SEASON 2 EPISODE 9
A joke is like a toddler - when you first say it, it will fall on it’s faceFady Kassab, Comedian
Find full episodes of Comedy Karma on the SBS South Asian YouTube channel. Follow the series your podcast app such as the SBS Audio app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.
Comedy Karma is created and hosted by Aditya Gautam
Additional Editing by Tarun Tyagi
SBS Team: Joel Supple, Bernadette Phương Nam Nguyễn, Max Gosford and Philip Soliman
Aditya Gautam
I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land I'm recording from. I pay my respect to, to the Cammeraygal people and their elders, past and present. I also acknowledge the traditional owners from all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lands. You're listening from coming up in
this episode.
Fady Kassab
Imagine this. My father's a translator. Yeah, Arabic, English. English, Arabic. So he comes to Australia, he's at the airport, and the, guy at the customs whatever, he looks at his papers, goes, mate you gotta go to the red gate And that goes what? He goes, you gotta go to the red gate. And dad
goes, I don't understand what you're saying. And so they bring a translator for the translator. Like, he's a translator. A joke. You know how we write it? It's like a toddler just learning to walk. When you first say it, it will fall on its face and it's gonna hurt, but then it's gonna get stronger.
So then you, oh, what did I say wrong? Was it equal? Was it even? Was it unclear what alienated people? You know how it is. The problem with comedy, you have to test it in front of people. You can't just write it at home. Eighty kilometres down the road from my house, and that's where I was born.
You know what I mean? So I don't know why people always say Christians are white. They're us. Like, that's just a skin colour.
Aditya Gautam
Hello, everybody. Welcome to Comedy Karma season two. I'm, your host, Aditya Gautam. In this podcast, I talk to comedians from all over the world who now live and perform in Australia. Today, I'm talking to Fady Kassab. Fady is, one of my favourite comedians in Australia. He, was a winner of, Triple
J's Raw Comedy Competitions. He's professional for thousands of people, in things like Just for Laughs. And he's also open for Jim Jefferies. He does his solo shows all across Australia. He's doing great things. We'll talk about, all things comedy and, Fady and, Lebanon and other great things. Let's
start the show with one of his jokes.
Fady Kassab
And I thought, I'll migrate to the US and it's such a complicated relationship we have with the United States, really, because they're so cool. But they bomb us and then they make cool movies and go to space and explore and then they bomb us. You go, I don't know how to feel. I thought, despite all
this, I'm going to migrate. And I filled out the immigration form to the US 21 years ago. But they had a question on it that said, have you ever ordered, incited, committed, assisted or participated in genocide? And I freaked out and started sweating and I wrote yes, yeah, sure, whatever it takes to
become an American.
Aditya Gautam
What's your vibe now? Like it's not going well for them. I think we can all agree it's what's your vibe now. Do you, do you think still think they're cool?
Fady Kassab
the American people are cool.
Aditya Gautam
Okay.
Fady Kassab
Whenever I criticise America, I just want to clarify that it's a government policies, foreign policy mainly. I mean the people aren't bombing us. I mean if you can't calculated based because it's taxpayers money that goes into manufacturing weapons and then the government chooses and manufacture
weapons with that and then bomb people, they could build roads or hospitals or schools. So it's a government choice with the taxes. So I keep saying to my mother every time a rocket falls that that's probably been funded by Taylor Swift because if you look at the per capita income, you know how much
tax tax she's paid. Taylor Swift has been bombing Lebanon for the last few years, so.
Aditya Gautam
That's so funny.
Fady Kassab
So the Americans are cool. My brother is American citizen, isn't it?
Aditya Gautam
Oh, is he? Ah, that's interesting. Like your real brother.
Fady Kassab
My real older brother, yes. He had been there 20 years now he, he lives in Egypt. His wife works for the United nations there in Egypt. So.
Aditya Gautam
But he's an American citizen.
Fady Kassab
He's an American citizen.
Aditya Gautam
Yeah, yeah.
Fady Kassab
but I don't think I'm allowed to go. Anyone who discussed, this is sbs, so we have to refer to it as the conflict in the Middle east because people are conflicting and have conflicting emotions as well. If you refer to it now, they're passing a law that you won't be given a visa to enter the state.
