This Saturday, Festival Marvin will take over the Roma and Condesa neighborhoods in Mexico City for its fifth consecutive year, and will flood them with numerous alternatives, covering areas from arts to cinema, and, of course, music. This year’s musical offer is already mouth-watering, and its lineup includes over 30 names as exciting as Os Mutantes, Javiera Mena, Las Robertas, Jessy Bulbo, Kap G, Carolina Camacho, and tons more, spreaded over eight stages.
One of the most welcomed surprises in this year’s edition of the festival is the inclusion of a special stage dedicated to stand-up comedy shows. While the Mexican comedy tradition is vast, long-lived, and highly influential in and out of its borders, the stand-up comedy scene in the country is relatively new and it’s blossoming fast. The festival organizers are giving it a well-deserved push, showcasing acts by comedians like Gon Curiel, Roberto Flores, the Cayendo Mal crew, Fran Hevia, and more, at Woko Taberna (Nuevo León 139.)
We sat down with five of the participants, Leye Nedvedovich, Mannuna, Pablo Araiza, Richie O’Farrill, and Kikis, who gave us dome insight into their personal style, the local scene’s current state, and the comedians’ egos.
1
Leye Nedvedovich
What do you think about the fact that Festival Marvin, whose main focus is on music, has opened a window for stand-up comedians in its 2015 edition?
Well, I think it’s fantastic. Here in Mexico, stand-up comedy wasn’t widely practiced until a few years ago, and the fact that they’re giving us a spot in a festival as big as Festival Marvin is… well, it’s a lot of exposure for us, and it’s an acknowledgement to what we are really doing. I mean, if Festival Marvin turns its head toward us and tells us “Hey, join the music festival we’ve been doing for years,” for us comedians it’s an opportunity for people to see we have a profession that’s serious and that we’re really devoted to. The exposure helps us a lot because there’s nobody really looking at us right now.
Do you agree with having a stage that’s dedicated to stand-up comedy? Or would you have preferred to have shared a stage with the bands?
We would have preferred [to perform on] a big stage, where the bands will be. But then, mixing music and stand-up comedy is like… You come for a music show, and then you get a stand-up comedian and it’s like “What? No! What!?” And then, people won’t pay attention, with all the alcohol and adrenaline. So, it’s good that there’s a stage for stand-up, but you’ll have to send the people over to us, right?
What can you say about the current state of stand-up comedy in Mexico? Is it in a good place?
Well, you see, the kid is taking his first steps. He’s starting to walk on his own. We’re just letting him go so he can take those little steps on his own. Personally, I estimate like 10 more years for it to be “The” stand-up comedy. Right now, it’s like, fashionable. But, for it to be an institution like it is in the US, there are still like 10-15 years to go. I estimate 15 years and a lot of work.
2
Mannuna
What do you think about the fact that Festival Marvin, whose main focus is on music, has opened a window for stand-up comedians in its 2015 edition?
Well, I think it’s awesome, because it’s exposure; it’s a stage only for us (comedians,) where the people who listen to emerging music, the people who follow and consume the magazine, are going to be able to watch the stand-up comedy we do, which is very in nowadays. The people who go to a stand-up show and laugh with us are the people who buy the magazine. So, it’s great that we have been given a stage and the opportunity to be part of the festival.
What’s that peculiar aspect of your brand of comedy that sets you apart from the rest?
My type of comedy goes towards a gay approach, because I’m gay. I talk about homosexuality in Mexico and also homophobia in Mexico, which is something super difficult nowadays. I talk a little about capitalism, and also about pederasty.
So, you talk about controversial issues that are sometimes hard for people to face.
Yes, it’s complicated for them, but when they hear the jokes they laugh cathartically. Because, when I make a joke about homophobia, people are left thinking “Well, it is true homosexuals are killed,” and you say “Yes, they do kill us.”
It’s a medium of reflection through comedy.
Exactly, and I think that’s cool. You’re not only going on a stage to say “Poor me, I suffer homophobia” and all of this, but you also reflect about this through comedy.
What can you say about the current state of stand-up comedy in Mexico? Is it in a good place?
Well, I think it’s a scene that’s just starting. We’re just starting up. (Comedians) in the US have been doing it for 40 years; we’ve been at it for about five or six years, approximately. And there we go. I think the foundations are being laid for the Mexican stand-up comedy to grow.
What do you think is the thing that hinders the growth of the Mexican stand-up comedy scene the most?
The difficulty is that, for those 40 years comedians have been doing stand-up in the US, we’ve been doing tent theater, cuentachistes, all of that. This type of comedy that was very basic, the Pepito jokes. Always the same jokes. So, I think that’s part of the impediment; people aren’t always open to hearing new styles. But when they do, they say “Oh, look, a new comedy proposal,” and they get hooked and become your followers.
3
Pablo Araiza
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBSei_rJlds
What do you think about the fact that Festival Marvin, which is a festival whose main focus is on music, has opened a window for stand-up comedians on its 2015 edition?
I think Marvin magazine and their festival are really cool, very padre. So, the fact that they invited us is like… Look, we comedians are very egotistical people. So, the fact that they got us by boosting our ego, it’s like “a huevo!,” you know? Plus, we’ll be performing in front of an audience that I think we’re interested in reaching. I mean, it’s the kind of people that have a good time. The kind of bands like the ones Festival Marvin brings, people like the Plastics [Revolution,] cool people. Or at least people I admire and that I think are doing an incredible job.
