Comedy with an Accent

Kuan-wen Huang
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Comedy with an accent - comedy with a different point of view! Join Taiwanese comedian Kuan-wen as he finds out the amusing tales, obstacles and strategies of other non-native speakers who perform English stand up comedy on the UK circuit. We also peek into the comedians' foreign upbringings and cultures, how they approach the English language, how they switch between languages and any random anecdotes that get caught in the chitchats. Leave your comments on the podcast's Instagram page (@comedywithanaccent). You can also email your comments and/or questions to comedywithanaccent@gmail.com Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram (@kuanwencomedy)

  1. OCT 22

    S02E32 Dimitri Bakanov, Russian Speaker - From Kherson, Ukraine 🇺🇦

    Language itself should be a neutral issue; but it never is in the real world. Dimitri Bakanov is a London-based Ukrainian comedian. He is also a native Russian speaker, having lost the full fluency of his Ukrainian when he moved away with his family at the age of 11. When languages are tangled with identity, life throws in a big warfare on top of the existing nationalist tensions, things get complicated. Dimitri talks about his accent (when he speaks English) that can fool other foreigners but remains nonetheless foreign in the ears of the Brits. Having come to the UK as a young child, he is no longer able to “do” an East European accent naturally. But he would not have even if he could, as explained in this episode. The fairly anglicised accent of Dimitri’s also reflects a more westernised life style/value system, as he remarks on certain cultural differences between him and some other immigrants from Ukraine. The use of language becomes a more evident issue after the second Russian invasion of in 2022, as his native tongue is considered the language of the aggressor, the use of which is deemed unpatriotic by many of his compatriots. Dimitri explains in this episode his curious and complex relationship with the land he was born in and left as a child and shares his thoughts why as a comedian, he does not mind having an irreverent persona on stage when talking about the war in Ukraine. --------------------------------- Follow Dimitri in Instagram Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram --------------------------------- 01:07 Intro 02:39 Anglicised pronunciation of Dimitri’s name 03:50 A Russian-speaking Ukrainian 05:28 An accent that non-native English speakers believe to be British but actual British people know it’s foreign 08:29 Incapable of doing “an East European” accent; timing of learning English 11:07 When native English speakers not knowing their language (eg your vs you’re) and foreign English learners getting too pedantic 14:57 Wouldn’t do a great East European accent even if he could 17:54 How comfortable Dimitri feels claiming the “Ukrainian comedian in the UK” label? 19:04 Cultural differences/clashes with some other Ukrainian immigrants 21:26 Do comedians “have to” explain their accents? Dimitri’s take 26:28 Strong Ukrainian accent when Dimitri speaks Russian 29:16 Impacts of Russian invasion on Dimitri’s comedy career and choices he made on stage 31:26 Not wishing to lecture the western audience the war support 36:15 Divided reactions from Ukrainian audience with the irreverent jokes 37:47 How Media fishes for someone to be on TV in the case of an invasion 39:02 Dimitri’s complex relationship with Ukraine 44:17 Dimitri’s complex relationship with the Ukrainian language 49:55 How the timeline of the Russian invasion is defined in western Media 50:42 Summary and caveats 53:39 Life goes on in Ukraine despite the war 55:52 Dimitri’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 comedywithanaccent@gmail.com --------------------------------- Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

