AS if the world is not already dealing with a series of heart-stopping events the past couple of weeks, we are now being fed with salacious headlines concerning the integrity of comedy.
This follows the aftermath of a recent open-mic nightmare that took place at Crackhouse Comedy Club KL.
The latest of this case is the accused duo is looking to crowdfund bail money, and Crackhouse’s co-founder freed from police custody over a separate investigation but was brought forth due to the open-mic controversy.
Presumably, matters such as comically coiffed Boris Johnson announcing his sudden resignation, the assassination of Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, Sri Lankan protesters partying in their ousted president's mansion and the seizure of Petronas’ Luxembourg assets are only worthy of bulletin crawls and compact reporting.
Given that many are already exasperated with the chronological dominance of this bizarre event, The Vibes Culture & Lifestyle wants to dig deeper, and look at the heart of this contentious situation – the takeaways and key considerations for the society to grow after such a debacle.
Don’t complicate the issue
Indonesian stand-up comedian Mohamad Ali Sidik Zamzami, popularly known as Mo Sidik, expressed that Malaysians should first be proud of Crackhouse Comedy.
“Malaysia is one of the countries in Asia with the most standup comedians who have specials on Netflix globally, and Crackhouse is one of the reasons.
“Over the years, the establishment has produced Malaysian talents who would later become world-class artists.
“Punish the culprit, not the place!
According to Sidik, the fact Crackhouse immediately gave a warning, and kicked the perpetrators out then followed up with a police report after the video of the performance went viral, is enough to show the stance of the establishment over the whole ordeal.
“It breaks my heart to hear the news. Crackhouse is the first place outside Indonesia to believe in me.
“I remember together with fellow Indonesian comedian Reggy Hasibuan, we were trusted to be the headliners in the three nights of the opening.
“It opened many doors for me to finally be able to perform with the best standup comedian in Asia at Comedy Central, and with Rizal's (comedian and co-founder of Crackhouse Comedy Club) recommendations, I was able to go on a standup world tour titled ‘Fattitude’ in 2017.
“This is not just my story, but also the story of tens (perhaps hundreds) of standup comedians who are able to kickstart international careers just because the comedy club gave us the 3-5 minutes to showcase our talents,” shared Sidik.
One of the first few visiting acts to the club back when it first opened its doors in 2014 was Singaporean standup comedian and emcee Sam See.
He shared his personal memory of Crackhouse being a place to “...learn from some of the best.”
“I was an amateur at the time, Kavin Jay even helped to pay for my flights. Crackhouse gave me a chance, along with so many other young talents, not just to be better at comedy, but to be ourselves. Since then I have visited the club yearly,” he highlighted.
See is of the opinion that it is unacceptable for new generation of performers and audiences to lose a place over the destructive and vindictive actions of two people.
“What the offenders did was purposeful and hateful to the club and the sensibilities of the good people of Malaysia.
“I understand that the authorities must do their due diligence but the fact that the club, its employees and their audience must stay away indefinitely is ridiculous.
“You do not put out a flame and leave the rest of the house on fire,” noted the Singaporean comedian.
“The club has already paid a price for a purchase they did not make, and I can only hope that the authorities will realise this exchange.
He hopes that the ‘thieves of art’ are rightfully punished, and the club vindicated for a crime that they did not commit.
Gist of an open-mic night
Open-mic nights are different from professional shows. The latter have comics that are more well-known and do comedy for a living.
“They won't intentionally sabotage an event, let alone a club,” expressed Hong Kong stand-up comedian Joanna Sio.
“Open-mic nights are hard because you have people who are new and the organisers don't know them, but the sessions are essential for a scene to develop a dynamic comedy scene.
“A comedy scene only exists if there is infrastructure to let people hone their art, and be connected with other people in the same trade. This is exactly what open-mic nights are for.”
On whether any of the comedians have ever experienced an open-mic gone wrong, See mentioned that he has seen plenty over his career.
“Crackhouse did everything they could have done – banned the fools, spread the word of their misdeeds and made a formal police report.
“It is unfortunate that the debilitating duo had filmed themselves, making it as if the club had condoned their actions, when they had done the opposite.
“You cannot have asked for more swift action from an establishment that has had its doors darkened and sullied. And it is a shame that these monsters have somehow succeeded in their goals at the expense of the lives of the industry, and the emotions of those online that had to witness those actions,” he added.
Sidik equally noted that Indonesia similarly had to deal with several comedy cases reflective of the recent commotion.
“Thank God everything was resolved (in the end) peacefully because Islam is a religion of peace, and uses common sense,” he highlighted given that more than 80% of the Indonesian population identifies themselves as Muslims.
“The Prophet taught us to forgive easily, especially to those who have lost their way.
“If those who get lost are beaten, they won't even want to return to the right path,” he added.
The comic does emphasise that legal processes must still take their course especially if the accused has violated the law.