Are there any Mexican or Latin American comedians who the organizers missed this year and who you’d like to see on next year’s lineup?
If I’m honest, all my favorite comedians are there. There’s Leah [Nedvedovich.] There’s Alexis [Marin y Kall, a.k.a. Esewey,] Roberto [Flores,] Gon [Curiel,] the guys from Cayendo Mal. I mean, there are only people that I like, I don’t think they missed anyone. There are the people who I think represent Mexican stand-up well. [There are] several points of view within what stand-up comedy means, the way of doing it. You’re not going to hear the same ten subjects from 20 different dudes. Each one of them have his or her own particular point of view, so I feel the people included are the ones that should be there, and I think the selection made by Festival Marvin is fantastic. I say that because they chose me, right? Mainly.
Do you think the Mexican audience is hard to please?
Yes. I think we’re still in this transition stage where people are still beginning to understand what stand-up is, leaving behind the figure of the “cuentachistes.” They’re figuring it out, like, “A huevo! He’s talking about his first time,” you know? “We don’t talk about that in this Catholic house.” And, little by little, they’re letting go of that, and it’s very fun and very cool. It’s growing. People are like “Hey, look! What’s this? Why is it so special? Why does it catch my attention?” And we’re doing fine, it’s cool.
4
Richie O’Farrill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAmz44z0xW4
What do you think about the fact that Festival Marvin, which is a festival whose main focus is on music, has opened a window for stand-up comedians on its 2015 edition?
I actually love the idea, because in the US it happens a lot. It has happened in festivals like Outside Lands, Bonnaroo, Coachella. Several US festivals have opened up to stand-up comedy, so I think that it’s awesome that now I can be part of Festival Marvin. So, I love it, and it opens a door where, in the future, I hope, the stand-up comedy community can be part of bigger festivals, right? We’ve seen more of these kinds of things recently – although it’s not precisely stand-up, Galaztia at Vive Latino and the two Pal’ Norte editions are introducing comedy to music festivals.So, it’s pretty cool and it opens a door that I wish works for a lot more things in the future.
Tell us a little more about Richie’s personal style. What’s the particular way you approach you comedy style to make it different from everyone else’s? Is there a specific element?
I’m not looking for it to be different, because, in the end, there are so many comedians in Mexico and all over the world that you can’t really have a unique style. I mean, if you perform with a guitar, there’s someone who’s heard it before. If you perform on the piano, there’s someone who has done it before. So I’m not looking for a unique style. What I’m looking for with my comedy is that lots of people can identify with it; that they find something relatable.
What can you say about the current state of stand-up comedy in Mexico? Is it in a good place?
I think it’s still in diapers. It’s not standing as well as the Mexican musical scene is, which also took a long time [to come together]. I compare it to Rockotitlán in the 80s and the 90s, when you’d see Café Tacvba sharing the bill with Sombrero Verde, what Maná used to be back then. Now, you turn around to see those bands and Café Tacvba is a huge band. I don’t think stand-up comedy will get to be as big as music in Mexico, but I do think it’s in diapers and it can get to grow a lot more than it has so far, because it’s grown a lot in a short amount of time.
What do you think is the thing that hinders the growth of the Mexican stand-up comedy scene the most?
It’s probably the fact that the media doesn’t pay attention to us yet, and people don’t go to shows that much. Like with anything else, the quality is uneven – so there have been a lot of well-known journalists who go watch a show and say “this is what Mexican stand-ups are like, I don’t ever want to see this again.” They don’t give it a second chance. I think that’s what’s needed. And, like with everything else, you have to work a lot and be there constantly so it can grow. Like the Notorious BIG used to say: “stay busy, stay working.”
5
Kikis
What do you think about the fact that Festival Marvin, which is a festival whose main focus is on music, has opened a window for stand-up comedians on its 2015 edition?
Unbelievable. I think it’s an awesome platform, and the Revista Marvin and Festival Marvin audience, and the audiences of all of those bands, are precisely the kind of audience us stand-up comedians are looking to reach; a kind of audience that’s young and open to new stuff. So, it’s amazing that, for the first time, Revista Marvin included stand-up comedy, which is really growing.
Are there any names you think the festival organizers missed this year and that you’d like to see in future lineups?
I think it’s very well covered, because, for example, there are very few women doing stand-up comedy, and Festival Marvin is showcasing a lot of them. That’s very cool, and there’s a great variety of different kinds of comedy, so there’s something for all different tastes. It’s a great mixed line-up, and I’m sure we’ll come back next year with new comedians to shake things up.
What can you say about the current state of stand-up comedy in Mexico? Is it in a good place?
It’s constantly growing, and that’s great. I started around three and a half years ago, and (back then) it was nothing like now. In a short amount of time it has grown a lot and we’ve been winning new places over, like Festival Marvin. We’ve won spaces over in the media, too. It’s like growing path that let’s us reach more and more people.
Is the Mexican crowd a tough one?
Nah, the audience is amazing. It’s only a matter of them opening up their minds a little and being willing to hear jokes written by the comedians themselves, as opposed to prefabricated jokes. You won’t hear my joke from any other comedian besides me.