Rustum August and the Starving Comics

I sometimes wonder if Capetonians know just how good they have it. Let me explain. I come from a small town called Kimberley. Around there all we have are diamond mines and pubs. When you go out for a night on the town, you go dancing since there isn’t much else to do. Either that or you stay at home and braai with your friends. The yearly ‘Gariep Fees’ was the closest we came to having a festival of any sorts in our mining town. I am not saying there is anything wrong with those two activities, but when that is all you have available to you, the boredom sets in rather easily.


Since I have moved to Cape Town though, I have been spoiled for choice. We have musicals, drama, ballet, opera and of course, my favourite, comedy shows. At any night of the week I can drive to a venue around Cape Town hosting a comedy night and see people who I have only ever seen on TV perform live on stage, mere meters away from me. Yip, Capetonians have it really good.


Not so long ago, I went to Ragazzis for an Open Mic night show. Ragazzi’s is a small bar where the stage is basically the stairs that lead out to the balcony that overlooks Long Street. The Open Mic event is held on the last Wednesday of every month for anyone interested in going. Any newbie comics can come and show their stuff to a crowd that will either love them, or hate them. The event is organised by local Cape Town Comic Rustum August. I was fortunate enough to have a sit down with Rustum to talk to him about the different shows he and the Starving Comics organise:


The point I was trying to make at the beginning of this article is that Capetonians have all these great shows and opportunities right at their finger tips. We do not have to wait for a big festival to come to town for us to be entertained. Let’s not forget this and let’s try and support the local acts as much as we can. If they are bad, it is our job to let them know so they can improve, and if they are good, let’s stand together and cheer for them.

RJ: Tell me more about the Starving Comics, who you guys are and what you guys do around Cape Town for comedy.


RA: Starving Comics is a comedy collective, essentially it started in 2008, there were four of us, and we started at Zula. Now there are just two of us that organise at Zula, and I organise my own shows. Starving comics is probably the unofficial collective of Cape Town comedy, there’s no real structure, and nobody is in charge. Okay, well, I book the gigs so I have to pretty much make sure everybody shows up. There’s no hierarchical order. It’s a collective for people who want to try and boost comedy as a career I guess.


RJ: What gigs do you do around Cape Town?


RA: We do Sundays, it’s called Comics at Work. It’s basically a pretty raw show, so there’s no microphone, no pressure; you take your notes on stage. That’s on Sunday at the Armchair. There’s Zula on Mondays. I run this open mic night once a month, on the last Wednesday of every month. Then the second last Wednesday there’s Pakalolo in Tableview and the last Thursday of every month there’s comedy at Pakalolo in Hout Bay. There’s also Somerset West on the first and last Saturday of every month, but that’s just me.


RJ: So how would you describe the comedy industry in Cape Town?


RA: It ebbs and flows, I think. Winter is obviously a bit of a struggle, but it’s been developing over the past four years. Some venues thrive, others don’t. The weekly ones don’t really gain as many audience members as we’d like but if we don’t do it every week we kind of lose momentum. That’s what happened when Zula moved from its old premises. I mean it had been going downhill for a while, but we didn’t do it for three weeks and then we had the Show Down which was pretty well attended but now it’s back to 16, 20 people which at the old Zula was never... I think the lowest attendance we ever had there was about 24? And that was bad attendance, considering. We’ve had nights at the old venue with 100 people, 120 up to 150. It’s not always conducive comedy, but it’s a gig.

 

Rustum August

RJ: How long have you been doing comedy personally?

RA: My first show was in 2007. I actually spoke to Martin Evans about this yesterday, he MC’d the event and I fuckin’ died on my ass, I didn’t know what I was doing. I can look back now and it’s painful but I’ve come a long way. The first one was in 2007, but essentially I really got into it in 2008. February 2008 is when we started Zula. So I’ve been gigging it since 2008.

RJ: You obviously see a lot of guys trying to get into comedy. What tips would you give to comedians who are just starting out?

