I want to be booed once on stage, says comic Abish Mathew

Three questions with stand-up comic Abish Mathew

Q. Why did you name your show, Son of Abish?
A. For the longest time, my opening joke used to be how my name sounds a lot like “a bitch”. So, when I started my website I called it Son of Abish. It was kind of catchy, and everybody liked it. So, I decided to call my live gigs Son of Abish as well. It’s actually two shows in one — a live gig consisting of a monologue, a chat show with funny guest interviews and a sketch comedy, and the other is an online show where I take excerpts from all my performances over a month and compile them in a video.

Son of Abish, a live show by Abish Mathew, will be hosted at the Canvas Laugh Factory on Friday

Q. You began performing in late 2008 — when stand-up comedy was at a nascent stage. Now, there are so many stand-up comics out there. Does it help having a lot of competition?
A. The fact that there are so many performers out there, is actually helping create a large fan base. Every performer brings his set of friends and network, which in turn brings more people to this form of comedy. It’s a lot like a pyramid form of marketing, which is very good for the industry. So, the more people joining in, the more it will grow.

Q. How do you make a joke: is it impromptu, or do you write it in advance? Have you ever been booed?
A. I want to be booed on stage, at least once, just to use that situation as a joke in my next show. I have been through corporate performances where people are busy talking or drinking at the bar, and don’t pay attention to what I have to say, which is common in most corporate performances. But, no, never in a live show. As for creating a joke, when you become popular and more people start to know you, you want to do a new joke in every performance. And it’s difficult because a joke is like a fruit. You have to let it grow. You do it a few times to see how it goes. Make improvisations then do it again. It’s a lot like a rehearsal.

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