ENTERTAINMENT
WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST OBSTACLE WHEN STARTING OUT IN COMEDY? People weren’ t giving me opportunities. I was an outsider to the comedy fraternity and was given the scraps. Then I landed a gig at the toughest venue in town, the Runway Bar near the airport, which booked only UK comedians.
BY VENECIA VALENTINE
After more than 7 000 performances, South Africa’ s king of clean comedy still gets butterflies before stepping on stage.
WHAT HAS KEPT YOUR COMEDY RELEVANT? My mentor, Johnny Noble of Biltong and Potroast fame, told me:“ If you keep it clean, you will always be in the scene.” My comedy also comes from real-time observations and experiences. I have Billy Connolly to thank for that. In the late 1980s, I opened four shows for him in Jersey in the UK. He came into my dressing room, told me I was very good, but advised me to stop simply telling jokes and start turning them into real stories.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN MZANSI TODAY THAT YOU CAN’ T RESIST TURNING INTO COMEDY? South Africans are special. I believe we’ re unique in our ability to laugh about the ludicrous things that happen around us.
WHERE DO YOU DRAW THE LINE WHEN TACKLING SENSITIVE SUBJECTS? I never make comedy about people who can’ t do anything about their condition. My mum had polio, and I saw the abuse she endured from people looking for cheap laughs. I had a stutter when I was younger, but I wrote jokes about it, performed them, and stopped stuttering. I could do something about my situation; my mum couldn’ t. That matters to me.
TELL US ABOUT A PERFORMANCE THAT WENT SPECTACULARLY WRONG. There have been many mistakes! Once, I performed an entire corporate show at the wrong venue. They hadn’ t told me it was a surprise from the boss, and the correct event was next door. I arrived very late at the right venue, and they refused to pay me. I owned up and did the gig anyway, without the money.
AFTER MORE THAN 7 000 PERFORMANCES, DO YOU STILL GET NERVOUS? Absolutely! I still feel like throwing up just before I’ m announced. But once I get that first belly laugh after my opening one-liner, I think,“ OK, I’ m still funny!”
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF? Don’ t rush to become famous. Develop your own style. Understand that being a comedian is better than working! IB
26 INBOUND SA / NOVEMBER 2026