This Saturday, Dr. Panda Comedy Club will welcome Nick Milnes to headline its monthly stand-up comedy show at The Paddy Field in Guangzhou. Hailing from the UK, Milnes has dabbled in comedy since 1999, performing a few gigs in his mother country before picking it up again in Hong Kong in 2007, when Takeout Comedy club was born. While Milnes has spent extensive time in Hong Kong, both before and after the handover, he’s kept a firm eye on things back home and assures us his audiences can expect a reasonably global perspective.
We sat down – er, WeChatted – with Milnes to see how he prepares for shows, what advice he has for those interested in trying stand-up and what he thinks about Trump vs. split pants. Catch him live this Saturday at 9.30pm!
What’s the story behind your decision to willingly get on a stage and be laughed at for 60 solid minutes?
Solid minutes? Mightn't they be fluid minutes? Who can say, time is experienced differently by people of different cultures, but in case you value yours, in short; to feed my fragile ego.
You’re based in Hong Kong but have performed in South China before. Anything unique about us Guangzhouers?
Dare I say the pace of life is a little less frenetic in Guangzhou than in Shenzhen, for example? Having lived in Hong Kong for so long I've sought out the tranquil places, but in Shenzhen there seems to be no respite. Guangzhou has temples, parks, cavernous dim sum restaurants.... and you're less likely to be offered the old 'one-handed' massage.
What’s your pre-routine routine?
Watching the other acts, mining the bar for a couple of free pints – basically trying to ignore the enormity of what I'm about to undertake (cf. question one)
Dr. Panda Comedy Club is organizing a new workshop for beginner comedians in the PRD. Any advice for those considering trying stand-up?
Get a notebook and write down every idea you have. You'll get more selective with time but at the beginning when you're trying to generate material for your first open mic, you don't wanna miss a thing. I think that's what Steve Tyler wrote that song about. Do you remember that song by Aerosmith? If you're not old enough, perhaps you've heard of Steve's daughter, Liv Tyler? She was the dark-haired girl in Lord of the Rings. Not everything you write down will be funny.
When it comes to the show, invite as many of your friends as possible so there's an amiable, supportive crowd.
What can audiences expect at your Guangzhou show next weekend?
Equal doses of Wizard of Oz and man behind the curtain – bluff ballsy statements undermined by controlled flashes of crippling self-doubt, oh, no, you're looking at your watch again.... JOKES!
Cats or dogs?
You need to ask?
But really, would you rather be stuck in an elevator with Donald Trump for 72 hours or sport Chinese kid open-crotch pants for a month?
Trumps are never good in confined spaces so I'd hope HE wasn't wearing open-crotch pants... but 72 hours stuck in an elevator would be 72 hours when he wasn't on the campaign trail, so that!
Head to The Paddy Field this Saturday night to see Milnes perform live and learn about Dr. Panda Comedy Club’s new comedy workshop set to hit Guangzhou (and Shenzhen!) this June.
Andrew Newman, a Canadian comic with a thing for non sequitur humor, will open the show. Tickets are RMB100 presale and RMB200 at the door. Click here to reserve today before they sell out!
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