RA: Comedy is a very personal thing and for me originality is something that your personality can only bring out. Comedy has a formula like anything else. If you learn the formula you’ve got to then try and imprint your own personality, observations and your own story telling to the formula. The essentiality of comedy is to set up a punch line. I do very short setups. I often have one-worded punch lines. People tell stories and set it up and they get laughs in-between and there’s a big pay off at the end – which doesn’t suit my somewhat schitzo personality. I mean I don’t know if you’ve ever seen me perform, there’s no order of like, now I’m talking about dogs, I talk about anything. A lot of people don’t find it funny – it probably isn’t funny most of time – but some people enjoy it, ja, some people really get into it. I can’t watch myself... I always say I’m getting better, but I don’t really know how good I am. I don’t even think I’m good, I think I’m bad approaching average.


RJ: What do you think comedy in Cape Town needs to give it that extra boost, to push it over the top?


RA: It needs publicity. Sponsorships are another thing, but it needs publicity. People need to be made aware that there’s not just Trevor Noah and Loyiso Gola doing comedy, there are other forms of it. Fair enough, if I walk into a night club and I see a band I don’t know will I give them a listen, I doubt it, but if I read about them I’m more likely to. A lot of us are stuck in our shells in Cape Town. We’re these odd click orientated, but it basically needs people to know that comedy is happening and there are people out there trying to make a career out of this. And it’s only dependant on people that come out and constantly support and spread the word. Other than that comedians need to start writing more, doing more and I think building on what they have at the moment. A lot of us are safe in what we do and once you have a reputation on the scene you don’t want to spoil it by, you know, trying new jokes and being shit. So it’s that fine line between constantly building on what you have as well as keeping the old stuff. Constantly evolving your style, your material, because when you start even you don’t know what you’re comfortable with.


RJ: I’ve only ever seen you doing your 15 minute set in a club, are you planning on doing a one-man show?


RA: It obviously will get to that point, but I’m not sure how much of an audience I have. There are a handful of people who would want to come see me for an hour. I don’t know how to deal with an hour really. But I will do it in the future no doubt, at the moment I don’t feel the rush. I see a lot of up-and-coming comics are doing one man shows and I’m all for it but it comes back to constantly creating. I think the more established guys could provide some knowledge like “where to from here”. I mean, we’re all doing it, there’s kind of a scene, but we don’t know where to from here. I see a lot of comedians in the day time unmotivated because, well, they smoke a lot of dope, but it’s also from not knowing where to from here. I mean, I’ve been doing it for four and a half years and I know a little bit, but only because I’ve exposed myself to it and I’ve gone to see people who have done one man shows and spoken to them. That’s obviously the next step but what’s in-between?


RJ: Do all the comics in South Africa basically know each other and are they all friendly towards each other or is it just Cape Town that’s close? I’ve noticed you guys seem to support each other where you can.


RA: I can’t speak for the rest of the country... People who’ve come down and played have been friendly, nobody’s been a ‘primadonna’. There is a camaraderie around Cape Town comics, we are all supportive of the direction we’re heading in, but there’s also a feeling amongst some of us that there’s a click, like Starving Comics is only So-and-so and So-and-so. But if you hang out with your mates who are comics then obviously it’s going to seem like it. Some personalities gel and others just don’t. It’s just the nature of any business or industry.

The shows that Rustum and the gang put together week in and week out are:

•  Comics @ Work every Sunday at the Armchair theatre
  
•  C.O.M.E. (Comedy on Monday Evenings) at Zula bar
  
•  Open Mic Comedy Night at Ragazzi’s on the last Wendesday
  
•  First and Last Saturday of every Month at Old Bridge Tavern.
  
•  Pakalolo TableView on the second last Wednesday of every month.
  
•  Pakalolo Houtbay on the second last Thursday of every month.

High On Comedy will post more info on these gigs as they are finalised and more info becomes available.

Dan Cummins Interview

I arrived at the Cullinan Hotel in Cape Town and as I walked closer to the door I started getting flash backs to a night outside Tiger Tiger where I was shown away for not having a collar. I went in and was greeted by a big round table which I wondered if it would have been big enough for King Arthur. I waited around for a bit for the PR. When she arrived, she introduced me to Dan Cummins and we went to sit next to the pool. I was nervous as this was my first interview and I had fears of something going wrong. I pushed record on my voice recorder, opened my piece of paper with my lists of questions and fired away with my first one.

(RJ)What did you enjoy most about visiting South Africa and performing here?

(DC)I guess it’s exciting to come and just test the waters so to speak, you know, see if a English speaking country, but a country clear across the globe, north south and east west , like whether my humour will translate. You assume it will, but you don’t know for sure? So that was my favourite part, just, yeah trying something really new. I’ve been pretty much everywhere in the States, like North America, so it’s a good change.

