IN recent weeks, Malaysia has been bombarded with headlines that have left us feeling a little on edge, where screen rants and conditions alike are made much more intense while under lockdown.
That said, Covid has also made it possible for creatives, notably comedians, to use their time to pump out material that break through the noise with laughter by providing a humorous twist amidst all the angst.
Quite frankly, no one likes to be in a constant state of fury.
When it comes to quick-turnaround jokes that are relevant, we dare say that no one does it better than Douglas Lim.
The unforgettable and highly hilarious video parody cracking-up the Internet was his take on the former Prasarana Chairman's notorious press conference.
What made it remarkable was that he was able to portray his comedic observations with the right amount of satire. Those that think otherwise may need to review how they evaluate quality entertainment.
Netizens responding to the masterpiece declared Lim as an underrated comedian, and that “… [Malaysians] must protect him at all costs”. They also went on to note how they appreciate that his content is strikingly timely.
So, it truly came as no surprise when news broke that the funny man had received the title as Malaysia’s ‘King of Parody’ recently by the Malaysia Book of Records.
In this latest interview with The Vibes Culture & Lifestyle, discover in detail what exactly fuels his spoofs...
The Vibes: Hi Douglas! Thanks for joining us via Zoom. How are you today?
Douglas Lim: I am doing good, I just had lunch – got myself Nasi Kunyit Mat Rock from a food truck near where I live, it is really good, and bought drinks from a Transformer. Yeah, there was a guy in a full Bumblebee suit selling air jagung.
TV: Evidently, lockdown has not killed creativity?
DL: I think more than that, there are people going the extra mile to do what they need to do.
TV: So how is it like for you particularly during the pandemic?
DL: When we started receiving the news of the outbreak from China, events started to cancel. For me specifically, it was from doing four to six corporate events a month to zero because companies just could not do functions anymore. I have had some gigs that have been postponed since last year, thinking that things will be back to normal but yeah things seem to be more indefinite.
Photoshoots that required groups of people were also put on hold. But luckily (in between MCOs) I managed to get involved in some activities with just a small (about a handful) group of people in a studio with no audience. I got some work done for television, but the problem was a lot of it was comedy based (work) that usually needed an audience, and we did not have that.
TV: The physicality of it all has faced an obvious limitation, but we still see you churning out a lot of self-produced content. Did you have any help when producing these videos?
DL: If I am doing my green screen work, I would usually do it on my own because there is no space as well. I mean, usually when I position my camera, behind it is a window and there is no room to fit another person, so basically, it is all self-managed.
I have a whole new respect for the social media guys that do this on their own. I mean can you imagine, trying to perform while having all the technicalities in mind.
TV: What inspires your comedy, and what is life as comedians off stage/camera like?
DL: I cannot speak for all comedians, but for a lot of us that I do know – our lives are very normal, and fairly boring. I mean, we are not depressed or the tortured artist kind. Well, maybe some are but most of us have nothing terribly interesting to share, which is why I personally do not simply document what goes on in my life daily.
For stand-up comedians, a lot of times it is not so much a joke as it is our opinion. So, we always have an opinion on something when we start thinking of an idea. For example, the Bumblebee selling drinks on the side of the road that I just saw earlier – there are so many ways I can go about highlighting the situation.
Firstly, I can start by asking why is our rakyat struggling so much to a point that this guy must come up with a gimmick to sell drinks? Now, what I just said is an opinion on the state of affairs of the country, where the question of what our government has or has not done to alleviate the situation is then raised.
From there, how do I now make it comedic?
If all I am not a comedian, then my video will be just documenting what I see simply where it becomes a rant video. To make it into something that is light-hearted, I would still highlight the situation but turn it around in the script/storytelling by injecting some comedy flair to it.
However, the material still stems from an opinion.
TV: As your act evolves over time, have you ever faced any sort of pushback or censorship over your materials?
DL: This happens quite often among comedians, and it is usually the case when it comes to branded content. But it is completely understandable, the brand hiring you for the job has an image to protect and obviously they will have their do(s) and don’t(s). A lot of the time we (comedians) will come with the jokes, and brands will evaluate the pitch and see if it fits.
Maybe the pushback that I shared is not in the way that you were thinking of – like authorities taking action or having any political pressures of any kind.
However, on television where censorship is strong then yes, and I will usually ask myself, "Is the risk worth it?" Because you do not want to go down the route of throwing away the opportunity that TV stations have given you. Also, you do not want to put them in trouble where MCMC guns them down and then gets a hefty fine over a joke – seriously?
Comedians just want to entertain their audience and make them laugh at the end of the day. So, I practice a lot of self-censorship for things with a religious tone for example. I find a lot of things that certain religious figures do completely insane – do I have jokes? So many. But do I perform them? Simply, not worth the risk.
A good case example is about a recent commotion over the distinction between ‘Bodoh’ and ‘Bodoh-bodoh’, which a certain professor tried to highlight of how women should act.
Of course, the interpretation of what it meant has now been cleared up but again what I am trying to say is that do I have my own take on the matter and jokes over it? Yes. Did/Will I push it out in a comedic content? No. At least, I feel like I am in no position to say anything about it.
Social media has made it possible for people to specialise in provocation, and they will use it to get attention. As a result, it conditions the audience tuning into the content they see online to pick up on the red flags. But unfortunately, even videos that are purely done out of entertainment get affected by this so-called cancel culture due to the nit-picking.
At least for comedians, if we can get a laugh out of you from the silliness, then we are done. – The Vibes, June 19, 2021
*Follow our interview with comedian Douglas Lim as he shares how he navigates social media, career reflections and more in the video below…
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