Aditya Gautam
So that's what they're doing. They'll check the online. This is what they're checking.
Fady Kassab
That's what they're checking, yeah. they can't go to the States and go. It's okay.
Aditya Gautam
What made you move to Australia? When. So this is 2001. Two. I think 2001.
Fady Kassab
I came here.
Aditya Gautam
What, what made you move to Australia, man?
Fady Kassab
My brother was coming here to study because in Lebanon at the time to get a degree. It was in US dollars and US dollar. would you. Was Worth two Australian dollars at the time?
Aditya Gautam
Oh yeah, it was double.
Fady Kassab
So my brother, my father thought I could send Fady and my brother Fouad, both of us to Australia and give us both an education for what he could get. And for one in Lebanon, Lebanon was more expensive, basically. So came here, Sydney Uni. And now fees are insane.
Aditya Gautam
So backtrack. Lebanon was more expensive?
Fady Kassab
Yes.
Aditya Gautam
I thought he was choosing Australia over America.
Fady Kassab
No, over Lebanon.
Aditya Gautam
Lebanon was. How does, why is that though?
Fady Kassab
That's because we studied English at school and if you studied French there, you had more options. But we were English educated. So the universities that taught in English were Lebanese American University and the American University of Beirut. Two American private universities. And the fees were
exorbitant.
Aditya Gautam
So they're American universities which have opened like a branch in.
Fady Kassab
Well, it's kind of, you know how it is. The university has relations with universities and you still get partner.
Aditya Gautam
The degree you get is still like an American degree or stuff.
Fady Kassab
It's yeah, you have to get the equivalency sorted, but they sort it for you pretty fairly once you get it. So, depending on the field, like if you're medicine, yes, you can work in America, but you can't work in Australia, for example, even though they follow American standards. Australia is very
strict with medicine, for example.
Aditya Gautam
Yeah.
Fady Kassab
Doesn't guarantee you'll get a job. But that was it. Two kids, education for the price of one. That's why I came here.
Aditya Gautam
That's interesting. So are they like cheaper universities that you could study in? Lebanon. But they were just not good universities.
Fady Kassab
Not English?
Aditya Gautam
Oh, English is the problem.
Fady Kassab
English was the problem. We were fluent in English, we spoke French. But to a degree, a complicated degree in French would have been a steep learning curve.
Aditya Gautam
So they're either French affiliated universities or English. Oh, that's so weird. I had no idea.
Fady Kassab
Like the University of Saint Joseph is French. The Lebanese university, which is the public university, it's French and they are cheaper. Oh yeah, it's nothing. The fee. No, no, St. Joseph, no, that's a private one. But the Lebanese one, it's nothing but really high standards. Let's say a thousand
apply. They only take 40.
Aditya Gautam
Oh, okay. Of course.
Fady Kassab
So very competitive because it's free and all the teachers are insanely qualified. They're really good. The public university in Lebanon, like really good.
Aditya Gautam
That's very.
Fady Kassab
But because it was French, French was the hurdle. So I came here. You know, my father, when he came to Australia, my father, imagine this. My Father is a translator. Yeah, Arabic. English. English, Arabic. So he translated Huckleberry Finn.
Aditya Gautam
Oh, wow.
Fady Kassab
Oliver Twist.
Aditya Gautam
Oh, wow.
Fady Kassab
Moonfleet, the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, all these. Like.
Aditya Gautam
He translates to Lebanese.
Fady Kassab
From English to Arabic to English to Arabic. Okay, so he's fluent. He comes to Australia. He's at the airport. And the guy, at the customs whatever, because he looks at his papers, goes, mate, you gotta go to the red gate. And that goes, what? He goes, you gotta go to the red gate. And that goes, I
don't understand what you're saying. And so they bring a translator for the translator. Like he's a translator.
Aditya Gautam
That's so funny.
Fady Kassab
And then that goes, I have to go to the red gate. He goes, yeah, man. That's what I said. Gotta go. The red gate. And dad goes. I did not understand the word. What is he talking about?
Aditya Gautam
How old were you
Fady Kassab
When I came here? I was 24.
Aditya Gautam
Oh, yeah, 24. Same age. I came here when I was 24, too. When you're doing a political joke, do you. Is that. Is something. Do you consider the fact that you might alienate some people in the crowd?
