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 InstagramFollow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram---------------------------------01:07 Intro02:39 Anglicised pronunciation of Dimitri’s name03:50 A Russian-speaking Ukrainian05:28 An accent that non-native English speakers believe to be British but actual British people know it’s foreign08:29 Incapable of doing “an East European” accent; timing of learning English11:07 When native English speakers not knowing their language (eg your vs you’re) and foreign English learners getting too pedantic14:57 Wouldn’t do a great East European accent even if he could17:54 How comfortable Dimitri feels claiming the “Ukrainian comedian in the UK” label?19:04 Cultural differences/clashes with some other Ukrainian immigrants21:26 Do comedians “have to” explain their accents? Dimitri’s take26:28 Strong Ukrainian accent when Dimitri speaks Russian29:16 Impacts of Russian invasion on Dimitri’s comedy career and choices he made on stage31:26 Not wishing to lecture the western audience the war support36:15 Divided reactions from Ukrainian audience with the irreverent jokes37:47 How Media fishes for someone to be on TV in the case of an invasion39:02 Dimitri’s complex relationship with Ukraine44:17 Dimitri’s complex relationship with the Ukrainian language49:55 How the timeline of the Russian invasion is defined in western Media50:42 Summary and caveats53:39 Life goes on in Ukraine despite the war55:52 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

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-worstFollow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram---------------------------------00:32 Intro - summary of what this monologue episode is about02:10 Why another monologue episode?04:19 Discussion on comedy and translation in prior episodes05:09 English being the comedy language for most guests on this podcast07:25 Performing in a second foreign language - Your host Kuan-wen’s experience of performing at French It Up Comedy Club09:39 Kuan-wen’s estimate of his fluency in either language13:56 Some joke types are not cut out for translation (eg puns)17:51 Different social norms for the speakers of another language19:45 Unsure about whether the exact words are used24:42 A phonetically sounding word may not sound funny anymore in another language29:00 Less capable of riffing in French on stage29:57 Jokes written specifically in French31:55 What would a French native speaker fluent in English prefer?33:55 Cross-language puns37:18 Conclusion41:28 How multiple languages co-exist in one’s brain? Kuan’wen’s own example - the distance between some languages seems to be wider45:02 Cities where comedy shows in different languages are available46:45 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

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 ParentingMike’s special on Youtube: An Irish Disgrace & Nasty Character---------------------------------Follow Mike on InstagramMike’s 2025 Edinburgh Fringe show Mike is going on tour starting from November 2025. See his Instagram for ticketsFollow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram---------------------------------01:00 Intro04:37 People making remarks about the Irish accent05:23 An accent from rural Ireland and the catholic hangover09:24 Mike’s family dynamics11:24 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 joke17:09 When does a joke go too far? The intention and the context of a joke19:22 Personality developed to deal with the environment20:45 On doing accents25:05 The school trip to Andorra (Part 2)28:00 Rebellious teenager but also a sensitive soul31:24 Pain and unhappiness in his 20s34:50 Mike’s podcast output35:42 Mike not seen as an outsider despite his accent38:09 From disliking his Irishness to embracing it; an inferiority complex from not being able to wash away the farm smells43:54 An advantage to be an Irish act in metropolitan England45:37 Gigging in continental European cities46:19 Irish descendants47:38 Mike’s use of the English language and the books he read51:19 Mike’s online following and his consistent stage/podcast/real-life persona53:53 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 [email protected]

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 JapanSpring 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 InstagramFollow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram---------------------------------01:12 Intro03:28 Leaving behind her identity as an outsider （外人, gaijin）in Japan05:14 “Just the right level of passive-aggressiveness” in the UK - compared to Japan and the US07:58 Do American comedians have an “accent” for British audiences?09:08 Spring’s aversion to American centralism12:22 Immigrants? Expats?14:02 How fluent is Spring in Japanese now?16:05 A mid-western American accent influenced by Japanese and British expats18:56 Why Spring moved to Japan and started performing comedy in Tokyo?21:18 Spring’s accent when speaking Japanese23:39 The foreign loaned words in Japanese making it harder for English speakers26:56 Performing stand up in Japanese and why some of Spring’s jokes couldn’t translate29:50 How Spring’s time in Japan shaped her stand up and her speech pattern31:41 Onomatopoeia （オノマトペ） in Japanese34:24 All the dark sadness and tragedy in Japanese Rakugo（落語, “fallen words”）, folk music and literature35:58 The tales of two Kansas Cities in Kansas and in Missouri37:49 Spring’s Mid-western accent39:36 A stage character of a rural American?41:57 Living on the same street with serial killers43:59 Caricatures/characters of rural Americans47:06 Some of Spring’d weird experiences in Japan that became her comedy materials50:47 Transition to the UK and finding out who she is outside Japan53:10 London is now home55:04 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 [email protected]

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 Intro04:14 Citing his accent and foreignness as the opening joke but unaware of the accent at the start08:19 “It’s good to mention obvious things”11:43 Bulgarian stereotypes as an East European country and why it tends to be bundled with Romania19:45 Bulgaria Searches For Talent23:29 Getting requests to do certain jokes24:42 Between jokes and portraying your own country’s image27:00 A gentler and silly stage persona30:58 Martin’s accent mellowed over the years32:22 Not pursuing comedy career progression and not into the social media game37:14 On being the face of one’s own small country41:36 Foreignness does not weigh much on Martin’s mind44:04 Without hearing Martin accent, others not able to work out where he’s from45:28 Not having too many connections with Bulgaria in the UK49:06 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