"A panda killed my family"

(RJ)And did you find that your comedy did translate?

(DC)Yeah, especially like more and more each week you get more comfortable. But I noticed Cape Town, I don’t think it’s more of a… I don’t know, have you seen any of my standup before?

(RJ)I watched your DVD last night, I bought it at the show.

(DC)Oh so that’s right, you were at the show. So like, Cape Town seems to be like a college kinda town, liberal. That type of city just seems to serve me best. So, Cape Town is like the easiest to translate, but I mean Johannesburg and Durban were fine too, Just, I feel like I could get a little more experimental here. You know like, know before it was more just stick to punch lines and move on to the next thing. But yeah, I’ve had fun. I’ve noticed the big difference between South Africa and the States, I mean, in the States a lot of guys are, like you’re based in San Francisco, you’re based in Austin, you definitely develop your Austin material. But comics tend to focus more on universal themes. They could work anywhere in the world. You might have a couple of jokes about Austin, but then you quickly move into just stuff like random observations, family, opinions on larger social matters. Where here I’ve noticed the scene is very colloquial, you know like, um, like South Africa has really changed their set up quite a bit from Durban to Johannesburg. And the sets they do literally wouldn’t work anywhere else in the world. It just would appeal to South Africans because it’s all about Afrikaans and culture, apartheid and Mandela and various things unique just to the city. And that just reminds me that it’s a newer scene and just different. In the States if you want to make money and have a career as a touring comic you have to appeal to the whole country, really more in a way. It’s been interesting. I kinda indulged, I don’t usually talk so much about where I am. It’s been kind of fun though, change of base.

(RJ)So, would you come back and do your one man show here?

(DC)I’d love to. If they can promote it and get a venue, yeah. It’d be nice to. I feel in this 15 minute set I do five, ten minutes of local, do some universal and then time’s up. But I have loads of material. I have a couple of specials back home and then a new hour of unrecorded stuff, so it would be fun to come here and do a proper long show.

(RJ)It would be good to have you.

At this moment I thought what if the voice recorder was too far away and it didn’t record anything coherent. I moved it closer to Dan and asked my next question.

(RJ)So, how’s the response been from South African audiences?

Dan moved his head closer to recorder and answered…

(DC)I think uh * laughs *

He sat back and continued.

(DC)Good actually, really good! It’s been better than American audiences in some ways. I think a lot of the clubs in the States  - there’s a big culture of celebrity and it’s like audiences come out and if they haven’t already heard of you, it’s more just this kind of like “Mah, what’s this guy?”  It’s more of this attitude of, “Well he can’t be very good because he’s not famous.” And it’s funny, a lot of the clubs, they’ve started booking just comedic actors, like Pauly Shore, or Screech, the guy who played Screech on Saved by the Bell, Justin Diamond, Stiffler’s Mom on American Pie, I can’t remember what her name is. I haven’t even watched a lot of there acts and then there’s a bunch of others, but people come out because they’ve seen them in a movie, but they’re shit -  they’re not comics. They’re just people who were funny in a movie. It’s weird, people get more excited, they want to have their picture taken… I wish there was more people in the States that really appreciated the art of standup, and there are some, there definitely are some, but a lot of times as a comedy club you get a mix of a few of them and then a lot of people who just randomly decided to go out or happened to get free tickets or something and so you learn how to win ’em over but they’re not as.. * snaps finger *  Like the crowds here have been really hot. Like it’s a big theatre show, it’s an international festival. But even when I did Parkers club in Johannesburg, just a couple of warm-up sets, they were like really appreciative you know.

(RJ)So would you say, in America, when someone doesn’t recognize your name they wouldn’t give you the time of day?

(DC)Yeah they’re just a very like … it’s weird, they equate success with celebrity. Like if you’re famous you’re successful, if you’re not famous you’re unsuccessful. So you like, you’ll have a great show in front of somebody who has seen you on a comedy show but you’re not on a sitcom, you’re not in a movie, but they’ve seen you on Comedy Central or something, and then like, I can’t tell you how many times they’ll be like “Hey man, I hope you make it, good luck.” And it’s like what the fuck d’you want from me? You know, like how is that not enough? You know like I made you laugh for an hour. But still they’re like it’s a hobby. Like all comics are just practicing for a sitcom. No, it’s an art form in and of itself. It’s just the least respected entertainment art form I think

"Peanut butter is the answer"

(RJ)So what keeps you motivated, what drives you?

