Hosts of Raw Comedy India 2, Justin Hamilton and Kate Mclennan, tell Iknoor Kaur that adult humour can sometimes be far more entertaining than intelligent wit
There is only one thing we look for in a comedian — humour. Whether that humour is twisted, tweaked, mean or simply ignorant, as long as it makes the audience laugh, it’s considered good. Comedians Justin Hamilton and Kate Mclennan feel that to make one laugh can sometimes be the most difficult task. Thus, they decided to keep an open mind while hosting the second edition of RAW Comedy India and not judge anybody on their style of comedy. “There are many examples of different styles of comedy that are succeeding all over the world. Adult humour can be hilarious. I’ve seen intellectual comedy bring the house down but sometimes bore an audience until they’re mute. As long as comedians manage to engage the audience, any style is good,” said Justin and Kate added, “My favourite comedy is where I laugh but also get to think and there are comedians like loius CK who do a wonderful job with combining the two. There’s room for all styles but audiences are a lot more sophisticated than one can imagine.”
Presented by the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in association with Teamwork Arts, RAW Comedy India’s first winner was Neeti Palta who shot to fame thereafter. Kate feels that this competition is all about “newcomers bursting out from the ranks and offering their own unique perspective of the world. You see someone you have never heard of shine. There are people who are speaking on a microphone for the first time and some do really well, while some don’t. It’s all about the thrill of being out there,” she shared.
Comedy in India is still at a nascent stage because people tend to take it too personally. According to Kate, picking on people is not her idea of fun and she discourages people from doing it. She said, “Judging the maturity of comedy depends on what kind of it is being produced. I’ve never been a fan of picking on audience members. I’m lazy and love staying at home and watching TV. So I’m constantly amazed by people who get off their couch and pay money to come and see live shows. I think if they’ve made that effort, we as comics should give them the best night possible and maybe that means picking on ourselves rather than some guy in the front row with a bald head.”
Kate and Justin will also be taking workshops during their spare time. Justin explained, “No matter where you are in your career you can always learn. I learn from the most experienced acts in the world and the least experienced acts in my hometown. So, we will discuss everything from writing techniques, to how to promote yourself, experiences in Australia and also the importance of continued development.” Kate felt that workshops would best suit the needs of the comics. “We’d like everyone to take something away from the session, so we’ll explore writing techniques, developing material and delivery but also the business side of our practice,” she stated.
Justin said that the main thing to do is to listen to each other. “That way it allows natural ad-libbing to occur within what we want to talk about. I also find Kate very funny so I better listen or I might miss out on some great jokes,” he quipped. Kate elaborated on their opening stint in Mumbai. She said, “The audience loved our first impressions. We were really like wide-eyed white people who were amazed by everything. like how I thought people had recognised me, but they were just taking photos because of my bolonde hair. Maybe I had my dress tucked into my shoes. Who knows (laughs)IJ But on a serious note, Justin and I are both professional comedians so we have lots of material and stories that we’re going to share with our Indian audiences.”
After conducting two qualifying heats in Mumbai, RAW Comedy will hold its third heat in Bengaluru today and then come to Delhi on February 22 and 23 for the remaining heats and finals.