT'S LIKE MUSIC - I LISTEN TO ALL SORTS. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST PERFORMANCE LIKE?
JAIYEOLA: I moved from a small town outside Philadelphia into the city – “for different reasons”, I told my family, but the real reason was to perform comedy. And when I was 19 I finally got the courage to take on an open mic at a comedy club. 
It took me two weeks to develop a three-minute set and I talked for three minutes about terrible things. The host came over and told me no one could hear what I was saying because I wasn’t speaking into the mic. That was my start.
 
WEGODA: AND FROM THEN ON YOU WERE PERFORMING REGULARLY?
JAIYEOLA: I convinced a friend of mine to join me in performing and we motivated each other and started doing more and more shows. I slowed down when I was 24. I think I wasn’t too satisfied with what I was doing and was just burning out.
 
WEGODA: HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO FIND YOUR STAGE PERSONA? THEY SAY IT TYPICALLY TAKES 10 YEARS.
JAIYEOLA: When I moved to Cambodia I started to feel comfortable. I’d taken a break and the longer I was away the more I missed it, always thinking how I would do it differently. But I wasn’t thinking about stand-up when I moved to Cambodia. 
I don’t feel my voice is exactly where I want it to be yet, but I think I’m on the right track.
 
WEGODA: HOW DID YOU END UP BACK ONSTAGE?
JAIYEOLA: I worked with Sam Thomas and heard he did stand-up, and eventually I did my first show. You're very relazed with the audicne. How do you see the relationship of comedian to audience?

WEGODA: WELL, I SEE IT AS A CONVERSATION, A DIALOGUE WITH A FRIEND. YOU HAVE TO BE LISTENING JUST AS MUCH AS TALKING TO SUBCONSCIOUSLY WORK OUT THE CROWD'S RESPONSES. I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT "CROWD WORK", JUST IN DOING YOUR MATERIAL.
ALSO, AS A HOST, THE IDEA IS THAT THE AUDIENCE MEMBERS ARE MY FRIENDS, AND THE COMEDIANS ARE MY OTHER FRIENDS. IT'S A BIG PARTY THAT I'M HOSTING, SO I'M JUST INTRODUCING ONE GROUP TO ANOTHER.
ONE SIMPLE THING IS THAT, IF YOU MAKE THE AUDIENCE LAUGH, STOP TALKING. YOU'VE DONE YOUR JOB! LET THE LAUGHTER DIE DOWN A LITTLE AND THEN HIT THEM WITH A TAG, OR MOVE ONTO YOUR NEXT JOKE. IF YOU TALK WHEN THEY'RE LAUGHING, YOU'RE ACTUALLY TRAINING THE AUDIENCE NOT TO LAUGH, BECAUSE THEY WANT TO LISTEN TO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. BACK TO YOU, DO YOU HAVE A VERY STRUCTURED WRITING APPROACH?

JAIYEOLA: Not very, though I used to be all over the place and now I’m more focused, mixing up different ways of looking in different directions. 
Another comedian once told me, after I’d bombed, “The audience is with you, but you aren’t taking them anywhere.” So I really think about that.

WEGODA: TIME IS RUNNING OUT, WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE NEAR FUTURE?
JAIYEOLA: I want to perform do more touring in Asia, and would love to come back to The Comedy Club Bangkok.

WEGODA: GREAT STUFF, WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU AGAIN!
 

The Comedy Club Bangkok has shows every Friday, alternating between stand-up and improv. 
It’s on Sukhumvit Soi 33/1 above the Royal Oak pub. 
Find out more at www.Facebook.com/ComedyClubBangkok
 
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