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 InstagramFollow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram---------------------------------01:00 Intro03:25 Not insisting on the correct pronunciation for her name04:30 Hilarious caption typo in Shabaka’s Comedy Central clip05:55 Code switching - Shabaka’s accent changes depending on who she talks to09:48 What do people (in the UK) mean when they say “Asian”?11:29 Shalaka’s different way of speaking at South Asian gigs12:46 An idea of India frozen in time17:03 Attitude towards women also frozen in time21:28 People’s view on India from British Indians vs from Indians25:30 Clownery of your own culture in front of audience that are not South Asian27:33 Shalaka’s light Indian accent is the result of befriending someone racist to her32:05 More self-reflection on her accent34:18 Minority comedians mimicking an accent that is not genuinely theirs39:58 How Schlaka’s ethnicity is used as attack lines during Roast Battle matches42:04 White racism not as hurtful as Indian to Indian racism45:34 Not focusing on being the Indian comic; not pandering50:33 Shalaka’s own memory of India also has a gap with India today55:31 Shalaka’s social media---------------------------------Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

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.

“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 InstagramFollow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram---------------------------------00:51 Intro02:39 An episode about a comedy show in a foreign language04:47 French It Up audience’s specific sense of humour (expat Francophones)07:36 Work office observations as popular joke materials09:52 French speaking audience does not equal French people11:58 Reasons for stopping bilingual French/English shows15:51 Comedy materials about migration and cross cultural differences17:00 Doubters and continuing to attract non comedy fans19:48 Why French It Up was set up22:57 “Intermittents du spectacle” - French government support for actors24:38 More efforts into organising and promoting shows post Covid27:15 Cross over with English stand up scene? French It Up’s own eco-system of performers30:18 Not to be confused as a show in English (but talking about France)30:53 Where the show name “French It Up” comes from32:00 Jeff speaks too fast for non native French speakers to understand33:04 How fluent one’s French has to be to go to a French It Up show?35:18 The French language’s fluidity and rythmn38:59 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

Celiac, dyspraxia, sporran, ricochet, hypochondriac, cheugy, mausoleum, flab… how many of these English words do you - as a non-native English speaker - know? Similar question for the native English speakers again: any of these words that you are not aware of?These are just a sample of words in the English language that your host Kuan-wen has acquired through doing comedy, mostly from observing other comedians’ routines. More than just getting exposed to new words, your host explains why he believes doing comedy in English has multiple advantages when it comes to learning the language, that you do not need to wait until your English is considered “perfect” before you can starting trying out English comedy.(*Yeah, this is kind of a filler episode with no guests)---------------------------------Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram---------------------------------00:32 Intro01:27 Outline for this episode02:22 Reasons for another monologue episode04:01 Learning the English language through performing comedy in English - an analogy06:21 An advantage for non-native English speakers who perform comedy in English07:43 Performing in English forces performers to listen to themselves how they speak09:17 Learning a more natural/wholesome English through doing comedy11:40 Learning about another culture - a wider group of people one gets in contact with12:54 Musicians having lighter accents13:34 Pursuit of specificity in comedy helps grow one’s vocabulary14:35 List of words Kuan-wen learned from other comedians’ comedy sets:celiacdyspraxiasporranricochet (from Ken Cheng)hypochondriaccatharsischeugy (from Shalaka Kurup)mausoleum (from Pete White)flab (from Adam Riley)necrophilia23:48 Four comedy gigs with vastly different audiences within three days - a mixed crowd with many Mandarin speakers; a crowd of French speakers; a crowd of a provincial English town; a crowd with mixed European punters28:48 Podcast listener statistics Jan-Mar 202530:58 Upcoming episodes---------------------------------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

Veteran London-based Romanian comedian Radu Isac returns after his last interview on this podcast in 2022. Radu catches up with your host Kuan-wen to chat about how his career plans and gigging pattern change along with the moving landscape of the comedy industry. Between this episode and the first interview three years ago, Radu released his comedy special “Keep Coughing” on Youtube and organised his own tour across continental European cities.Regarded as the comedian’s comedian in Romania (some fans even described him as Romania’s George Carlin), Radu shares his approach performing in front of liberal and less liberal audiences, British and a more internationally mixed audience and why he thinks it is important to be able to make different crowds laugh. He talks about running the popular bi-weekly Immigrant Comedy show in London and why comedy should remain a safe space for the expression of ideas, as he has done so in his comedy special.Radu’s comedy special “Keeping Coughing” (free to watch on Youtube)Radu’s live comedy show “Sadly Funny" at Top Secret Comedy Club in London 6 April 2025---------------------------------Follow Radu on Instagram and his websiteFollow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram---------------------------------00:34 Intro02:06 Summary of Radu’s prior appearance on this podcast03:49 Gigging less often outside London now04:36 Radu’s vs liberal audience and comedy shows with audience less sympathetic with immigrants07:53 An example of audience not taking Radu’s poking well09:32 How to and who to mention the act is foreign?10:51 Change of career goals - non-native English speaking audience and touring outside the UK16:29 With non British audience in mind, changes in joke writing?18:23 Casual racism from English hosts of podcasts Radu went on20:52 Touring (gigging) in continental Europe22:21 A released comedy special recorded in Vienna (and another unreleased version recorded in London)24:41 Difference between UK gigs and gigs in continental European cities29:57 Running Immigrant Comedy Show and Radu’s criteria for “immigrants”34:00 Romanian Youtube users’ comment on Radu’s accent36:09 On Radu’s comedy special on Youtube “Keep Coughing”37:22 On the joke “A vaxxed anti-vaxxer”, Radu’s intention and his approach44:16 Radu’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