Don't Laugh For Me Argentina! Comedian Adrian Minkowicz

A little over a week ago we were all enjoying the fruits of Louis CK's foul mouth. Well, the comedy hasn't stopped with his departure. Nope, Comedy Club China managed to get hold of Argentine standup, Adrian Minkowicz, and roped him into their show last night. Even if you missed that, that's likely not the last you'll see of the funnyman as he's in Beijing until the end of the month working on some other projects, or you could read his upcoming article in Comic Bible Magazine where he'll reveal all on performing in Beijing.

Where is the most difficult place you have toured? Any revelations about comedy in other countries?
The easiest and most difficult place is the same: New York. When you work in one of the city's important clubs, the audience more or less knows what to expect. That makes your job easier if you have a good set. At the same time, when you have a rough night, it is rougher in the big city. Every night everyone is expecting the most of you.

Have you ever been to China before? What are you expecting from the crowd? How have you liked Beijing so far? Any surprises?
This is my first time to China. I will perform at "Comedy Club China" on Sunday the 17th. What surprised me the most is the size of the city and the distances within it. I think it is the first "unwalkable" city I've been in. I'm an argentinean making comedy in English in China. Even if I don't have a clue what to expect from this experience, it would be fair to say that I expect the audience to laugh. Smirking would do too.

What's Argentinian comedy like?
Already more than forty years ago there were big names doing monologues in Argentina. On the other hand, the format with 4 or 5 comedians per show it's quite new, possibly less than 10 years. Most of the venues for stand-up are in Buenos Aires as it's the most populated city. All of them are in Spanish except one that's in English. I think the audiences there are still discovering what stand-up comedy is.

What kind of comedian are you?
A South American comedian that travels around the world performing stand-up comedy in two languages. That means: I don't know. You tell me.

Which other comedian do you compare yourself to?
I would say that I have the versatility of Robin Williams, the subtlety of Eddie Izzard and the humility of Muhamad Ali.

Do you find it easier doing standup in English or Spanish?
After performing 4 times per week in English in New York for several months I would say that (incredibly!!) I feel more comfortable performing in English than in my mother's tongue. Also because it's difficult to share tongues with my mother.

What got you into standup?
My main formation in arts is as an actor. I think comedy gives you the possibility to create big, funny fantasies only with the help of a microphone. Another reason was practical. I am also a corporate lawyer in Buenos Aires (no joke!!). Before dedicating myself full-time to work as an artist, it was difficult to find time to rehearse a play while I was working twelve hours per day in a law firm. I would finish at work at 8pm and I would rehearse until 12am. With comedy I was able to manage my own time. Finally, I'm also a playwright. Comedy gives me the possibility to perform what I write.

Tell us about the time you most annoyed the crowd?
It was very late in New York City. By the time I hit the stage the last three members of the audience were leaving. I put my gloves on and I started machine gun jokes while they were standing up (the title "stand-up comedy" was never more appropriate!). They stayed for several minutes laughing until I arrived at a sensitive bit about Somalia. When one of the women heard it, she left saying "Oh no, I have friends from Somalia". After her, her friend left, After them, the husband left too, laughing. You can say that the time that I most annoyed the crowd, I lost them. All of them.

How have you tweaked your routine for Beijing?
I didn't. In New York the audience is always quite international. In Buenos Aires the audience were mainly ex-pats. I did the same routine I do at the "Comic Strip Live", and it worked. I hope for the same thing to happen in Beijing.

Do you have kids? Do they think you are funny or embarrassing?
No kids. I will have to answer that in some years. I'll bet for "awfully embarrassed".

Have you eaten anything in Beijing that tastes funny?
I went to a restaurant where the waitress suggested a chicken dish. When it came to the table the pot was full of a lot of unrecognizable bones and pieces. My wife put the spoon in the pot and we took one moment to identify the content of it. It was the head. The feet were floating too. My wife screamed. She was vegetarian for 8 years before she met me. She eats meat now. I think it helped that I never put the dead head of the cow on the table.

Tell us a joke ...
In China everyone talks Chinese to you as if you would understand. When your face starts looking confused, they shout at you, as if it would make it more understandable. It seems it's not important for them if you understand or not. Being in China is like being married to one billion people.

Photo: Jakub Truszkowski