Comedy with an Accent

• S02E30 Mike Rice, English Speaker - From County Kilkenny, Ireland 🇮🇪

  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 Mike’s inclination for dark jokes, there’s a lengthy discussion why it may not have and Mike’s 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 isn’t afraid of showing vulnerability with an upbringing where he was expected to toughen up.Mike’s podcast: Mike and Vittorio’s Guide to ParentingMike’s special on Youtube: An Irish Disgrace & Nasty Character---------------------------------Follow Mike on InstagramMike’s 2025 Edinburgh Fringe show Mike is going on tour starting from November 2025. See his Instagram for ticketsFollow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram---------------------------------01:00 Intro04:37 People making remarks about the Irish accent05:23 An accent from rural Ireland and the catholic hangover09:24 Mike’s family dynamics11:24 Mike trouble-making teenage years and the school trip to Andorra (Part 1)13:36 A discussion on using “That’s gay” as a punchline to a joke17:09 When does a joke go too far? The intention and the context of a joke19:22 Personality developed to deal with the environment20:45 On doing accents25:05 The school trip to Andorra (Part 2)28:00 Rebellious teenager but also a sensitive soul31:24 Pain and unhappiness in his 20s34:50 Mike’s podcast output35:42 Mike not seen as an outsider despite his accent38:09 From disliking his Irishness to embracing it; an inferiority complex from not being able to wash away the farm smells43:54 An advantage to be an Irish act in metropolitan England45:37 Gigging in continental European cities46:19 Irish descendants47:38 Mike’s use of the English language and the books he read51:19 Mike’s online following and his consistent stage/podcast/real-life persona53:53 Mike’s 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 [email protected]

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• S02E29 Spring Day, English/Japanese Speaker - From Kansas City, Missouri, USA 🇺🇸

  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 （外人, gaijin） in JapanSpring 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 InstagramFollow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram---------------------------------01:12 Intro03:28 Leaving behind her identity as an outsider （外人, gaijin）in Japan05:14 “Just the right level of passive-aggressiveness” in the UK - compared to Japan and the US07:58 Do American comedians have an “accent” for British audiences?09:08 Spring’s aversion to American centralism12:22 Immigrants? Expats?14:02 How fluent is Spring in Japanese now?16:05 A mid-western American accent influenced by Japanese and British expats18:56 Why Spring moved to Japan and started performing comedy in Tokyo?21:18 Spring’s accent when speaking Japanese23:39 The foreign loaned words in Japanese making it harder for English speakers26:56 Performing stand up in Japanese and why some of Spring’s jokes couldn’t translate29:50 How Spring’s time in Japan shaped her stand up and her speech pattern31:41 Onomatopoeia （オノマトペ） in Japanese34:24 All the dark sadness and tragedy in Japanese Rakugo（落語, “fallen words”）, folk music and literature35:58 The tales of two Kansas Cities in Kansas and in Missouri37:49 Spring’s Mid-western accent39:36 A stage character of a rural American?41:57 Living on the same street with serial killers43:59 Caricatures/characters of rural Americans47:06 Some of Spring’d weird experiences in Japan that became her comedy materials50:47 Transition to the UK and finding out who she is outside Japan53:10 London is now home55:04 Spring’s 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 [email protected]

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• 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 Instagram---------------------------------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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