With even the likes of the Financial Portfolio Committee chairperson, Nhlanhla Nene, with his "comedic collapsing act", gaining Internet superstardom overnight, it seems possible for almost anyone to claim their 15 minutes of fame. Who doesn't love technology? Geriatrics, this is the part where you keep quiet. But unlike the chairperson, some comedians aren't always worth the Internet coverage. Or the DVDs their material is released on.
If you sift through the live-comedy aisle of any Look & Listen, you're bound to come across a milieu of South African funnymen. No? Look harder. One of them is David Kau's I Did These Jokes First DVD. The PMS pioneer released his live show on DVD last year to a good response - with reason. Kau kept the packed audience - who included the Kwela Tebza brothers - in stitches with his commentary on our society and the way in which we relate to the world.
The hilarious Al Prodgers also roped in Kedibone Mulaudzi as his opening act for his DVD, Of Course I'll Still Respect You In The Morning (also released last year).
On the topic of tongue-in-cheek titles, David Newton also offered his Defending The Laid Man on DVD last year. Newton, always the bridesmaid and never the bride where the South African Comedy Awards are concerned, tackles female-male dynamics among other things.
Newton starts the run of his one-man show, Politically Incorrect, in Johannesburg tonight at the Civic's Tesson Theatre in Braamfontein.
This is a man who has his marketing strategy down pat. Not only has the release of his DVD ensured that you can't miss him, he was also one of the most popular comedians at this year's National Arts Festival with his show claiming second place in popularity according to news coverage. This is, perhaps, due to the fact that he had life-size Vernon Koekemoer posters advertising his show in every conceivable corner.
Maybe this is what the likes of Darren Whackhead Simpson, who has a series of CDs which see him prank call a few people, should think about doing for mass appeal.
Or maybe they should just stick to delivering good material. It's the gags that will speak for them, right?
And, on that note, here's a subtle note to comics like John Vlismas and Loyiso Gola: quit keeping your rip-roaring story telling to yourselves.
We're in dire need of stand-up comedians who are worth watching but may not necessarily have the money or marketing behind them to have their material released on DVDs.
The Comic
David Newton on his one-man show, Politically Incorrect: It's about having a laugh. A big laugh. It's stand-up comedy at the end of the day, but I explore themes that provoke our political correctness. For me, it all started when a disabled guy was in my audience for one of my other comedy shows. The experience that we had with him made me realise that political correctness to an extreme is often patronising.
On white guilt: In my experience, the black comics I've worked with have greater freedom to explore so-called politically incorrect subjects. After 14 years of democracy there is still this underlying current of "white guilt", in which case a white comic like me comes across as more politically incorrect when I explore the same subjects. Make no mistake, political correctness is alive and well, even more so today than it was a few years ago.
On getting into trouble for being non-PC: In one particular case, when I spoke about disability (and explored the funny side of disabled dating) a lady approached me and shared her concerns about how difficult it is for the parents of Down Syndrome children to cope with the challenges they face. But, on the flip side, I have had a woman, who has bulimia, approach me after a show, thanking me for bringing it up (the subject, that is) and allowing us all to laugh about it, in turn making her feel part of society.
On his plans for the future. My big ambition for the future is to make it to the final round of Strictly Come Dancing with Natalie du Toit as my dance partner. (That woman is an over-achiever, we would win for sure!) But other than that, I will launch my new one-man show at the On Broadway Theatre in Cape Town in February next year. I am also committing myself to finishing the screenplays I have been working on for far too long. And there is also something in the pipeline with one of South Africa's biggest television productions.