5 Questions with Kevin Jin
Kevin Jin is a Sydney comedian and was a 2018 Raw Comedy National Finalist. He recently sold out his 2021 Sydney Comedy Festival run and did a really good job.
He is also the host of the 'Love Me Love My Anxiety' podcast on SBS, which is educational and wholesome but still funny. He has had his rat-tail for his entire life.
No.1
Tell us more about Country Boy. How was it conceived?
Many comedians will say during their shows that they had to come up with the show name months in advance because festivals will require a show name to be registered before the show is even written. This is not the case for me. I was born to do this show. It was conceived when I was conceived. Also, my fiancée is from the countryside and I’m a Sydney ethnic suburbanite so there’s a lot of incongruities there that easily map onto stand-up schema.
No.2
How did you get into stand-up? What was the turning point for you?
I enjoyed listening to stand-up albums as a teenager because I had no consistent father figure and Angry American Dudes Telling It Like It Is was a cool and healthy substitute. My friends thought I was funny so I went to a beginner’s night when I was 19 and did well with some loose one-liners. My second-ever gig was a hard bomb the week after at an open mic.
There has been no ‘turning point’, only the ongoing accumulation of experience, layering onto itself like a pearl or a growing callus. One day that callus will grow so thick that I become skin all the way through.
No.3
How do you prepare for a gig if you haven’t gone on stage in a while? Is comedy (like music or writing, for e.g.) a muscle you have to keep flexing? I’m curious if there is a certain way you go about it.
I used to ‘get rusty’ if I hadn’t done a gig in more than two weeks. However, after not gigging for two years in lockdown, I simply decided that I no longer ‘got rusty’ and smashed my first spot back from lockdown. Between spots, I very rigorously test ideas on my partner who keeps saying that she will leave me if I keep testing ideas on her. Unfortunately for her, she now has a very sharp comedic instinct which I find very reliable. I pray she does not start a comedy career of her own. She would be too powerful.
No.4
You’ve performed in a variety of spaces, from Melbourne Town Hall to a mate’s kitchen to a birthday party. How differently do you approach these spaces and crowds?
I don’t approach them differently. All crowds are beautiful.
I used to only test new gear at open mics or smaller sized rooms but now I’m not afraid to do new ideas at bigger rooms. I will be doing a few for Country Boy. The crowd and I will watch together as these new babies take flight for the first time.
No.5
What can we expect at Country Boy?
There’ll be stories about going to the countryside and meeting my rural white in-laws as well as stories about how I’m getting older and enjoying my exit from having to be ‘cool’ or ‘with it’. There’ll also be a lot of jokes about race chat, which is very easy for me and to be honest, I’m rather sick of. I’m simply too good at it.
Photograph / Provided
Kevin Jin has an hour of comedy that he's been working on. He's very proud of it and would like if you came to watch. He’s going to tell you his thoughts about the different races.
Kevin was a Raw Comedy National Finalist in 2018. He recently sold out his 2021 Sydney Comedy Festival run and did a really good job. He has had a rat’s tail for his entire life.
Runs April 29 to May 1. Tickets here.