Fady Kassab
yeah. I used to be very afraid of that.
Aditya Gautam
Okay.
Fady Kassab
I used to be very afraid because I had a thing. I've been doing comedy seven years now, and I'd say for the first six years, I was really worried what people think. And m. I wanted everyone to be happy.
Aditya Gautam
Yeah. I think I do still want that.
Fady Kassab
Yeah.
Aditya Gautam
It stopped last one year. That stopped.
Fady Kassab
It stopped? Yeah.
Aditya Gautam
How? What changed?
Fady Kassab
a few things. One is, if I don't speak who I truly am, my voice, then what use am I? I'm going to be just like any other comedian doing the safe jokes. And it's not about taking a chance. It's speaking to your authentic voice. You have to. And, I had a few walkouts because, you know, Lebanon was
being bombed at the moment, at the time when I was on stage, and. And, I said something political. Ah, just. What? They walked out. And I thought, that's it. Comedy's horrible. I'm gonna quit comedy. Then I was listening, to an audiobook, and because I spent so much time driving to gigs and all
that. The courage to be disliked. It's, a. It's a book about, It's just psychology. It's a psychology book. But the idea is there are 100 people. 100 people in the room. How many would like you?
Aditya Gautam
I would want all of them to like me.
Fady Kassab
Yeah, but what are the odds?
Aditya Gautam
Not very high.
Fady Kassab
Now, how can you Ensure that everyone likes you. It's very hard where, let's say you are not controversial at all. To super controversial. If somewhere in the middle would alienate someone still, you go down to no controversy. It would alienate those who want some controversy. They want you to be on
fire a little bit. Sure. Then you realise, just say. Say what you feel, say what's in your heart. And, don't be. How do I put it? There's a, joke. You know how we write it? It's like a toddler just learning to walk. When you first say it, it will fall on its face and it's going to hurt, but then
it's going to get stronger. So then you, oh, what did I say wrong? Was it equal? Was it even? Was it unclear what alienated people? You know how it is. The problem with comedy, you have to test it in front of people. You can't just write it at home. So that's it. So you're, going to risk alienating
people as the process is evolving. I remember, one comedian said he starts with the darkest joke. He's an American guy. I'm not going to say his name because he's controversial. He said, I start with the darkest version of my joke where everyone's just horrified and no one's laughing. Then I start
toning it down a little bit, then a little bit, until I reach a stage where everyone's laughing but they're also horrified. because he starts with the horrified.
Aditya Gautam
Sure.
Fady Kassab
And then he goes back me, I started safe and I push it a bit and all that. I think, no, just start where you want to start and then we can work it. because people forget that comedians are writers. We're writing all the time. So, you know, be. Be kind of everyone. Hey, it's a safe environment we're
all in. Don't worry about it. It's a joke. But here it is. Look how dark this is. Just make them feel safe.
Aditya Gautam
It's something I want to work on more and more. I think in the next few years.
Fady Kassab
It comes with time. You know, stagecraft.
Aditya Gautam
Really? Yeah. okay, I'm gonna play your second joke, which is.
Fady Kassab
I didn't know there were stereotypes when I first arrived. I was really shocked. People said, you're Lebanese. Where do you live? Have you found a place to live? You know where you should live? You should live in Western Sydney, like banks or something. That's where all the Lebs live. They said,
though, look, if you do watch out, though, for the Middle Eastern community, organised crime Said, come on, man. Organised.
Aditya Gautam
Do you now find, while you. Since you're doing comedy and it's such a give and take and interactive, art, form, do you find that you connect with the These Lebanese, The Lebanese who grew up in. In some ways that maybe, like, I wouldn't. Or another comedian wouldn't.
Fady Kassab
Well, the Lebanese in Australia, the Greeks in Australia, Cypriots, Italians, we all have very similar Mediterranean traits. And these are carried through, in migration. So they're carried along. Right. And the culturally, the mum always yelling, the father always with the hose, cleaning the
concrete, the. The lemonade with ice. People come in, you know, like, take off your shoes, like mopping, cleaning the house, obsession with cleanliness, keeping up appearances. So it's a very Mediterranean thing. So you start realising, oh, okay, we all have this common trait. Sure, they might not
have grown in Lebanon, but culturally, they're Lebanese. all the traumas there from the yelling, like when my mother mopped, I used to walk along the wall like I'm escaping a prison, you know, with. The, hand
Aditya Gautam
I had that trauma, too. Yeah.
