Son of an Indian father and Japanese mother, Daniel Nainan says memories of being ragged, harassed and bullied because of his appearance and heritage propelled him into this career of being a stand-up comic. (Photo: Courtesy, Priyanka Mehta)

Living well, said Oscar Wilde, is the ultimate revenge. For Daniel Nainan, living well as a stand-up comic is an even bigger revenge.

A son of an Indian father and Japanese mother Nainan says memories of being ragged, harassed and bullied because of his appearance and heritage propelled him into this career. Now that he is emerging as a stand-up comic of consequence on the South Asian circuit, the 20-something Nainan is having the last laugh on his former school mates.

“I used to be called many things including a chink. It was quite terrible being targeted because of my race or ethnicity,” Nainan told News India-Times in an interview. Nainan internalized that humiliation and turned it into a flourishing career. One of the lines in his stand-up routine goes: “What race is that guy anyways?” The line almost invariably gets him a laugh. Hisng line too is a takeoff on his mixed heritage. “My father is Indian and my mother is Japanese,” he says and punctuates it with a pregnant pause. Then adds: “I buy my sushi from 7-11.”

What seemed like a major disadvantage as a schoolboy has turned out to be a strength for Nainan. “First off being an Asian stand-up is still an oddity. Being an Asian and a mix of Indian and Japanese is even more so. There are times when I call and say ‘remember the Indian-Japanese guy?’ And that often gets me a gig,” Nainan says.

Gets him a gig? It actually gets him quite a few. For instance, in 2005 he has 51 confirmed shows according to his Web site. That is practically every single week of the year. “The going is good so far. And mind you I do only clean material. I have never done drugs. I don’t tell smutty jokes. I try and keep it humorous without being offensive. After all, what is the point in offending someone? You only lose your audience,” Nainan says.

As career choices among Asian children go, Nainan made a fairly predictable one when he picked up a job at Intel. “I have a technology background and my job at Intel was highly technical. I had to give demonstrations in front of a large audience. That used to make me nervous. So I decided to take a comedy class. I found I enjoyed the routine. I cut my teeth at Intel doing funny staff for the company. Then as I got better, I decided to turn a pro,” he says.

Nainan’s One-liners

20 percent American children cant find earth on the map of earth. So I called my parents and asked them what they were doing. My father said they were gardening. So I tell my father why don’t you get two immigrants to do the gardening. And father said you bloody fool two immigrants are doing the gardening. My father is Indian and my mother Japanese. I buy my sushi from 7-11. What race is that guy anyways?

Nainan’s material mainly concerns East Asian and South Asian experiences. Although he considers himself as American, being born and brought up here, he thinks his target demographic is perfect for now.

Nainan quickly breaks the myth about “humorless Indians.” “I think they are the most responsive audience that I know of. They have a lot of sense of humor. They don’t mind being made fun of. That may not be true of South East Asians or even mainstream Americans. I think Indians are a great audience in terms of self-deprecating humor,” he says.

“There is a rule in comedy. Your material should be about the group you belong to. Otherwise it can get difficult and can be misconstrued. For instance, Chris Rock can get away tearing blacks apart but a white comedian may not. In a non-black comedian it may sound racist,” Nainan says.

Nainan believes the South Asian comedy is on the verge of going mainstream. According to him, there are comics who do South Asian material. He cites the example of Russell Peters, who is a big name in his native Canada, as on the verge of going mainstream in the U.S. “He is of Indian origin and has been doing comedy for the past 16 years. In our business he is god. The effect that his success has for others like me is that it doors,” Nainan says.

Nainan was scheduled to perform with Peters at the Apollo Theater in New York on April 13 as anng act of about 20 minutes. “I have had a beginner’s advantage. In addition, there is that curiosity value because of my heritage. I make enough money to make my parents happy. Certainly more than I would have had I stayed on in Intel. Plus I don’t have to take the subway or wear a suit to go to work. It is a one-hour-a-day job. I almost feel sorry for the others,” he says.

In his judgment there are two kinds of comedians — one that do a lot of work in writing their material and the other who feel inspired in the moment. “I am in the second category. I see humor everywhere,” Nainan says.

Apart from his stand-up routine, Nainan has made quite a name for himself imitating famous voices on the radio channels owned by Clear Communications and Infinity groups, both nationwide networks with a vast number of listeners. “I do Bill Clinton, George Bush, Arnold Schwarzenegger and so on. That gets me a lot of attention and, of course, money,” he says.

One of Nainan’s personal goals was to become a TV comic without ever owning a television set. “I think I have accomplished that. I hardly watch TV. I am more into reading. I read a lot,” he says. As a comic, Nainan says the biggest fear is being heckled. “When a joke works it is the biggest high. But when it bombs it can destroy you. But one must have a way to come back,” he says. He structures his material in a way that he ends on a high note. “Ending on a high note is important. I use my new material in the middle of the show. These is some science to it,” he says.

Nainan says his exposure to Indian culture is very limited but enough for him to extract fun out of it. He knows nothing about Bollywood films which some comics use as their source material. “I want to do mainstream South Asian and East Asian humor,” he says.