LAUGHTER is the best medicine. But not everyone may like your prescription, as stand-up comedian Riezman Radzlan learnt during his first nine months on the job.
He failed to get a single laugh from his audience when he made his debut at the age of 19.
His delivery was poor and he often botched the punchline, said the 24-year-old.
Failure to engage the crowd is no laughing matter, but Riezman did not throw in the towel.
He was determined to succeed in his metier.
“Making people laugh brings me joy,” said the Subang resident, who regards comedy as “the purest and most beautiful art form”.
“All comedians should have a healthy amount of ‘narcissism’. We must always believe we can do better the next week,” said Riezman.
True to his light-hearted nature, he answered questions with a touch of sarcasm and humour during a recent interview with theSun.
Describe your family
My father is an engineer and my mother, a homemaker. I am the youngest in the family. I have two older sisters. When I was nine, I followed my father to Bahrain where he was posted to work. I stayed there for 10 years.
When I was 19, I returned home. I did law for five minutes and I have just finished my diploma in mass communication.
How was your experience staying in Bahrain?
I was like a fish out of water. Always changing schools. The good thing was, you can always start over again.
The bad thing was, you had to leave behind good friends and favourite teachers each time you changed schools.
Who is the funniest member of your family?
My mother. She is far funnier than me. She could have easily become one of the top five comedians in Malaysia had she taken up this line of work.
She can make anyone laugh without effort. I have to write my material for months and practise my routine for hours.
My mother loves it when I talk about her in my comedy routines. But I try not to give her that satisfaction.
Who are comedians you admire?
Louis C.K. He is the first comedian who made me laugh as an adult.
His comedy sketches give the impression that life is miserable and one should be prepared for it.
The other comedian I admire is George Carlin. He believes you should always be yourself and never be afraid to ask questions.
Do you prefer to perform on stage or screen?
I have tried acting before. I hated it. Comedians never like to read stuff written by others. I have to become who the writer wants me to be and I do not like that.
I think I would love acting if I wrote the script and I was behind the camera as the director.
A comedian loves being his own boss.
Nobody tells us what to do and what to say on stage. I have done some acting, but I hope they never get discovered. I want the experience to be buried.
Why do you keep your distance from the screen?
My family has been urging me to do some television shows so they can brag about it to relatives and friends.
But I feel there is too much censorship in television. I heard a story where a stand-up comedian had to give a 10-page summary of his routine before the cameras began rolling on his show.
The television network went through his material meticulously.
So many jokes were censored and the comedian was left only with one page and four jokes. I would like to be a better comedian, without compromising myself.
