Comedy with an Accent

• S02E28 Martin Durchov, Bulgarian Speaker - From Sofia, Bulgaria 🇧🇬

  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 there’s 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 “settled” 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 Martin’s stand up clips in preparation of the interview and noticed the accent shift pre- and post- Covid.Martin talks about the wider “East European” 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 there….Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/kuanwencomedy/---------------------------------01:10 Intro04:14 Citing his accent and foreignness as the opening joke but unaware of the accent at the start08:19 “It’s good to mention obvious things”11:43 Bulgarian stereotypes as an East European country and why it tends to be bundled with Romania19:45 Bulgaria Searches For Talent23:29 Getting requests to do certain jokes24:42 Between jokes and portraying your own country’s image27:00 A gentler and silly stage persona30:58 Martin’s accent mellowed over the years32:22 Not pursuing comedy career progression and not into the social media game37:14 On being the face of one’s own small country41:36 Foreignness does not weigh much on Martin’s mind44:04 Without hearing Martin accent, others not able to work out where he’s from45:28 Not having too many connections with Bulgaria in the UK49:06 Martin’s (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

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• S02E27 Shalaka Kurup, English/Hindi/(Childhood Malayalam) Speaker - From Bengaluru (Bangalore), India 🇮🇳

  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 she’s 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 “friend” at Uni constantly mocking her accent for years. As a first generation immigrant, she is also surprised by the gap between how the British Indians’ 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 Café, 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 InstagramFollow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram---------------------------------01:00 Intro03:25 Not insisting on the correct pronunciation for her name04:30 Hilarious caption typo in Shabaka’s Comedy Central clip05:55 Code switching - Shabaka’s accent changes depending on who she talks to09:48 What do people (in the UK) mean when they say “Asian”?11:29 Shalaka’s different way of speaking at South Asian gigs12:46 An idea of India frozen in time17:03 Attitude towards women also frozen in time21:28 People’s view on India from British Indians vs from Indians25:30 Clownery of your own culture in front of audience that are not South Asian27:33 Shalaka’s light Indian accent is the result of befriending someone racist to her32:05 More self-reflection on her accent34:18 Minority comedians mimicking an accent that is not genuinely theirs39:58 How Schlaka’s ethnicity is used as attack lines during Roast Battle matches42:04 White racism not as hurtful as Indian to Indian racism45:34 Not focusing on being the Indian comic; not pandering50:33 Shalaka’s own memory of India also has a gap with India today55:31 Shalaka’s social media---------------------------------Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

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• S02 Bonus Episode [Recorded in French] En Savoir Plus Sur French It Up ... en français

  This bonus episode (90% in French and the remainder in English) was recorded as part of the conversation with French It Up Comedy Club founder Jeff Vitale, the majority of which was released as season 2 episode 26 in the previous week.-------------------Cet épisode bonus est un extrait de l’entretien publié la semaine dernière avec Jeff Vitale, fondateur de “French It Up” comedy club, où les spectacles se font en français même si le club se trouve à Londres. Pendant un quart d’heure, votre animateur et son invité Jeff ont discuté la dynamique entre les langues, la géopolitique et les identities culturelles lorsqu'une langue est partagée par plusieurs pays. Ils ont aussi parlé de faire la thérapie en anglais au lieu de français. L’entretien original a été mené principalement en anglais (l’épisode précédent) sauf un quart d'heure vers la fin. Cet épisode bonus permet aux auditeurs francophones de mieux comprendre notre invité dans sa langue maternelle (malgré la maîtrise limitée de la langue française de l’animateur).------------------A proper separate episode in French was originally planned, but your host had to concede he's just not that fluent in French to conduct a whole interview. 😅. The short segment in French is therefore released as a bijou bonus episode for the French speaking listeners (which we are not even sure there are that many!)Regular English episodes will resume next Tuesday on May 6th, 2025.

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• S02E26 French It Up - French Comedy Show in London, Jeff Vitale - From Marseille, France 🇫🇷

  “French It Up est LE comedy club français à Londres. Lancé en 2016 par Jeff Vitale, depuis rejoint par Fabrice Edouard Laroche Francoeur, le concept séduit un public francophone de plus en plus large et fait émerger une nouvelle scène d'humoristes français à Londres.”After introducing London’s Comedy show in the Spanish language Comedy Por Favor in episode 19, we turn our attention in this episode to London’s French comedy club “French It Up”, 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 “expat humour” 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 France’s fifth or sixth largest city.---------------------------------Follow French It Up Comedy Show on InstagramFollow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram---------------------------------00:51 Intro02:39 An episode about a comedy show in a foreign language04:47 French It Up audience’s specific sense of humour (expat Francophones)07:36 Work office observations as popular joke materials09:52 French speaking audience does not equal French people11:58 Reasons for stopping bilingual French/English shows15:51 Comedy materials about migration and cross cultural differences17:00 Doubters and continuing to attract non comedy fans19:48 Why French It Up was set up22:57 “Intermittents du spectacle” - French government support for actors24:38 More efforts into organising and promoting shows post Covid27:15 Cross over with English stand up scene? French It Up’s own eco-system of performers30:18 Not to be confused as a show in English (but talking about France)30:53 Where the show name “French It Up” comes from32:00 Jeff speaks too fast for non native French speakers to understand33:04 How fluent one’s French has to be to go to a French It Up show?35:18 The French language’s fluidity and rythmn38:59 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

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• S02E25 Your Host Kuan-wen’s monologue #2 🇹🇼 Learning English v.s. performing stand up comedy in English

  Celiac, dyspraxia, sporran, ricochet, hypochondriac, cheugy, mausoleum, flab… 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 comedians’ 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 “perfect” 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 Intro01:27 Outline for this episode02:22 Reasons for another monologue episode04:01 Learning the English language through performing comedy in English - an analogy06:21 An advantage for non-native English speakers who perform comedy in English07:43 Performing in English forces performers to listen to themselves how they speak09:17 Learning a more natural/wholesome English through doing comedy11:40 Learning about another culture - a wider group of people one gets in contact with12:54 Musicians having lighter accents13:34 Pursuit of specificity in comedy helps grow one’s vocabulary14:35 List of words Kuan-wen learned from other comedians’ comedy sets:celiacdyspraxiasporranricochet (from Ken Cheng)hypochondriaccatharsischeugy (from Shalaka Kurup)mausoleum (from Pete White)flab (from Adam Riley)necrophilia23:48 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 punters28:48 Podcast listener statistics Jan-Mar 202530:58 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

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