    57 min

  2. JUL 21

    S02E31 Your Host Kuan-wen’s Monologue #3 🇹🇼 Comedy Lost In Translation

    Is it possible to perform stand up in yet another language (aka not English, not your mother tongue, also less fluent) but relying solely on translating whatever existing materials in English you have? Technically - yes. Though some jokes are simply not translatable. Some can be translated but it would not make sense or would not work. Some might still work but the effect could be heavily discounted. There are your host Kuan-wen own experiences. The third instalment of your host’s monologue geeks out on foreign languages and comedy again. He summarised a few thoughts from performing at French It Up Comedy Club by accident (Season 2 Episode 26) and dabbling in a few sentences in Italiano at another night called Italian-ish. The podcast will have a short summer break as your host is bringing another solo show to Edinburgh Fringe Festival. We will be back in autumn and have a nice summer break! *The mix-up of languages and feeling unsure about the fluency level became even more evident through editing this episode. Your host said “the habitants of London” when in hindsight, it probably would have been more natural to say “the inhabitants of London’. Then he realised it’s because he was jumping back and forth between English and French. In French, they are more used to saying “les habitants” Also, he is still not sure if it should be “J’ai l’air de lesbienne”, “J’ai l’air lesbienne’ or “J’ai l’air dune lesbienne”?? Any French speaker that can shed some light on this? --------------------------------- Kuan-wen’s 2025 Edinburgh Fringe show Andrews Are The Worst (This will be performed in Scotland, where their Patron Saint is St Andrew 😆) https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/kuan-wen-andrews-are-the-worst Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram --------------------------------- 00:32 Intro - summary of what this monologue episode is about 02:10 Why another monologue episode? 04:19 Discussion on comedy and translation in prior episodes 05:09 English being the comedy language for most guests on this podcast 07:25 Performing in a second foreign language - Your host Kuan-wen’s experience of performing at French It Up Comedy Club 09:39 Kuan-wen’s estimate of his fluency in either language 13:56 Some joke types are not cut out for translation (eg puns) 17:51 Different social norms for the speakers of another language 19:45 Unsure about whether the exact words are used 24:42 A phonetically sounding word may not sound funny anymore in another language 29:00 Less capable of riffing in French on stage 29:57 Jokes written specifically in French 31:55 What would a French native speaker fluent in English prefer? 33:55 Cross-language puns 37:18 Conclusion 41:28 How multiple languages co-exist in one’s brain? Kuan’wen’s own example - the distance between some languages seems to be wider 45:02 Cities where comedy shows in different languages are available 46:45 Latest podcast statistics --------------------------------- If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram --------------------------------- Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

    50 min

  3. JUN 24

    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 Parenting Mike’s special on Youtube: An Irish Disgrace & Nasty Character --------------------------------- Follow Mike on Instagram Mike’s 2025 Edinburgh Fringe show Mike is going on tour starting from November 2025. See his Instagram for tickets Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram --------------------------------- 01:00 Intro 04:37 People making remarks about the Irish accent 05:23 An accent from rural Ireland and the catholic hangover 09:24 Mike’s family dynamics 11:24 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 joke 17:09 When does a joke go too far? The intention and the context of a joke 19:22 Personality developed to deal with the environment 20:45 On doing accents 25:05 The school trip to Andorra (Part 2) 28:00 Rebellious teenager but also a sensitive soul 31:24 Pain and unhappiness in his 20s 34:50 Mike’s podcast output 35:42 Mike not seen as an outsider despite his accent 38:09 From disliking his Irishness to embracing it; an inferiority complex from not being able to wash away the farm smells 43:54 An advantage to be an Irish act in metropolitan England 45:37 Gigging in continental European cities 46:19 Irish descendants 47:38 Mike’s use of the English language and the books he read 51:19 Mike’s online following and his consistent stage/podcast/real-life persona 53:53 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 comedywithanaccent@gmail.com

    55 min

  4. JUN 6

    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 Japan Spring 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 Instagram Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram --------------------------------- 01:12 Intro 03:28 Leaving behind her identity as an outsider （外人, gaijin）in Japan 05:14 “Just the right level of passive-aggressiveness” in the UK - compared to Japan and the US 07:58 Do American comedians have an “accent” for British audiences? 09:08 Spring’s aversion to American centralism 12:22 Immigrants? Expats? 14:02 How fluent is Spring in Japanese now? 16:05 A mid-western American accent influenced by Japanese and British expats 18:56 Why Spring moved to Japan and started performing comedy in Tokyo? 21:18 Spring’s accent when speaking Japanese 23:39 The foreign loaned words in Japanese making it harder for English speakers 26:56 Performing stand up in Japanese and why some of Spring’s jokes couldn’t translate 29:50 How Spring’s time in Japan shaped her stand up and her speech pattern 31:41 Onomatopoeia （オノマトペ） in Japanese 34:24 All the dark sadness and tragedy in Japanese Rakugo（落語, “fallen words”）, folk music and literature 35:58 The tales of two Kansas Cities in Kansas and in Missouri 37:49 Spring’s Mid-western accent 39:36 A stage character of a rural American? 41:57 Living on the same street with serial killers 43:59 Caricatures/characters of rural Americans 47:06 Some of Spring’d weird experiences in Japan that became her comedy materials 50:47 Transition to the UK and finding out who she is outside Japan 53:10 London is now home 55:04 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 comedywithanaccent@gmail.com