Fady Kassab
It's like, don't. I just. I knew we're walking around so that Italians laugh at that, Greeks laugh at that, because they're the same.
Aditya Gautam
Yeah.
Fady Kassab
So I'm finding more of a. The more human you go, the more personal you go, the more universal it becomes, which is really weird. People go, I'm going to write a joke that appeals to everyone and they make it broad and it doesn't appeal, but you go really personal. You talk about something like your
fear of your mother, Suddenly it becomes, oh, everyone has it, so it becomes more universal.
Aditya Gautam
That's so weird. But isn't there this risk also of when you make it that personal, that other person just not getting it because they haven't had that experience at all?
Fady Kassab
So what?
Aditya Gautam
Okay, sure.
Fady Kassab
Again, that's what they call it. Carving your niche. Yeah.
Aditya Gautam
And I'm struggling with that these days.
Fady Kassab
Yeah, me too.
Aditya Gautam
I overcome that.
Fady Kassab
Yeah, I know, I know. Like, some things, you. You kind of tweak. When I came to here, because I studied an American school in Lebanon, I used to say, Scotch tape.
Aditya Gautam
They say sticky tape. We say Scotch tape, too, in India as well.
Fady Kassab
That's the brand, you know. But, Or Kleenex here, they say, you know, tissues. Yeah, hand me the tissues.
Aditya Gautam
Would you, Would you consider yourself Australian or Lebanese? If someone asks you who you are, what do you say? You Australian?
Fady Kassab
I would say, I used to. Someone asked me, like, last year, I said, Lebanon is My mother in Australia as my wife.
Aditya Gautam
Dude, that's. I've thought about that, too. It makes so much sense. I agree with you.
Fady Kassab
Yeah.
Aditya Gautam
That feels like that. Yeah. Yeah.
Fady Kassab
And I say, so who do you.
Aditya Gautam
Explain why that feels like that?
Fady Kassab
It feels like this. Because, of course, the mother represents heritage and where you came from and, you know, where you were nurtured. But the wife is your chosen partner for life. And also, the love is as big. You can love your wife and your mother the same love.
Aditya Gautam
Yeah.
Fady Kassab
So that's why I explained it like this.
Aditya Gautam
And I add something to it. What I was thinking, because. Because with your wife, you have to keep proving to her you love her. The mother, you don't have to prove.
Fady Kassab
That's right. She might kick you out. Yeah.
Aditya Gautam
You have to keep showing. I'm, paying my taxes. I put on sunscreen every day. I'm doing the right things. Keep loving me back. I heard that joke of yours. It reminded me of, you bringing shoe. bringing mud in your shoes and then reminding you of your mother.
Fady Kassab
My God. Yes. Yes. When I got to Sydney airport, yeah, I said, do you have mud on your shoes? This Australian question for biosecurity, and they go, is, my mum Did you just mop the airport? Can I come in? Did you just mop Sydney?
Aditya Gautam
I was laughing at that joke so much. It was great. okay, I'm gonna play. You've got two jokes left. I'll play your third joke, which is.
Fady Kassab
People always assume you're, like, Lebanese, like, you're Muslim. And recently I had this guy, he saw me after a gig. He goes, hey, we have a restaurant. We'd love to have you come over and we'll film you, eat our dishes, and we make jokes about it, and we'll pay you some money. Would you like that?
I said, okay. Then he goes to me, do you eat halal? I said, no, no halal. That's a Muslim thing. I'm, Catholic. So, no, that doesn't apply. He goes, oh, well, unless you want to take that angle. I said, hold on. Take that angle. You want me to pretend to be Muslim at your restaurant so you can get
more clicks and views? I said, haven't you seen this cross I'm wearing, man? I told you, I'm Christian. He goes, we'll pay you $400. I said, listen, brother. Alhamdulillah, I sold my entire faith for $400.
Aditya Gautam
Did that actually happen?
