Two comedians are bringing their global perspectives to the Philly stage this week, as Bangladesh-born podcaster Shafi Hossain and Iran-born actor-author Maz Jobrani hit the stage at Helium Comedy Club (Oct. 10) and Punch Line Philly (Oct. 12-14).
Talking about his journey from Bangladesh to America and its comedy with stops in the studies of chemical engineering, Hossain said he knew nothing about stand-up when he arrived in the United States.
“Stand-up isn’t a thing in Bangladesh,” he said. “We have slapstick comedy in movies and shows that look daily at the news. There is an inbuilt cultural dichotomy between those two things. After my day job kicked in, I began taking my observations to the stage – first at an open mic night near my school, here – and the initial laughs stood with me. I fell in love with stand-up comedy right there.”
Speaking of fellow South Asian-Indian comedians, Hossain points to camaraderie based on what he called “a void of representation… you get one at a time in Hollywood such as Aziz Ansari, Hassan Minaj. Whenever I see these guys in passing, there is definitely a kinship. We have similar cultural backdrops – like parents who had me pursue engineering. I have two engineering degrees. That’s what we must do to satisfy their need, while doing your own thing.”
While Hossain’s stand-up comedy speaks smartly to that East/West divide, so too does his “Culture Clash Comedy Podcast” which touches on the history of all-things through the West and East perspective.
“Fellow comic Dan Pulzello from New Jersey and I take a topic – food, fashion, current event – and look at it from each of our perspectives, the history of when each of things started.”
With that, though Hossain loves living in the United States, he admits that the news cycle attempts to divide people rather than unite them.
“They’re definitely trying to sell papers or advertising here, but go to Europe – go anywhere – and they always have problems. Once you can go to a comedy club and laugh, despite the differences, is what unites us. I’m in Arkansas now, and I would never have expected to be able to make people there laugh. But I am. Maybe we should all be kinder to each other.”
Maz Jobrani likes to poke fun of bigoted tropes by titling shows with fellow Iranian comics the Axis of Evil tour and writing books such as ‘I’m Not a Terrorist, But I’ve Played One On TV: Memoirs of a Middle Eastern Funny Man.’
Discussing his journey, Jobrani said of his beginnings, “When I first started stand-up, I took a class that encouraged us to talk about what made us different than the other students. I was the only Iranian-American comedian in the class, possibly in stand-up. I began talking about my experiences growing up Iranian in America. Eventually I realized that many immigrants have had the same experience. That’s why I called my 2017 special, IMMIGRANT. I wanted to show that immigrants who come to this country love America and contribute greatly. This during a time of demonization of immigrants by the Trump administration. I wanted to counter that narrative. I believe that most of my comedian friends have always supported me because they see that I’m working hard and I’m part of the tribe.”
However, Jobrani is clear that his razor-sharp observational comedy is broad, touching on issues of family, as well as race. “I don’t think my ethnicity defines me. If you see my show, you will see that I often talk about many other topics… I take on social issues, political issues and family. As someone who has traveled the world several times, I try to bring that perspective to the stage.”
Having been part of the global comic firmament since the top of the 2000s, Jobrani is clear as to how much he still loves the form.
“I love stand-up comedy because it allows me to go on stage anytime I want and talk about what’s on my mind,” he said. “I’ve been doing this a long time and there are some nights when I’m tired. However, once I get on that stage, I feel alive again. You can be funny and make commentary on society or politics: it elevates your game to another level. That’s my favorite kind of comedy and I’m always proud of the art form when I see young comedians making statements.
“That doesn’t mean you can’t have a few fart jokes in there, but if you can be political too, then that’s a double whammy. Speaking of political fart jokes, did you know that in England, the slang word for fart is Trump? I swear! Google it.”
Shafi Hossain will hit the stage at Helium Comedy Club, 2031 Sansom Street, on Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. For informationand tickets, visit philadelphia.heliumcomedy.com
Maz Jobrani will perform at Punch Line Philly, 33 E Laurel Street, on Oct. 12, 13 and 14. For a full schedule of showtimes and tickets, visit punchlinephilly.com