Detailing what comedians should keep in mind when creating materials, Sidik disclosed: “Every performer must know their audience.
“Comedy is subjective, and segmented. Your material may be funny to some, and offensive to others.
While an open mic is built to test your material to prove its effectiveness and rewrite, comics will not haughtily post the new material at an Open Mic, especially knowing that it is recorded.
“Because the purpose is for evaluation to find out what went wrong, and discuss the performance with other comedians.
“Netizens are judgmental, and don't care about the process. So if you stupidly post it to gain attention, these things will occur – destroy your career, put you in jail and make you poor.”
Is my material faultless?
Touching on complete freedom in comedy, the ambassador of Comedy Central Indonesia said: “Comedy is unbounded. The only limit (in question) is a comedian's guts and analysis based on their thinking and experience.”
“Do you want to be safe or otherwise? Do you want to appear on national TV or underground? Do you prefer to perform in a comedy club or at a corporate event? Do you want to be beaten or cheered? Are you ready to go to jail or not?
“These decisions are in the hands of the comedian. Know the risks, then set the limits,” said Sidik.
“Freedom of speech means you can say anything you want, but it also means others are free to criticise,” See said.
“Comedy gives people the platform to try, fail, and to fail again.
“Although we do what we can to entertain and there is no perfection in comedy, there is a chance of showing what we are as humans – fallible.
He shared that the actions of 38-year-old Alexander Navin Vijayachandran and his partner Siti Nuramira Abdullah, 26, (whose performance was deemed to provoke racial sensitivities) were a scorched earth act, “...all for the need to be famous on TikTok.”
“What the two culprits did was not in any way, shape, or form close to what good comedy, or even comedy can be.
“Their intentions were not to entertain an audience. Instead, the intentions were to upset and offend. No good comic will watch that clip and say that was comedy.
“How sad for them to use a place – encouraging and nurturing applause – just to tear it down for views,” said See.
Sio added to the discourse: “You can't hide behind 'freedom' and infringe on other people's 'freedom'.”
“If your act has an intention to hurt or stir conflict, you are not fit for comedy, and shouldn't be given a platform.
Much like See, she has frequented Crackhouse for the past 10 years and highlighted the experience to have always been positive and professional.
“Malaysians have very hearty laughs and the club showcased that through its audience.
Her take on the whole Crackhouse ordeal is “…a bit like people breaking the social contract of what is acceptable. For instance, stealing luggage off the conveyor belt at the airport, peeing all over the public toilet seats etc.”
“The comedy circuit is very tight in Malaysia and comics conduct themselves well within the limits of what is appropriate,” she said.
“I think Crackhouse has done the best it can and it is unfair to be punished for something that is out of their control.
“I was not there that night, but I think if it were a rowdy obnoxious male yelling out obscenities, he would have gotten yanked off stage faster,” added Sio.
Focus on the fix, not the blame
One thing is clear, the whole Crackhouse controversy gained intense pressure for accountability. Even comics in neighbouring countries are following the issue closely. It does beg the question of the level of mediocrity of the scene here in Malaysia, if not Asia in its entirety.
Responding to this, See does not think the commotion reflects amateurism at all.
“Comedians in the Asian scene have strived from the first day they come up on stage to be the best in entertainment that audiences can find.
“The acts subject themselves to hours of writing, practicing and performing. They may not be everyone's cup of tea, but comedy itself is subjective.
He highlighted that a better environment can only come from a better understanding of the atmosphere.
“We (existing comics) can only hope to educate and welcome more audiences and potential performers (those with joy and desire for laughter) into our world.
“This comes with the exclusion of individuals that crave nothing but fame at the cost of our ecosystem,” he emphasised.
Sio believes the level of comedy in Asia is high, but comics (except the top few) don't get enough exposure/opportunities.
“This makes it hard for more people to do full-time comedy, to have talented comics being able to devote all their time to perfect their art.
“If being a stand-up comic can be a viable career path for more people, it would be very exciting,” she noted.
If Crackhouse were to cease operations and those behind it treated as ‘fall guy(s)’, it will definitely be an industry setback.
“Malaysia losing one of its two venues of regular performances, which will, in turn, cause the other venues to fall under a heavy eye of governmental and societal scrutiny,” said See.
“Opponents will use this as a victory to pursue other venues and acts using the same tactics as the pair before, or even using worse strategies.
“These acts will be resilient, and they will fight back – making new art, new venues and new shows.
He expressed that the growth that is needed to move forward does not come from the club or the acts, not even from people that love comedy.
“In fact, it must come from the observing party to reflect and see what the next cause of action would truly accomplish.
“Does closing down a comedy club makes you more whole as a human? Was the notoriety worth it? Does commenting on comedians' posts with death threats make one a better person?
“Reflection must be necessary, and comedy, as always, can only try to hold up a mirror to society.” – The Vibes, July 17, 2022