    57 min

  5. MAY 21

    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 Intro 04:14 Citing his accent and foreignness as the opening joke but unaware of the accent at the start 08:19 “It’s good to mention obvious things” 11:43 Bulgarian stereotypes as an East European country and why it tends to be bundled with Romania 19:45 Bulgaria Searches For Talent 23:29 Getting requests to do certain jokes 24:42 Between jokes and portraying your own country’s image 27:00 A gentler and silly stage persona 30:58 Martin’s accent mellowed over the years 32:22 Not pursuing comedy career progression and not into the social media game 37:14 On being the face of one’s own small country 41:36 Foreignness does not weigh much on Martin’s mind 44:04 Without hearing Martin accent, others not able to work out where he’s from 45:28 Not having too many connections with Bulgaria in the UK 49:06 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

    51 min

  6. MAY 6

    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 Instagram Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram --------------------------------- 01:00 Intro 03:25 Not insisting on the correct pronunciation for her name 04:30 Hilarious caption typo in Shabaka’s Comedy Central clip 05:55 Code switching - Shabaka’s accent changes depending on who she talks to 09:48 What do people (in the UK) mean when they say “Asian”? 11:29 Shalaka’s different way of speaking at South Asian gigs 12:46 An idea of India frozen in time 17:03 Attitude towards women also frozen in time 21:28 People’s view on India from British Indians vs from Indians 25:30 Clownery of your own culture in front of audience that are not South Asian 27:33 Shalaka’s light Indian accent is the result of befriending someone racist to her 32:05 More self-reflection on her accent 34:18 Minority comedians mimicking an accent that is not genuinely theirs 39:58 How Schlaka’s ethnicity is used as attack lines during Roast Battle matches 42:04 White racism not as hurtful as Indian to Indian racism 45:34 Not focusing on being the Indian comic; not pandering 50:33 Shalaka’s own memory of India also has a gap with India today 55:31 Shalaka’s social media --------------------------------- Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

    56 min

  7. APR 29 · BONUS

    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.

    16 min

  8. APR 22

    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 Instagram Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram --------------------------------- 00:51 Intro 02:39 An episode about a comedy show in a foreign language 04:47 French It Up audience’s specific sense of humour (expat Francophones) 07:36 Work office observations as popular joke materials 09:52 French speaking audience does not equal French people 11:58 Reasons for stopping bilingual French/English shows 15:51 Comedy materials about migration and cross cultural differences 17:00 Doubters and continuing to attract non comedy fans 19:48 Why French It Up was set up 22:57 “Intermittents du spectacle” - French government support for actors 24:38 More efforts into organising and promoting shows post Covid 27:15 Cross over with English stand up scene? French It Up’s own eco-system of performers 30:18 Not to be confused as a show in English (but talking about France) 30:53 Where the show name “French It Up” comes from 32:00 Jeff speaks too fast for non native French speakers to understand 33:04 How fluent one’s French has to be to go to a French It Up show? 35:18 The French language’s fluidity and rythmn 38:59 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

    43 min
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About

Comedy with an accent - comedy with a different point of view! Join Taiwanese comedian Kuan-wen as he finds out the amusing tales, obstacles and strategies of other non-native speakers who perform English stand up comedy on the UK circuit. We also peek into the comedians' foreign upbringings and cultures, how they approach the English language, how they switch between languages and any random anecdotes that get caught in the chitchats. Leave your comments on the podcast's Instagram page (@comedywithanaccent). You can also email your comments and/or questions to comedywithanaccent@gmail.com Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram (@kuanwencomedy)

Information

  • Creator
    Kuan-wen Huang
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2025
  • Episodes
    69
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Kuanwen 2022
  • Show Website
    Comedy with an Accent