Fady Kassab
Yeah, someone actually asked me. That said, you wanna. Yeah, Maybe we'll do it thing. And it's like, wink, wink. No, get a Muslim comedian if you want. You know what I mean? And it's not like it's appropriation. I don't want to do that. But that, did.
Aditya Gautam
Yeah.
Fady Kassab
Yeah. And for me, it's like the joke is, I never, of course, never in real life said to look at the cross, but, as if. I think it's just really funny because I have principles, but I need to feed my kids as well. Pay $400 Alhamdulillah. And just speaking Arabic, people in Australia, they just go,
oh, another language. And I'm bowing down and I'm praying to the Lord.
Aditya Gautam
Your. Your name does sound Muslim.
Fady Kassab
Fady Yeah, it's really strange that you say that. do you know why?
Aditya Gautam
Yeah.
Fady Kassab
Do you know what Fady means?
Aditya Gautam
No, I have no idea.
Fady Kassab
Jesus.
Aditya Gautam
Holy shit. That's so.
Fady Kassab
Well, basically, we say I was born at Christmas time, so my parents called me Fady Because we say Jesus is the Fady and we sing it at church. We say, yes, a Fady is always said over and over in church. Jesus is the Fady meaning the Redeemer or the Saviour. So Fady is always someone called Fady You
know, it's like they're born around Christmas time.
Aditya Gautam
What's the. What language is that?
Fady Kassab
Arabic.
Aditya Gautam
That's Arabic. That's. See, that's the thing that's. We've been. We've been, including me and anyone in India, too, we've been tuned to think everything Christian is like English.
Fady Kassab
White.
Aditya Gautam
White.
Fady Kassab
I know.
Aditya Gautam
Like, so. So in any. Any Christian you meet in India, there are lots of Christians in India. obviously the Brits were there. They all have English names. They change their name to very English names. It'll be Peter, it'll be Joseph.
Fady Kassab
Yeah, but that is a byproduct of colonialism. If you look at the French coming to Lebanon, staying there for decades, our constitution is based on the French constitution. people then assume they start speaking, French. They speak French instead of the native Lebanese tongue because it makes them,
seem higher class. And the reason for that is because we were under occupation and they were seen as the superior force. And people, if I actually dress like they do and speak like they do, then I am more respected.
Aditya Gautam
Yeah.
Fady Kassab
So you see that a lot. So if they are assuming English names, they probably prefer to speak English than the native tongue as well, just like in Lebanon. So you see that a lot, really. So I. I can. But the irony is I don't know why they believe Christians are white. I mean, Jesus was like 80
kilometres down the road from my house, and that's where I was born. You know what I mean? So I don't know why people always say Christians are white. They're us. Like, this is a skin colour. You know what I mean?
Aditya Gautam
Yeah, yeah.
Fady Kassab
It's so funny.
Aditya Gautam
How was it growing up Christian? in. In. In Lebanon? Because I'm guessing it's a Muslim majority country.
Fady Kassab
No, it's not.
Aditya Gautam
It's not.
Fady Kassab
It's not.
Aditya Gautam
And sorry, I'm coming out.
Fady Kassab
No, Lebanon. That's okay. Lebanon is 4 million. Yeah, that's the population. It was a bit over half Christian. We're talking maybe in the last 50 years ago, but now it's, half. Half. 2 million Christian, 2 million Muslim.
Aditya Gautam
Ah, it's right at the centre, like, divided. 50. 50.
Fady Kassab
It kind of varies here.
Aditya Gautam
Sure. But almost.
Fady Kassab
But almost half. And then we had 2 million Syrian refugees, coming in from Syria. So the country is just suffocating under this. Like, can you imagine Australia now? 24 million people or whatever it is, getting 12 million refugees suddenly come in.
Aditya Gautam
Oh, yeah, yeah. It would. I would destroy, of course.
Fady Kassab
So that's what. And Lebanon is 220 kilometres long.
Aditya Gautam
That's not big at all. Yeah, no.
Fady Kassab
And the widest point is 80k.
Aditya Gautam
That's tiny. Yeah.
Fady Kassab
So 2 million came in, plus, I don't know, half a million Palestinians have been waiting there for 70 years to go back home. They're living in refugee camps. So Lebanon is bloody. Just a melting pot.
