What’s the biggest occupational hazard of being a popular comedian?
Hot women throwing themselves at me. At one show recently, I even had a mother/daughter combo flash me during the show. Really, ladies, I am married and no amount of your shameless tata flaunting, aggressive flirting or rubbing yourself on me will make me stray. I do encourage you to try your best, however.
Do you look back on your earlier work and wish you hadn’t done some of it?
Comedy is unlike other professions. In medicine, you go to school for years and learn at hospitals before you are actually permitted to do brain surgery. There’s no looking back and saying, “Wow, when I was just starting out, I really sucked at it! Look at all those jagged edges!” On the other hand, in comedy, the audience gets to see all those jagged edges because we learn on the job. So, yes, I watch videos of when I was first starting out and cringe at the string of dead patients. But as comics, we keep growing, so I’ll even cringe at things I did last week.
Most surreal gig?
I once did a show at a birthday party for a dead guy. When I got onstage, I asked the crowd where the birthday boy was and one guy approached me and quietly said, “He’s in the cake.” Being a wiseass, I asked, “Is he going to jump out and say happy birthday to himself?” Then I was informed the birthday boy died the week before and as a tribute, they cremated him and put his ashes in the cake. Gross … I’ve never had Fred Velvet Cake before.
The Kings & Queen of Comedy Asia 2 runs through Oct 29 at the Esplanade Concert Hall.
