Initially incepted by the amazingly witty #GSCAdmin team as a valiant effort in normalising the new norms of post-MCO and posed itself as a snarky reminder for all cinema-goers to adhere to SOPs — “Hello. Cannot.” with the addition of Joanne “Kam” has transcended into a comedy show ladened with risqué content and relatable localised parodies.
“Hello. Cannot. Kam.” was spearheaded by Malaysia’s Queen of Comedy, Joanne Kam Poh Poh and King of Parody, Steven Bones. The sophisticated Jin Gastrobar in Aurum Theatre was filled with guffaws that night as the stellar duo delivered their comical antics and shenanigans that tickled our funny bone (some say their third leg too)!
Kam is notoriously known for her distinct style of acid tongue humour and kinky anecdotes which have earned her the title of Kuala Lumpur’s risqué mistress. Her allure as a woman comedian is further accentuated by her glamorous divaesque fashion sense. Aside from dominating the comedy scene in Malaysia with her cabaret comedy and constantly selling out her shows, she is also a versatile woman of many talents.
Steven Bones too is a man of many talents — vocalist, entertainer, voiceover artist, the man with a 1000 voice (Malaysia’s Michael Winslow) and, the purveyor of gut-busting parodies. His Youtube channel, “Steven Bones Everything” is a treasure trove filled with comical spoofs augmented with localised contents.
Despite her tight schedule and her non-existent wardrobe woes (looking glam as always), Kam was extremely gracious and agreed to an interview with us:
Q: What prompted you to start stand-up comedy?
A: At that point of time, I needed a job man! It was actually by chance because initially I wanted to be an actress; I was invited by Kumar to work with him at Haw Par Villa in Singapore and it seemed that I have a knack for playing funny characters! Eventually, I auditioned at Boom Boom Room and they found me to be very funny, so they offered me a job as a comedian.
Q: From where do you draw inspirations?
A: When we started comedy back in Singapore, jokes on Internet was not a thing like nowadays. We had to scavenge through seriously tasteless joke books (father-in-law jokes, uncle jokes and recently trending, dad jokes) from volume 1 to 10 and turn them into something personal yet relatable for the audience. As the comedy scene starts to revolutionise here in KL, I started writing my own jokes based on my life experiences because I was not going to lose out!
Q: Who are the iconic figures that inspire you?
A: Whoopie Goldberg, Bette Midler, Wanda Sykes, and Margaret Cho.
Q: What do you think of the comedy scene here in Malaysia?
A: It’s definitely growing, and we certainly have the most comedy performances here in Malaysia as opposed to the whole of Asia. We have all these up and coming open mikers and OGs like Harith, Douglas, and me among many others. Though there are definitely challenges in certain regions but mostly, it’s great! For instance, Penang is an amazing crowd and Kuching is hungry for humour!
Q: To all the aspiring comedians in Malaysia, do you have any advice for them?
A: Don’t do comedy guys, just work at GSC! All jokes aside, if you’re keen, have passion for comedy and you think you’re funny, go to the comedy club and watch the open mikers. Be involved in the scene, get to know your audience, put in the effort, and do open mikes. If you want your foot in comedy, you pay your dues. Comedy club is just like the gym, it’s where you flex your comedy muscle!