Aditya Gautam
Sure.
Fady Kassab
so now, the Syrian refugees, some of them have gone back. Some are still afraid of what's happening, but still that. I don't know if that gets added to the mix on how many Muslims and Christians are in the country, I would say. But there's a Lebanese population. Half. Half.
Aditya Gautam
Is it. Was it like a very cordial relationship between the two communities? Because
Fady Kassab
Always, man. Like, I'm talking in the villages. My, my father's best, friend. His name is M. Muhammad, Muslim man. At Ramadan, we're down at their house wishing them, you know, happy Eid. And they are coming at Christmas and we're all having lunches and dinners together. That's how we lived in
Lebanon forever. Even down in, Palestine, that's exactly how they lived. It's a whole idea of people hating each other. It's not true. It's not true. I think, especially when you grow next to each other for 1500 years.
Aditya Gautam
Yeah.
Fady Kassab
With each other.
Aditya Gautam
Yeah.
Fady Kassab
You know, you become culturally the same. Sure. I'm celebrating a different holiday now to you, I pray differently to you. But the same culture, I think, where fear happened and I. If you look at UK or even, Canada, Australia, any country that was settled and then all people from all over the world
came in. The fear of the other starts.
Aditya Gautam
Sure.
Fady Kassab
Because they weren't together as one culture.
Aditya Gautam
Yeah.
Fady Kassab
So they're coming, bringing their own language, their own cultures. They're different, let's hate them. But the one culture in Lebanon, Syria, is the same one culture. It's very different. I'm not saying, you should migrate to a place with your own culture. That's why when we came here, we tried to
gravitate to areas where the Lebanese are, where the Indians are, because you're seeking your culture to feel safe. But there, the whole country is one culture. So the Muslims and Christians.
Aditya Gautam
What was your exposure to comedy growing up in that culture?
Fady Kassab
Egyptian comedy, French comedy, American comedy. Like, I grew up watching that stuff. It's just really three worlds. When I came to Australia, that's when British comedy kicked in.
Aditya Gautam
Ah.
Fady Kassab
interesting was I never saw Monty Python in Lebanon. Like comedy in Australia. We had, neighbours. They would play neighbours in Lebanon. Like I knew Kylie Minogue before I came here, she was acting there and Jason Donovan and But the, actual, comedy kind of comedian, stand up, it wasn't that. Think
about it. Like, I don't know, I'm 48 now, so I don't remember many stand ups. Stand ups as an art, sure. But I was born in, like in the late 70s. So who were the real big ones? The big names? It feels everyone started waking up to comedy in the days of, you know, like the Seinfeld show and all that.
Like, oh, there's stand up, there's another world.
Aditya Gautam
and, Internet really helped.
Fady Kassab
The Internet? Internet, really? That's true. Who said it once that, I think Chappelle said it, that stand, up is a purely American art. Like stand up, they would have sort of vaudeville, musical stuff, sketches. People did that. But stand up. I don't remember seeing any Lebanese standups growing up
that were really stand ups.
Aditya Gautam
Sure.
Fady Kassab
Towards the late 90s I started going, oh, okay. I started seeing them on tv.
Aditya Gautam
But in, in your house and in your, like, environment in general, what was humour like? What was, was there, what was the flavour of humour,
Fady Kassab
Intertwined with trauma? That's it. That's the only way I can explain it, you know, especially if something's really dark, that's where the funny is. I mean, Mark Twain said that. Yeah, yeah, the funny is in the darkness. But some comedians, they. They take you, they go on stage and they take you to
a dark place where comedy should usually take you and they just leave you there. They leave you. It's like, oh, my girlfriend broke up with me today. And go, okay, here's the joke. It's coming. Oh, there's no joke. Okay. He's using as a group therapy session. That's nice. You know, so. But the idea
is you take him to a dark place, you. You expose something really vulnerable and then you bring them back and shine the light with a joke.
Aditya Gautam
Yeah.
Fady Kassab
Comedy's job is to open up a wound. M Something really dark. Something makes people uncomfortable and they make you laugh about it. M. If something triggered you, this is your sign that this is the thing you have to work on.