(DC)I like creative expression. I’m working on material but really lately it’s just... I always thought there’d be this great job where if you could get a little bit of a fan base whether it be through film, web-based programming, stand up, television show or whatever, you could get that solid base that’s gonna go see you wherever you go, they give you this great job where you could work like ten nights a month. Bryan Reagan has this perfect job in the States. He does like two weekends a month and that’s it, the rest of the time is his. And he can work on stuff at his leisure, writing projects and stuff, but he only HAS to be somewhere two weekends a month. That’s what keeps me ahead, is that carrot dangling there. I’m like, if I could make it to that… best job ever!

(RJ)What made you decide to become a comedian? I’ve read on Wikipedia some of your history – that you come from a very small town and you got your degree in psychology and then standup, it just seems a bit strange to me…

(DC)Yeah, it was pretty random, I mean I didn’t plan it out. Like I didn’t watch stand up much growing up, in college not at all, just wasn’t interested. Even when I started doing stand up the first couple of years I thought it was going to be very temporary and I only later got more into the art form, I’d say about three or four years in. But, it was just random. My ex wife, we were dating at the time, she heard about an amateur night open mic and thought I should try it, so I totally did it on a whim . I have a weird relationship with standup, different than most comics  - I really like it, but if a different creative opportunity that was fulfilling came along tomorrow I could walk away from it and not miss it. I love it but I don’t need it. So, I just like being creative, whether it be writing, and music is what I did before standup. And like, one of these days if I’ve got a big chunk of time to myself, I really wanna paint. I just like creating.

Dan has a scetch in his routine about how Pandas should really be left alone to die out already. He even goes so far as to say we should put them in cages with tigers and see who would come out on top.

(RJ)I just need to know, what is it with pandas? Why do you hate them so much?

(DC)*laughs* You know, it’s funny. I really don’t hate the creature itself, it’s a symbol to me of thoughtless liberalism. I hate extremes right or left. And what kills me about pandas is it really is, I mean, it’s a cool creature, but it’s outlived its welcome. Like its time has passed. Like it really is this artifact from a previous time where there just isn’t the eco system for it anymore. And yeah let’s try and keep it alive, but let’s not give hundreds of millions of dollars when there’s, well like in your country for example where there’s two and half million people living a shanty town , you know. I’m a humans first person, like let’s fix our own shit, lets try and get a harness on this and then do novelties, like pandas. They’re just a little lower on my priority list. I just love poking fun at that. They’re a symbol of that thought to me. … And a panda killed my family. So it’s a little personal.

(RJ)So what’s next for you? I know you’ve got another show in the works, what else are you working on?

(DC)A lot of writing projects. I do a radio show back home so we’re going to launch a pod cast off of the radio show, it’s called Naked and Fearless. Which I think is going to be a little different pod cast, it’s very .. it’s not just surface stuff, not just quick jokes it’s like real deep, we really explore issues a lot more personally. And them I‘m hoping one of these writing things take off. I’m constantly auditioning and hoping that one of these things takes. There’s a screenplay I’m working on and a couple of sitcom pilots that I’ve written. Hopefully I’ll get someone to sign me a cheque over for one of them,

(RJ)Lastly, if you could take one thing back to America from South Africa, like anything what would it be – only one thing.

(DC)Only one? What one thing would I take back from South Africa? A really poor, really attractive black woman… I just feel like she’d be appreciative.

We both start laughing and Dan continues…

"Imagine what I filter"

(DC)If I could take one thing… maybe a uh? This is a tough one for a serious answer… I don’t have to be serious? I feel like the last answer is probably going to get me in trouble.

It probably would, only…

(RJ)You’ll be in America…

(DC)Yeah that’s right, I’ll escape it. One thing… trying to think of some weird animal that I could take back… maybe a lion cub. Take a live lion cub back.

I ended the interview and Dan gave me his personal email address. We chatted a bit about his stand up show and my love for comedy. We are basically best friends now. But, don’t ask him that…

Thanks to Hunta Live for arranging the interview and a big thanks to Dan Cummins for giving me 15 minutes of his time. I suggest we all mail Hunta Live and tell them to bring him back for a solo show.