To me, the job of comedians is to make people laugh and also to create content which audiences are able to digest without being offended.
To me, the job of comedians is to make people laugh and also to create content which audiences are able to digest without being offended.
This is not an easy task when one considers the vulgarity which is associated with comedy nowadays.
Look at how far some of the top comedians have come even though they have potty mouths and in many cases make derogatory comments about race, religion and creed.
Stand-up legends like Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy, and even my favourite today Kevin Hart, have at the pinnacle of their careers still managed to shock audiences with some of the words they use on stage.
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And although they are extremely funny, one cannot help but think at times if it was really necessary for them to use vulgar language to make that punchline.
Comedians, however, are also considered to be the daredevils of the entertainment industry, so while they are on a tightrope with their content, it is also secretly expected of them to be brave enough to say the things that we all think and feel, but can’t say due to political correctness.
It is this daredevil effect which can create the kind of problem which Material star Joey Rasdien found himself in last week.
Rasdien tried to make a joke, to a Muslim audience in Joburg, about one of the companions of Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) but it backfired.
Now while I don’t share Rasdien’s sentiments, I as a comedian, can understand he was just trying to voice his opinion.
At least now he knows just how off his reasoning was. As we say in the klopse, “dinge gebeur sodat jy moet leer”.
I believe it is important for artists to be open enough to learn from their audiences.
Write your content down and test it. Do not just rock up at a gig and busk it, which I think is what happened with Joey.
It is easier to pick up a mistake if one reads it on paper and it is also important to bounce it off someone.
The scary part for me is, what if Joey did actually sit down and write his jokes, and after reading it, still felt it was good enough to take to the stage?
I myself have experienced gigs gone wrong.
There’s no way you can tell how your jokes will be received, it’s a chance you have to take.
But if it bombs, scrap it immediately from your script.
I commend Joey for tweeting an apology and owning up to his mistake.
Audiences, however, are not always forgiving and the stain will take a while to wash off. Social media is not helping, because some people would comment negatively without even knowing what made this guy the pick of the week.
With that said, may Joey’s story be an eye-opener to all aspiring comedians, myself included, that although comics are the rockstars of laughter, there are some things you just can’t joke about with certain audiences.
Religion, race and politics - these are the three main issues that always end up in a fight, simply because we are all different. This is what I refer to as the danger zones of comedy.
So while the president and politicians are fair game, comics should not assume that everybody agrees with them.
I trust Joey Rasdien will be forgiven in time for his mistake.
But believe me when I say, all comedians walk out on stage with the sole intention to make audiences laugh.
We are human after all and prone to mistakes and when jokes are off the cuff, there’s always the danger it can come out wrong.
And while we worry about Joey, we are still stuck with the Guptas milking our country dry.