Fady Kassab
Something. What triggered me? Why did I get upset so much?
Aditya Gautam
Yeah.
Fady Kassab
Okay. If this is, let's say there's abuse, then go to therapy, chat to someone about it, flesh it out, Let it out of your system. Let that poison out so you can move on with your life. That's the job of comedy. Yeah, it's to kind of just rattle you a little bit. People go, I don't like. It's
offensive. Yes, it's offensive. What, offended you? What is it that offended you? Just tell me. Yeah, go tell a therapist what offended you. Go work on it.
Aditya Gautam
Yeah.
Aditya Gautam
Starting a new life in Australia isn't easy.
Aditya Gautam
A lot of companies have rejected me.
Fady Kassab
Sometimes I feel like, oh, I'm gonna quit.
Aditya Gautam
I give up.
Aditya Gautam
Work in Progress is a podcast to help skilled migrants rebuild their careers in a new country. You'll hear inspiring real life storeys, expert advice and valuable tips to help you find a job and advance your career. Work in progress. Listen now.
Aditya Gautam
Wherever you get your podcasts, We'll do the last joke. Really wanted to do this one. Yeah.
Fady Kassab
You know you're old when you start getting booty calls at 8:00pm.
Aditya Gautam
The message.
Fady Kassab
Is like, you up? It's 8:00pm No, I'm already in my pyjamas. I've taken my magnesium tablets. What the hell are you talking about, man?
Aditya Gautam
I love this joke. I really wanted to play it too, because I wanted to talk to you about being old and talk about. I don't get to do that. Most of these comics are freaking young man. They don't know why I am.
Fady Kassab
They have hope!
Aditya Gautam
They don't understand why I'm yawning at 10pm yeah. They think I've had a big day. I was like, no, I haven't had a big day. It's just 10pm it's my time to go to bed. It's hard in comedy. It's hard to make people understand. You started comedy quite late in life too. I started quite late in life too.
how is, how is, how does it feel? Do you. Because I get asked this question a lot and I think about it a lot. Would you, How old were you when you started comedy?
Fady Kassab
40.
Aditya Gautam
Would you. If you could go back in time, would you start earlier or not?
Fady Kassab
Yes, I would start earlier.
Aditya Gautam
I, would start. Why? And what's the negative or positive of starting this late?
Fady Kassab
It's, I'll tell you first, the positives of starting late. The positive starting late is I knew who I am. I had already formed my opinions about the world, my political views, my religious views, whatever it is about raising children, relationships. I experienced a lot. So when I came on stage, I
had a lot to say. starting earlier, I would have probably been really for 10 years. But then, you know, I thought I would give me another decade where I could do more with comedy, just to travel more.
Aditya Gautam
Sure.
Fady Kassab
Do festivals around the world where I don't have kids and I'm not married.
Aditya Gautam
Sure.
Fady Kassab
That's the only benefit.
Aditya Gautam
Sure.
Fady Kassab
And then it exposes you more. It changes your career in different ways. You could, Hey, you want to film a TV show?
Aditya Gautam
Yeah.
Fady Kassab
Let's do this together. Let's go film for a week. Let's go away and drive and film. I started late. I had responsibilities and I can't do all this stuff. But this is a story, I tell myself as well.
Aditya Gautam
Yeah.
Fady Kassab
So it's probably a false pre existing belief that I have to work on. Yeah.
Aditya Gautam
Yeah.
Fady Kassab
Because there's nothing stopping me now. Like the kids are at school all day. I can just go out and do hours, you know.
Aditya Gautam
Ah.
Fady Kassab
So limiting beliefs, tackle those.
Aditya Gautam
Yeah, no, but I think I know what you're talking about because, I think I would have been. I. I'm glad. One angle. I'm not glad. I. Glad I didn't start earlier because I was so stupid when I was young. I, would have been like this dumb kid and open mic saying dumb things.
Fady Kassab
Yeah.
Aditya Gautam
Just to get a reaction and, and I'm glad I got to live a life before I started comedy. Like a normal person's life.
Fady Kassab
Yeah, true.
Aditya Gautam
So much perspective. Because people who get into comedy too early, too hard I feel like they stop, they start being like this comedian the whole time. Yeah.
