In a life and schedule full of stress and strain – the soul, and the most effective survivor is Comedy – be it satricial, television/film-based or stand-up! And as quickly as comedy relieves us from the tension clogged in our minds, comedians win our hearts. Today, I have with me a known, respected and loved stand-up comedian Kenneth Sebastian, popularly recognized as Kenny Sebastian.
Kenny, welcome to Spectralhues.com!
How were you introduced to the world of stand-up comedy and for how many years have you been doing this?
For the first time I knew something like stand-up existed was when Star World had shown Seinfeld. So, when I saw Seinfeld, I was like I couldn’t believe that this guy was standing on the stage and talking. That was when I first saw what stand-up was, and then in 2007 YouTube came out, giving me an unlimited access to stand-up. I started watching stand-up and I had never thought I could do it because it’s something that really great people do. While in the theatre I used to do comedy and then when I came to Bombay for the Mood Indigo Fest I didn’t know anybody there and just took part, going ahead to win the first place there. I came back to Banglore and read a story in Banglore Mirror regarding stand-up Comedy in Banglore. I contacted these guys on Facebook and they were really sweet to help me thereon!
Did the art of comedy come easy to you or you had to take some special training to master it?
No, I haven’t got any training, but when you hang up with seniors in the field, it’s easy to learn things. Like in Banglore people like Sanjay, Sandeep Rao, Pravin Kumar – they all guided me, told me what all I need to do. The good thing about stand-up is that everybody has got their own voice and one cannot tell them how to do stand-up. The bad thing again, is that everybody has their own voice and you cannot tell them how to do stand-up. So, one needs to figure it out on their own. It’s all about trial and error. I have done about good 500-600 shows so-far. So, it’s just an experience of what worked well and what did not.
Was any comedian you looked up to before becoming a comedian yourself?
I always looked up to Seinfeld, and I still do. He is a great American comedian and an inspiration. He is one of the greatest now. In India, when I saw Tanmay Bhatt perform, I was blown away. That was the time when I saw Bill Burr live, which was amazing, and it was a dream come true. Watching Seinfeld and Bill Burr live is like attaining higher studies in comedy, I think. Also, all the comedians I have worked with teach me a lot. So, it’s like every comedian influences you.
How important it is for a stand-up comedian to connect well with his audience?
Oh, that’s the most important thing. You can have bad jokes, which aren’t even funny, but it’s your presence on stage that matters. Many of the times there are really bad jokes, which are said sincerely, making them funny. On the other side, there are really good jokes, badly told, which makes no one laugh. So, stage presence and presentation matters. By that I don’t mean how one looks – who you are on stage is a really big thing. Besides, being honest on stage matters much!
What other activities are you involved in, apart from stand-up comedy?
I do films, compose music, teach a bit, do corporate training, paint, and recently I’ve been trying to get into sound engineering to see how sound is mixed. I write a lot. Slightly, I am a fitness enthusiast too. I just try out everything.
Comedian Kenny Sebastian interacting with Spectralhues team.
PHOTOGRAPH: Umang Sampat.
What prove to be catalysts in enhancing the comedic effect while performing?
For me, it’s my music. My guitar on board gives me a lot of confidence. Because that’s an area I’ve been more with when I started my comedy. Now, music and comedy, I am equally confident about. These days it is less of music and more of comedy, and I am brushing up my skills for raw stand-up, which is like, you are given a mike and you have to make people laugh. But my guitar is the real catalyst for me. I feel comfortable and confident when I am with my guitar. It kind of is like my shield and sense of support.
What mistakes do you think comedians often make?
Oh god, I am no one to point that out. (Laughs). But I think, people are often not able to make out who their audience is. They just ignore the people in the room, which at times doesn’t really matter. Sometimes a performer is not aware of who he is talking to and sometimes they don’t know why they are doing comedy. Mistakes, by comedians, can be countered by doing as many shows as one can. The more stage shows you do, the less ego you have.
Do you think the ban on the AIB roast was valid? 
I don’t have any opinion because there shouldn’t be any opinion. It is the most dumbest thing that has ever happened. It was just a YouTube video. Does one have any random opinion on a video with a cat hitting a ball? No – because it is a normal video. But suddenly, AIB roast was given importance. You need to understand why it blew out of proportion, because a lot of people used it as an agenda for the publicity of themselves. They (AIB) only thought of expanding the boundaries of Indian comedy and are unfortunately suffering the brunt of it.
Which are the best moments in your life – which you are still able to recall, perfectly?
First – my parents watching me on TV. Second – when I got the first standing ovation after my performance at the Canvas Laugh Club. Third – when I was doing my first thousand-seater show. Fourth – when I got my bike, because I bought it after earning from something I love.
What would you like to suggest for those who are looking forward to become stand-up comedians?
Be very clear why you are doing stand-up. Because if your intention is to get famous or to get attention, then you are not going to do well in anything. If you like entertaining people, or you’ve got something to say, or you genuinely respect the art of stand-up – just don’t listen to anybody and pursue what you want.
Your message for our readers.
First, do read this article completely, because that’s very important. And watch my YouTube videos; come to my shows, because that’s how I pay my bills. If you like my stuffs, please let me know, and if you don’t like please don’t get offended – just stop watching me. (Laughs)
Reader’s questions:
How did you come up with #KennySing4Me? – Harshita Jaitly
At the end of my show before I used to ask for random words and I used to make a song for my live shows. I am not restricted to one social media site. What if tomorrow twitter goes off? I don’t want be handicapped. I wanted to do something that doesn’t matter on what social media it is. Something with which I could interact with people and they would like it. And one advantage for me, because I am a film maker and edit and shoot, I could be the only one who could pull it off one day. And I know people won’t wait for 2 days, and even I wanted it that day. So, it came to me that way.
You are going on tour with the improvisers to the United States. Can you give us a few details about the same? – Ujjwala Bassi
It is not improvisers as such because Kanan (Gill) is not coming. It started with Abish as goes to New York every two years and then it’s a self funded tour, where-in we are gonna go to New York, LA, Atlanta and San Fransico and hit open mikes. We are doing some shows as well, programmed by a friend Tushar. Abish and I are going for stand-up. I’ll be attending workshops, learning sketch-writing. In India there is not much competition and if your are kind of okay here, you are assumed to be the best, which is very unhealthy for your writing. So, I just wanna go there and check out the people who are experienced and the masters of comedy are doing it.
What was your defining moment in life when you decided to pursue music and stand-up, even though it doesn’t have much success rate in India? – Eshita Tewari
Life is not like some blockbuster movie, right? I learned guitar when I was in 8th or 9th grade because I just thought it was damn cool and I wanted to learn. And stand-up just happened, which I would honestly confess. I was doing theatre and just tried comedy out, and it happened.
Thank you so much, Kenny, for interacting with us.
Interview co-ordinator: Shruti Dabholkar. Photography Credits: Umang Sampat.
Tags: Kenneth Sebastian Kenny Sebatian
