A few hours before their show,
Kenny Sebastian and
Abish Mathew met us over some masala chai and French fries to discuss their band, their act and a plethora of other subjects.
Why A+K Tour? How did this concept come about?Abish: Kenny and I generally perform a lot of music alongside our comedy acts. We both have songs that we’ve accumulated over the years. We also gel well. An opportunity arrived during a music festival in 2016, when the organisers asked if we wanted to do a music project together. We were like, ‘Yeah, it would be a great idea.’ We collaborated and called the band A+K.
Kenny: A lot of bands put a lot of thought into their name. This is A+K — Abish and Kenny. It’s anti everything — no thought went into the name, zero effort into the logo.
How has the response been so far?K: We’ve been nominated for the Grammy! We’re not going to accept it. We’re not doing this for the awards! (laughs)
A: Yeah, we’re anti-awards. When the Grammy came calling, I was like, please go to grandpa (laughs). No, but seriously, the shows have gone well.
K: The audience has been really sweet. It is a really relaxed comedy show. At most shows, you have to sit down and pay attention. You don’t need to pay attention here. You can stand and have a drink. I mean they should pay attention, but it’s a very relaxed and fun atmosphere.
What kind of an equation do you two share? Is there healthy competition between you two?K: This is the one topic we start fighting on. Abish is my neighbour. We have a very good working equation. He’s almost like a big brother to me. I have not done any genetic testing, but I’m pretty sure he is.
A: The interesting thing about competition is that you can never work in isolation. So, if someone’s doing stand-up and there’s no competition, he won’t get better. So, Kenny is the perfect example of a YouTuber and a stand-up comedian fused together. Lot of us try to do one and fail at the other or we’re not able to make time for the other. It’s a healthy competition.
Which city has the most evolved audience for a stand-up? How would you rate the Kolkata crowd?K: Moscow (chips in even before the question is completed.)
A: (Laughs) I’ve been to Kolkata three times before. I’ve done big and small shows. The fact is that in Kolkata, Bangalore or Mumbai, if you tell a subtle joke, people understand it… They’ll get the references. In some cities, you have to render the joke in a different way. In Kolkata, when I performed in Science City, half-way through the joke, they knew where it was going. So it’s a great audience because the best joke is one where you don’t have to deliver the punch line and the audience has got it so you can move on to the next joke. So, I would say, Kolkata, Bangalore and
Bombay have the best audience for a stand-up.
K: But Kolkata’s audience is the best in the world.
Is your humour limited only to the younger generation?K: I would ask my audience, but they’re still learning to speak, right? And they’re not allowed to leave their parents! But on a serious note, I don’t think so.
A: I went to a doctor in Delhi for a checkup and he turned out to be a big fan. Now this is a doctor who has seen the likes of Dave Chapelle and other top comedians. So, when he said he likes Kenny’s content, it surprised
me too.
K: If you see our content, it is written so that a wide age group can understand it. When we write a joke, if any of us are like, ‘I don’t think everybody will get it’, we drop it.
Are you comfortable including political comments in your comedy or is it a strict no-no?A: When I’m writing a joke, I’m trying to write it in a way that would appeal to me and my parents. My objective is not to make the audience think: Oh kya bola! Politics doesn’t fit onto that equation, I do write political jokes but I don’t identify with them.
K: There are 2 types of comedians — social comedians and entertainment ones. The social ones try to put their opinions forward and make people think. I have a lot of respect for them because they need a lot of knowledge and research. I, however, fall into the entertainment section. I perform comedy only to entertain. My intention is not to change anybody’s opinion or to influence the youth. My goal is to make you laugh. In India, it’s completely audience-based and the young audience likes swearing and sex jokes. It’s completely entertainment-based. So, in answer to your question, no, I don’t do socio-political jokes. People get offended, so I avoid it.
What do you think of the comedy in contemporary Bollywood films?K: I don’t watch Bollywood films much. I was raised in Bangalore where there is a lot of western influence. However, old ’90s films appeal to me. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro was iconic.
A: I used to think it was copied from Weekend at Bernie’s. But actually, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro came before that film… I was blown. Such a great piece of cinema.
K: I haven’t seen anything recently in Hindi or English which made me go wow.
Audience interaction is an important part of stand-up comedy. Has there been any instance when an audience member has tried to derail or set you off track? How have you tackled that?K: It has never happened to me. So, I’m good.
A: It’s part and parcel of a live show, it’s a challenge we face. But it’s not terrible… It’s called heckling. If you’re a polished performer you know how to work it out. But sometimes there are things like alcohol and ‘tu janta nahi mera baap kaun hain’ involved. So, you don’t know what to do. No matter how great you are, sometimes it doesn’t go that well. You have to trust your instinct. You have to complete the show. You can’t get offended.
Who are your idols?A: My idol changes faster than
I change underwear. Whenever I see some comedian doing good work, they become my idol. It’s has to be something that blows my mind bit by bit.
K: Also, we’re not just comedians. We’re also filmmakers, writers and producers. So, we have idols in different fields. If it’s writing, it may be a dramatic writer and so on. Like Abish said, it changes. We’re looking forward to the work of Louis CK. I’m also a big fan of
Jerry Seinfeld.
— Drishti Sanyal