With Zhou Libo
By By Cao Li (China Daily)
2009-07-13 13:36
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Perhaps no one knows better how to engage an audience than stand-up comedian Zhou Libo.
Popularizing the Shanghainese dialect by taking a humorous look at world affairs, including what is happening here at home, the 42-year-old is not afraid to poke fun at Chinese leaders or local politics.
He plays the role of Premier Wen Jiabao in a famous shoe-throwing incident that happened during Wen's visit to Cambridge University in England last year. Zhou also makes fun of the Shanghai government for squandering 10 billion yuan (US$1.46 billion) on Maglev tracks that only allow trains to run 30 km.
Zhou also imitates famous celebrities and draws audiences nationwide by picking apart the rivalry between Shanghai and northern China. His rising fame even helps line the pockets of scalpers, who can sell his tickets for thousands of yuan.
Influenced at a young age by his father's interest in huajixi, a form of comedic drama that grew out of the 1930s and took root in Shanghai and its neighboring provinces, Zhou joined the Shanghai Comic Troupe at 15. He learned his trade there under the late huajixi master Zhou Bochun.
Zhou later teamed up with Peking opera actor Guan Dongtian to deliver a more sophisticated form of comedy that would also appeal to China's educated and elite. Shanghai Star Weekend sat down with the notorious stand-up gagman to find out more.
Q: How do you come up with your jokes?
A: I draw on my own experiences, from what I see or read, and my conversations with people. I also read 14 different newspapers and surf the Net every day, and I have friends who are experts in different industries. This all helps keep me informed.
Q: Did you ever think you would be so successful?
A: From the day I decided to return to the stage, I knew I would be successful, but I never expected it to go this far. Many foreign media have come to interview me, and I heard many shops in China and the United States play my DVDs.
Q: When asked whether you would share the stage with Xiaoshenyang and Guo Degang (two comedians from northern China), you said you are as different as coffee and garlic. Do you think you're better than them?
A: No, I admire them. No one can say people who drink coffee are better than those who eat garlic. Every year, people around the world consume much more garlic than coffee. Confucius ate garlic, too. It simply 'boils down' to the fact that people from different places are different. It's like when I visit friends in northeast provinces. They invite me to sit on their bed, but I'd be angry if they came to my house and sat on my bed. It's really just a matter of respecting the differences.
Q: Do you ever get nervous on stage?
A: No, I believe I was born for the stage. Every time I hear the last call before the show starts, I feel the adrenaline start to pump, probably like how a horse feels before it starts a race. What could be more fun than having 1,300 people laughing along with you?