Fady Kassab
They fall into a trap where they hang out and just they do their set, they get out and have drink, get drunk and go home.
Aditya Gautam
Yeah.
Fady Kassab
And then they don't try anything for three years. Anything new.
Aditya Gautam
Yeah. Also they're also, also always trying out jokes, which is cool, but you're like, you got to be normal too. You have a normal conversation, which is not funny.
Fady Kassab
You mean off stage?
Aditya Gautam
Off stage. You know what I mean?
Fady Kassab
100%.
Aditya Gautam
Like you're always being a comedian. Don't be, always be a comedian around me. Like be a normal person too. And you see this with a lot of younger people. Anyway, we've got to wrap up. I'm gonna ask you one last question I've asked all the guests is,
Fady Kassab
Oh, so I'm not special?
Aditya Gautam
Yeah, you're very special, man.
Fady Kassab
Ah.
Aditya Gautam
What is, what would you say you've been here for like 20 odd years now in Australia. What's your favourite thing about, performing stand up comedy in Australia? And what's your least favourite thing about it?
Fady Kassab
Oh, interesting. Okay. The diversity of the audience is the favourite, favourite because, you know, in Lebanon it'd be all Lebanese, for example.
Aditya Gautam
Yeah.
Fady Kassab
If I'm performing here mostly. But having such a diverse audience, different ethnic backgrounds, it makes you really. How do I walk a line where kind of I can make almost all of them laugh where someone from India and someone from, Norway are laughing at the same thing, you know. So my least
favourite thing is. how they treat taboos or how some people are treating comedy in the scene as, as a life storey and therapy kind of session. And you say like, oh, I have struggled like this in my life, so everyone listened to me. But you're not funny. Make it funny. You know, some people are
really using it like that. So in the scene. But my, my. Yeah, I think this is getting better. I feel the comedian should be able to offend anyone because George Carlin said this. They said, we are the jesters in the king's court. We're the lowest of the low, we're the jester, but the jesters. And
look, I'm a nobody. I'm a piece of shit. But. And then he can make fun of the king because I'm a nobody. I can make fun of everyone, which is punching up and people who punch down or they try to get sympathy for being a certain way. and that's not. And it could be because they're immigrant because
of sexuality, because of faith, because of abuse in their life, because of, you know, wealth in their life or privilege in their life. You know, everyone brings that to stage. But to make it funny, I, I don't find that, that people do it ah, as good a job here America. I say if it could raise
someone's level because the level is really high in writing there and could push you to become better. England's the same. but you can do it here without going to England.
Aditya Gautam
Nice way to end it, man. how would you people listening to this, watching this is it. can you give a shout out to your social media handles?
Fady Kassab
Sure.
Aditya Gautam
They can maybe, go see your shows because you're doing solo shows in all festivals. Usually
Fady Kassab
I am So if you look up Fady and I don't know if they will. So it's F for Frank. People don't know a D y Fady comedian. Just look that up and I will come up on Google. But it's Fady Kasab is the full name on Instagram, the Fady Kassab on Facebook. You know, each social media channel just. You have to
have a different name because some other name is taken or something. So. But F a D y if you look up Faddy comedian Sydney, you'll see all my channels there.
Aditya Gautam
Awesome. Sweet, man.
Fady Kassab
But I'm mainly on Instagram and Tik Tok. So.
Aditya Gautam
Yes, you are on Instagram a lot. and it's freaking awesome. Your videos, I love watching.
Fady Kassab
Oh, thanks, my friend.
Aditya Gautam
Thanks for coming out.
Fady Kassab
Thanks for having me.
Aditya Gautam
Comedy Karma is an SBS original podcast. It was created and produced by me, Aditya Gautam with editing help from Tarun Tyagi. I would like to give a, huge thanks to the SBS teams at the Melbourne and Sydney offices and to Joel Supple for her guidance. You can find Comedy Karma on SBS or on any other
platform where you get your podcasts. Go listen to more episodes and listen to more jokes. Go do it.
SBS News UpdatesAn overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
SBS News in DepthsInterviews and feature reports from SBS News
SBS On the MoneyYour daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
SBS Learn EnglishEase into the English language and Australian culture. We make learning English convenient, fun and practical.Get the latest with our podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.
