John Blow hears from him about the inspiration for his new show, which is about the serious consequences of a bread roll missile.
This is a clear indication that Nish’s newest stand-up show is taking on some heavy themes, even though he insists that the new routine is full of jokes.
You would have thought it was a rudimentary concern. But such are the topics of Your Power and Your Control – mental illness, racial politics death threats – that his desire to emphasize the humor within is understandable.
Kumar admits that the past few years have been turbulent. However, he says that there is an old cliche that stand up comedy is therapeutic. But, what I have found to be true, is that therapy is far more therapeutic.
Yorkshire audience can view the highly-reviewed show in Hull, Wednesday. After that, he will perform in Yorkshire at various times over the next few months.
However, the unlikely inspiration behind the show and the nominal focus is a bread roll. Or rather, the aftermath from a heckler using it as a weapon in 2019.
The incident was captured on YouTube and later in sections of the media, making it seem like an isolated incident at the Lord’s Taverners charity cricket match.
Kumar says that “your power is your control” is a term mental health professionals use. They advised me to forget about hypotheticals and focus only on what is within my control. It was a very nice title.
“The main meat of the show” is the story about me getting a bread roll at a charity event for making jokes about Boris Johnson and EU. Using that personal story to open up a window into some political issues about race, the way the media digests racism and race, and what challenges we face,
He adds, “But it’s full on jokes!”
He was effectively booed off the stage in an incident that wasn’t the real problem.
Kumar, 36, said: “One thing that I have always maintained is that the person who threw that bread roll clearly needs anger control. If you find yourself holding a bread roll in one’s hand and using it as a weapon against a comedian, I recommend that you go home and take a deep look at every decision in your life.
He adds, “If you’ve ever paid money, you can boo.” I believe that. My joke is not a problem philosophically. Problem is what happens after it has been written about in the media and uploaded to YouTube.
“That’s when things started to get a bit more serious, intense and that’s the second half of the story. That’s actually the fallout of the bread roll.”
Kumar became a bogeyman in right-leaning publications. He was featured in news reports, not arts and culture sections. He also speaks out about being threatened with death.
What does he do now to reflect on it?
It’s not an easy task. It can affect your safety and self-esteem. It isn’t without its challenges.
“If you do comedy like I do, you can expect criticism and flak. But what you don’t expect is to feel constantly under scrutiny by journalists and then to know that that scrutiny will be fed down to people sending death threats. All of it can feel very claustrophobic at times.
“That’s why I felt it was a blessing to have someone to talk to about my mental health and it’s impact on my mental well-being.
Kumar had been to therapy and has learned “emotional regulation”. However, he didn’t intend to create a routine about mental health. His shows focus on his daily life and not what’s happening in the world.
“I believe it was more about the funny stories that I heard when I was younger. Then it became more political and made observations about the political theme. You have more fun things in your 20s than in your 30s. This is because you are more active, running around, playing gigs, and getting trains and night buses in the middle of the nights. My goal is to reduce your worries as you age. You also become more confident in your opinions, and can express your opinions better. So I believe that is why my comedy tone has changed over the past decade.
Kumar’s parents hail from Kerala, India. He was born in Wandsworth, and raised in Croydon. After that, he attended St Olave’s Grammar School, Orpington.
He studied English and History at Grey College, Durham University. There he met Tom Neenan, a fellow comedian, who formed the double-act Gentlemen of Leisure. They also performed in the Durham Revue.
Kumar started his career as a stand-up comedian solo in 2013. However, he performed five shows at Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Two of these were nominated to the Comedy Award for Best Comedy Show 2015 and 2016.
He hosted The Mash Report and Late Night Mash before stepping down in October 2013. He can also be seen regularly on comedy and panel shows like Taskmaster, Live At The Apollo and QI.
Kumar has also visited Yorkshire many times during his years-long tours.
“I have been gigging Leeds for a while, so I feel a deep connection to the city. I also did a lot of gigs in Leeds when I first started, and that’s where I feel most comfortable performing.
“Yorkshire has been very kind to me in general.
“I had a great gig in Sheffield during my last tour in 2018, and I’m glad to be back.
“Also I am a huge snooker player. My grandmother is shocked that I am performing at the Crucible. It’s more amazing than any other thing I have done in my professional career. I have to keep explaining to her that I am not going to the Crucible to play snooker.
Nish Kumar presents Your Power, Your Control at Hull’s Bonus Arena on Feb. 2; York’s Grand Opera House February 9; Leeds City Varieties February 10 and March 5, and Huddersfield Town Hall March 9 and Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre April 7.
